Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 19

20

Chapter One: Crimson Colors and Poison...

A light drizzle was still falling. Xiao Duan walked unhurriedly down the street without an umbrella. He carried a light blue bundle matching his clothes on his shoulder and held a maroon seven-hole bamboo flute in his hand. As soon as Xiao Duan stepped into the noodle shop, he saw the two people sitting directly opposite the entrance and paused slightly. After a moment's hesitation, he followed them inside.

Zhan Yun smiled, her crescent-shaped eyes crinkling, and waved to Xiao Duan. Zhao Ting's expression was cold, but his dark, midnight-like eyes remained fixed on Xiao Duan. Xiao Duan was helpless; what could he say about these two? Just as he was standing at the shop entrance, hesitating whether to go over, a little girl in a light red shirt and trousers came over, her bright, almond-shaped eyes sparkling: "Brother Xiao Duan, you're here! Come and sit down. Your two friends have already ordered noodles for you, and I just brought the drinks over..."

Helpless, Xiao Duan could only follow the little girl. The shop was neither crowded nor empty; there were hardly any seats left. And judging from the two of them, even if he found an empty table, they could just bring their noodles over and it would be the same thing! After sitting down opposite them and putting down his bundle, Zhan Yun reached for the bamboo flute in Xiao Duan's hand, his crescent-shaped eyes showing surprise: "Xiao Duan, you can play the flute?"

Xiao Duan quickly withdrew his hand, placing the flute on his thigh. Zhan Yun's outstretched hand hung in mid-air, his handsome face showing some embarrassment. Xiao Duan lowered his phoenix eyes: "I'm sorry, this flute is not allowed." If it weren't for the fact that his bundle was already full and there wasn't enough room to put it, Xiao Duan wouldn't have wanted to walk around the street carrying the flute like this.

Zhan Yun smiled faintly, her crescent-shaped eyes sparkling with tenderness: "It's alright. I was being presumptuous."

As they were talking, the noodles were served. The little girl deftly set the plate down, her red lips curving as she looked at Xiao Duan: "Brother Xiao Duan, you said you would definitely come again within three days, and you really did today!"

Xiao Duan raised his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips, and nodded gently. Actually, it didn't matter where he ate this meal before leaving the city, but he had promised to come back two days ago when he ate noodles here at noon. Since he had made a promise, he should try his best to keep it. Besides, it was just a meal; it wasn't a difficult thing. Furthermore, once he left Hangzhou, he wouldn't be able to find such delicious "Yunying Fried Noodles" again. These two were truly thoughtful. They probably guessed that he would come to this noodle shop no matter what, which was why they hadn't followed him all the way from Wu'ai Slope, but instead, they had come to intercept him.

The little girl smiled sweetly, her already rosy lips even more rosy than usual, adding a touch of charm to her fair face that seemed beyond her years. "Brother Duan..." she cried, clutching the wooden plaque with the recipe to her chest, while pouring wine for him with the other. Her almond-shaped eyes darted around, and her sweet, clear voice trembled slightly: "Brother Duan, are you leaving again?"

"Mm." Xiao Duan thanked her softly, picked up the wine glass and took a big gulp of "Rose Wine". The little girl poured wine for Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting, her fair cheeks flushed pink, her face as delicate as a lotus in bloom, and gradually her breathing became a little rapid.

"Little, Little Brother Duan..." The little girl's smile was still sweet, but a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead. She raised her hand and covered Little Brother Duan's hand holding the cup. "Little Brother Duan, look at me. Do I look pretty with my rouge today?"

The little girl's bold move startled all three people present. Zhan Yun's handsome brows furrowed slightly, while Zhao Ting's deep black eyes were fixed on their clasped hands, desperately suppressing the urge to shove the small hand aside. Xiao Duan raised her eyes, her cool phoenix eyes revealing a hint of embarrassment: "Miss Shen..."

“Brother Duan…” The little girl shook her head repeatedly, reaching out her other hand as well. The wooden plaque in her arms fell to the ground with a “thud.” Her two little hands tightly gripped Duan’s right hand. The little girl’s breathing became more and more rapid, her small chest heaving. The pink on her cheeks gradually turned into a rosy blush, like a drunken hibiscus blooming at dusk: “Brother Duan, I…I…”

The heat emanating from the girl's hand startled Xiao Duan. Ignoring the stares of others, he jumped to his feet, raised his hand to the girl's forehead—it was burning hot! The girl's petite body trembled slightly, her legs gave way, and she collapsed. Xiao Duan pulled the girl into his arms while simultaneously checking her pulse with his fingers.

