What kind of people had this girl Chu encountered during her trip to the capital...
Xiao Jin Yu's stomach twitched, but his expression remained unchanged as he nodded lightly. "Human flesh isn't poisonous... This person was poisoned."
"Nonsense!" The dignified authority of a county magistrate had been completely disrupted by this tea merchant. Seizing the chance to speak with righteous indignation, Zheng Youde pointed at the broken bones and glared, "These bone fragments are pale white without even a shadow of darkness! How could they be from poisoning? You're just a tea merchant... Don't spout nonsense about things you don't understand!"
Chu Chu stepped forward immediately. "Who said poisoned bones have to be black? I've seen red, yellow, and even green ones before!"
Whether she had actually seen green bones remained unknown, but the green tint on Zheng Youde's face was unmistakably clear at that moment. After struggling for a long time, Zheng Youde finally remembered why he had provoked these two troublesome individuals early in the morning. "You two! Tell me, where is Lord Jing?"
Although the body was discovered within the government office, it was unclear whether it was connected to the case involving over a hundred dismembered corpses. Jing Yi had previously stated that any development in that case must be reported to him immediately—otherwise... bear the consequences yourself.
Jing Yi hadn't specified what those consequences would be, but his stern expression at the time was enough to make Zheng Youde's imagination run wild.
That's why, upon discovering the dismembered body, he had rushed to Jing Yi's doorstep without giving any instructions—only to bump his head, get soaked, injure his legs, and end up with these two troublesome figures.
After all that commotion, he had forgotten the most crucial matter!
Observing Zheng Youde, who was trembling yet frantic, Xiao Jin Yu replied calmly, "He went out."
"Where did he go?"
"I don't know..." Xiao Jin Yu glanced again at the dead pigs in the pen. "Before he returns, it would be best to burn these two pigs and the pigpen completely on the spot."
Zheng Youde was stunned once more. What had these pigs done to offend him? They had already died unjustly, and now their home had to be burned too. "Why?"
Xiao Jin Yu looked quietly at Zheng Youde, who was wrapped tightly in a quilt like a perfect ball. "Due to your negligence and dereliction of duty, the deceased's body was desecrated by livestock. What punishment do you think Lord Jing should impose on you?"
Zheng Youde's face turned deathly pale in an instant. Whether it involved beatings, salary deductions, demotion, or dismissal—he couldn't afford any of them. Zheng Youde immediately declared, "Someone! Bring firewood!"
A slight smile tugged at Xiao Jin Yu's lips as he nodded faintly. To Zheng Youde, this expression seemed to convey nothing short of approval, as if he were saying, "The student has learned well."
Zheng Youde's face shifted between shades of green and white as he gritted his teeth and added resentfully, "This official needs to warm himself by the fire!"
The yamen runners hurriedly brought bundles of firewood and tossed them into the pigpen, dousing them with oil. Xiao Jin Yu watched as they lit the kindling before pushing his wheelchair away.
Chu Chu quickly followed, helping to push the wheelchair while leaning close to his ear to whisper, "Wang Ye, why did you have Magistrate Zheng burn the pigpen?" Noticing the slight curve of Xiao Jin Yu's lips, she added with conviction, "It definitely wasn't for the reason you said."
Xiao Jin Yu's smile deepened. In such a short time, she had already learned to read his thoughts.
Xiao Jin Yu lowered his voice. "The pigs were poisoned. The pigpen is close to the kitchen—if it isn't burned cleanly, it could easily lead to trouble."
"Then why didn't you tell Magistrate Zheng?""No need for all that talk... Chu Chu, let's go take a look at the morgue."
Chu Chu abruptly stopped Xiao Jin Yu's wheelchair. "No!"
"Don't worry, I won't touch the corpses... I just need to look at one particular spot. If I can figure it out, this case might be solved."
Chu Chu darted out from behind him, spreading her arms to block his path. "That won't do either! The morgue is completely packed, and there are many unfinished corpses just lying in the courtyard! Maggots are crawling everywhere, corpse fluids have spilled all over the ground - if you go in there, you'll definitely get sick again!"
"I'll be careful, it's fine... If I really do get sick, there's always Grandfather's medicine."
Chu Chu's face flushed red with anxiety. "No, absolutely not!" Just remembering how pale, weak and tormented he looked during his cadaveric poison episode made tears well up in her eyes. "You need to stay well - you're marrying me in just six days!"
Whenever she got this close to crying, Xiao Jin Yu became completely helpless. "Alright, I won't go in... I'll wait outside. You bring the corpse out for me to see... You hold it while I look, I won't touch it. Is that acceptable?"
Chu Chu looked at Xiao Jin Yu, pressing her lips together as she seriously considered for a moment. "Then... you have to kiss me first."
"Here?"
"Mmh!" Then she added, "And it has to be like the first time you kissed me."
In broad daylight... in a government office... on a path where officials might pass by at any moment...
And like the first time he kissed her...
Just thinking about it made Xiao Jin Yu's face flush evenly and rapidly. "Chu Chu..."
Chu Chu pouted, wearing an expression full of grievance. "I've already kissed every part of your body several times, but you've hardly kissed me at all..."
Xiao Jin Yu's face turned as red as a split-open ripe watermelon. At this point, even if Chu Chu could talk the sky into falling, he wouldn't dare... kiss her like that in such a place.
Xiao Jin Yu pulled Chu Chu closer, lowering his voice. "Let's wait until we're married... On our wedding day, I'll definitely make it up to you all at once..."
Chu Chu shook her head. "That day is for that day! It's different!"
"Then tonight, when we go to sleep, I'll kiss you as many times as you want, alright..."
"Really?"
"The New Year hasn't finished yet, I wouldn't lie..."
"Then it's settled!"
Chu Chu pushed Xiao Jin Yu to the area outside the morgue courtyard, stopping at least ten steps away from the entrance.
Even at this distance, in such chilly weather, Xiao Jin Yu could already smell the distinctive rotting odor particular to the morgue - many times stronger than the usual morgue scent.
It was hard to imagine what scene lay beyond these courtyard walls.
Stimulated by such an intense smell, Xiao Jin Yu's empty stomach churned violently.
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