Mixed in 1980

Chapter 461 Clues
"Sister, what's wrong? What bracelet?" Chen Yanche asked in a panic. In just a moment, Zhou Jingshu seemed to have lost her soul.

This is the first time I've seen her like this.

“A bracelet, a silver bracelet, on the bamboo raft in front… on the little girl’s hand, a silver bracelet with bells, like mine, you know it.”

Although it was intermittent, Chen Yanche could understand.

He quickly told the boatman who was punting the bamboo raft, "Master, follow the raft in front of you, get ashore before them, give me your mobile payment QR code, and I'll give you 1,000 yuan."

The boatman was delighted; what a stroke of good luck!
After receiving the money, they poled the raft, keeping a close eye on the bamboo raft ahead. For those who make a living on the water, this was an easy task.

Seeing this, Chen Yanche breathed a sigh of relief and held Zhou Jingshu's hand: "Sister, don't worry, we'll go up and ask as soon as we reach the shore."

Zhou Jingshu's lips turned pale, and she hummed in agreement.

For the rest of the journey, I had no interest in appreciating the Ten-Mile Gallery. I kept my eyes fixed on the bamboo rafts ahead, and only when we were almost ashore did I ask the boatman to speed up and overtake us.

After getting ashore, she waited on the shore. When she saw the young couple carrying their child ashore, Zhou Jingshu couldn't wait to go up to them.

His eyes were urgent, and his voice trembled: "You... hello, can I ask you something?"

The little girl was startled by his anxious look.

The young couple opposite her looked wary, but Zhou Jingshu was oblivious, her gaze fixed on the little girl's wrist: "Can I take a look at this bracelet?"

Seeing her flustered appearance, Chen Yanche quickly stepped forward: "I'm sorry, we didn't mean any harm, it's just that this bracelet is very important to us."

The man opposite handed the child to his wife and looked at Chen Yanche warily: "Brother, the bracelet is ours. What exactly is your purpose?"

Chen Yanche smiled wryly and could only explain, "It's like this, my sister was kidnapped by human traffickers when she was a child, and her family rescued her. At that time, she was wearing a silver bell bracelet on her wrist."

"It looks very similar to the one your daughter has on her wrist. Could we take a look? Don't worry, we guarantee it won't be damaged."

Upon hearing this, the man's expression relaxed, and he even showed some sympathy. He turned around, comforted his daughter, took off the bracelet, and handed it to Chen Yanche.

Chen Yanche thanked him before taking it. Upon closer inspection, he immediately recognized it as almost identical to Zhou Jingshu's bracelet, only slightly newer.

He handed the bracelet to Zhou Jingshu and then asked the man, "Excuse me, may I ask if your bracelet was passed down in your family or bought?"

"I bought it two years ago," the man replied.

The answer was obviously disappointing. If it was a family heirloom, you might be able to find your family members. However, it is still amazing to find the exact same bracelet after more than 20 years.

Chen Yanche then asked, "May I ask where you bought it?"

"I bought it in my hometown. It's an old silver shop, decades old, and quite famous in our area," the man said, then introduced the place and the shop.

Sichuan and Chongqing, Chengdu, a silver shop with two and a half taels of silver!

Chen Yanche took out his phone and wrote it down in detail. Zhou Jingshu returned the bracelet to the little girl, thought for a moment, and then took off the multi-jewelry bracelet from her hand and put it on the little girl's wrist.

If you happen to meet someone, it's fate.

Consider this a memento. Perhaps because of today's meeting, I might find my biological parents soon and put an end to this matter.

After saying goodbye, the two immediately returned to the hotel to pack their luggage and then called home to ask their families to arrange for bodyguards to deliver the bracelet to Chengdu.

They were going directly to Chengdu.

Before leaving, I called Chen Yanyin but didn't tell her the real reason. After all, we were newlyweds, and there was no need to make her worry.

"Why aren't those two little rascals staying a few more days? What are they doing in Rongcheng?" Chen Yanyin frowned.

Originally, we planned to let them come up with ideas, but now we have to figure out the style and model of the resort ourselves.

It wasn't difficult for her.

Whether it's education, experience, or resources, building a resort would be a piece of cake; it's just a matter of laziness.

Too lazy to think, too lazy to do!

Having come up with a general framework, Chen Yanyin took out her phone and called Zhou Wenya directly, asking her to help assemble a professional team.

Chen Yanyin's requirements were simple: select a scenic location, acquire land, build a charming rural villa, and incorporate animals to create a dynamic yet tranquil atmosphere.

Animals can be rented from Mentougou Wildlife Park. The number is not large; only small to medium-sized, docile, and cute animals are needed.

Animals such as red pandas, fennec foxes, alpacas, koalas, and parrots can attract many families traveling together.

……

In the evening, Chen Yanche and Zhou Jingshu arrived in Chengdu. After leaving the airport, they took a taxi to the hotel, making many turns along the way.

Zhou Jingshu couldn't help but complain: "Except for Tianfu Avenue, which is straight, everything else is curved."

Upon hearing this, the driver's lips twitched.

This statement is ambiguous, yet precise; even its ambiguity is precisely accurate.

Upon arriving at the hotel and settling in, the person who delivered the bracelet hadn't arrived yet, so the two, who were starving, went to eat first and specially ordered a local specialty: cold-dressed houttuynia cordata.

Chen Yanche took a bite and then spat it out.

