Animal Detective-Chapter 36: Missing Dog Notice

"It’s nothing valuable. My family is in the business of making Zisha teapots and other crafts. I specially selected a set, but I’m not sure if you’ll like it."

Shen Xin explained hurriedly.

Shen Xin’s parents had started their business making Zisha teapots and later expanded into other crafts.

His mom had previously given him several sets at once, telling him to gift them to his superiors.

Shen Xin had given sets to his three superiors and to Li Dongsheng, but he still had a few left, just gathering dust.

He hadn’t known what to buy on such short notice, so he’d simply brought one of the sets.

"How could I not like it?" Shen Yue Mei accepted it with a broad smile, praising Shen Xin for being polite and more sensible than Zhang Qian.

Beside them, Zhang Qian silently rolled her eyes in response.

The group sat down. Shen Yue Mei called for the food to be served and also ordered alcohol, asking Shen Xin if he wanted white liquor or red wine.

Shen Xin was about to reflexively say that white liquor would be fine, but before the words left his mouth, Zhang Jian cut in gruffly from the side, "He can’t drink."

Shen Yue Mei glared. "He’s off duty."

"It doesn’t matter if he’s off duty," Zhang Jian retorted.

Shen Yue Mei, who clearly understood the situation, argued that he could just report it. She even told Zhang Jian that as Shen Xin’s superior, he could approve it on the spot.

It was clear that Zhang Jian was a little afraid of his wife, but he was also a man of strong principles and refused.

Shen Xin quickly jumped in to smooth things over, saying he didn’t drink and that a soft drink would be fine.

Beside him, Zhang Qian almost burst out laughing.

’Doesn’t drink, huh? Then who was it that threw up on my foot last time?’

Only then did Shen Xin have a chance to glance at Zhang Qian. Compared to how she looked during the day, she seemed to be wearing makeup and was even more radiant and beautiful.

She gave Shen Xin a light glare, her eyes asking what he was looking at.

Shen Xin gave an awkward smile, shook his head, and quickly averted his gaze.

This meal was an uncomfortable affair.

It was mainly because Zhang Jian was sitting right there, which made things awkward.

Shen Yue Mei, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic. She kept asking Shen Xin questions, constantly putting food on his plate, and showering him with praise.

She said that Shen Xin had already earned a third-class merit at such a young age and that he definitely had a bright future ahead of him.

Unlike Zhang Qian, who had studied graphic design and was now just messing around.

Zhang Qian, who was in the middle of gnawing on a crab, subconsciously wanted to retort, but she thought better of it.

When the meal was finally over, Zhang Jian got up to see Shen Xin off, saying he had something to discuss with him, but Shen Yue Mei grabbed him and held him back.

She gave Zhang Qian a push, signaling for her to see him out.

Resigned, Zhang Qian shot Shen Xin a look, signaling for him to leave quickly.

Shen Xin quickly said his goodbyes and followed Zhang Qian out the door.

Downstairs, Zhang Qian was the first to speak. "That’s just how my mom is. Don’t overthink it."

’Overthink what?’ Shen Xin just nodded.

In any case, after that meal, Shen Xin was starting to believe what Li Dongsheng had said.

If he really pursued Zhang Qian, having Zhang Jian as a father-in-law would be way too awkward.

"Well, I’ll get going then. Please thank your mom for me," Shen Xin said, preparing to leave.

Zhang Qian, however, was slightly taken aback.

She hadn’t expected Shen Xin to just leave so directly.

But she thought it was for the best, though for some reason, she felt a little put out.

Unexpectedly, after taking just two steps, Shen Xin turned back.

Zhang Qian’s heart tightened. She quickly composed her expression and asked what was wrong.

"I heard your mom say you studied art. Could I ask you for a favor?" Shen Xin had suddenly remembered something.

It was about Wu Jiawang’s yellow dog with the white face.

Shen Xin was thinking of printing and posting notices to see if anyone had seen the dog.

