Chapter 72: The Cigarette Shop Robbery

Weekend.

Light rain fell intermittently. Water in the ditches along the road surged forward, carrying leaves, dirt, and insects toward some distant land of dreams.

Jiang Yuan, slippers on his feet and a raincoat over his shoulders, strolled slowly across the small square and arrived at the nearby swimming pool.

Ningtai people have a tradition of enjoying sports, so a boss from Changyang had specifically invested here to build a swimming pool and gym.

Villagers from Jiangcun were the main consumers within several kilometers, and gradually grew fond of this fashionable way of spending; almost every household had a membership card. To increase the frequency of water changes in the pool, Jiang Yuan’s landlord, Uncle Wu, even reduced part of the rent.

Jiang Yuan didn’t have to work today. Recalling Zhou Lei’s recent actions, he decided to dive straight into the pool and swim using the doggy paddle.

A Level 4 crime scene investigation can find every single hair in a bathroom. This Level 4 doggy paddle, applied in the pool, resembled a turbid current zipping forward—far faster than Jiang Yuan’s usual swimming technique, as if he’d gained a jet engine behind him.

The more vigorously he splashed, the more people noticed.

And the doggy paddle really was ugly to watch.

A few young people, apparently here to hang out, pointed at Jiang Yuan and laughed.

Too far away to hear what they were saying, but Jiang Yuan guessed they were laughing at his swimming style.

Jiang Yuan kept swimming, his mind turning to Zhou Lei’s legacy.

Being mocked for swimming—this was probably the part Zhou Lei found most incomprehensible and most unwilling to accept—Jiang Yuan understood Zhou Lei’s feelings, because when he first left Jiangcun, he’d faced similar ridicule.

To Zhou Lei back then, it must have been impossible to grasp why anyone would mock someone for their swimming posture—just like mocking someone’s Mandarin accent or English accent, when it doesn’t hinder communication, what’s the point?

But everyone did it anyway, and this vaguely suggested that mockery had meaning—at least, for the mocker, it held value.

Splash.

Jiang Yuan turned around and continued swimming rapidly with the doggy paddle.

His own swimming skill, even with his most proficient breaststroke, was at most Level 1. Compared to that, the newly acquired doggy paddle significantly improved his swimming ability. This technical innovation might not help him train toward an Olympic gold medal, but it was undeniably beneficial for daily life.

Several Jiangcun villagers confirmed the mocked swimmer was Jiang Yuan and immediately surrounded the laughing youths by the poolside.

Being a relocated resident also had its troubles—for instance, being mocked constantly.

When mocked outside, there was little they could do—but on village turf, things were different. Dozens of Jiangcun villagers quickly gathered at the pool, including a few bored middle-aged men, rolling skewers in their hands, necks tilted to watch—had they not been relocated, these men would have been the village’s notorious idlers. Now, they were wealthy and idle.

“Don’t fight,” Jiang Yuan called out, poking his head out, glancing over, then climbing out of the pool.

Three boys shielded two girls behind them, puffing out their thin chests, bravely facing off against the dozen Jiangcun villagers.

The boys had no needle marks, their breathing slightly rapid—but likely from emotion, not drugs. The two girls had good physiques, no tattoos, no needle marks, no cosmetic surgery.

“Break it up. Come over to my place for lamb later.” Jiang Yuan called out. Even the idle middle-aged men nodded cheerfully.

Jiang Yuan and his father were deeply rooted in Jiangcun, highly valuing neighborhood ties, and thus enjoyed considerable prestige.

Once Jiang Yuan spoke, no one asked further questions—the crowd dispersed instantly.

Jiang Yuan ignored the startled youths, turned, and dove back into the pool.

Still the doggy paddle—but now no one laughed at him.

Monday.

The atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Unit had noticeably relaxed further.

In Jiang Yuan’s view, the detective squad was much like village life: during major cases, it was like peak farming season—every big beast was valued, fed, and worked to exhaustion; without major cases, the big beasts were left to graze freely—the whip still waved, but most of the time it didn’t come down hard.

Naturally, everyone’s pace slowed.

Wu Jun, for instance, had once again picked up his feather duster and tidied his desk—not because of the almanac, but to “sweep away bad luck.”

Jiang Yuan turned on his computer and filled out his previous report.

“Want me to cook red bean and coix seed porridge for lunch? It clears dampness and dispels bad luck,” Wu Jun said, pulling red beans and coix seed from the corner.

Jiang Yuan’s eyelid twitched: “You keep red beans and coix seed in the office?”

“Better safe than sorry.”

“Aren’t you afraid the captain will see?” Jiang Yuan sighed.

“If he really sees…” Wu Jun imagined the scene in his mind, sighed, and said, “Then I’ll just invite him to join us.”

Jiang Yuan had no reply.

Wu Jun smiled: “Don’t worry—as long as we break the rules together, we’re safe.”

“Master, you’re over fifty. We should be more responsible,” Jiang Yuan said, hearing Wu Jun’s words and feeling anything but safe.

Wu Jun patted Jiang Yuan’s shoulder: “Relax. When I retire, you’ll be even safer. It’s hard enough to recruit a forensic doctor in a small county.”

“Then when you retire, I’ll set up a barbecue grill in the office,” Jiang Yuan joked. He was just blowing smoke—relocated villagers weren’t going to lose a bragging contest.

As they chatted, Lu Jianfeng from the Forensic Science Team knocked and entered.

In larger units, like the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade, there are internal divisions such as the Forensic Science Team, which includes the Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Trace Evidence Unit. In such cases, the team leader or director of the Forensic Science Center holds considerable authority.

But in a small unit like Ningtai County, a team leader’s title is like a group leader in school—hardly impressive.

Lu Jianfeng’s attitude toward the forensic doctor was even warmer, smiling as he said: “You’ve worked hard these past few days. This non-natural death case was more complex than a murder—nobody expected it. Luckily you confirmed the identity early; otherwise, the whole unit would’ve collapsed from exhaustion…”

Wu Jun nodded: “I thought it was a dismemberment case at first. Didn’t know which ship it was. People’s guts these days are truly bold—twenty years ago, they’d have called the police immediately.”

“Maybe they didn’t see it,” Lu Jianfeng didn’t press further, cleared his throat, and said, “By the way, there was another case two days ago—Jiang Yuan, why don’t you take a look?”

“What case needs Jiang Yuan to handle it?” Wu Jun asked directly.

“The cigarette shop robbery. All manpower was diverted elsewhere, and the crime scene wasn’t properly processed. Now that the homicide’s resolved, we need to properly examine this robbery.” Lu Jianfeng was equally frustrated. Cases have deadlines, but when a homicide and robbery occur simultaneously, the robbery rarely gets extra resources.

Wu Jun asked: “Where are the crime scene investigators?”

“Two are tied up with other cases, one has a fever. My suggestion: have Wang Zhong accompany Jiang Yuan.” Lu Jianfeng spread his hands. “Rushing out in this rain? Everyone’s worn out.”

Sending a forensic doctor and a trace evidence officer to a crime scene was highly unreasonable—but very realistic.

The county bureau was always short-staffed.

“Leave now?” Jiang Yuan stood up.

Lu Jianfeng hurried: “Leave now? I’ll get you a car…”

“No need. I drove in today.” Jiang Yuan pulled the keys to the G-Class from his drawer.