Chapter 4

“Today we’re short one person for mahjong, and I thought since SanZhuzi usually likes to play a couple of rounds, I’d come over to call him. 

 Who would have thought… oh my god, it was all blood, really, I was so scared my legs went weak. It was just too tragic, really too tragic.  

Four members of the family, all dead. The youngest was just a 4-year-old girl, and her mother was only in her twenties. How pitiful. 

 What kind of grudge could be so deep to do something like this?” The first witness babbled incoherently, clearly still terrified, with a look of panic on his face. 

Wei Ping, 42 years old, of average height and with gentle features that seemed particularly calming, instinctively offered a few words of comfort before continuing to ask, “So there were only four people in this family?” 

“Yes, SanZhu’s father passed away from illness two years ago.” 

On the other side, Luo Wei, who was usually all jokes, tacitly led the rookie Yan Hanhai over to the other neighbors and village officials to start gathering information on the victims’ relationships. 

Meanwhile, Wei Shian put on shoe covers and gloves and followed the forensic team to investigate the scene. When he saw the middle-aged female forensic doctor start to remove her gloves, he walked over. “Dr. Wang, how does it look?” 

Wang Nan pushed her slipping glasses up with her arm as she put her equipment back into the autopsy box.“ A preliminary examination shows the fatal injury was a single cut to the trachea, death likely occurred between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. 

 However, we need to verify this back at the lab. Also, we need further testing to determine whether they were killed in their sleep or if they were drugged first. 

 The male victim also has multiple cuts on his body in addition to the fatal neck wound. It seems like…” 

Wei Shian frowned and completed her thought, “An act of revenge.” 

Wang Nan nodded, “Yes, that’s what I suspect too. You should investigate in that direction.” She then glanced at the small body now zipped in a body bag and sighed, “It was too brutal. She was so young.” 

Wei Shian’s expression darkened. “All we can do now is catch the killer as quickly as possible.” 

Wang Nan agreed, “You’re right. I’ll head back to the station. Don’t worry, we’ll get you results as soon as possible.” 

At this moment, Wei Ping approached. “Captain Wei, I found something.” 

Wei Shian nodded to the forensic doctor. “Thanks, Dr. Wang.” 

“It’s my duty.” 

Wei Shian and Wei Ping walked to a quiet spot in the backyard. Wei Shian lit a cigarette and flipped through his notebook. 

As an experienced detective, he quickly extracted the key information from several pages of notes. A family of honest people, with the only known grudge being with Zhao Dashan, a man who co-leased a fish pond with the deceased. 

“This Zhao Dashan and the deceased Zhao Sanzhu are distant cousins. He’s been in and out of jail several times for theft in the past. According to the neighbors, Zhao Dashan secretly sold a batch of fish a few days ago, making a few thousand yuan. Zhao Sanzhu demanded half the money, which led to several arguments. The last one happened around 10:00 a.m. the day before yesterday, and they nearly came to blows.” 

Hearing the vice-captain’s suspicions, Wei Shian firmly said, “This Zhao Dashan is missing now, isn’t he?” 

Wei Ping confirmed, “Yes, he hasn’t shown up since then. I took some men to his house, but found nothing. He’s got a bad reputation, is single, and has been estranged from his parents for a long time. The villagers say they haven’t seen him since the argument with Zhao Sanzhu.” 

Wei Shian frowned, about to say something when his phone rang from his pocket. 

He held the cigarette between his fingers. “Hello?” 

“Captain Wei, we found shoe prints on the back hill. After examination, they match the bloody footprints found inside the victims’ house.” 

This was excellent news. Wei Shian’s expression brightened as he immediately led his team to the location identified by the forensic team. 

— 

In contrast to the hardworking police officers chasing the culprit in the sweltering heat. 

 Lu Jiu was much more comfortable. She was curled up on the living room sofa, enjoying the air conditioning while texting with her parents and sister. 

As for Lu Xinxin, she was cuddling a rented book, hiding behind her little aunt and reading with great interest. 

The two wanted to help in the kitchen, but the elders wouldn’t allow it. 

