Chapter 47.1: The Three Great Problems of Life
Old Qin moved incredibly quickly.
He first looked around, but he couldn’t spot any uneven brick joints or patches where the color of the clay differed. So he immediately got to work, tearing the stove apart with his bare hands.
The firewood in the stove had only gone out a short while ago. Even the outer wall was still warm to the touch, which meant the temperature inside would be even higher. But Old Qin couldn’t wait. He grabbed a shovel, pried up the iron pot first, and called for the local patrol officer to hurry up and carry it away.
The patrol officer was rather young. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the pot with his bare hands, only to immediately suck in a sharp breath from the heat. He hurriedly found two rags and used them to lift the large iron pot, setting it down beside the wall.
Old Qin used the shovel to slowly clear out all the ashes remaining inside the stove.
Then he began dismantling the entire stove.
The stove had been built against the wall and connected to the heated brick bed inside the house. To retain heat, these structures were usually built very thick, with the walls sometimes more than twenty centimeters thick. Even though the stove was lit every day for cooking, the flames would only scorch the inner wall black. Dig four or five centimeters deeper, and you’d find nothing but ordinary yellow clay.
The money, coupons, and bracelet together amounted to quite a lot, but they took up very little space. They could easily have been hidden inside the wall while the stove was being built.
As long as the owner didn’t retrieve them frequently, no one else would ever think that so much wealth was hidden inside the stove.
Still, the bastard really wasn’t afraid of anything. The valuables were simply too close to the fire. If a crack happened to form between the bricks or some of the clay came loose, the money could easily have been burned to ashes.
Fortunately, there was also a metal bracelet. That thing wasn’t afraid of fire.
As long as they found it, the case would be ironclad!
Ignoring the heat radiating from the bricks and clay, Old Qin wielded the shovel and smashed them apart piece by piece.
Black ash was scattered everywhere. The bricks were tossed aside, and large chunks of yellow clay broke apart across the floor. But aside from those things, there was nothing.
Old Qin wasn’t discouraged. He continued dismantling the stove.
The stove opening was completely torn apart and smashed to pieces.
Nothing.
Then he dismantled the side wall.
Still nothing.
The patrol officer helping him take apart the stove couldn’t stop himself from looking up at Old Qin.
Old Qin’s expression was gradually becoming more serious.
Most of the stove had already been dismantled, so why hadn’t they found anything?
Could he have guessed wrong?
Old Qin refused to believe it. He smashed apart the last remaining ring around the stove opening, but apart from chunks of yellow clay, there was still nothing.
Seeing this, a flicker passed through Luo Tianming’s eyes, and his heart gradually settled back down.
Looking at the chunks of yellow clay scattered all over the floor, the patrol officer hesitantly asked, “Officer Qin, could we have searched the wrong place?”
Old Qin straightened up.
His hands and arms were covered in black soot. His shoes and pant legs hadn’t escaped either, and his face was practically the same color as the ash.
After all that work, they hadn’t found a thing.
Could he really have guessed wrong?
But Luo Tianming’s panicked expression earlier couldn’t have been fake!
Old Qin couldn’t figure it out. He turned his head and looked back at Luo Tianming.
Luo Tianming was staring at the stove, looking completely relaxed now, as though he had already become certain that Old Qin would never find anything.
“We’ve already taken the whole thing apart and found nothing,” Cheng Tao said as well. “How about we go back and question him first?”
If they went back now, Captain Tan would be the one getting anxious!
Old Qin had forgotten all about the soot on his hands and planted them on his hips. He rubbed his already aching lower back, irritation beginning to well up inside him.
Physical evidence could not only directly establish what had happened in a case, but also put enormous psychological pressure on a suspect. If he could find the stolen valuables, Luo Tianming probably wouldn’t even make it back to the station before confessing everything on the way.
But conversely, if they found no physical evidence, it would strengthen Luo Tianming psychologically. He would become even more confident, making it much harder to break through his defenses and get him to talk.
“Wait a little longer.”
Old Qin furrowed his brows.
He was certain that something was wrong with Luo Tianming. That instinctive reaction couldn’t have been an act. There had to be some crucial piece of evidence here. Otherwise, Luo Tianming wouldn’t have looked over in this direction.
But if it wasn’t in the stove, then where could it be?
Old Qin surveyed the cramped kitchen. It felt as though a layer of fog had descended over everything before his eyes, as if all he had to do was wave his hand to clear it away.
Yet somehow, he simply couldn’t bring himself to move his hand.
Cheng Tao was getting a little anxious as he waited. He couldn’t help urging him again, “Brother Qin, we’ve already been delayed for so long. If we don’t head back soon, Captain Tan is going to start worrying!”
A hint of anticipation appeared in Luo Tianming’s eyes.
Go on. Hurry up and leave. Once you leave, you won’t find anything!
But Old Qin still didn’t move.
His gaze traveled from the dining cabinet to the pile of straw, passed over the small stool in front of the stove, and finally settled on the completely dismantled stove.
