Müßige Blumen und Schatten

Kapitel 11

Yang Huan cursed the good-for-nothings, then yelled at the few grave movers who were still standing, "You guys go and dig that thing up for me, carry it to the county government, and I'll reward you handsomely, two strings of cash each!"

At this time, even the monthly salary of the county magistrate in this large county with ten thousand households was only ten strings of cash, so two strings was indeed a considerable sum. With such a generous reward, there would surely be brave men. No sooner had the words been spoken than the man who had just peeked at the bottom of the coffin said, "It's just a precious coffin, yet even that lady is so bold. If we refuse again, we'll lose face." With that, he grabbed his weapon, took a few steps to the edge of the pit, and jumped in with a splash. His companions, seeing this, immediately followed suit.

The constables who had been retreating earlier suddenly became envious upon hearing that there was such a reward for carrying this thing. They looked at Yang Huan expectantly and said, "Sir, if we go and carry it right away, will there be a reward?"

Yang Huan spat and was about to curse when the people at the bottom of the pit shouted, "The bottom of the coffin is rotten. We need to wrap the rope around it several more times and have a few more people lift it together in the middle. That will make it safe."

Hearing the cries from the bottom of the pit, the constables jumped down into the pit before Yang Huan could even speak, afraid that someone would take their spot if they were late. As for the reward money, although the county magistrate had only been in office for a short time, he was incredibly generous, and there was no worry about not paying out afterwards.

Many hands make light work. The coffin lid was closed, and a quick-thinking yamen runner somehow managed to procure a broken door panel. Together, the group lifted the coffin onto the panel, wrapped it tightly with hemp rope, and then, with a shout, lifted the coffin and headed towards the county government office. The onlookers, seeing the excitement had subsided, dispersed somewhat, but many still followed behind. Along the way, seven or eight strong men carried the coffin, leading the way, followed by a long line of people—a truly magnificent sight. The coffin entered through a side door and was carried into the morgue inside the county government office. The crowd gathered around the office, discussing the matter for a long time before slowly dispersing.

After all that commotion, it was already dark. The morgue was located in a remote corner of the front office, and it was usually deserted. Now that such a precious coffin had been placed there, everyone in the office gave it a wide berth and even took a detour when walking past it.

It was already late afternoon, and a gentle evening breeze still carried the heat of summer. Xu Shirong, Qingyu, and Xiaoque were sitting in the courtyard enjoying the cool air. Qingyu was usually quiet, but Xiaoque and Xiaodie were chattering away, mostly about cats and dogs fighting.

"Your insight and courage are unmatched even by men. Qingyu admires you greatly."

Xu Shirong was pondering tomorrow's plans when she suddenly heard Qingyu speak like this. She glanced at her and saw Qingyu looking at her in the moonlight, her expression full of admiration. She simply smiled slightly and remained silent. Since arriving here, Qingyu had considered herself a servant, but the county government's backyard was small, with a small population and not much to do. She was also a quiet person, rarely going out, and avoiding Yang Huan whenever possible. In the more than a month since she arrived, she hadn't even seen him once.

She said it and left it at that, but it caught the attention of the little sparrows and butterflies nearby. They stopped talking about the cats and dogs and just sighed around Xu Shirong, "Madam, you've come here with the young master, and you're even more formidable than those men. I heard from Brother Ding from the front office that even those men were terrified and their hands and feet went limp in the graveyard today, but Madam didn't even flinch. Madam, are you really not afraid? I heard that the graves that were taken out are stopped in front, and I feel a little uneasy."

Xu Shirong smiled and said, "At first, I was naturally afraid. But once I realized that this was also a subject of study, there was nothing to be afraid of."

Little Sparrow and Little Butterfly still shook their heads. Just as they were about to ask a few more questions, they suddenly heard footsteps behind them. Turning around, they saw the county magistrate and hurriedly packed their things and left.

When Xu Shirong saw Yang Huan arrive, she remained seated and simply nodded slightly to him, saying, "Did you come here for something?"

Yang Huan picked up a small bamboo chair, sat down next to her, stared at her face for a long time, and then said in a low voice, "What exactly are you trying to do by having people set up a big pot in the yard outside the morgue and move firewood?"