 If they insisted, the old folks would get upset. So, the aunt and niece could only wait obediently for their meal. 

Fortunately, the chicken soup and braised duck had been prepared in the morning.  

They just needed to stir-fry two vegetable dishes. 

“Someone’s coming.” 

Hearing footsteps approaching, Lu Jiu gave her niece a pat. 

Lu Xinxin quickly stuffed the novel into her backpack, not forgetting to pick up her English book and pretend to study. 

Lu Jiu silently critiqued her overacting. 

“Dinner’s ready, you two must be hungry, right?”  

Jiang Hongmei(Lu Jiu Aunt) came into the dining room carrying the last dish, with Lu Guoqing(Lu Jiu uncle) following behind with bowls and chopsticks. 

Lu Jiu stepped forward to help her uncle set the table. As they began eating, Jiang Hongmei served each of the girls a chicken drumstick. “Eat more. These were fed with rice bran and grain. You can’t find this quality outside.” 

Lu Guoqing took out a bottle of liquor and, despite his wife’s glare, cheekily poured himself a small glass. 

— 

“This is some good liquor that my little brother gave me.” He took a satisfied sip and, feeling a bit proud, remarked, “Life is really good now. We have delicious food, a warm house in winter, and cool air in summer. When I was young, I could never have imagined living like this.” 

In the early 2000s, very few rural households had air conditioning, and his home was the first in the village to get one, thanks to his younger brother. How could he not be proud? 

The Lu family was quite poor in the past. Lu Guoqing and his two sisters didn’t get much education. 

 Of course, in those days, when even having enough to eat was a problem, education wasn’t a priority. But their youngest brother, Lu Pengfei,(Lu Jiu’s Father) was different—he was smart from a young age. 

 He used to sneak outside classrooms to learn, and when the teacher noticed how bright he was, they convinced the family to let him study. 

By the time Lu Pengfei got into middle school, their parents had passed away. The three siblings were already married, but thankfully, their spouses were kind and supportive. 

 They all tightened their belts to save money and food, ensuring their youngest brother could continue his education. This support carried him through to high school graduation. 

Back then, many people mocked the siblings, saying that a high school graduate would still end up back on the farm. But when Lu Pengfei became successful, he didn’t forget his siblings. He helped them with housing and living expenses, which made many people envious. 

Thinking about this made Lu Guoqing’s eyes tear up.  

The Lu family must have good fortune, and as the eldest brother, he felt he had honored their late parents. 

Jiang Hongmei, his wife, handed him a piece of chicken: “Why do you keep talking about these things? Can’t you just eat your meal quietly?” 

Lu Guoqing smiled good-naturedly: “When you get old, you start reminiscing more. Anyway, Peony, you’ve been out of college for almost two months now. What are your plans?” 

Lu Jiu swallowed her food and replied, “Dad reserved a spot for me at the department store. I plan to open a flower shop there.” She intended to focus on a high-end market. 

She wasn’t short on money; after she and her sister turned 18, their parents had transferred a significant amount of real estate to their names. 

 Especially in recent years, with the rapid rise in property values, the Lu family had invested heavily in land and storefronts. Opening a flower shop was purely out of personal interest. After all, life is long, and it wouldn’t be good to do nothing all day. 

“I remember you studied agriculture in college, so this fits perfectly,”  

Lu Guoqing said. Though he thought buying flowers wasn’t as practical as buying meat, he knew that young people had modern ideas, and he didn’t want to interfere too much. 

 Besides, his niece had a talent for gardening, which she had shown from a young age. 

Lu Xinxin, her niece, interjected, “Grandpa, you’re mistaken. Auntie went to a top university. Horticulture isn’t just farming—it’s about researching plants, breeding new varieties, and more. It’s very advanced.” 

Still sounds like farming to me, 

 Lu Guoqing thought, though he was a bit confused. He was about to ask more when their dog suddenly ran to the door, barking. 

“Who would come at this time?” he wondered as he got up to open the door. 

 When he saw who it was, he said, “There’s no time to eat. Something big has happened.” The village leader was sweating profusely, half of his shirt drenched, and immediately headed for the air conditioner to cool down. 

