Chapter 51
Bai Yun

Xie Qing and Du Zhun had not made any progress, while Tan Yi had meticulously taken an entire roll of film.

By the time they returned to the city bureau, it was already eight o’clock. At this hour, the photo studio was closed, and the city’s bureau’s darkroom technician had finished work for the day.

Du Zhun complained as he sat on the desk, “We took the photos but can’t develop them. It’s making me itch.”

Tan Yi said, “I can develop them. Brother Du, find a way to get the darkroom key.”

Du Zhun jumped off the desk, “That’s my specialty.” He turned and left, coming back shortly with the key in hand.

Xie Qing had nothing to do in the forensic office, so she followed Tan Yi and Du Zhun into the darkroom.

Tan Yi took the film out of the canister through the light-proof bag, then wound it onto the developing reel and poured in the developer prepared by the technician. He moved skillfully, showing his expertise—developing, fixing, washing, enlarging, drying. One by one, the photos were clipped onto the string, swaying gently.

Du Zhun watched the process and marveled, “You need some real skills to be the team leader.”

Tan Yi said, “I used to be interested in photography in college and played with it for a long time.”

“No wonder you’re so adept,” Xie Qing helped clean up the mess, “There’s a saying, ‘Photography bankrupts three generations, DSLRs ruin a lifetime,’ congratulations on finding your way back.”

Du Zhun was puzzled, “How does photography bankrupt three generations, and what does DSLR mean?”

Tan Yi hung the last photo, “Xiao Xie’s words are very insightful. Let me give an example of my classmate. His first camera was his grandfather’s, old and worn. When he was in college, his father gave him an imported 135 fixed-focus camera. It didn’t take long for him to find the lens inadequate, so he bought a wide-angle lens and a zoom lens, and a large aperture lens. Later, he felt that the 120 camera had better expressiveness, so he bought a Rolleiflex 120.”

When self-description is inconvenient, many people replace themselves with classmates, cousins, etc.

Xie Qing thought that Tan Yi’s classmate was probably him.

“Oh my, that’s a lot of money,” Du Zhun pulled out two clean pockets, “I understand now. Those with cleaner pockets than faces don’t deserve to play with cameras.”

Xie Qing nodded in her heart; this was why Tan Yi didn’t use himself as an example. It wasn’t to look down on anyone but to avoid unnecessary obstacles as much as possible.

—Of course, it doesn’t rule out that Tan Yi’s story was indeed about his classmate.

The next morning, Xie Qing and Tan Yi went to the detention center together. As soon as they got in the car, Du Zhun ran up with his bag, opened the door, and got into the back seat, “Captain Tan, I want to take a look too.”

Tan Yi asked, “Brother Du, aren’t you going to sleep?”

Du Zhun said, “It won’t take long. Despite my age, my curiosity has always been strong. I just want to find out what the Lu family lost, whether it’s valuable, and how much it’s worth.”

Xie Qing smiled slightly, displaying the typical onlooker’s mentality.

Du Zhun didn’t sleep all night and started snoring shortly after getting in the car.

Xie Qing sat in the front passenger seat, silently observing the desolate scenery along the roadside. At this time, Anhai City was full of old, dilapidated houses with two to four floors, poor greenery, and outdated facilities, a far cry from her era.

Tan Yi suddenly spoke, “Not going home for the New Year, won’t Father Xie be unhappy?”

Xie Qing smiled, “How about you, Captain Tan?”

Tan Yi paused, “It’s better if I don’t go back.”

Xie Qing nodded, “Same here.”

The two shared a knowing smile.

As a civil servant, Xie Qing never wanted to bring family conflicts into her work. She didn’t like outsiders gossiping and making unfounded assumptions about her family affairs, nor did she appreciate outsiders criticizing her principles and imposing moral judgments.

Work is work, and life is life.

…

Anhai City Detention Center.

The three met Lu Jing in the meeting room.

Lu Jing knew the case was being re-investigated and was quite spirited. As soon as he saw Tan Yi, he eagerly asked, “Officer, have you found anything?”

Tan Yi replied, “We can’t say we’ve found anything yet.”

Lü Jing looked devastated.

Xie Qing added, “Whether there’s any discovery depends on whether you do housework.”

Lü Jing said miserably, “I work twelve hours a shift, eat and sleep when I get home. What can I find?”

Xie Qing sneered, “Don’t you still have time to drink and hit your wife?”

Lü Jing’s tears fell, “I’m a scoundrel, I’m not human, I’ve wronged her, I’ve wronged my son, I will change in the future.”

After the incident, his family took Lu Jing’s son away. The child was only five years old and was said to have been badly frightened, so Tan Yi and his team didn’t visit.

“Alright, alright,” Du Zhun said impatiently, “The person is dead, what’s the use of crying? It’s just hypocritical sympathy.”

“Treat a dead horse as if it’s alive,” Tan Yi took out the photos and spread them on the table, “Look carefully. Is there anything insignificant missing from your home?”

Lu Jing took the tissue handed by Xie Qing, wiped his tears haphazardly, and focused on looking at the photos in front of him.

Tan Yi let him look through each room one by one—the yard, the kitchen, the east bedroom, the west bedroom.

Half an hour passed, and Lu Jing couldn’t recall anything. He was drenched in sweat and cried out in despair.

Du Zhun was also disappointed, “You’re useless. Your wife had bad luck with you. Let’s go and let him suffer his own fate.”

Tan Yi slammed the table, “Enough! Does crying solve problems?”

It was the first time both Xie Qing and Du Zhun saw Tan Yi angry, and they were both startled.

Lu Jing also had a sudden realization.

