Chapter 46 Chapter 46 Transition. (First update)...
"Why did you buy so much charcoal?"
"It just so happened that the store was having a promotion, buy one get one free, so I thought of it and stocked up a little more." Linzhi said with a smile.
"Oh? Buy one get one free?" Lin Sen's eyes lit up when he heard this. Since his family ran a restaurant, it wouldn't hurt to have extra charcoal. "Would you like to buy some more? We came here on a donkey cart anyway, so we can just carry some back together."
The charcoal shop owner, who was peeking out to observe the situation, was so frightened when he heard this that he broke out in a cold sweat and wanted to just close the door of the shop.
"Come on, there's not enough room in our shop. I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate any more." Lin Zhi was just looking at the shopkeeper's nervous look and wanted to make him laugh a little, but she had no intention of going in and asking for more money.
If the charcoal shop owner gets angry and reports him to the police, and insists on accusing him of extortion, even if he can get out of trouble, it will be enough to make Linzhi's family worried.
"That's right." Lin Sen smacked his lips, bent down, picked up a basket of charcoal and put it on the donkey cart. "When I first bought the house, I liked everything about it."
"I've only been here a few days, and I already feel it's too small." Lin Sen chuckled and picked up the second basket. "If it were bigger, we could buy a donkey cart. We wouldn't have to rent one every day, and it would be more convenient."
Since he started moving, Lin Sen had to go to the rental shop almost every day to rent a donkey or donkey cart, which cost him a lot of money.
"That's not the case. Before we moved in, there were few things and it looked empty." Linzhi also moved a basket of charcoal and put it on the donkey cart. A house that had just been renovated and had no furniture in it must have looked more spacious. After the furniture was put in, and with people coming and going as businesses in front, it was normal for it to look a little crowded.
"Besides..." Lin Zhi patted the donkey's rump. In this dynasty, horses were scarce and valuable, and cattle were a rare source of agricultural labor. Donkeys, with their docile nature and good value, had become the most common means of transportation. Rental agencies could be found everywhere in Bianjing, and the prices were very cheap. "You can rent one for half an hour for only ten coins, and for a full day it's only a hundred coins."
"But a third-rate donkey would cost eight strings of cash, which is enough for you to rent for three months, or four hundred hours."
"That's just the price. If we raise a donkey, you have to consider that we'd need a feed trough and a shed, as well as daily feed. Oh, and since the donkey is out and about all day, it'd need brushing and cleaning every now and then, right? And if it gets sick, we'd need to see a veterinarian."
"Also, Dad, think about it. This morning you complained about the two chickens jumping around in the vegetable patch. Imagine if the donkey started making a fuss in the yard?"
Lin Sen thought about what his daughter had said and fell silent. He shook his head, quickly put the thought of raising donkeys out of his mind, and worked hard to move the charcoal.
After the charcoal basket was loaded onto the cart, he patted the donkey's butt and said, "Hurry up and get on the cart! Don't let your mother wait anxiously!"
As soon as the father and daughter arrived home, they saw Song Jiaoniang coming out to greet them: "Sister Zhi, you're back just in time."
"What's wrong?"
"Well, Tao Lang sent someone to say that they might not be able to come back today because they are investigating a case. I thought they had nothing to eat outside, so I was thinking about cutting some roast duck for them to take over."
Song Jiaoniang was looking at the roast duck and didn't know how to start. She was relieved when she saw Lin Zhi coming back and hurriedly pulled her in.
When Linzhi heard this, she went to the kitchen to cut the roast duck and put it in a box. She then asked the messenger how many people were there and quickly made the simplest egg fried rice with the remaining rice and asked him to help pack it up and take it away.
After sending the servant away, Linzhi put the remaining roast duck on a plate and sent it to the table outside.
Without Chen Lang and Tao Lang as his drinking buddies, Lin Sen felt a moment of regret, then quickly forgot about it. He happily poured a glass of wine for Song Jiaoniang, then another for Lin Zhi. "Come on! Let's celebrate the successful trial run! I wish our business will continue to prosper!"
"Business is booming, and money is rolling in!"
"Wealth comes from all directions, and every day brings in a fortune!"
Linzhi and Song Jiaoniang also raised their glasses happily and said blessings.
Along with the crisp sound of collision, the room was filled with cheerful laughter.
Far away at the foot of the southern city of Bianjing, Chen Yan was looking at a group of protesting men in front of him with a head as big as an ox.
Since the incident, officials from the Dali Temple and Kaifeng Prefecture have blocked off these alleys and strictly prohibited anyone from entering or leaving.
As the night wore on and the case remained unresolved, the residents trapped inside grew increasingly frustrated, arguing one after another: "It's been sealed off all day!"
"When will this end?"
"Sir, my family is still waiting for me to earn money and support them!"
"Aren't you officials really useless?"
"That's right, the suspect hasn't been found yet!"
"Brothers and uncles," Chen Yan said, bowing and persuading, "We have basically completed the investigation of the personnel and will give you an explanation as soon as possible."
"We're surrounding this place to prevent the murderer from escaping and causing more crimes. We don't want a murderer to remain unsolved and hide among our neighbors, right?"