But without a photo, he could only have a drawing made.

And his own drawing skills were, at best, at a kindergarten level.

Da Mei had been able to find the calico cat from his drawing before, but that was only because the cat’s features were so distinct.

Zhang Qian stared at Shen Xin for a moment, then nodded and asked what kind of help he needed.

"It’s about drawing a picture. It’s a mongrel, a very common type, but it has two important features." Shen Xin described the dog.

"That’s it?"

Zhang Qian was a little surprised.

’Is this some new way to hit on someone?’

Shen Xin nodded, specifically requesting that she clearly draw the two key features.

Mongrels all looked pretty much the same. The key identifiers were the missing left ear and a white patch on its left hind leg; that’s what people would have to use for identification.

"Okay. I’ll draw it tonight and send it to you on WeChat."

"Thanks, then."

Shen Xin quickly thanked her again and left.

Sitting in his car, Shen Xin watched Zhang Qian go back into the restaurant and sighed.

’Without a doubt, Zhang Qian is a good woman.’

’But the thought of having Zhang Jian as a father-in-law just feels so awkward.’

Shen Xin sighed again, pushing these messy thoughts from his mind.

’Now that my position is permanent, the work pressure will only increase. Besides, I’m still young. I don’t have time for romance.’

A little after nine that evening, Zhang Qian sent a draft to Shen Xin.

You had to hand it to her; a professional is a professional.

Zhang Qian had used gouache. She had even drawn side and back views, clearly depicting the half-missing left ear and the white patch.

In the WeChat message, Zhang Qian asked if it was okay.

Shen Xin held his phone, thought about it carefully, and sent a message back, asking if Zhang Qian could revise it a bit.

"’The drawing is too good?’"

On the other end, Zhang Qian, who was in her bedroom, frowned when she saw Shen Xin’s message.

’What on earth does this guy mean?’

’And here I was, going through all this trouble to make it look nice for you, and you don’t even appreciate it.’

But she still followed Shen Xin’s new request and quickly drew another one and sent it over.

This time, it was just right.

Shen Xin felt that the previous drawing was too stylized and too beautiful. It would make people admire the art style first, instead of focusing on the two key features.

’Anyway, all yellow dogs look the same. It’s better to draw it more plainly and just highlight the features.’

"Thanks, it’s drawn especially well," Shen Xin replied, thanking her.

Seeing this message, Zhang Qian was so exasperated she was practically fuming.

’What kind of taste does this guy have?!’

Gripping her phone, Zhang Qian wanted to ask Shen Xin what he needed the dog drawing for.

She was quite curious.

But she thought better of it, figuring it was probably just some clumsy pickup attempt.

But to her surprise, Shen Xin went completely silent after that.

It left Zhang Qian confused. ’Could it be that Shen Xin really just wanted my help with a drawing?’

The next day, as soon as Shen Xin got to work, he was pulled aside by Zhang Jian, who asked about Li Jin and the dog.

It seemed this was the matter he had wanted to discuss during dinner the previous day.

"That’s right, your line of thinking is correct. Whether it’s useful or not, the first step is to find the dog," Zhang Jian nodded after listening.

It was indeed a bit strange that a dog that went missing seven years ago was somehow still alive.

Shen Xin printed out some "missing dog" flyers, let the officer on duty, Wang Shuwei, know, and then drove to Xianghong Village. He posted them at the entrances and exits of several roads and in places with heavy foot traffic.

He left his own contact information on them.

He even gave a heads-up to Zhao Shouchuan, asking him and his officers to keep an eye out during their patrols.

The case belonged to the sub-bureau anyway, so there were no jurisdiction issues to worry about.

When he had a spare moment, Shen Xin also drove around a bit himself, but found nothing.

But three days after the "missing dog" flyers were posted, there was still no news whatsoever.

Shen Xin was getting a little antsy.

’Looks like I’ll have to fall back on the old method and ask Da Mei to step in.’