Chapter 44
Sweet Potato

Xie Qing returned to the dormitory, washed up, and collected Li Ke’s clothes. As she folded them, she thought: Li Ke forgetting her clothes was a good thing. If she hadn’t called, I wouldn’t have paused, and if I hadn’t paused, I might not have seen the hooligan from Peach Blossom Town.

So, what was the hooligan’s background? Did he come to the hotpot restaurant to follow Tan Yi or her? Was the encounter in Peach Blossom Town just a coincidence?

Xie Qing placed the folded clothes on the opposite bed and lay down, thinking that the Xie family wasn’t extremely wealthy and she was just a small forensic doctor, unlikely to be targeted. It was probably just a coincidence. She wondered if Tan Yi had made any progress. If the hooligan was just a hooligan, he might soon be silenced. After thinking for a while, she decided to stop. To avoid insomnia, she forced herself to detach from the case and started doing abdominal breathing exercises.

A few minutes later, her breathing became natural and deep, and she fell asleep.

…

The next day was Saturday. She didn’t want to eat the usual cafeteria food, so she drove to Fuyang Commercial Street to buy a jianbing (Chinese crepe).

A thin pancake, two small fried dough sticks, two eggs, a bit of cilantro, and some pickled vegetables. It was exceptionally delicious.

The morning sun was just right, and although the temperature was low, it didn’t dampen Xie Qing’s enthusiasm for shopping. There were many small clothing stores on the commercial street, and many of them had cheap and good-quality cotton clothes.

Xie Qing didn’t like the original owner’s style, so she picked three items in a simple-style store: a black mid-length down jacket, a plaid casual cotton jacket, and an orange stand-collar wool sweater. All three were inexpensive and fit the style of the 2000s—fashion does come full circle, after all. She got into the car with the clothes, and just as she put down the bags, her phone rang.

It was Tan Yi.

“Good morning, Captain Tan.”

“Come to Binhai Road, the section between Zui Long Bay and Wolong Community.”

“Has the hooligan from Peach Blossom Town been silenced?”

“You need to identify the body.”

“I’ll be right there.”

…

The Xiali and truck drivers were likely the hooligan’s people, and silencing them wouldn’t be very valuable. Only those who had contact with the mastermind would be murdered.

If her guess was correct, Tan Yi’s lead was not only cut off, but the city bureau also had another unresolved case. Why did the killer do this?

Was it because Tan Yi did something right, or was the other party targeting him specifically?

Additionally, was the killer trying to intimidate Tan Yi or her?

No, no, no.

It shouldn’t be her. Tan Yi had been tracking the killer for years without success, indicating the killer was highly skilled.

If they knew she was here last night, she might not be here now. After all, killing her would be more impactful than killing a hooligan.

Xie Qing calmed down and stopped at a roasted sweet potato stall, buying seven or eight roasted sweet potatoes and putting them in the car. More than half an hour later, she arrived at the crime scene.

Cao Haisheng, who lived nearby in Caojia Village, had already arrived and examined the body.

Xie Qing greeted him, “Master.”

Cao Haisheng nodded and said to Tan Yi, “The deceased died from morphine, with a needle mark on the left arm. Based on body temperature and rigor mortis, the time of death was around 3 AM.”

Tan Yi looked very tired, with dark circles under his eyes visible even behind his black-framed glasses. He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday: a brown suede jacket, dark blue jeans, and suede short boots. The sea breeze was strong, and the evidence bag in his hand trembled in the wind—it contained a clean “Saqing” doll.

The same method, the same evidence.

The killer was taunting Tan Yi!

Xie Qing tightened her cotton coat and squatted down beside the body.

The deceased was indeed the hooligan. His arrogant whistle and lewd gestures would have to wait for the next life—if he had one and didn’t repent. He lay on the cold asphalt, eyes slightly open; head tilted to one side as if admiring the endless sea. His lips were cyanotic, showing signs of suffocation, and a patch of hair at the back of his head was matted with congealed blood. His clothes were clean and tidy, with no signs of a struggle. This indicated the killer had ambushed the victim, knocking him out before injecting morphine.

Although Xie Qing didn’t touch the body, Cao Haisheng’s words confirmed her suspicions.

Xie Qing said, “It’s him. When I started my car, he had just gotten out of the blue Xiali. I also saw him in Peach Blossom Town when I was asking about rat poison.”

Li Ji said, “Your memory is impressive. You only saw him once.”

Xie Qing stood up, “It’s not his features I remember, but the fact that he whistled at me twice.”

Li Ji touched his nose, “No wonder.”

Fu Da said, “This person is Shi Fang, from Peach Blossom Town. His parents are still alive, and he has a younger sister. Their economic condition is decent. I heard from neighbors that his father is also a scoundrel.”

“He hasn’t been home for a few days, and his family doesn’t know where he is, so we couldn’t find him all night.”

Tan Yi nodded in understanding.

Fu Da frowned, “Three people have died the same way. The killer is challenging us. If the Daily News finds out, it’ll be another media storm.” He glanced at his subordinates, “Keep your mouths shut, understood?”

Li Ji said, “Don’t worry, team leader, we know what to do.”

Du Zhun added, “Exactly, I may talk a lot, but only to our own people.”

Cao Haisheng asked, “Any news from the first team?”

Tan Yi shook his head, “The source of the poison is definitely not in Anhai City.”

Cao Haisheng removed his gloves, “Makes sense.”

Tan Yi picked up the evidence bag and scrutinized the “Saqing” doll.

This doll had delicate features, with neatly painted facial features on its white head. One side of its mouth was flat, and the other side was raised, fully expressing mockery.