Lu Guoqing offered, “Then stay and eat with us.” 

Jiang Hongmei stood up to get some more bowls and chopsticks, but the village leader quickly declined, “No, no, I’m not hungry. I just had a bun. Let me tell you what’s going on, then I need to head to the next house.” 

Seeing this, Lu Jiu handed him a cold bottle of water from the fridge. This time, the village leader accepted it, taking several big gulps before smiling and asking, “You must be Pengfei’s second daughter?” 

Lu Jiu smiled back, “You can just call me Xiaolu .” 

“Exactly,” added Lu Guoqing, “we’re all from the same village. She’s just a junior, so no need for formal titles. Just call her by her name.” 

The village leader’s smile became more genuine, feeling that this wealthy family’s child wasn’t looking down on him.  

Especially since this young woman, with her fair skin and red lips, was as pretty as a jade sculpture, which improved his mood even more. “Alright, I’ll just call you Xiaolu .” 

After a few pleasantries, the village leader got to the point: “There’s been a murder in Zhao Village behind ours.” 

He detailed the situation, and as the Lu family members listened in shock and disbelief, he concluded, “The suspect hasn’t been caught yet. It’s said he escaped through Xiaoqingshan, which is connected to our village. Try not to go out alone for the next few days, and make sure to lock your doors and windows at night.” 

The normally peaceful and quiet small mountain village hadn’t seen such a heinous crime in decades. After the village leader left a freshly printed wanted poster and hurried off to the next house, Lu Guoqing’s first reaction was, “You two should go back to the city.” 

Before Lu Jiu could say anything, Lu Xinxin protested, “Leave now? What if we run into the killer on the way?” 

“You’ll be driving; what’s there to be afraid of?” 

“That’s easy for you to say, but the road is narrow, and it wouldn’t be hard to force us to stop. What if they put glass shards on the road to puncture our tires? The car could flip. Or what if they’re lying in the road? We couldn’t just run them over, could we?” 

True enough—who would dare to run someone over? Seeing her husband still anxious, Jiang Hongmei remained calm, “Just call the boys and tell them to come back and stay here tonight. We’ve got the dog, and that Zhao Dashan isn’t even as tall as me. He wouldn’t dare.” 

Lu Guoqing was still worried, “But even a short guy can kill four people.” 

Lu Jiu reassured him, “Don’t worry, Uncle. The village leader said he used a sedative. We’ll be fine.” 

So, Lu Guoqing began calling his younger brother and two sons. 

— 

The next morning, Lu Jiu was awakened by the family cat stepping on her face. 

She wondered if her newfound connection to plants was making the family’s cat and dog suddenly more affectionate.  

Last night, one had slept by her bed, while the other insisted on lying on her head, refusing to leave. 

 If they weren’t regularly dewormed and bathed, she wouldn’t have allowed it. 

“What’s wrong?” Lu Xinxin, half-asleep, asked groggily, still drowsy from staying up late worrying about the murderer. 

Lu Jiu, rubbing her face and stroking the guilty orange tabby cat, replied with a mix of frustration and amusement, “It’s gone wild, running around the room and stepped on my face.” 

Lu Xinxin quickly sat up, her sleepiness vanishing. She leaned over in concern, “Did it scratch you?” 

“No, no, XiaoJu (cat name) was just playing with me.” 

“That’s good.” Lu Xinxin sighed in relief and started scratching the cat’s head. “You silly Xiao Ju, do you know how heavy you are? You’re like a little pig. If you hurt my beautiful aunt, I’ll have to scold you!” 

So that’s what she’s worried about? Lu Jiu thought. 

“You’re up? If you are, then get dressed. I heard the police caught Zhao Dashan near our vineyard this morning. We’re going to check it out.” Jiang Hongmei knocked on the door, announcing through the beaded curtain. 

The two nieces immediately lost their playful mood, quickly getting out of bed to dress. As they opened the bedroom door and pulled aside the beaded curtain, they spoke in unison, “We’re going too!”