Chapter 15: A Peaceful Funeral

"Please accept my condolences."

"Please accept my condolences."

Jiang Yuan followed his father, worshipped before the coffin, stayed for a while, and walked out quickly.

Jiangfuzhen sighed while walking: "Father died and mother imprisoned, poor child. And your uncle and aunt, some are hard."

The seventeenth aunt's case has not yet been sentenced, but anyone can foresee that even if the seventeenth aunt is not sentenced to death, she will stay in prison for a considerable period of time. Their son

Although the people of Jiang Village are wealthy, there is very little they can do in this matter. Jiang Yuan also could not bear to see such a scene; he left the auditorium and returned to the kitchen before he felt his mood recover a little.

"Your seventeenth uncle's problem is that he is too frugal." Jiang Fujian said, lost in memory: "Back when conditions in the village weren't very good, he was the type of person who wouldn't even skim the foam off the meat while boiling it. Later, he went off to run a small restaurant, which really wasn't necessary. He claimed his shop earned a lot, but that was without calculating the rent or the labor costs for him and his wife. He didn't count the initial costs or the interest either. Later, he used the money he made from the demolition compensation to partner with others to open a shop and invest, and he lost who knows how much... It's understandable that your seventeenth aunt would be upset with him."

"I think seventeenth uncle is quite fat," Jiang Yuan said.

"He eats the leftovers from the restaurant," Jiang Fujian curled his lip. "It would be one thing if he had no money, but to be this stingy when he has money—it's no wonder your seventeenth aunt would blow her top."

Jiang Yuan didn't have much of an impression or understanding of his seventeenth uncle, but judging by the egg-fried rice skill he had acquired, what his old man said was highly likely to be true.

"Have a taste." The old man fished out a piece of beef for Jiang Yuan and added a little more salt to it.

Adding salt while boiling meat causes the meat fibers to tighten, making it chewy rather than soft and tender. Therefore, people who like a stronger meat flavor and a firm texture—such as many Mongols—will add salt at the beginning when boiling beef or mutton, whereas those who prefer a soft texture should do the opposite.

The beef Jiang Fujian boiled was tender but held together; it could be pulled apart by hand, yet it had a nice elasticity when chewed. Jiang Yuan nodded while eating.

"Take a plate over to that group of young people." After Jiang Yuan had eaten two pieces of beef, Jiang Fujian filled a large plate with beef that had slightly yellow fat and handed it to Jiang Yuan.

The freshly boiled beef jiggled slightly in the plate, looking like a pulsing heart muscle.

Jiang Yuan carried the meat directly to the square, where it was indeed welcomed by the young people who didn't care for the formal banquet.

"It would be even better if there were skewers." Cousin A ate a piece of meat, filled her stomach a little, and began to make new demands.

"I'll go get some." One of her male classmates responded enthusiastically.

"It would be great if there were crabs." Cousin B looked at the male classmate who had come with them.

"I'll go." The male classmate wiped his mouth and ran off.

In a while, the table in front of Jiang Yuan and the group of young people was piled high with plates. Everyone was eating and chatting casually like a picnic, feeling quite relaxed.

Until Jiang Yuan's phone rang.

Watching Jiang Yuan take out his phone, Cousin A swallowed the meat in her mouth in two bites and asked eagerly, "Brother Jiang Yuan, is there a corpse?"

Jiang Yuan could only smile, then stood up and walked to the side to answer the phone.

"Jiang Yuan, have you found the suspect in that intentional injury case?" The voice of Captain Huang Qiangmin poured into Jiang Yuan's ears with great penetration, his speaking speed quite fast.

Jiang Yuan said "En" and replied, "The fingerprint matched. I've submitted it to the system and am waiting for an expert review..."

"The expert has confirmed it." Huang Qiangmin interrupted Jiang Yuan and continued, "As long as you did it, that's fine. En, you did well..."

As the captain spoke, his voice grew increasingly distant.

Jiang Yuan continued to respond with "Yes," but before the captain could finish speaking, he heard chaotic orders coming through the earpiece:

"Get everyone from the second team up, head straight to Qingbai City, and go to the suspect's home. The third team should go to the suspect's parents' house and search carefully. I'll have someone issue a letter and call over there now... If you can't find him, both teams go directly to the power plant. Keep it confidential, build a good relationship with the local police station, be sweet-talkers, and report back at any time..."

Amidst the orders, Huang Qiangmin hung up on Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan put away his phone and looked up at the pitch-black sky, sighing for the criminal police of the second and third teams. If they gather and head out now, and they catch the person, they'll have to proceed with interrogations, case handling, and preparing various physical evidence materials; if they don't catch the person, according to Captain Huang's requirements, they'll have to stake out the suspect's workplace and other possible locations, and then return to the previous cycle...

"Brother Jiang Yuan, do you have to go to work?" Cousin A's best friend offered him two skewers, her eyes full of expectation.

Jiang Yuan took the skewers, took a bite, swallowed, and said, "No need to go, it's none of my business."

For pure field work like catching people, whether or not the criminal science team is needed depends solely on whether there is enough manpower and whether the member is young and sturdy like an ox. It seems Jiang Yuan doesn't need to serve as basic labor for now.

Of course, equipping the arrest with on-site surveying, photography, and other roles is also very reasonable and advanced. Taking photos, recording videos, and even collecting physical evidence on the spot is very beneficial for subsequent case handling. But in reality, this level of on-site surveying is usually handled by the criminal police themselves—if necessary, they can also extract fingerprints, collect physical evidence that might contain DNA samples, and so on...

The above very realistic operation is like using a mule as an ox, and an ox as a donkey; everyone is a beast of burden, so no one should envy anyone else.

Evening.

The police officers from the second and third squadrons of the Ningtai County Criminal Police Brigade in Qinghe City rushed nervously to Qingbai City, 200 kilometers away, buttering up the local police, and preparing for deployment, stakeouts, and all related matters.

Jiang Yuan and the cousins and other relatives attending the seventeenth uncle's funeral were eating skewers and scrolling through TikTok earnestly.

Early morning.

Liu Wenkai stared intently at the criminal suspect returning home, and with a sharp shout, the adrenaline-fueled arrest operation began.

Stars twinkled in the sky, a breeze blew, the grass by the roadside swayed, and occasionally the sounds of clinking glasses and chatting drifted over.

Nightfall.

Liu Wenkai and the officers of the second and third squadrons traveled through the night to return to Ningtai, the bumps and fatigue of the journey going without saying.

Jiang Yuan turned over, pursed his lips, and tightened his face, as if a difficult, unsolved case had appeared in his dream.

In short, this was a peaceful funeral.