Seeing the quarreling people quiet down, Chen Yan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned to enter the temporary command room: "The people outside are becoming increasingly unstable. We must hurry up."
"I also want to hurry, but this..." Tao Yingce was also in a state of distress. This time the case occurred relatively early, so the eyewitness clearly saw a birthmark on the murderer's buttocks!
According to the relevant testimonies left in the previous four cases, after several rounds of investigation, it has been identified that there are still 23 men with similar body shapes. We can't strip them all naked and check their buttocks one by one to see if they have birthmarks, right?
If Tao Lang asked these people to strip their clothes for inspection, he would probably become famous as the weird official who strips clothes after the exposed-butt thief!
"Besides, there are still some doubts that haven't been confirmed." What troubled Tao Yingce even more was another matter. "At first we thought it was the same case, but none of the eyewitnesses in the previous four cases saw the birthmark on the murderer's buttocks."
"So we suspect it's a copycat crime." Chen Yan raised an eyebrow. "Then what? What evidence makes you think it might be the same person?"
Tao Yingce did have this suspicion, and he produced another file: "According to the first victim's description, the other party had scratched her outer shirt with a sharp object similar to a dagger."
"According to the coroner's examination and repeated tests, it can be determined that the scratch marks are exactly the same as those on the victim's clothing."
Chen Yan's expression changed slightly: "But we have just checked. If we take into account the time corresponding to the previous four cases and exclude those who have evidence at the scene, the result is... zero!"
"That's right." Tao Yingce leaned back and let out a long breath. "Tell me, what exactly went wrong?"
Chen Yan stood there, silent for a long time.
At this moment, the servant who went to inform Linzhi's family came back by car and delivered the food box to the two of them.
"...Let's eat first."
"That's right." Chen Yan decided to think while eating.
They had just opened the large lunch box when the Tao family, noticing that the two had not returned yet, sent some food over.
Tao Yingce simply called in the other minor officials and runners, and they took turns eating together. They also talked about what news they had seen or heard, hoping to find possible clues from it.
"Some people say he is a flower thief."
"Isn't that right? The investigation clearly stated that only money was robbed, yet you're still talking nonsense. I heard that one of the girls who was robbed previously has moved away."
"The girl who was victimized today is also miserable. I heard that she went back to her parents' home two days ago and just came back today. She met with misfortune before she even got home."
The group was still discussing, but as they were talking, their gazes turned to the table. Tao Yingce and Shen Yan were enjoying their meal, taking turns eating.
"This roasted duck smells so good..."
"Boss, give me a piece!" The more shameless one came forward and grabbed a piece from the plate before the two men could speak, and stuffed it into his mouth quickly.
"Ah, you brat!"
"Damn it, he actually jumped the gun——"
The man ignored the screams in his ears and bit down hard. Suddenly, a stream of meat juice spurted out and splashed on his clothes.
He wiped it off casually, all his thoughts still immersed in the delicious taste in his mouth: "Mmm - delicious!"
"Wow, this duck meat is so delicious, isn't it?" He smacked his lips, savoring the taste while looking at the two of them expectantly: "Boss, Brother Chen, where did you buy it? Wait? You didn't make it at home, did you?"
When this man thought that the duck meat might be made by the Tao family, his whole face darkened. He didn't know when he would be able to eat it again.
"It shouldn't be? The Tao family's food boxes and dishes are this color." Cao Datou pointed at the dishes in front of him and replied casually, "I see that the food box doesn't have any marks at all. It must be from Sister Zhi's family... What delicious food did Sister Zhi make at home?"
When Cao Datou and his companions followed Tao Lang and Shen Lang out, Linzhi had not yet started grilling, so they didn't know the situation.
Tao Yingce smiled and said, "It's made by Sister Zhi. It's called roast duck. I heard it will be on sale tomorrow."
“Then I have to buy one!”
"Sister Zhi...is this the Lin Zhi Ji at the door?"
"Yes, yes, that's right, they're the one, cheap and delicious!"
As the others chattered and ate, Chen Yan stared at the man's clothes for a long time. Suddenly, he remembered something and rummaged through the files piled on the desk. Soon, he made a discovery.
"Brother Tao."
"Hmm?" Tao Yingce perked up immediately after hearing Chen Yan's calm voice and turned to look.
Just then, Chen Yan stuffed a file into his hand and asked, "Where do you say someone is running around naked and it doesn't seem strange to people?"
Tao Yingce was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the file, and suddenly his eyes widened: "Perfume line."
This perfume isn't about that perfume; it's about the bathhouse. The bathhouse industry is quite mature these days, offering a wide range of services, from back scrubbing to massage and shaving. To ensure privacy and facilitate leisure and entertainment, bathhouses offer private baths in addition to mixed baths. Bathing is also affordable, with the cheapest costing just ten cents.
In the blocked area, there are two perfume shops, one of which is just across an alley from the scene of the crime.
If a naked person rushed into another yard, it would certainly cause a commotion, but what if he entered a perfume store?
Tao Yingce thought of this and quickly flipped through the files piled aside. He quickly picked out one and said, "Yes, this person testified that he was in the perfume shop at the time."
"However, he has no birthmark on his buttocks."
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