Xu Shirong glanced at him, thought for a moment, and then said, "I have my own reasons. Since you're here, I'll tell you. Tomorrow, have a few people seal off that courtyard. No one except Shi An is allowed to enter."

Yang Huan was taken aback: "Not even me?"

Hearing a hint of jealousy in his voice, Xu Shirong shook her head and said seriously, "I didn't invite you here for your own good. Don't take my kindness for granted." After saying that, she got up and walked into the house.

Yang Huan followed for a few steps, but before he reached the door, he heard it slam shut. He stood there stunned for a while before slowly leaving.

The next day, Xu Shirong got up, took a pair of gloves he had sewn from clean pig bladders, and headed towards the morgue. He saw two constables blocking the road at the intersection, and Shi An was already there. He greeted them and went inside.

Having interacted with the magistrate's wife several times, Shi An knew she wasn't concerned with formalities, so he followed her inside. Seeing the large pot filled with water and the firewood on the ground in the courtyard, he was somewhat puzzled but didn't ask further, following her into the morgue. Before Xu Shirong could speak, he went over and lifted the coffin lid himself. Due to the hot weather, a foul odor still lingered, though it was fainter than when the coffin had been opened the day before.

Shi An glanced at the skeleton at the bottom of the coffin, then looked up and saw that Xu Shirong was wearing double-skin-like finger cots. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Madam, although most of this body has turned to bones, the rotten flesh is still not completely gone. I'm afraid it's not very convenient to examine it like this."

Xu Shirong hummed in agreement, walked to the coffin, glanced at it, and said, "Otherwise, what do you think I was doing setting up that pot outside?"

Shi An glanced at the large pot in the courtyard outside, and stared blankly for a long time, unable to utter a word.

As Xu Shirong bent down to examine the detached arm bone, he said, "It will take a long time for the rotten flesh to fall off on its own. We don't have that time, nor is it necessary to wait. Put it in boiling water for an hour or two, then scrub it with a brush, and the bone will be very clean."

Shi An's face turned pale, as if he had something to say, but he held back, and his expression was very strange.

Xu Shirong straightened up and looked at him, asking, "Do you feel that disrespecting the deceased by treating the remains in this way?"

When Shi An was asked what was on his mind, his face turned slightly red, and he quickly shook his head.

Xu Shirong smiled slightly and said, "When a person dies, the light goes out. Since you are a coroner and may be promoted to a criminal officer in the future, as long as you are in this position, there is one thing you must remember. The deceased must be mourned, but after the mourning, in your eyes, the skeleton is just a skeleton. Use every means to make the skeleton speak, to restore the scene that happened to it in the moment before its death, and to bring the murderer to justice. This is the greatest respect for the dead."

Shi An was completely convinced by her words and said with a look of shame, "I was being pedantic. Your words have enlightened me." He then rushed to pick up the bones to put into the pot, but Xu Shirong stopped him and took out a pair of specially made gloves from her sleeve and handed them to him.

Shi An blushed, took the bone, and put it on as she had. Then he bent down to pick up the skeleton. The joints of the skeleton were all separated, and it fell off by itself with the slightest movement. Shi An imitated Xu Shirong and threw them into the water one by one. When he picked up the ribcage, he turned it over and saw a layer of greasy substance covering a piece of rotting flesh on the back. He exclaimed in surprise.

Xu Shirong glanced at it and said, "What you see is called adipocere, which is an oily substance formed by the decomposition of fat in the body in damp conditions. It has a soapy texture. It is usually found on the surface of corpses that have been in water or similar damp areas after death. It takes at least six or seven months for adipocere to form on the limbs of an adult."

Shi An nodded and then asked, "Is adipocere used in autopsies?"

Xu Shirong glanced at him, nodded, and said, "You are quick-witted and eager to learn; you are indeed a promising talent. Experienced coroners can roughly determine the time of death based on adipocere and other characteristics. However, the more important function is not that, but that adipocere can preserve the wounds and physical characteristics of the body for a relatively long time, which helps to identify the deceased and investigate the cause of death."