The hatred ran deep!

But Tan Yi wouldn’t show it easily—as a criminal investigation team leader, being emotional would only make him unprofessional. He said to Fu Da, “Dig deep into Shi Fang’s social connections. Don’t overlook any clues. Investigate the hotpot restaurant and see if any suspicious people have been there.”

Fu Da hesitated but eventually agreed, taking Li Ji, Du Zhun, and others with him.

Xie Qing knew why he hesitated. The hotpot restaurant would be hard to investigate, but without trying, they wouldn’t know if they could find anything. Criminal investigators couldn’t rely on assumptions.

The hotpot restaurant and Peach Blossom Town were key points, and Binhai Road was no exception.

Tan Yi led a detailed patrol in the area.

The funeral home’s car arrived, and Xie Qing and Cao Haisheng took the body to the autopsy room for examination. The body was clean, with no other injuries except for the deceleration injury on the head and old scars. The direct cause of death was suffocation due to an overdose of morphine.

Xie Qing opened his stomach and found he had drunk alcohol and eaten barbecue before death. Based on digestion, his last meal was around 1 AM.

Cao Haisheng called Tan Yi.

In theory, this should be a good lead, but Xie Qing and Cao Haisheng knew the case wouldn’t be that easy. The master and apprentice cleaned up the body, stored it in the freezer, and drove back to the police station.

It wasn’t until noon that Xie Qing remembered the roasted sweet potatoes and quickly went to the parking lot to get them. Passing by the office building, she saw Tan Yi and Huang Zhenyi coming out.

Huang Zhenyi asked, “Xiao Xie, what are you carrying?”

Xie Qing replied, “Good morning, Deputy Captain Huang. I bought some roasted sweet potatoes this morning, intending to share with everyone, but I got busy and forgot.”

Huang Zhenyi said, “Great, I love roasted sweet potatoes. Have the kitchen heat one up for me.”

“That’s perfect,” Xie Qing laughed. “Captain Tan, would you like one?”

Tan Yi hesitated for a moment, “Sure, I’ll take one.”

Tan Rong liked roasted sweet potatoes. When he was young, he was always in a hurry to eat and afraid of burning his mouth, so he rarely ate them. Tan Rong had been gone for fifteen years, but roasted sweet potatoes were still around. Eating a few bites for him was a way to remember.

The cafeteria wasn’t crowded, and the dishes were good.

Xie Qing entrusted the sweet potatoes to the chef and got some dry-fried green beans, braised lamb, and a small spoonful of crispy radish. As she was looking for a table, Huang Zhenyi called her over.

Tan Yi, Cao Haisheng, and Director Yan were all there.

Director Yan smiled and said, “I haven’t seen Xiao Xie for a while. It looks like you’ve gained some weight.”

Xie Qing: “…”

Huang Zhenyi laughed, “Director, you should compliment girls on being slim, or they won’t be happy.”

Director Yan also laughed, “Really? I have a daughter too, and I always think it’s better to be a bit chubby, healthier.”

Xie Qing said, “So, actually, being healthy is good. Although I’ve gained weight, I’m much healthier.”

Huang Zhenyi said, “I heard Xiao Xie often practices boxing in the gym. How’s your skill level?”

Tan Yi looked at Xie Qing in surprise.

Director Yan was also quite surprised, “Xiao Xie practices boxing? This girl is really suited for criminal investigation.”

Xie Qing said, “Director Yan, you’re too kind. It’s just for fitness, and I’m at an average level.”

Director Yan nodded in satisfaction, “We have physical fitness requirements for forensic doctors. Xiao Xie is still young and has high standards for herself, which is great. But you must avoid arrogance and impatience. Don’t think that just because you can throw a few punches and drive a small Jeep, you’re invincible. Safety first, understand?”

These words were stern but well-intentioned.

At twenty-two years old, just entering society and driving a small Jeep every day made Xie Qing stand out a bit—in Anhai City’s police system, she was almost the only female officer driving to work. After being featured in the newspaper once, stories about her spread widely.

Xie Qing didn’t mind and smiled, “Rest assured, Director Yan, I will be cautious.”

Seeing her calm expression and no resistance, Director Yan said to Huang Zhenyi, “She’s a good kid.”

Huang Zhenyi agreed wholeheartedly.

Oh dear, another “kid.”

Xie Qing accepted it. Alright, you’re about twenty years older than me, so “kid” it is.

Just as they were finishing their main course, the chef brought up the heated sweet potatoes.

The group ate while discussing the case.

Director Yan said, “In my experience, this case is equally tricky. I don’t expect you to solve it immediately, but at least make some breakthroughs.”

The others nodded in agreement.

He continued, “The killer is killing two birds with one stone. Even if they can’t kill Tan Yi, they want to tarnish his reputation. I suspect there will be follow-up soon.”

Huang Zhenyi said, “Director Yan is right. We’re being led by the nose by the killer, very passive. But they’re in the dark, and we’re in the light, so there’s no good solution. It’s quite a headache.”

Tan Yi broke off a small piece of sweet potato, “If I’m not mistaken, the Daily News reporters should be here soon.”

Director Yan was stunned. He hadn’t expected his mention of “follow-up” to be understood this way.

Cao Haisheng said, “They wouldn’t be so brazen, would they?”

Huang Zhenyi added, “This case hasn’t alarmed many people. Even if the newspaper gets the news, it wouldn’t be so fast.”

As he finished speaking, a guard entered the cafeteria and said, “Director Yan, a reporter from the Daily News is here, asking to interview about the Binhai Road murder case.”