Only two rows of walls remained, their surfaces covered in black soot from the flames.
The wall. The wall…
Right! There was still the wall!
Like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, Old Qin suddenly remembered that the valuables at Luo Weidong’s house had also been hidden inside a wall.
The inspiration struck him, and he quickly walked over to the wall. Starting from the edge of the stove opening, he carefully examined the bricks and the mortar joints inch by inch, paying close attention to their color and size.
Several dozen minutes later, he spotted a brick inside the stove that, although completely blackened by smoke, had mortar joints noticeably twice as wide as those around it.
That’s it!
Old Qin felt an overwhelming certainty. He used his tools to scrape away the mortar around the brick, then pried at it several times with all his strength. Finally, gripping the edge of the brick, he pulled it out.
The brick was surprisingly light. When he took a closer look, he saw that, sure enough, it was only half a brick.
Old Qin immediately reached inside.
He pulled out a light-blue cloth bundle. Perhaps because it had been exposed to the heat of the fire for so long, one side had turned slightly yellow.
Old Qin’s hand trembled faintly. He pinched one corner of the cloth bundle and opened it.
Inside lay a dark copper-colored bracelet, a stack of banknotes, and a brand-new key.
He turned his head.
Luo Tianming, who had still looked rather relaxed moments ago, had now completely collapsed onto the floor. They couldn’t even pull him back to his feet.
＊
Municipal Public Security Bureau.
Looking at the physical evidence Old Qin had brought back, Tan Bingyi grinned so broadly that his gums showed.
“Excellent! Absolutely excellent! With this ironclad evidence, this old case can finally be considered solved!”
“Captain Tan, you’ve got to hand it to this guy. He really knew how to hide things. He put all that money and property inside the wall of the stove.”
Old Qin was also somewhat amazed. “But putting that aside, those two really are brothers. They even came up with the exact same idea for hiding their money.”
“After all, they were raised by the same parents.”
At that, Tan Bingyi couldn’t help sighing. “How can two brothers, born to the same parents, do something like this?”
“Some people are just rotten by nature.”
Old Qin had seen too many cases like this. Even if their parents had been extremely biased, most abused children would at most split from the family. At the very least, they could cut ties with their relatives. There were plenty of brothers in this world who never spoke to each other again until the day they died.
“What normal person would secretly have a duplicate key made? It’s hard to say whether he wanted to steal money or had something else in mind. We’ll have to get to the bottom of that during questioning.”
Accidentally killing someone during a theft and intentionally committing murder were not only different in terms of the perpetrator’s intent; they also carried different levels of punishment. Tan Bingyi nodded slightly in agreement.
“That’s true. Generally speaking, if someone is only after money, they’re usually afraid the baby will cry. They’d cover the baby’s mouth. Strangling the child outright isn’t exactly common.”
He paused for a moment before continuing, “But there’s no need to interrogate him right away. We’ve got plenty of evidence now, and everyone is exhausted. I’ll make the call—take the afternoon off. Everyone go home and get some rest. We’ll interrogate him tomorrow when we’re all refreshed!”
When the new officers heard the news, a wave of cheers immediately erupted.
…
Trace Examination Department Office.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Xia looked up. “Why is everyone suddenly so happy out there? Don’t tell me they found the evidence?”
*Click.*
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yang Lihua came in carrying a thermos after going out to get some hot water. He was also holding a sealed evidence bag containing a key.
As he set down the thermos, he said, “Jiang Xia, I ran into Captain Tan while I was getting water. He said Brother Qin found the valuables stolen from the Luo family, along with a key. He wants you to compare it and see if it’s the same key that was used to lock up the Luo family’s house.”
So her guess had indeed been correct.
Hearing this, Trace Examiner Li raised his head. “Then the old case is solved. No wonder everyone outside is so happy.”
“After all, they’ve been working on it for so long.”
With Yang Lihua confirming her deduction, the corners of Jiang Xia’s lips couldn’t help curling upward. Her mood improved considerably. She put down the book in her hand and reached out.
“Give me the key. I’ll take a look right now.”
Yang Lihua walked over to Jiang Xia’s desk and placed the key in her hand.
“So, if that’s the case, the baby was killed by her great-uncle?”
Huang Xueling looked up, clearly shocked. “What kind of person can bring himself to do something like that?”
“You haven’t seen enough cases.”
Photographer Zhao lowered the newspaper in his hands, looking as though there was nothing worth making a fuss about. “There are even scumbags who kill their own parents. People like that have no humanity. They’ll do anything.”
Huang Xueling was even more astonished. “There are people who kill their parents too?”
“Of course. But those two practically brought it upon themselves. They spoiled a rotten son until he became a complete piece of trash. He was addicted to gambling, and after losing himself in a gambling spree, he went home and demanded money from his parents. When they refused, the bastard stabbed them.”
Photographer Zhao spoke about it in a remarkably calm tone. He added, “In criminal investigations, there isn’t much we don’t see. Mostly, we just see all kinds of scum.”
