Shen Yao frowned slightly, deep in thought. "We have too few clues right now. The murderer may not necessarily be Wu Tiezhu's accomplice in collecting night soil. We should find the remaining body parts as soon as possible and find out the identities of the victims."
In most dismemberment cases, once the source of the body is identified, the case is half solved.
Su Yan disagreed, saying, "They've already cut the body into pieces, so how easy is it to identify the deceased? But I suspect the murderer disposed of the body in the area that Wu Tiezhu was in charge of, so the investigation can start from there."
Actually, Su Yan didn't want to pour cold water on things, but of all the cases, the dismembered corpse case was the most difficult.
“However…” Su Yan hesitated, then squatted down and examined the body parts.
"The cuts on these body parts are clean, and the bones are completely shattered. Ordinary knives could not have dismembered the body. It is very likely that a special tool was used."
"What tools..." Shen Yao pressed.
"It's somewhat similar to a butcher's cleaver, and someone who can wield this kind of knife skillfully must be very strong; at the very least, she couldn't be a weak woman..."
“A cleaver, a man… Although the clues are few, at least we have a general idea of who the murderer might be.”
Su Yan stood up, her hands slightly dirty. She looked around as she said, "Alright, I can only extract these clues from these body parts. There's nothing more for me to do now. As for the rest, that's up to Lord Shen."
If it weren't for the dismemberment case causing so much delay, Su Yan would almost be in Chang'an by now, thinking that Su Bao'er would probably be a statue waiting for her mother by now.
Moreover, her clothes smelled terrible, and Su Yan didn't want to stay a moment longer; she just wanted to go home, take a shower, and change her clothes.
Shen Yao didn't say much. He calmly took out a handkerchief and handed it to Su Yan, saying gently, "You should go back first. I'll let you know if there are any clues."
As he spoke, Shen Yao looked at Sun San and said, "You must get Su Yan home safely. If anything goes wrong on the way, I will hold you responsible."
"Lord Shen, I understand."
Hearing Shen Yao's words, Sun San looked at Su Yan and then at Shen Yao.
A strange feeling arose in my heart, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I was very puzzled as to when Lord Shen and Brother Su Yan had become so close.
On the carriage back to the city, Sun San couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Brother Su, what exactly happened between you and Lord Shen? Why is Lord Shen treating you differently than others?"
Does he have it?
Su Yan looked completely bewildered. When did Shen Yao start treating her well? She hadn't noticed at all.
Sun San nodded vigorously, "Of course there was. Just now, Lord Shen handed you a handkerchief to wipe your hands, and the gesture was so natural."
And this is the first time I've seen Shen Yidao so gentle with someone. The atmosphere between you two always feels strange; something must have happened. Brother Su, you'd better tell me the truth..."
Faced with Sun San's questioning, Su Yan became even more puzzled. Recalling her interactions with Shen Yao over the past few days, she couldn't see anything different; everything seemed the same as always.
"Brother Sun, you've been reading too many storybooks! It's just handing over a handkerchief, do you expect me to wipe it on my clothes?"
"But Lord Shen doesn't seem like the type of person who carries a handkerchief around."
"What's the big deal? You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bucket. Besides, neither of us really knows much about Lord Shen."
Sun San chuckled foolishly, "That's true..."
About an hour later, the carriage stopped at the mortuary. Su Yan saw Sun San off.
Turning around, I saw my eldest son standing at the door, his little mouth pouting so hard it was almost touching the sky.
Su Bao'er has a pretty face, a sweet mouth, and eyes like a fox, making her very eye-catching in the crowd.
"Brother Bao, what are you doing standing here?" Su Yan asked in a slightly humble tone, not at all like an old mother.
Three years ago, Su Yan herself was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. After being reborn, she suddenly had a five or six-year-old son, so the way the mother and son got along was different from ordinary people.
Su Bao'er crossed her arms and sized up the woman in front of her with a cunning look in her eyes. "Sister Yan, have you almost forgotten that you have a son?"
"How could that be... I was just delayed on the way, and I also brought a gift for Brother Bao."
After saying that, Su Yan respectfully handed the local specialties she had brought from Pear Blossom Village to her adopted son.
For this gift, half of the travel expenses Su Yan borrowed from Xu Qinghe were gone.
Su Bao'er glanced at it and saw that it was a small and exquisite abacus, about the size of a palm, which was perfect for carrying around.
Su Bao'er was stingy and greedy throughout her life. To be honest, this gift was exactly what she wanted. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and her face was filled with undisguised joy.
But she still pretended to be serious and calmly accepted the gift, saying, "Alright... I'll let it slide this time, considering the gift..."
At this moment, Banxia peeked out from behind Su Yan, curiously looking around at everything.
Su Bao'er then noticed the girl who had suddenly appeared. "Who is she?"
"Um..." Su Yan hesitated, "This is a long story..."
After saying that, he pulled Su Bao'er aside and told her about Pear Blossom Village.
After hearing this, Su Bao'er burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. "How can someone be worse off than me... Waaah... From now on, I'll be her brother, and you'll be her mother..."
Su Yan was speechless. "Brother Bao, is there any comparison between you and Banxia?"
Su Bao'er ignored Su Yan's teasing, then suddenly realized something, "Banxia knows you are..."
Su Yan knew what Su Bao'er wanted to say, and nodded, "I know, no one else knows my identity except you and Banxia."
"That's good……"
Just then, a gentle breeze blew by, and Su Bao'er smelled a disgusting stench, realizing it was coming from Su Yan.
She immediately frowned, looking disgusted, and said, "Sister Yan, what's wrong with you? Did you fall into the latrine?"
"You brat, how dare you look down on your old lady! Wait till you get dressed, and I'll show you what I'm made of..."
Su Yan couldn't stand it either, so she lifted her skirt and ran into the house, making sure to ask Su Bao'er to take care of Banxia before she left.
After Su Yan entered the room, only Su Bao'er and Banxia remained, staring at each other in an awkward atmosphere.
How could Su Bao'er, a natural-born socialite, let the atmosphere freeze? He enthusiastically took Banxia's hand and said, "Banxia, let me show you the house... Although this is a mortuary, don't be afraid, your brother Su will protect you."
Actually, Banxia didn't feel afraid of the mortuary. During her time living with her master, the two of them always lived in the mountains.
Banxia let Su Bao'er hold her hand and help her get familiar with the surroundings.
Little did they know that this was how fate would begin.
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