Shi An felt a little embarrassed by her praise, but was secretly overjoyed. Seeing that the skeletons were already submerged in the water in the large pot, he rushed to start the fire.

The fire gradually grew stronger, the water in the pot began to boil, and the surrounding air slowly began to smell of rotting flesh.

As Xu Shirong gazed at the flames, she couldn't help but recall Bill, her former professor of anthropology and forensic medicine, who would munch on his breakfast while showing her a projection of maggots. She remembered one day when he excitedly approached her, showing her a stack of bound papers, his expression full of excitement—it was "The Washing Away of Wrongs" written by Song Ci of the Southern Song Dynasty.

“Child,” he habitually addressed all his students as “child,” “I have a doctor friend who visited China when he was young, back when it was still called the Qing Dynasty. He noticed that Qing Dynasty coroners always carried a book with them when they arrived at a crime scene, constantly referring to it. Look, this is the book—it’s a book written by Song Ci, a judge from your country’s Song Dynasty, more than 700 years ago! My friend helped me translate the manuscript. It describes human anatomy, examining corpses, investigating crime scenes, determining the cause of death or injury, various phenomena of suicide or murder, various poisons and first aid and antidote methods, and so on. The most amazing thing is that he even mentioned methods of washing corpses! Do you know how enlightening this was for me? This Judge Song is truly remarkable! I really want to meet him in person!”

From then on, whenever Professor Bill encountered remains with any remaining tissue, he would throw them into boiling water to cook them, thus obtaining clean skeletons that could not hinder his research in the slightest, solving a problem that had troubled him for a long time. He called this method "the greatest invention in 20th-century forensic research," and all of this stemmed from Song Ci's account of washing corpses and steaming bones in his book. Of course, one day, when Professor Bill couldn't find a suitable pot, he actually took the skeletons to his own kitchen to burn them, and his wife threw the pot and all, which became a running joke throughout the anthropology and forensic medicine department.

Xu Shirong was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a cry of "My goodness!" followed by the sound of something rolling to the ground. Judging from the sound, it seemed to be Yang Huan. He hurriedly went over and opened the courtyard gate, and sure enough, it was Yang Huan. He was lying on the ground, wincing in pain, his official hat rolled to one side, and one of his boots was gone. Next to him was an overturned ladder.

Chapter Twenty-Four

It turned out that Yang Huan got up early in the morning and learned from Xiao Que that Jiao Niang had gone to the morgue. Remembering her instructions last night, he paced around in circles for a while before slowly walking to the entrance of the courtyard. He heard from the guards that Shi An had followed him in. He felt like he was being scratched by cat claws. He couldn't stand it any longer, so he asked a guard to bring a ladder, put it on the wall, and quietly climbed up to peek.

He had considered every possible scenario, even imagining Jiao Niang and Shi An gazing at each other tenderly over the bone, and he was certain he would remain unmoved. But when he peeked out, he saw Shi An tending the fire, while Jiao Niang sat far away on a small stool, her eyes fixed on the flames, seemingly lost in thought. Just as he felt a sense of relief, he suddenly noticed something boiling in the large pot, steaming so thickly it looked like the lid was about to burst open, and the smell of rotting flesh filled his nostrils. He abruptly realized what was happening.

The shock was quite severe; his legs buckled, and Yang Huan lost his balance, tumbling down the ladder and knocking it over along with him. As he grimaced in pain, he saw the courtyard gate open and Jiao Niang lean out. He initially wanted to cry out in pain, but seeing Jiao Niang's slightly furrowed brow, he suddenly felt guilty, touching his head and stammering, "I...I just slipped and fell..."

When Xu Shirong saw that he ignored her advice and insisted on sneaking over, she was already somewhat displeased. She knew he must have been frightened and fallen. But when she saw that his face was pale and his voice was stuttering, yet he was putting on a brave act, which looked quite ridiculous, she couldn't hold back her laughter any longer and burst out laughing.

Yang Huan had expected to be scolded by her, but seeing that she was not angry but smiling instead, he immediately relaxed. He seemed to smell that stench again, so he got up from the ground and said with a bitter face, "You...you used that big pot to cook..." but he couldn't finish the sentence.