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun had also noticed something was wrong and hurriedly stood up to stand in front of Xiao Duan. "What happened? Does she have a fever?" Zhao Ting looked at the girl's face, then looked at Zhan Yun standing to the side with a questioning gaze. Zhan Yun shook his head, reached out and touched her other wrist, while carefully observing the girl's face. His expression gradually became serious, and he said softly, "It seems like she's been poisoned..."

At this moment, the little girl's body began to tremble violently, her eyes rolled back, and white foam spilled from the corner of her mouth. Xiao Duan bent down to pick her up, saying urgently, "Quick, to the clinic! Her poison is fatal if we wait even a moment longer!"

Zhao Ting stretched out his long arm to block Xiao Duan's movement, and the next moment he picked up the little girl around the waist: "I'll do it."

Xiao Duan turned to grab the bamboo flute and bundle on the table, but found that Zhan Yun had already taken the bundle. Xiao Duan nodded, took the flute, and the three hurriedly left the noodle shop. The other customers inside were already in a panic. Some were old neighbors of the two siblings, who had watched the children grow up and often ate at the noodle shop. Seeing the scene, they were also flustered. The little girl's brother rushed to the kitchen, jumping up and down in a panic, shouting, "Da Lei, your sister's in trouble! Come with me!" Shen Lei was startled, and the large white porcelain bowl he was holding clattered to the ground.

Meanwhile, Zhao Ting carried the little girl and followed behind Xiao Duan. The three of them hurried to the nearest clinic, placed the girl on the bed, and the middle-aged man shook his head repeatedly as he took the girl's pulse, saying, "There's no hope."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Duan panicked. He stepped forward and lifted the girl's eyelids, his heart pounding with alarm. He turned and took the bundle from Zhan Yun's hand, reaching inside to pull out a small medicine bottle. He uncorked it, poured out two pills, and was about to put them in the girl's mouth when a doctor stopped him. Xiao Duan glared coldly at him. The doctor picked up a pill, sniffed it, then placed it back in Xiao Duan's palm, sighing, "The medicine is good, but unfortunately, it can't save her life. Young master, you shouldn't waste it."

Xiao Duan gritted his teeth, staring at the girl's increasingly bluish-black face. He knew the doctor was right, and he also knew his own behavior was utterly ridiculous. This medicine could only treat internal injuries or temporarily suppress the poison in her body. But the little girl's current condition was clearly beyond saving; even a miracle worker couldn't save her!

The girl's brother and the neighbor rushed in, panting. They hurried to the bedside and, seeing the girl unconscious, pale, and bleeding from her mouth and nose, the young man burst into tears. He knelt down beside the bed with a thud, clutching the doctor's clothes, pleading, "Doctor, please save my sister! Please save my sister! I beg you, I'll kowtow to you..."

The middle-aged man also looked reluctant and bent down to help Shen Lei up. The young man, however, stubbornly remained kneeling, his eyes red and tears streaming down his face, repeatedly kowtowing to the man: "Please, please save my sister! She's only twelve! It's just the two of us left in our family. I promised my parents I would take good care of her. I can't live without her..."

Even Zhao Ting, a veteran of countless battles and witnessing countless partings and deaths, felt a pang of sorrow at the sight before him. His sword-like brows furrowed tightly, and his dark eyes deepened. Zhan Yun's pink lips were pressed together, a faint sadness etched on her handsome face. It wasn't that he hadn't seen scenes more tragic and cruel than this, but such a vibrant life, such a charming girl, one moment holding your hand, smiling sweetly and playfully teasing you, the next her face ashen, blood streaming from her seven orifices, dying a violent death—even the most hardened heart would find it difficult to remain unmoved.

Xiao Duan's face was deathly pale, his cold phoenix eyes staring intently at the little girl's face. His lips, devoid of any color, were tightly pressed together, and his nails dug fiercely into his palms. Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting each turned their heads and noticed his strange expression. Zhao Ting gently patted Xiao Duan's arm, while Zhan Yun called out softly, "Xiao Duan?"

Xiao Duan slowly turned her head to look at Zhao Ting. Her clear, cold phoenix eyes were filled with misty tears, and the slightly blue whites of her eyes were tinged with a faint red. Her expression was both confused and tinged with despair, like a lost child, completely disoriented. Zhao Ting felt a tremor in his heart, and his thin lips parted slightly, unconsciously calling out, "Xiao Duan..."

