Chapter 54

Foodie

After interrogating the main perpetrator, Chang Youxin, they proceeded to interrogate Bai Yun. Even though she was very tired, she insisted on listening to Bai Yun’s interrogation recording.

Bai Yun admitted that she was greedy, but she never intended to harm Wei Fenfang (Chang Youxin’s testimony confirmed this), nor did she expect it would cost her the rest of her life. She didn’t expect it, but it happened, and the regret was a hundred percent.

Out of regret, Bai Yun cried, was incoherent, and even employed some fallacious logic. She said that if she hadn’t been so kind-hearted and hadn’t gone to get pants for Wei Fenfang, none of this would have happened. If she hadn’t fetched the pants, she wouldn’t have seen the ‘diao mu’ coin. If she hadn’t seen the ‘diao mu’ coin, she wouldn’t have asked Chang Youxin to steal it. If Chang Youxin hadn’t gone to steal it, Wei Fenfang wouldn’t have died, and they wouldn’t have committed such a serious crime.

Therefore, Bai Yun believed Wei Fenfang was partially responsible for her wrongful death.

Xie Qing found it very ironic.

Before they were caught, they were joyfully celebrating the New Year. It was only after being caught that they felt regret—though it was probably not genuine regret. She just wanted to make herself feel better, deliberately forgetting that her greed was the cause of everything and blaming external factors.

A refined egoist!

A single copper coin ruined the future of three people.

Despite solving the case, Xie Qing couldn’t feel happy. She wandered in the courtyard, wrapped in a cotton coat, until her phone rang.

She fished out the large mobile phone from her bag and pressed the answer button, “Hello, Captain Tan.”

Tan Yi said, “We’re making dumplings and watching the New Year’s Gala in the canteen. Do you want to join us?” His voice was slightly cold in the chilly night, but the tone was warm and cheerful.

“Sure, I’ll be right there.”

“Hurry.”

Xie Qing walked towards the canteen.

They had been interrogating since they returned from Lishan. She had only eaten two small pieces of traditional bread on the road and was already hungry. She felt her stomach growling, took a piece of White Rabbit candy from her pocket, and put it in her mouth, “It’s New Year, let’s have something sweet.”

“Ring ring ring…”

The mobile phone rang again, and Xie Qing answered.

“Qing Qing?”

“Brother, I’m back.”

“How did it go? Did you catch them?”

“Yes, we just finished interrogating them. All this happened over a ‘diao mu’ coin, costing two lives.”

“Why talk about such things during the New Year?”

Xie Chen was probably using the speakerphone, as Chen Yuehua’s voice was not very clear.

Ignoring her voice, Xie Qing continued, “On our way to Lishan County, we were robbed outside the county, and on our way back, we found nails on the same road. Brother, people can be unpredictable. It’s always good to be discreet and cautious.”

Xie Chen replied, “Got it. I will be careful from now on. Qing Qing, we made some dumplings, let me bring some over for you.”

Xie Qing felt a warmth in her heart, “No need, brother, we are making dumplings in the canteen too. Captain Tan just called me over to help, you guys eat them yourselves.”

“That puts my mind at ease,” Xie Chen sighed with relief, “On the fifth, Tan Yi invited us to his place for a meal. I’ve already agreed, so you should come too.”

Xie Qing hesitated for a moment, “I’ll see how things go. Brother, give the phone to Dad, I want to wish him a Happy New Year.”

Xie Chen replied, “Sure, hold on.”

Xie Xun was very concerned about Xie Qing. He not only asked about the Lu family’s case but also inquired in detail about Lishan County. The father and daughter chatted for three to five minutes before hanging up the phone.

When Xie Qing arrived at the canteen, it was almost ten o’clock. Tan Yi and Ren Yaguang had already chopped the meat and onions and prepared a large basin of flour, ready to knead.

Seeing Xie Qing come in, Ren Yaguang hesitated in front of the flour basin, then quickly waved, “Xiao Xie, do you know how to knead dough?”

Police working overtime is routine, but home-cooked meals are rarely made, not for any other reason than lack of time.

Xie Qing rolled up her sleeves, “If no one minds that I’m a forensic doctor, I’ll take care of kneading the dough and mixing the filling.”

Detective Zhao Youguang of the first team said, “Hah, we’re all police officers here, who cares about that? If Xiao Xie knows how to do it, then go ahead.”

“That’s right.”

“Xiao Xie, knead the dough here. This skit is hilarious, let’s watch while we work.”

A few senior detectives chimed in.

“On it,” Ren Yaguang moved the basin and water over.

Xie Qing put down her backpack and washed her hands several times in the water room. Then, with a pair of chopsticks in one hand and water in the other, she gradually mixed the dough. When the dough was smooth, she covered it with a damp cloth, and it was ready.

Then she mixed the filling, adding oil, thirteen spices, soy sauce, salt, and pepper water. In less than half an hour, she finished all the tasks.

“Xiao Xie is amazing.”

“Yes, there aren’t many girls who can do household chores nowadays.”

“You’re wrong, many can, but we didn’t expect Xiao Xie to be so capable.”

“That’s right…”

Everyone praised her.

Xie Qing accepted it graciously and summed it up with one sentence, “As long as someone is a qualified foodie, they are usually a good cook.”

Tan Yi nodded, “So, the reason we can’t cook is simply because we aren’t greedy enough.”

“Hahaha…” Everyone laughed.

Once the laughter died down, Xie Qing said, “Captain Tan’s statement isn’t entirely accurate. Greed is a superficial result, but a foodie can rise to a pursuit and determination. For example, if a foodie loves dumplings, she can seek out master chefs to learn various ways of making dumplings; a foodie can also travel to the northwest for an authentic bowl of beef noodles. Such a person is a true foodie.”

