In the late afternoon, the students rushed out to the yard, drawn out of their classes by the rattling vibrations of an engine in poor repair. A dusty black police car drove through the gates and two military policemen climbed out, followed by Mr. Lee and Professor Kang. From the sergeant’s irritated demeanor, Shao could tell he considered this trip to Zhongmiao Village highly inconvenient.

The sergeant made a tour of the campus with Mr. Lee and Professor Kang. He went to the courtyard house and the room where Jenmei had slept and came out with a bundle of papers and notebooks. Then they all climbed back into the black car and drove down to Chaohu Lake. Some of the students followed at a run, trailed at a more sedate pace by a servant driving one of the donkey carts. Fishermen helped lift Jenmei’s covered body onto the cart, which then set out for Hefei. Professor Kang rode back to Hefei in the police car and Mr. Lee stayed behind.

From start to finish, the policemen’s visit had taken less than an hour.

Cook Tam and his assistant unpacked some equipment from the kitchen wagon and made an unusually substantial meal, fresh lake fish steamed with ginger and soy sauce, plenty of rice, and pickled vegetables. Students scraped leftovers into tin lunch boxes for the next day, not trusting they’d have time to eat on the road.

“The police sergeant yelled at the coffin maker,” Shorty said, over a second helping of rice. “He was angry they had brought the body into the shop instead of leaving it by the lake. Disturbing the crime scene, he called it.”

Already they were referring to Jenmei as “the body.”

“The fishermen were being kind,” Chen Ping said. “They didn’t want to leave her just lying there.”

“The sergeant kept complaining it was pointless and a waste of time to investigate since the body had been moved,” Shorty said. “But I got the feeling he was glad of an excuse.”

Shao cupped his hands around a mug of tea. He hadn’t trooped down to the lake with the others. Jenmei was dead. Murdered. It was horrible. He felt ashamed of the rush of relief, the moment of lightness he’d felt when he first realized he would never have to face her again. Her knowing smile, the proprietary way she put her hand on his arm. Her determination to lay claim to him, mind, body, and ideology.

“The villagers asked Professor Kang to pay for a priest to exorcise the spot where Jenmei was found,” Shorty said. “They’re afraid her drowned ghost will haunt their waterfront.”

“I don’t believe in spirits,” Shao said. “But I’m sure the professor will do it to make them feel better.”

“The professor will do it,” Chen Ping said seriously, “because he doesn’t want Jenmei’s ghost to wander the lakeshore for eternity.”