Chapter 400

Cai Mian's shop opened in just one day.

This was partly because the police station staff helped locate a nearby closed-down Qingzhong Chicken Hotpot, relocated its kitchen and equipment, and assisted with permits; it was also due to Cai Mian's own intense drive and passion, as she worked nonstop for a full day and night just to open the next day.

Words like exhaustion and fatigue affected Cai Mian very little.

On ordinary days, her work was already grueling, but to earn money—meager, barely enough to sustain life—Cai Mian had no choice but to rise early and return late, hunting for second and third part-time jobs; sometimes, the constant running and labor made her lose all sense of time, until the next blow or injustice arrived.

Fortunately, those at the bottom of society never lack blows and injustices; their rapid frequency always made her acutely aware that she was still alive.

Cai Mian did not want to live this way, and she certainly did not want her child or the last bloodline left by her sister to live this way. But she was powerless; she didn't even dare to die.

The police from Jiang Yuan's cold case unit pooled their money to lend to Cai Mian and helped her open the shop—this was an opportunity she had never imagined. With nothing but to work desperately and repay everyone as quickly as possible, she didn't know how to relieve her inner passion, hope, and anxiety.

Moreover, Cai Mian wanted to personally thank Jiang Yuan and the others before they left.

The "Osmanthus Chicken Hotpot" opened in a rush—no flower baskets, no firecrackers, not even a ceremony. Cai Mian simply lit an incense stick in the kitchen, then started boiling water and got to work.

Noon.

Jiang Yuan arrived with Mu Zhiyang and several others to offer congratulations. Xu Xuewu also came with a few subordinates. Just as they gathered, Feng Yutong, a pink-cheeked girl, and her father Feng Yungui, accompanied by several bodyguards, appeared at the "Osmanthus Chicken Hotpot."

Feng Yutong had come to see the dog; her father Feng Yungui had come out of concern that the criminal investigators might be conducting covert operations, and wanted to observe the situation. Seeing the people seated inside—all wearing pants worn thin at the buttocks, some even at the thighs, with all rear pocket buttons removed, yet sitting comfortably sipping tea as if in new clothes—he realized they were all police officers and felt somewhat reassured.

The small shop, already cramped, was now nearly full.

They pushed several tables together and squeezed in tightly, filling the space with warmth.

Feng Yutong had no interest in sitting aside; she asked directly: "Where's Guihua?"

Cai Mian, with the mindset of a petty citizen, immediately shouted: "Cai Yuan, bring out that mangy dog!"

Seven-year-old Cai Yuan carried Bug Dog Guihua into the dining area, sat on a chair, and gently placed the dog on his lap, stroking it tenderly.

Aunt Cai Mian was not a gentle person; though her older sister was only in fourth grade, she already handled household chores—cooking, laundry. Even now, her sister served as a waitress in the restaurant. In this environment, the only warmth Cai Yuan received came from Guihua. To hold Guihua again, Cai Yuan's joy and caution were beyond ordinary understanding.

Feng Yutong, barely a high school student, saw the Pug she had cared for these days resting in the girl's arms and immediately stepped forward to hug it—but failed. Not wanting to take it by force, she gently patted it and whispered greetings.

After a while, seeing the Pug barely responding, Feng Yutong looked up and asked: "What brand of dog food do you feed it? I still have some left at home—I'll bring it over later."

She had no intention of taking Guihua away from Cai Yuan—not only because her parents advised against it, but because she had originally intended to rescue the Pug; now that it had returned to Cai Yuan, she still had many options. Still, she very much wanted to confirm the Pug was doing well.

Cai Yuan tilted his head and thought: "We don't have dog food."

"Then what do you feed it? Canned food?" Feng Yutong thought canned food offered worse value than dog food—it shouldn't be the choice of a poor family.

Cai Yuan shook his head: "I fed it noodles yesterday."

Feng Yutong blinked: "Dog noodles?"

"My mom pulled the noodles." Cai Yuan licked his lips: "They were delicious, right, Guihua?"

Guihua nodded.

Feng Yungui was at ease at the table.

Today, he was there to charm people—just a few words could make anyone happy. He also learned why so many criminal investigators had gathered here.

Because of his status, Xu Xuewu deliberately leaked a little information, to prevent him from becoming overly anxious and going straight to the director—or worse, the county secretary.

As he learned more, Feng Yungui's initial amusement gradually turned to solemnity.

Some dogs really are dogs.

Feng Yungui's eyes casually swept over Guihua—who could have imagined that such a tiny dog had filled the entire detention center of Miaohé County?

"Hmm, the chicken hotpot tastes excellent. We should come here often," Feng Yungui said after eating a few bites.

Xu Xuewu also thought it was good and laughed: "Opening this shop right outside the criminal investigation team's door is perfect—we can improve our meals. Mr. Feng, you're joking—you've eaten every delicacy under the sun."