Everyone thought Tan Yi was just joking, but they didn’t expect Xie Qing to respond so seriously.

Everyone looked at Tan Yi.

Tan Yi said solemnly, “That’s very reasonable, I have learned something new. A foodie is essentially a gourmet.”

Xie Qing smiled, “I accept that analogy.” She thought to herself: You old pickled vegetable, at least you know what’s right.

By eleven o’clock, the dough was ready, and everyone started making dumplings.

Xie Qing had kneaded the dough well, making even-sized pieces, and the dumpling skins she rolled out were neither too thin nor too thick, neither too soft nor too hard.

The men’s cooking skills were a bit lacking, with each dumpling being either too big or too small or oddly shaped. Fortunately, they all had strong hands and managed to seal the edges well, so none of the dumplings broke while cooking.

As the Spring Festival Gala hosts started the countdown to midnight, the hot-boiled dumplings were ready.

Ren Yaguang, braving the heat, tasted one first and praised, “It’s worthy of a gourmet! The meat is fragrant and juicy, even better than my mom’s.”

Xie Qing scooped up the dumplings and placed them on several large plates, “Luckily, we made enough. Otherwise, we might not have had enough to go around.”

Zhao Youguang said, “Thanks to Dr. Xie and Captain Tan, we are in for a treat tonight.”

Tan Yi took a plate of dumplings, “No need to thank us, Brother Zhao, you’re too kind.”

“Gratitude is still due,” Xie Qing said seriously, “Thank you, Brother Zhao, for wrapping the dumplings.”

“Hahaha…” Zhao Youguang laughed, “This kid really knows how to talk.”

Tan Yi couldn’t help but smile and walked away with the plate.

The work at the stove was finished. Everyone sat around the table, eating while enjoying the performances of the veteran artists on the Spring Festival Gala. The dumplings might not have looked perfect, but the meat filling was delicious, and the dough had a nice texture.

Tan Yi already knew Xie Qing could cook from her demeanor, but he didn’t expect her to be this skilled. The dumplings were as good as those served in Beijing restaurants. He admitted to himself that he was impressed.

By the end of the meal, the dumplings were all gone, and everyone was stuffed, including Xie Qing herself.

When the Spring Festival Gala ended, they all cleaned up together and left the canteen.

It was not yet two o’clock, and Anhai was gradually quieting down. However, some places were still noisy with vibrant fireworks flickering in the dark night sky, and sky rockets soared into the sky with a trail of sparks and loud whistles.

This was an era of fireworks freedom.

Xie Qing felt a bit regretful that she hadn’t thought about buying some fireworks when passing by a firecracker stand.

Seeing her lost in thought, Tan Yi asked, “Do you like fireworks?”

Xie Qing replied, “Yes, I do.”

Ren Yaguang also said, “I like them too. When I go home in the morning, I can set off some firecrackers, it will be loud and lively.”

As the last firework faded, Xie Qing turned around, “Let’s go upstairs. Are you going to sleep or stay up?”

Ren Yaguang glanced at Tan Yi and said, “I’ll sort out the files for the Lu Jing case. That poor guy is still restless in the detention center.”

Tan Yi sneered, “No need to rush. Someone like him can use a few days in the detention center to reflect.”

Ren Yaguang quietly reminded, “Captain Tan, Fengshan Branch is still being stubborn.”

Tan Yi said, “We’ve already caught the people. Do you think they don’t know?”

Xie Qing agreed. The experienced officers were indeed calm and composed.

The three of them went upstairs together.

“Xiao Xie, don’t go back to your office. Come to the second floor; let’s study the Shi case.” Ren Yaguang called out as Xie Qing started climbing to the third floor.

Xie Qing stopped, “It’s New Year’s Eve, don’t you mind?”

Ren Yaguang waved his hand, “Come on. Last year, there was a murder case on New Year’s Eve. As police officers, we can’t care too much about these things.”

Since he didn’t mind, Xie Qing didn’t mind either. An all-nighter meant she could sleep for a whole day at home, perfectly avoiding Chen Yuehua.

The Shi case was related to the Shen Yi case and the Mao Jiayi case.

Ren Yaguang, also a member of the task force, brought out the files for the three cases. As soon as he was done, Tan Yi came out, holding a bag of oranges and two bags of dried fruit, and said, “Eating some snacks will keep us from getting sleepy.”

Ren Yaguang didn’t hold back, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and munching on them, “Xiao Xie, do you think the tenant in the Shi case and the person who wrote to the newspaper are the same person?”

Xie Qing peeled a hazelnut, “I think the writer is someone else, but the tenant and the person who delivered the letter should be part of the same group, either the man or the woman.”

Ren Yaguang asked, “Why?”

Xie Qing said, “The writer has a certain level of education and behaves differently from ordinary farmers. But the landlord never mentioned this. If it’s not excellent acting, then it can’t be the same person.”

Tan Yi sat across from them, “So who do you think the mastermind is?”

The task force had discussed that the mastermind could be: a drug addict, a drug dealer, or someone knowledgeable about morphine.

The last category could include many people.

Xie Qing thought for a moment, “Based on the writing style and the situation of the Shen Yi case, I would say irresponsibly that the person may have studied medicine and received a high level of education.”

Tan Yi nodded, “Recently, I’ve been thinking the same. But after running around various cities, I haven’t found any suspicious individuals.”

Recently. Xie Qing pondered this word in her mind, which meant that Tan Yi’s brother’s death had nothing to do with morphine.

Ren Yaguang asked, “Could it be someone from our Anhai?”

Tan Yi smiled, “Anhai has been thoroughly checked, and no clues have been found.”