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Xie Qing spoke, “Don’t panic, let me help you recall. Is there anything insignificant like porcelain vases, pottery jars, snuff bottles, old paintings, large bowls, Buddha statues, inkstones, spittoons, oil lamp holders, candle holders, porcelain plaques, old coins…?”

Lü Jing suddenly straightened up, leaning over the table and frantically rummaging through a pile of photos.

Tan Yi picked up a photo from the side, “Are you looking for this?”

It was a photo of the entrance to the east bedroom, with the incandescent lamp’s pull cord hanging by the door.

Lü Jing grabbed it, carefully looking at it, “Hey? I remember the pull cord was tied with an old coin. How did it become a nut? Did I remember it wrong?”

Du Zhun, energized, leaned in for a closer look, “If the killer switched it, they really put in a lot of effort, even adding rust. I checked several times but didn’t notice this thing.”

Xie Qing remembered the on-site simulation she did with Cao Haisheng, and the scene matched. She asked, “Where do you usually keep your kitchen knife?”

Lu Jing thought for a moment, “It’s hard to say. After work, she would cook and sometimes knit sweaters to supplement the household income. She would place things randomly.”

So, the kitchen knife was likely on the stove next to the east bedroom.

Back in the car, Du Zhun counted on his fingers, “The killer has the following characteristics: First, they understand old coins; second, they’ve been to Lu’s house; third, they’re tall and strong; fourth, they have certain anti-detection abilities; fifth, they’re cautious. As long as we re-examine everyone who has been to Lu’s house, this case should be close to being solved.”

Tan Yi said, “We should re-investigate the backgrounds of Wei Fenfang’s colleagues and classmates.”

Du Zhun rubbed his stubbly chin, “Should I go back and work harder?”

Tan Yi shook his head, “Brother Du, you should rest. If the suspect wanted to run, they would have done so already. A day or two won’t make a difference.”

Du Zhun leaned back, “That’s true. Looks like we can have a peaceful New Year, how comfortable!”

Xie Qing took out a few White Rabbit candies from her backpack and handed them to Du Zhun. “It’s New Year’s today, Brother Du. Have some candy for sweetness.”

“White Rabbit!” Du Zhun grabbed it, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth, smacking his lips, “This stuff is delicious, not overly sweet.”

Xie Qing peeled one for herself and put it in her mouth.

Tan Yi glanced at her.

At first, Xie Qing didn’t pay much attention, but his gaze lingered a bit too long, so she quickly understood, took out another one, unwrapped it, and offered it to him, “Captain Tan, would you like one too?”

Tan Yi released the steering wheel with his right hand, took it, and put it in his mouth, “I don’t really like sweets, but since it’s New Year’s, I’ll make an exception.”

Xie Qing: “…”

“Hahaha…” Du Zhun laughed, “Xiao Xie, you didn’t do a good job here. How could you forget Captain Tan?”

Xie Qing thought that offering candy to her superior felt too ambiguous, so she deliberately ignored it. She didn’t expect Tan Yi to want some too. She explained, “I just remembered the household registration office. If they can help us check, we might solve the case before dinner.”

She used a clever distraction tactic.

Du Zhun fell for it, “That’s true. As long as we check the records, it should be almost certain.”

Tan Yi said, “Don’t worry, I already informed the higher-ups. We’ll be able to check when we return.”

Du Zhun hesitated, “Forget it,. I’lljust go home. Xiao Xie, call me when you need me.”

Xie Qing said, “Alright, Brother Du, don’t worry.”

Tan Yi dropped Du Zhun off at his home and drove Xie Qing back to the bureau. They took the case files and went to the household registration office, with Xie Qing bringing candies and sunflower seeds for the staff.

There were five classmates and four colleagues from the brewery. The staff asked which one to check first.

Tan Yi said, “Check Bai Yun first.”

Bai Yun was the colleague who fetched trousers for Wei Fenfang.

This person was 34 years old, a local, married to Chang Youxin, 35 years old, from Lishan County in Anhai City. They had one son and one daughter and lived at 527 Guchiao Road.

Neither of the couple had a criminal record.

…

After thanking the colleagues from the household registration office, Tan Yi and Xie Qing went downstairs and ran into Ren Yaguang.

Ren Yaguang asked, “Captain Tan, I’m on duty today. Any tasks?”

Tan Yi said, “Let’s go to Guchiao Road together.”

The three of them went to Guchiao Road and found 527. Ren Yaguang parked the car outside a small shop.

Ren Yaguang got out, hung around the shop for a few minutes, and came back with a bag of old-fashioned bread. Excitedly, he said, “Captain Tan, Chang Youxin is unemployed, a loafer. He always claims to be in big business, ‘doesn’t open for three years, but one opening lasts three years.’ Isn’t that talking about antiques? But he’s not home. He went back to his hometown with his wife and kids before the New Year. The shopkeeper said he’s taller and stronger than me. It must be him!”

Tan Yi said, “Looks like we don’t need to check others.”

He took out his notebook from his bag, found Huang Zhiyi’s number, and reported the case situation.

After hanging up, he told Ren Yaguang, “Let’s go, we’re heading to Lishan.”

Ren Yaguang said, “Captain Tan, there’s a difficult mountain road to Lishan. This car might not make it.”

Xie Qing suggested, “How about we go back to the bureau and change to my car?”

Tan Yi said, “Doesn’t the bureau have an off-road vehicle?”

Ren Yaguang said, “It’s still being repaired.”

Tan Yi looked apologetically at Xie Qing, “I’ll ask the bureau to reimburse your fuel expenses.”

Xie Qing smiled, “It’s fine. I’ll just consider it a scenic drive.”

To her, nothing was happier than going on a task while on duty.