Animal Detective-Chapter 40: Guarding the House

"Let’s go take a look."

Chen Chao didn’t waste any words and led Shen Xin over.

WOOF WOOF.

Lele spotted the two of them and seemed quite happy, immediately running up to Shen Xin and wagging his tail.

"Good boy."

Shen Xin pulled a sausage from his pocket, peeled it, and fed it to him.

Only then did he walk up to the grave.

It looked old. It was clear no one had paid their respects in years, and the section of the surrounding wall near the woods had partially collapsed.

There were two graves, one large and one small, one in front of the other. Judging by the arrangement, they likely belonged to a married couple.

A glance at the tombstones confirmed it.

"Gao Clan burial plot."

"Tomb of the late esteemed Mr. Gao Yucheng."

The tombstone next to it was inscribed with "Tomb of Mrs. Gao Chen," who must have been Gao Yucheng’s wife.

"Some family’s ancestral grave," Chen Chao muttered.

Shen Xin nodded.

According to the information on the tombstone, this Mr. Gao Yucheng was born in 1904 and died in 1979. It had been many years.

There was also information about who had erected the tombstone.

It had been jointly erected by several members of the Gao Clan in 2001.

There was an incense burner in front of the tombstone, but it looked like no one had come to pay respects in many years.

So, just as Chen Chao had said, they didn’t know whose ancestral grave it was.

Then there was Lele. He was lying at the base of the wall, surrounded by scattered bones and food scraps he had likely gnawed on.

He must have laid there often, and for a long time. He had worn a hollow into the ground where the grass no longer grew.

Other than that, there was nothing unusual.

Chen Chao circled the grave, then stared at the spot where Lele was lying for a while before asking Shen Xin if he had any thoughts.

Shen Xin shook his head.

It was perfectly normal for a stray dog to find a quiet, secluded place to make a den.

Besides, with graves nearby, people would come to pay their respects and leave offerings, all of which was food for a stray.

"Another dead end!" Chen Chao grimaced, his head aching.

But he was used to it.

He gestured for Shen Xin to leave.

Shen Xin nodded, removed the recorder from Lele’s neck, and glumly followed Chen Chao away.

Lele kept following them.

After walking a few dozen meters, Shen Xin abruptly stopped.

"Captain Chen, I think something’s wrong," Shen Xin said tentatively. He led Chen Chao back to the grave and pointed at the spot where Lele had been lying. "Captain Chen, look. This spot has no cover. If I were a stray dog... ah, screw that. I mean, wouldn’t a stray dog normally find a den in a hidden place that offers some shelter?"

This place was hidden, sure, since no one came here. But what about when it rained? Would he just get soaked?

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Are you saying this dog has another den?"

"Not necessarily." Shen Xin shook his head, then stepped forward. "It’s because he might have another den that I find this strange. Look."

In the spot where Lele lay, the ground was worn into a hollow, and no weeds grew.

"Weeds grow back in patches, and quickly. The fact that he’s worn this spot down so much that nothing grows can only mean he’s been lying here for a very, very long time. It’s his regular spot. So if you connect that back to my point about the choice of location, doesn’t it seem a little off?"

It wasn’t a good place for a den.

But Lele had been lying here for a very long time. That raised the question: why?

Chen Chao crossed his arms and thought for a moment. He nodded slightly, acknowledging Shen Xin’s reasoning, then asked, "So? Knowing he often lies here, how does that help us move the case forward?"

Shen Xin froze, the burst of excitement he had just felt instantly vanishing.

’He was right.’

’Finding the dog, tracking the dog... the ultimate goal is to solve the case, not to figure out why a dog is lying here.’

Shen Xin scratched his head in frustration.

It was just like when they found that black-and-white cat before. Finding it was useless; the key was figuring out how to solve the case from there.

"Let’s go."

Chen Chao clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder and praised him with a smile, "In any case, your powers of observation are really something, kid."

He had noticed it last time during the investigation into Wu Zhicun.

Shen Xin sighed and dejectedly followed Chen Chao away.

’Another dead end.’

’Thinking about Wu Zhicun’s situation really makes me feel awful.’

"Alright, don’t overthink it. Once you become a detective, you’ll learn that solving cases is like this. Most of the time, it’s just disappointment." After they got in the car, Chen Chao patted Shen Xin’s shoulder reassuringly.

Shen Xin nodded and started the car.

In the rearview mirror, Lele stood by the side of the road, watching them like a statue, as if waiting for something.

After driving nearly a hundred meters, just as Lele disappeared from view, Shen Xin slammed on the brakes.

"What’s wrong?"

Chen Chao, who had been looking down at his phone, thought they had hit someone.

Shen Xin gripped the steering wheel, a wild idea spreading uncontrollably through his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Shen Xin turned his head and said, "Captain Chen, I have a crazy idea."

It was so crazy that Shen Xin himself felt like it had to be a joke.

But the image of Lele standing there, watching him drive away, kept replaying in his mind.

And it was that look of waiting that made Shen Xin think his crazy idea might just be possible.

Shen Xin didn’t say what his idea was. He just drove the car back, pulling Chen Chao with him to the grave once more.

"Captain Chen, what do you think he’s doing?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Shen Xin pointed to Lele, who had followed them back, circled them a few times, and then laid back down in his spot.

Chen Chao thought for a moment before saying tentatively, "Guarding the house?"

If you thought of the grave as a house, then Lele’s spot was right next to the main gate. It really did look like he was guarding it.

Shen Xin was taken aback. "Captain Chen, you thought of it too?" he asked.

"Thought of what?" Chen Chao was exasperated. "If you have something to say, just say it."

Shen Xin nodded and looked at the grave before them. "Captain Chen, do you think this is a possibility?"

"Seven years ago, Wu Jiawang took Lele and came out here to play. Maybe to go fishing."

Shen Xin pointed toward a ditch in the distance.

Seven years ago, kids weren’t like they are now, with phones to play on. Back then, there weren’t many forms of entertainment. They just ran around, climbing trees to find birds’ nests and going to the water to fish.

"Then, he had an accident. For example, he was hit by a car and killed."

Back at the hospital, Zhao Shouchuan had mentioned one theory: that a passing truck had accidentally hit and killed Wu Jiawang, and the driver, afraid of taking responsibility, took the body away.

Chen Chao nodded thoughtfully, his expression clearly saying, ’Go on, I’m listening.’

Shen Xin continued, "Let’s not worry about the ’why’ for now. You’ve told me before that many cases are absurd and don’t follow any logic. So, I’ll make a bold guess: the driver was terrified and didn’t dare call the police, so he decided to hide the body."

"And through all of this, Lele was right there, watching. He saw the killer hide his master. He couldn’t understand what was happening, but he knew where his master was."

"So he’s been waiting. For seven years. He’s waited a full seven years, guarding his master, waiting for him to come back."

Shen Xin turned to look at Chen Chao, his tone heavy.

Shen Xin had read the story of Hachiko.

And mongrels were known to be loyal to a fault.

By this point, Chen Chao understood. He turned his head to look at Lele lying there, then back at the two graves. A jolt, like an electric shock, shot through him. He shivered and stammered, "Are you saying... the killer hid Wu Jiawang’s body... inside these two graves?!"

After saying that, he sucked in a sharp breath and stood there, stunned into silence for a long time.

Shen Xin didn’t speak either.

’Otherwise, what could Lele possibly be guarding here?’