What the heck is this?!
In Sichuan and Chongqing it's called Zhe'ergen, while in my hometown in southern Fujian it's called Yuxingcao. However, in my hometown, Yuxingcao is used to make soup, such as meat slice soup or small intestine soup, which tastes very good.

I really can't stomach it when it's cold.

On the contrary, Zhou Jingshu ate with great relish, one bite after another. Chen Yanche asked curiously, "Sis, have you eaten this stuff before?"

Zhou Jingshu shook her head: "It's my first time eating it." Chen Yanche pouted and said disdainfully: "Then why are you eating it so deliciously? It seems you really might be from Chengdu, with a stomach that's used to eating houttuynia cordata."

Zhou Jingshu picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks and ate it with relish: "That's because you don't know how to eat it. It tastes a little strange at first, but it gets more and more delicious as you eat it."

"Then eat more." Chen Yanche pushed the plate of houttuynia cordata a little closer; even the smell of it was unbearable.

Unlike the way they do things in my hometown in southern Fujian, where they just boil soup and it tastes good, without any strange flavor.

Other dishes were served one after another, most of which were spicy. Chen Yanche was not used to it. His family's diet was always light, especially during his college years, when he was more accustomed to the light flavors of southern Fujian.

Zhou Jingshu also prefers milder flavors, but she doesn't mind the spiciness here and eats it with relish. Chen Yanche concluded that she might really be from Sichuan or Chongqing.

They carry the dietary genes of this place in their very bones.

After dinner, when she returned to the hotel, the bracelet had already been delivered. Zhou Jingshu carefully put it away and went to the Two and a Half Taels Silver Shop early the next morning.

The shop name is quite strange.

The store's decor is also very distinctive, with an antique style and glass counters displaying a lot of silver jewelry.

The two looked carefully for a while but couldn't find a similar bell bracelet.

"Waiter, is your boss here?"

"I am the boss!" the young woman said with a smile. If it weren't for her principle of "the customer is God," given her temper, she would have already started cursing.

"You're the boss?" Chen Yanche asked in surprise.

"Doesn't look like it?" The girl still smiled.

"You look like... no, not just like... but your demeanor is that of a boss, just a bit too young for my eyes," Chen Yanche praised.

He took out the bracelet and placed it on the counter: "Boss, could you please take a look? Did you sell this bracelet here?"

The girl picked up the bracelet and looked at the two of them in surprise: "It's definitely from our area. Only my grandfather knows how to make bells."

"He retired ten years ago, leaving only a few items behind. The last one must have been sold two or three years ago."

"Why are you asking about this?"

Chen Yanche explained his purpose: "Was the production volume of these bracelets large? Around 90, who were they mainly sold to, locals or tourists?"

The girl was surprised, not expecting that he was looking for his relatives.

After hearing this, he immediately became enthusiastic: "Wait a minute, let me call and ask. I wasn't even born back then."

After saying that, he immediately called home.

It took him a while to hang up, and he explained to the two of them, "The craftsmanship of this bell is quite complex, and it is much more expensive than ordinary bell bracelets. At that time, sales were not high."

"We only made a few dozen in total."

"The customers are mainly locals, or even from the surrounding area, but not necessarily. At that time, Chengdu already had a certain number of tourists."

"And then there are the counties and towns below."

After the two expressed their gratitude, it was almost certain that the location was in the Chengdu area, which greatly narrowed down the search area, making it much easier than searching for a needle in a haystack.

With a target in mind, finding the right people becomes much easier.

Zhou Jingshu contacted volunteers from the Baby Come Home website to modify her missing person information. The volunteers responded that they would conduct a search in the Chengdu area.

Then, the two went to the police station.

By investigating cases of missing children from that time, we might be able to find relevant information.

However, more than 20 years have passed, and with the passage of time, there were no computers for office work back then, so many files may not have been preserved, and they are not something you can just find whenever you want.

There was still no good news until the start of the semester at Kyoto University.

Seeing Zhou Jingshu's dejected look, Chen Yanche quickly comforted her, "Sister, don't worry, it's just Rongcheng, the area isn't big, we'll definitely find it."

"I have already arranged for someone to post a missing person notice on television, newspapers, and online platforms in Chengdu. Good news will definitely come soon."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingshu nodded slightly.

We haven't found it yet, but it's just that our time hasn't come. Now that we've narrowed down the search area, the probability of finding it is still quite high: "Let's go back to school for class."

Back at school and living in the Furongli residential area, life seemed to return to normal.

There's just one person missing here.

After getting married, Chen Laosi moved back to No. 17 Ya'er Hutong and lived a life of his own with his wife. Occasionally, he would also inquire about the resort project in Yanshan Town.

"You might as well not do it at all."

Chen Lao Er was furious about this. He had helped find the manpower, and after arriving in Guilin, he took over all the work, with Lao Si taking the lead.

"Second brother, the capable should do more work."

Chen Yanyin took her second brother's arm and said, "Don't you think about it? I'm just a useless little thing. If I interfere recklessly, I'll definitely mess up the project."

Chen Lao Er pushed his sister away with disdain: "Stop talking nonsense. All you want to do is slack off. There are less than two and a half years left until you graduate with your doctorate. Have you thought about what you want to do?"

"After graduation, no matter what you do, you must have a job. If you really can't think of anything, that's simple, come to the company and be my assistant."

(End of this chapter)