Xu Shirong hummed in agreement before saying, "It is indeed as you see it. The pot is filled with bones." Seeing his gaze suddenly become fixed again, she continued, "Boiling the bones is just to clean off the remaining tissue more quickly. We don't have time to wait for them to slowly decompose on their own, and of course, we can't scrape them with a knife. Boiling them and then brushing off the impurities is the simplest method."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly realized that she had just been explaining her behavior to Yang Huan in a gentle and pleasant manner. Given her personality, she would have definitely ignored it in the past, but she didn't know why she was so patient now. She suddenly felt a little strange and turned to go inside.

Yang Huan was quite frightened, and his legs were still a little weak when he stood up. But after hearing Jiao Niang's explanation and seeing her kind face and the hint of a smile in her eyes, his fear subsided. He glanced into the courtyard and saw Shi An's back. He gritted his teeth and followed her in.

Xu Shirong thought he was about to leave, but when she heard footsteps behind her and turned around to see him coming in, she didn't chase him away. She just pouted and gestured for him to stand further away. When she figured it was about time, she told Shi An to turn off the fire. She then used pliers to take the remains out of the water and soaked them in another vat of water next to her. After they cooled down, she took them out and, together with Shi An, carefully brushed off the remaining tissue with a bristle brush.

Yang Huan had been watching from a distance, but seeing the two of them intently brushing the surface of the bones, he slowly moved closer. Seeing that Jiao Niang had finished brushing one bone and her delicate hand was reaching for another, he suddenly mustered the courage to blurt out, "I'll do it!"

Xu Shirong looked up and was surprised to see that he didn't seem to be joking. For a moment, she forgot to speak.

Yang Huan scratched his head again and chuckled, "Actually, there's nothing to be afraid of. It's just a few bones. You've been squatting for so long, you must be tired. Sit down and rest, I'll brush it for you."

Seeing his bright smile revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, Xu Shirong thought for a moment and then said with a smile, "If you don't mind the dirt, there's a brush over there. Take it and brush yourself. Be gentle and careful not to splash dirty water on your face, or you might vomit."

Seeing that even Magistrate Yang was about to roll up his sleeves and start brushing, Shi An quickly gave up his stool. Yang Huan grunted in agreement, then casually sat down next to Xu Shirong, closed his eyes, pulled out some kind of bone, and began brushing it, mimicking the way the maiden had done it. At first, he was a little uneasy, but gradually he got used to it. As he brushed, he would glance at the maiden's face beside him, and sometimes when his eyes met hers, he would see a hint of a smile, which made him very happy. He wished he hadn't finished brushing the bone.

After the skeleton was cleaned up, Xu Shirong arranged the bones on the mat next to him according to their positions, forming a complete human skeleton. He carefully examined it from head to toe before looking at Shi An and asking, "Did you notice anything unusual?"

Shi An hesitated for a moment before pointing to the left scapula of the skeleton and saying, "When I was washing this bone just now, I felt something was wrong; it looked like it was cracked."

Xu Shirong nodded approvingly, reached out and picked up the bone, examined it against the sunlight, and then said, "This is a scapula. This bone is quite large and strong in the human body, and it is protected by muscle groups, like a blanket. However, this bone has large fracture marks at the lower end. Judging from the fracture edges, the cracks are clear and show no signs of healing. It must have been caused by the deceased being struck from behind by a heavy object just before death."

Yang Huan was stunned for a moment, then leaned closer to look at the bone in her hand, clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "You can even tell from this... Damn it, that old bastard Yan Kai is ruthless! Is this how this old woman was beaten to death?"

Xu Shirong shook her head and said, "Not just here." She then looked at Shi An and pointed to the cervical spine of the skeleton on the ground, asking, "Is there anything unusual here?"

Shi An squatted down and examined the bones carefully. He exclaimed "Eh?" and then said, "These columnar bones look somewhat broken and incomplete, unlike the intact joints below. Could it be... that they were also caused by being struck by a heavy object?"