"When we went to the mine, we ate whatever was available," Feng Yungui chuckled, deliberately drawing closer to them. In truth, as a boss, his meals at the mine were always local specialties and delicacies; at worst, he could carry two fish, three chickens, four pounds of meat, five bunches of vegetables in his trunk...

Ding dong.

While they were chatting merrily, someone pushed the door open—it was Feng Qiong and Kang Zhichao.

Xu Xuewu immediately stood up to greet them. After all, they were officials from Beijing; for county police officers, meeting anyone from Changyang City meant calling them "leader," and those from Beijing deserved even better treatment—properly welcomed and properly sent off.

These past two days, Feng Qiong and Kang Zhichao had been silent; Xu Xuewu guessed they were likely leaving soon.

Indeed, that was the case.

Feng Qiong and Kang Zhichao sat down, drank two beers, and Feng Qiong smiled: "I came to say goodbye. I heard Dr. Jiang was here, so I stopped by."

"Are you heading to Anhai City?" Jiang Yuan asked involuntarily. This meant their investigation had shifted—from investigating Liao Baoquan—back to re-examining Case 503.

Of course, now that Liao Baoquan's existence was known, whether tracing timelines or following people, the difficulty would be far lower.

Still, Feng Qiong's expression remained grave as he nodded: "Back then... we were not sufficiently cautious in our case review."

He had participated in the first supervision of Case 503. Now, his master had retired, and this matter fell solely on him. Though it carried no real weight, facing Jiang Yuan, Feng Qiong felt a twinge of shame.

Kang Zhichao, however, took a sip of beer and said: "Honestly, this case isn't Feng's fault. The primary responsibility lies with the current case lead. Supervisors can't overstep their role—the primary-secondary relationship in investigation was precisely his duty to determine. When the forensic time-of-death estimates were so close, under such conflicting evidence, he should have investigated the victim number two's entire social circle."

"That's still our failure in supervision," Feng Qiong sighed. "We did check back then, but it was superficial."

It was clear they would now prioritize investigating victim number two's social circle—this was entirely reasonable, especially now that Liao Baoquan was confirmed as one of the killers; their overlap was likely minimal.

When the crime occurred, Liao Baoquan was only sixteen or seventeen—not even an adult. No wonder he later enlisted without hesitation; he likely wanted to escape his past environment. Anhai City was relatively developed; few urban youths volunteered for military service back then, yet Liao Baoquan applied willingly and was accepted smoothly.

Around the time he enlisted, his social connections likely changed—people he once contacted may have been dropped. These would naturally come under suspicion. In fact, it might not even be necessary to go that far; young people's social circles are inherently limited, and careful investigation should easily reveal suspects.

Additionally, since Liao Baoquan could afford a refrigerated truck, his accomplices may have received large sums of money too—financial trails could offer breakthroughs.

Feng Qiong then invited: "Dr. Jiang, would you consider coming with us to Anhai City? Honestly, this case has stirred up several forensic experts from the ministry. If we solve it, it would make a fine story."

Several officers turned curious eyes toward Jiang Yuan—even for Changyang City's detectives, participating in a ministry-level case was rare.

Feng Yungui and Feng Yutong didn't understand criminal investigations, but hearing "ministry" made them feel it sounded impressive.

Jiang Yuan, however, shook his head: "The 503 crime scene is gone, and the bodies have already been autopsied by experts. My going won't add value."

Secondary or tertiary autopsies are exponentially harder. To put it plainly, if a clue was missed in the first autopsy, finding it in the second is ten times harder. If a small-town forensic doctor performed the initial autopsy, a second one might still be meaningful—but if ministry experts had already conducted a thorough autopsy, a second one would only bring unnecessary pain.

Truly meaningful forensic examination means reviewing photos and preserved evidence samples—great forensic doctors don't just make accurate judgments at the time; their tissue samples must also be properly collected, sufficient, and preserved for future re-examination.

Feng Qiong felt slight regret and said sincerely: "You followed this case from the beginning. Why not come with us to close it properly—see it through from start to finish?"

Jiang Yuan also replied sincerely: "I'm eager to return. Recently, I've had sudden insights—I've remembered several old cases that might yield breakthroughs."

He had not only re-examined every cold case in Ningtai County, but also tackled the easier ones from surrounding counties and urban areas in Qinghe City. So he retained some memory of Qinghe's unresolved cases.

Indeed, a few of them might now yield breakthroughs using his newly acquired cranial reconstruction technique.

Guihua's advantage means a few more people must be sent off.

Not to mention, a few cases might see breakthroughs if we apply the newly acquired skull reconstruction technique.

The advantage brought by the osmanthus means several more people will have to be sent away.