K《Hibiscus Noodles》

Chapter 16

"Moreover, doing this will destroy all the evidence, making it impossible to investigate the case." Luo Xiuqing felt an unbearable headache and her voice grew louder as she muttered to herself.

"To achieve his goal without leaving any clues, the planner was not only highly intelligent but also bold and meticulous. I've been wondering if he still had a conscience, or if he wanted to make the arson look like a sudden disaster, which is why he chose to sacrifice the cat instead of a person. But even the most meticulous planning will leave small but fatal traces." Zhang Zhi's tone was somewhat wistful.

"Who orchestrated this conspiracy? Why would they do this?" Howard suddenly asked. "They're trying to destroy my company!"

"Mr. Howard, please don't be agitated. It's true that this series of cases could potentially push Li Cheng Hang to the brink of collapse. But thinking about it a step further, the outcome is entirely different. Let's review the sequence of events from the beginning: First, the Indonesian fabric mysteriously disappeared, and during our investigation, we found no one involved in selling the stolen goods. Then, at Li Cheng Hang's anniversary ball, a Japanese guest died mysteriously. Next, another warehouse at Li Cheng Hang exploded. This time, many clients were afraid to do business with Li Cheng Hang anymore, and the company faced a severe financial crisis. Just then, a batch of low-priced, high-profit business opportunities proactively approached us. Imagine, Mr. Howard, if the counterfeit goods hadn't been discovered and were selling well, what would your company have chosen to do?"

"Then, it's possible to continue this business."

"Yes, not only will it continue, but it could also expand, eventually capturing a large share of the cotton fabric market in North China. Isn't that right, Mr. Howard?"

Howard didn't speak again, but everyone who heard it understood that Zhang Zhi's deduction was correct.

"The conclusion is that the person who orchestrated everything doesn't really want to bankrupt Lichengxing, but rather wants to cooperate with your company by any means necessary. Tianjin is the largest river and land port in the north, and Lichengxing's fleet is the most powerful, making them the best partner for him." Zhang Zhi's conclusion drew nods of agreement from everyone. "Of course, if there are any problems with the fabric in the future, he can also shirk responsibility. I've thought about it carefully; to be able to make such inferior raw materials indistinguishable from normal fabrics, he must possess immense financial resources, advanced technology, and equipment. And to be so farsighted is truly rare."

"Is that so, Mr. Consul?" Zhang Zhi strolled over to the Japanese consul's side.

"Ridiculous. Why are you asking me about what happened to you? I only care about why my subordinate was killed; I can't get involved in other matters."

"Our police force has been paying the highest level of attention to the death of your country's official, hoping to provide a reasonable explanation as soon as possible. It was precisely during the meticulous investigation into the death of your official that we unexpectedly found the clues to unravel the entire mystery—you could say it was an accidental discovery. Now I can tell you that his death was also part of a conspiracy. So, this matter, whether he lives or dies, is related to you?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, wondering who was so audacious as to drag the Japanese and British into this mess.

"Let's go back to catnip. This plant is rare in Tianjin, and even fewer people know about it and how to use it. Man proposes, God disposes. I actually found this person. Miss Jian Rou, it seems that any random plant you pick from your aunt's flower garden can be used as medicine."

“You flatter me. Perhaps everything in that flowerbed is a medicinal herb, but unfortunately I don’t recognize any of them,” Jian Rou replied with a smile.

Everyone in the room, including Howard, was more or less surprised.

“Miss Jian, perhaps you should reintroduce yourself. You are a descendant of a royal physician, studied at a prestigious British university, and your full name should be Jian Yurou, right? However, your experience before university seems to be a blank.”

"Is your aunt Dr. Yu?" Xiaoju blurted out.

"I'm sorry, Xiaoju, I haven't told you yet." Jian Rou didn't answer Zhang Zhi, but looked back at Xiaoju.

"Ms. Jian, do you have any objections to the warehouse fire?" Zhang Zhi continued to ask, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

"No objections, your reasoning is quite brilliant."

"As the planner, Ms. Jane, don't you have anything to add?"

"What a joke! What does this have to do with me? Does it mean that if someone steals herbs from my house, it's my crime? I didn't finish my sentence. Your reasoning is certainly brilliant, but it lacks evidence. Can a stray cat that happens to pass by be considered evidence? Can your reasoning stand up to scrutiny?"

"Actually, I never doubted you. You were the only one who almost ruined this perfect plan twice. Once was the timely relocation of the warehouse, and the other was clearing General Manager Luo Xiuqing of suspicion. Unfortunately, you were too much of a perfectionist. If it weren't for your pursuit of perfection, I might not have bothered to examine the charred cat afterwards. When Jiaming and I discovered the cat, you panicked. You did everything you could to cover up what you considered shocking evidence. So, you injured yourself, leaving Jiaming and me no time to worry about the charred cat."

“How could I possibly hurt myself? You and Mr. Lin Jiaming have always been by my side. Besides, don’t forget that my injury is on the back of my head.”

“Miss Jian, you’re very clever. You hurt yourself with this, am I right?” The thing in Zhang Zhi’s hand shocked everyone.

Twenty-seven

What was displayed in Zhang Zhi's hand was a sickle-shaped object made of scraps of wood, fixed to a cardboard.

“This is a boomerang,” Howard said, his voice utterly exhausted.