Xu Shirong nodded and said, "The bones in her neck are shattered. I deduce that the assailant was a very strong man who struck the victim's shoulder from behind with a solid club or similar heavy weapon, causing her to fall to the ground. But this wasn't fatal. The victim was still able to move at the time, so he struck her on the back of the neck again, causing a comminuted fracture of her cervical vertebrae. The victim was an elderly woman, and these two heavy blows were fatal. Because they were all internal fractures, and you didn't remove her clothing to examine the skin when you examined her, it gave the illusion that there were no external injuries."

Shi An looked ashamed, but Yang Huan cursed, "They really have audacity! Let's give those guys a good talking to this time, and see if they can still deny it!" With that, he hurriedly left. Shi An glanced at Xu Shirong, who had wrapped up the bones in those two places, and hurriedly followed. As a coroner, he was obligated to appear in court to clarify the situation.

Granny Sang and Liu San, who had been imprisoned overnight, were brought in for questioning. The two were already somewhat guilty yesterday because their testimonies didn't match up. Now, seeing Shi An handling the bare white bones in his hand and revealing the cause of Li's death, and hearing Magistrate Yang indiscriminately accuse them of conspiring to beat Li to death and then faking the suicide by hanging, and then throwing down a handful of red-tipped sticks and ordering them to be beaten to death in court, they were terrified. Before the stick even touched their flesh, they had already confessed everything in a rush, like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube.

It turned out that Yan Kai had long coveted A Niu's property. Seeing that Qin Shi was reluctant to remarry and now seemed determined to spend her life in the Yan family, he was both anxious and resentful. He used to often sow discord between Li Shi and Qin Shi, and Li Shi would sometimes urge Qin Shi to remarry after hearing his words. However, now she was gradually becoming less receptive to his advice and would even give him a cold shoulder, which naturally fueled her resentment. That day, seeing Qin Shi take A Niu out, he called the matchmaker Sang to go with him to Li Shi to propose marriage to Qin Shi. Li Shi now knew her nephew's intentions and wouldn't listen to him anymore. Instead, she cursed him as a heartless scoundrel, chased him into the courtyard, and when he still refused to leave, she grabbed a carrying pole leaning against the wall and hit him on the arm, causing him to fall to the ground. She cursed him as she turned and went back into the house.

Yan Kai was a scoundrel who harbored deep hatred for her. Now, being beaten, he was seized by a sudden surge of malice. Seeing a stone lock on the millstone against the wall, he grabbed it and smashed it against the back of her head. Li heard the whoosh of the stone lock behind her and dodged. Although her head wasn't hit, her shoulder was struck hard, and she couldn't stand up. She collapsed to the ground, and after struggling to her feet, she groaned and said she would go to the authorities. Seeing that the old woman was barely alive but still so stubborn, Yan Kai feared that her shouting would attract attention. Without hesitation, he picked up the stone lock and smashed it against her head again, but in his panic, he only managed to hit the back of her neck.

The woman, surnamed Li, was already old and frail. The previous blow had already nearly killed her. Although this one didn't hit the back of her head, it was still enough to be fatal. She couldn't withstand it and died on the spot, bleeding from her mouth and nose.

Granny Sang, who had been summoned to earn money as a matchmaker, was terrified upon seeing that someone had died. She turned and fled the Yan family home. Yan Kai, seeing that Li was dead, realized Granny Sang had run away. Fearing she would spread rumors, he disregarded the body and immediately chased after her, finding her at the home of her old flame, Liu San. Granny Sang, fearing she would be silenced, quickly devised a plan to frame Qin, claiming it would kill two birds with one stone: clearing her name and kicking Qin out, leaving only the foolish A Niu, who would be completely under his control. She swore she would never reveal a word. Yan Kai thought it made sense, so he dragged Granny Sang and Liu San back to the Yan family home. They wiped the blood from Li's mouth and nose, and the three of them hung Li from the rafters. This led to Qin entering the house to find her mother-in-law hanged, only to be falsely accused of driving her to her death. After receiving some benefits, Granny Sang and Liu San kept quiet, waiting for Qin to be beheaded so that there would be no more trouble.

After they finished giving their statements and each put their fingerprints on the document, Yan Kai was brought over.