"Du Li?"
"Yes, yes! That's him!"
Xiao Jin Yu stared in astonishment at the figure curled into a ball beneath the table. "He... why is he here?"
"I don't know either... When I arrived, I saw him hiding here. No one else noticed him, and I didn't dare say anything... He seemed terrified. I thought I'd wait until after I finished examining the corpse and had it carried out before figuring out how to get him to come out."
"What about General Leng?"
"General Leng initially said he wanted to watch me perform the corpse examination, but he fainted from crying before I'd even made a few cuts. Someone helped him away." Before proceeding, Chu Chu glanced at Xiao Jin Yu's pale face. "Wang Ye, you should go back quickly. The medicine has been decocted and is waiting in your room. If you don't drink it soon, it'll get cold... I'll tell you as soon as I find that thing."
Xiao Jin Yu's brow furrowed slightly as he shook his head gently. "Don't look for it... Open his stomach."
Chu Chu's eyes widened. "Wang Ye, how did you know that thing was in his stomach?"
"It's not about finding something... I want to know what he ate before he died."
"Oh... alright. But you can only sit over there and listen to me. You can't come closer."
"Fine."
Chu Chu selected a small knife from the neatly arranged set of corpse examination tools and deftly made an incision. She caught all the messy contents that spilled from the wound in a large teacup. Holding the cup, she stirred with a pair of chopsticks while commenting, "Hmm... nothing special. Steamed buns, cabbage... Hey, what's this?"
"Hmm?"
Chu Chu picked up another pair of chopsticks and used them to lift a translucent, cylindrical object from the bowl. She frowned while examining it carefully. "Thicker than vermicelli, thinner than rice noodles, and more transparent than noodles... I've never seen anything like this before."
Xiao Jin Yu's face turned slightly green. "Sweet potato noodles..."
"What?"
"Made from sweet potatoes and potatoes. They store well and are commonly eaten in military camps... Not often seen in Jiangnan."
Chu Chu studied the noodles with great interest for a while, even bringing them close to her nose to smell them. Xiao Jin Yu felt increasingly uneasy watching her, afraid her curiosity might lead her further...
"Chu Chu... If you want to try them, I'll have the cook prepare some specially for you tomorrow."
"Great!"
Chu Chu continued stirring for a moment. "Steamed buns, cabbage, sweet potato noodles, mutton, and some tea leaves... That should be all he ate tonight. But there's a medicinal smell - he must have taken some medicine too."
"What kind of medicine?"
"I wouldn't know that... His body was quite healthy, no major issues. Just a wound on his back that might not have been healing well - there were some pustules around it."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded thoughtfully.
Chu Chu set down the teacup. "Wang Ye, is there anywhere else you'd like me to examine?"
"That won't be necessary..."
"Then I'll continue looking for that thing."
Watching Chu Chu about to reach into the bloody cavity again, Xiao Jin Yu felt his own stomach churn. "Chu Chu... There's no need to look."
"I have to find it! He was desperately reaching into his own stomach before he died - it must have been something extremely important. That's why he died with his eyes open, because he never found it..." Chu Chu pursed her lips and blinked, her face full of concern. "Wang Ye, if you're scared, you should go back first."
Xiao Jin Yu's face darkened. "It's not about being scared... There's nothing there. Don't look for it."
"How do you know that?""Please tidy up this corpse..." Xiao Jin Yu glanced at Du Li, who was still curled up under the table, and lowered his voice, "Let's get him out first. I'll explain everything when we return to the sleeping quarters."
Chu Chu gazed persistently at the body on the ground, "Wang Ye, if we pack it up now, does that mean we'll have to bury it directly?"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head, "It won't be buried until the case is closed."
"That's perfect then!"
"Hmm?"
Chu Chu smiled beautifully, "It's been so long since I've seen such a perfectly proportioned male corpse! And it's already dissected too—I just want to examine it a few more times!"
"Alright..."
Xiao Jin Yu sat silently nearby, watching as Chu Chu carefully returned each extracted fragment to its original position. She meticulously aligned the incisions, made a few simple stitches, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corpse's hands and face. Only after closing the corpse's wide-open eyes did she call for soldiers to bring a stretcher and carry the body away.
The tent floor was covered in blood, yet Chu Chu still insisted Xiao Jin Yu remain only in the small clean area by the entrance. After washing the blood from her own hands, she walked to the table, crouched down, and looked at Du Li.
"The body has been taken away. Don't be afraid—you can come out now."
Du Li's curled-up body trembled as he clutched the object in his arms even tighter.
"Mmm... If you come out, I'll give you something delicious."
"If you behave, I'll give you lots and lots of tasty treats."
Xiao Jin Yu couldn't bear it any longer, "Chu Chu... he can't understand you."
Chu Chu stuck out her tongue, "Oh, I forgot!"
She tentatively extended a finger and poked his arm. Du Li's trembling intensified, and he let out heartbreaking whimpers like an injured young animal.
Chu Chu gently stroked his arched back, "Don't be scared, don't be scared... Wang Ye is a good person, and so am I."
Under her continuous soothing, Du Li's trembling gradually subsided. He slowly raised his head to look at the source of the gentle voice, and upon seeing Chu Chu's face, burst into loud sobs. He threw himself into her arms, abandoning the object he'd been clutching so tightly.
Only then did they clearly see what he'd been holding against his chest—a completely cold roasted lamb leg.
The impact sent Chu Chu tumbling onto the floor. Ignoring the pain from her fall, she hurriedly covered Du Li's mouth while stroking his furry head with her other hand, "Don't cry, don't cry... If someone hears, it'll be trouble!"
As she continued stroking, Du Li's crying subsided. The moment Chu Chu removed her hand from his mouth, Du Li looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, sniffled, and hoarsely uttered something. While Chu Chu didn't understand his words, Xiao Jin Yu's face instantly turned ashen.
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