"Yes, boomerangs originated in China and were one of the hunting tools used by ancient humans. If it misses its target after being thrown, it will fly back to the person who threw it. Miss Jane only needs to aim the back of her head at the angle at which it returns."

"If what you say is true, wouldn't I be risking my life?"

"For an ordinary person, it would indeed be risky, but for someone with specialized physical training, it might not be a fatal danger, like karate. You're confident you can shatter the boomerang made of bentwood, which would essentially eliminate the weapon. Unfortunately, you won't have a chance to collect the fragments. The warehouse was filled with discarded wine barrels due to the relocation, so these few fragments mixed in would indeed be difficult to spot. Unfortunately, bentwood can't be used to make wine barrels. The fragments are inevitably covered with your fingerprints."

"Stop talking!" Suddenly, Jiaming, like an enraged lion, punched Zhang Zhi in the face. Zhang Zhi couldn't dodge in time and took the blow hard. "I gave you the information, not so you could do this!"

“Jian Rou, you must have your reasons, right?” Jiaming grabbed Jian Rou’s shoulders.

"No, I planned the fire. I wanted the company to know who the real people are. I emptied the warehouse beforehand, so I became a major contributor to the company. Who told Luo Xiuqing to look down on me like that? I'm going to teach him a lesson."

"Then why did you save Luo Xiuqing? If he were dead, wouldn't you be able to take his place?" Zhang Zhi's face was very ugly, and he touched his swollen lips.

"Why are you asking so many questions? I have nothing to say. I accept it, and let them deal with it as they see fit." Jian Rou's tone was light, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her.

Now it was Howard's turn to fall silent. He felt he was truly getting old. The person he trusted most had become the one who harmed him. As Jane's guardian in England, he couldn't believe that the person he loved like a daughter would treat him this way.

"Good, well done!" The police chief suddenly stood up and said loudly, "It seems we've made a breakthrough in the case. Zhang, keep up the good work and find out the truth of the case as soon as possible. We've been bothering Mr. Luo's house for too long, we should take our leave. Men, take the suspect away."

"Wait, it's not enough to just know what it is; you must also know why it is." The voice was utterly calm. It was Doctor Yu descending the stairs. "Xiao Rou, why are you taking all this on yourself? You can't keep hurting yourself like this."

"Please stop talking, I have nothing to say." Jian Rou interrupted Doctor Yu.

“No, I have to say it. There are some things I didn’t know how to say before, but now I do. I’ll tell you a story too.” Dr. Yu slowly walked into the living room. The sofa next to the Japanese consul had been empty, so Dr. Yu went over and sat down.

"This is a story as cliché as it gets. Twenty-odd years ago, on the eve of the Xuantong Emperor's forced relocation from the Forbidden City, an old imperial physician who had diligently served Empress Dowager Cixi for decades was convicted. His prescriptions, used for decades, had somehow caused a death—the death of a concubine. The physician's home was ransacked, and everyone except his daughter and son-in-law, who had gone to Anguo to study medicinal herbs, was executed. The saying 'when disaster strikes, everyone flees' is absolutely true; the son-in-law absconded with all the remaining property, disappearing without a trace. The daughter, in despair, contemplated suicide, but then discovered she was pregnant. Everything was preordained; the child in her womb was innocent, so she gritted her teeth and persevered. The child was born—a daughter." She realized she couldn't give her child a bright future. She felt lost, even considering taking her away from this cruel world before the child suffered any more. Perhaps fate intervened; she encountered a benefactor. This benefactor promised her child a bright future, the best education, and freedom from this embarrassing birth. So, with a heavy heart, she weaned her child and left her. However, there's always a price to pay. The benefactor demanded she find a cure to comprehensively improve human health, and she could never acknowledge her own child. For the sake of her child's future, she agreed. "Dr. Yu paused here; she really did look quite old."

"Aunt? Who are you talking about?" Jian Rou's eyes widened.

"Xiaorou, I'm not your aunt, I'm your biological mother." Doctor Yu's voice trembled, and she could no longer hold back her tears.

"Mom? Didn't you say that my mom and dad were killed by really, really bad people? I want to learn a lot of things, I want to avenge my mom and dad." Jian Rou's face turned pale.

“Child, I’m so sorry. I thought I could give you a better life. But I never imagined you would go down this path.” Doctor Yu stood up and tried to take Jian Rou’s hands.

"Let me think, let me think..." Jian Rou hid far away, her mind blank.

"Xiaorou, are you alright?" Jiaming tried to help her up.

"Get away, don't touch me! You've all lied to me!" Jianrou slapped Jiaming's hand away, her eyes filled with confusion and pain. "You're telling me that everything I've done is wrong, that everything I've believed for the past twenty-odd years is a lie! You're so cruel!"

"Xiaorou, I know I was wrong, I'm sorry. Child, please don't hurt yourself anymore. Tell me everything you know." At this moment, Doctor Yu was no different from an ordinary mother.

"Xiaorou, tell me, I've always believed in you. I won't let anyone hurt you again." Jiaming was very nervous; the turn of events was completely unexpected.

"Where should I even begin? I'm completely wrong, not a single thing is right."

“Chief, we don’t need to hear about these family matters anymore. You should take the suspect to the police station for questioning. If it’s related to the assault on our military attaché, please notify us. We’ll take our leave now.” The Japanese consul rose to take his leave, and Mi Chongzi quickly translated.

"Alright, please go ahead. I was really rude today. I'll apologize another day," the police chief said with a forced smile.