“Ah, forget it. Let’s not talk about this.”
As he spoke, Photographer Zhao turned his head toward the book on Jiang Xia’s desk and teased, “Jiang Xia, how come you haven’t been drawing diagrams lately? Have you started reading cookbooks instead?”
Jiang Xia took an evidence bag out of her drawer. As she put on her gloves, she replied, “Everyone’s been so busy lately. Besides, my eyes were starting to hurt from all that drawing. So I figured I’d look through some recipes and contemplate the three great problems of life.”
“Huh?”
Photographer Zhao immediately became interested. He pressed her, “What three great problems?”
Jiang Xia answered casually, “What should I eat for breakfast? What should I eat for lunch? And what should I eat for dinner?”
Photographer Zhao froze for a moment before bursting out laughing.
“Now those really are difficult questions. Come to think of it, I still haven’t decided what to eat for lunch!”
“Isn’t there only a few dishes in the cafeteria?”
At the mention of lunch, Yang Lihua’s expression also turned bitter. “I’m getting sick of eating the same things every day!”
Huang Xueling nodded vigorously. “Exactly! Can’t our cafeteria change up the menu once in a while?”
“Heh heh. Don’t even think about it. Our cafeteria chef only knows how to make those few dishes.”
Photographer Zhao chuckled. “Why not follow my example? Bring some pickles or a jar of sauce from home. It’ll at least give the food some variety. And if you ever have to work overtime until the evening and miss dinner, you can order a bowl of plain noodles from the cafeteria and still have something to put on top.”
“That’s actually a good idea.”
Huang Xueling nodded in agreement, but soon looked troubled again. “But no one in my family knows how to make sauce.”
“Then just buy some.”
Photographer Zhao continued, “You know, there are more and more independent vendors selling things these days. There’s a pickle seller right near my house, and they’ve got all kinds of flavors—sweet, salty, spicy, sour, you name it. I even came across someone selling beef before. It looked incredibly fresh and tender, so I bought a pound and took it home for everyone to try. Tsk, I have to say, it really did taste good!”
“That good?”
Huang Xueling became interested. “There’s someone selling roasted sunflower seeds near my house, but I’ve never seen anyone selling pickles. Brother Zhao, how about you bring some back for me sometime?”
“Wait. Fresh and tender?”
Jiang Xia immediately picked up on the key phrase. Recalling some of the popular science information she’d read in her previous life, she looked up and asked, “Brother Zhao, was the beef reddish in color, kind of like the color of the sausages sold at the state-run supply and marketing cooperative?”
“Yes.”
Photographer Zhao turned toward Jiang Xia. “You could tell at a glance that it was fresh. It must have just been made. Why?”
‘Emmm…’
Jiang Xia fell silent for a moment.
Sure enough, when the commercial industry was just beginning to emerge, it didn’t necessarily bring convenience. More likely, without proper regulation, it simply gave rise to all kinds of chaos.
She sighed and continued asking, “Was this beef seller’s supply pretty stable? Maybe they didn’t have it every single day, but at most they’d be out for a day or two before getting more. They’ve been selling it continuously, right?”
“Actually, yes.”
Photographer Zhao nodded slightly. He vaguely sensed that something might be wrong, but he still tried to come up with an explanation. “I heard their family has some connections with the meat processing plant, which is why they can keep getting beef. There’s no way it’s high-temperature meat.”
“High-temperature meat” was a special type of meat that appeared on the market during the 1960s and 1970s. If livestock were found during inspection to be suffering from an infectious disease or carrying parasites, regulations required the carcasses to be burned and disposed of. However, some people couldn’t bear to let them go to waste. They would cut away whatever parts were still relatively intact, add spices, and boil the meat at high temperatures. This was known as “high-temperature meat.”
The meat was tender and fragrant after being boiled, and it was cheap—only a quarter of the price of normal meat. It also didn’t require ration coupons. Quite a few poor people were willing to spend money on it, though those who valued their lives a little more weren’t willing to touch it.
The danger of high-temperature meat was right out in the open. Buyers could make their own choice.
Beef, however, was another matter entirely.
“I don’t know whether there’s anything wrong with the raw ingredients.”
Jiang Xia spread her hands. “But there’s definitely something wrong with the way it’s being prepared. Freshly cut normal beef is dark red, but after sitting for a while, it turns brown. Once cooked, it’s brown too. It can’t possibly stay bright red and tender-looking. To make it look that fresh and succulent, they’d have to add pixiao.”
“Pixiao is a crude preparation of mirabilite, a traditional Chinese medicinal substance. Chemically speaking, it’s a sulfate. When boiled for a long time, it decomposes and produces nitrites. Excessive nitrite consumption can cause acute poisoning and, in severe cases, coma and death. Of course, if the amount is very small, the immediate effects won’t be significant. But eating it over a long period can increase the risk of cancer.”
“What?!”
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