★ By a Hans Christian Andersen Laureate: Written by Cao Wenxuan, the first Chinese author to win this prestigious award in 2016. His works have been translated into over 40 languages and published in more than 70 countries.
★ Proven Market Success: The series has sold over 1.5 million copies! Focusing on themes of love, courage, dignity, and growth, it is deeply humane and uniquely poetic. As the HCAA jury praised, he writes with "a poetic, water-like touch, capturing real and sorrowful moments of life."

★ Cao Wenxuan's first detective novel, which masterfully retains his signature literary texture, profound reflections on reality, and unwavering commitment to "guarding love and beauty."
★ The story is full of thrilling twists and turns, boasting strong logic and infinite depth through a brilliant blend of history and reality.
★ An Interactive Reading Experience: Includes a "Case-Solving Map" that allows readers to investigate alongside the protagonist, turning the mystery-solving process into a deeply immersive reading experience.

Series Overview (8 Volumes)
Draft Through the Alley, Bat Fragrance, The Firefly King, Grass Shoe Bay, In Search of a Bird, A City Without Streets, Su Wu Tends Sheep, Who Took My Grandpa Away

Set in Shanghai during the 1940s, the story centers on 108 Grass Shoe Bay Road, the private detective agency of the renowned master detective Sha Qiuke, which also serves as the home for him and his son, Sha Xiaoqiu. As Sha Xiaoqiu grows up, he gradually reveals exceptional observation and reasoning skills, even providing strategic advice to his famous detective father.
One day, when Sha Xiaoqiu is ten years old, Sha Qiuke takes on a complex and thorny human trafficking case. He repeatedly finds clues only to lose them, enduring numerous setbacks. Through the father and son's relentless joint efforts, they finally discover the ultimate breakthrough in the case. However, just as they are about to take the next step, they uncover something completely unexpected. What choice will the father and son make?

Cao Wenxuan
Member of the Council of the China Writers Association; Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Peking University.
Winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award (April 2016) and the Outstanding Chinese Influencing the World Award (January 2017).
Recipient of over 50 major literary awards, including the National Book Award, the Chinese Government Award, the National Outstanding Children's Literature Award, and the Gold Award of the Soong Ching-ling Children's Literature Award.
His works have been translated into English, French, German, Russian, Greek, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Serbian, Arabic, Persian, and more.

Notable Novels: Straw House, Root Bird, Ximi, Bronze and Sunflower, Fire Mark, as well as the King's Book series, My Son Pika series, and Ding Ding Dang Dang series.
Selected Literary Collections: The Melancholy Pastoral, The Red Gourd, Following Eternity, The Sweet Orange Tree, etc.
Academic Works: A Study of Literary Phenomena in China in the 1980s, The Second World: A Philosophical Interpretation of Literature and Art, A Study of Literary Phenomena in China at the End of the 20th Century, The Door of Fiction, etc.

A Magpie's Nest Without Magpies
A Girl Goes Missing
Kneeling Like Lodged Crops
Diagonal Street
Auntie Hu
The Browning
Lollipops
Flying with Pigeons
Kidnapping
Decryption
Rescue
Arrest
The Other Kidnapper
Empty-Handed
The Bustling City
The Breakdown of Little Si
Number 138
Sparrows Landing on a Chaff Pile
Avenue Joffre
The Portrait in the Ceiling
Eight Years
Walking Through the Gates Alone
Afterword