The soft call startled Xiao Duan, and she gradually came back to her senses. She hurriedly turned her head, half-lowering her eyes to hide the tears in them. Xiao Duan slowly loosened her clenched fist and realized that her palms were bleeding from being dug in by her own fingernails.

At this moment, Shen Lei had stopped crying. He was half-kneeling and half-sitting by the bed, staring blankly at his sister's face, but tears were still rolling down his cheeks.

The middle-aged man remained standing to one side, frowning as he looked at the girl, seemingly deep in thought. Xiao Duan asked softly, "Doctor, do you know what kind of poison this is?"

The man paused for a moment before answering: "Yesterday evening, another woman was brought here, but she died as soon as she reached the door. The situation is very similar to that of this young lady today."

The man turned his head to look at Xiao Duan and Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun behind him, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and said softly, "I'm not sure yet. But the manner of their deaths strongly resembles poisoning by a plant."

Zhan Yun's eyes flickered, and his brows furrowed slightly: "What is it?"

The man curled his lips into a smile that was rather enigmatic: "Yu Meiren."

Author's Note: Hmm, the second case~

twenty one

Chapter Two: Rouge • Leaving...

Shen Lian's body has been moved to the Hangzhou government office and handed over to Jiang Cheng for examination. After examining the body, and hearing Xiao Duan's account of Shen Lian's condition when she was poisoned, Jiang Cheng pondered for a long time before saying, "It should be a poppy. However, I've only read about it in books, and the described symptoms are quite similar. But poppies aren't commonly grown, and they're not often seen in Hangzhou. Although the whole plant can be used medicinally, its potent toxicity means that very few pharmacies will accept it. It's really strange..."

Looking at Shen Lian's face and lips, which had turned bluish-black, Xiao Duan suddenly remembered what she had said when she held his hand: "Brother Xiao Duan, do you think my rouge looks good today?" He quickly stepped forward, gently pulled up Shen Lian's wrist, and carefully examined her palm. He saw that the pad of the girl's right ring finger had turned purplish-black, while the tips of the other fingers were only faintly bluish-gray.

Jiang Cheng was momentarily confused: "This..."

Zhan Yun and Zhao Ting also came over. Zhao Ting was also very puzzled. He frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? It's normal for fingertips to turn bluish-gray or purplish-black when someone dies from poisoning. Why is it only on the ring finger..."

Zhan Yun frowned slightly, his crescent-shaped eyes slowly moving from the girl's fingers to her face, then to her lips, which had turned purplish-black, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "It's lip rouge!"

Xiao Duan gently placed Shen Lian's right hand back beside him, then turned to look at Jiang Cheng: "If the lip rouge is poisonous, how long will it take for the poison to take effect?"

Jiang Cheng sighed softly, "The time it takes to brew a cup of tea." As he spoke, still wearing his cotton gloves, he took a silver needle from the wooden box and carefully scraped the girl's lower lip with the side of the needle, collecting some of the bright red lipstick. The area where the lipstick touched instantly turned bluish-black, quickly spreading across the entire needle. Jiang Cheng quickly picked up a piece of cotton cloth from the table, carefully placed the silver needle on it, and then turned to the three of them, saying, "Be careful with this case. Poppies are extremely poisonous. If you accidentally come into contact with them, the poison will usually take effect within half an hour, which is very dangerous. By the way, I'll go to Mr. Tao's room later; he should have some books there. I'll show you what that flower looks like..."

“I’ve seen them before.” Upon hearing this, the three of them turned to look at Zhan Yun. Zhan Yun smiled slightly: “I once saw large fields of blooming poppies in the Jiangning Prefecture area. Poppies, also known as Lichunhua, Jinbeihua, and Hudiemanyuanchun, have mostly red and white flowers. When they bloom, they look like clouds and colorful ribbons from afar, swaying even without wind, and fluttering like butterflies when the wind blows. They are very beautiful.”

“I later consulted some books, which recorded that the poppy can be used as medicine or as poison, and its red petals can also be used as a superior dye. However, very few people know how to remove its toxicity for human use, so this flower is not widely cultivated and is rarely used for anything other than ornamental purposes.” At this point, Zhan Yun paused slightly, his handsome brows gradually furrowing: “Although the books mention various symptoms of poisoning, most of those are just descriptions in the books. At least I have never heard of anyone being poisoned by poppies. Therefore, if it weren’t for the doctor in the clinic and Mr. Jiang mentioning it earlier, I wouldn’t have been sure that this was really a poppy.”