Yuanpei returned, followed by several men carrying loads on poles. Village head Zhang Changshou had also arrived.
“Old village head insisted on coming…” Yuanpei said helplessly.
Although Zhang Changshou was elderly, his physique was strong, and after walking this distance, his breathing remained steady.
He bowed to Xie Yu, saying, “Sir, you’ve been busy all night. Please have a meal before leaving!”
So many people had come from the county office. Not only did they avoid disturbing the village, but they even replaced any farming tools they used with new ones. The leftover money could be distributed among the villagers, bringing them great joy.
The villagers felt delighted yet somewhat ashamed. Upon hearing that they were about to leave, Zhang Changshou took the initiative to ask each household to prepare some food and porridge, wanting to show their goodwill.
Xie Yu originally didn’t want to trouble them. On one hand, he knew the villagers’ hospitality was hard to refuse, and in such a short time, there wouldn’t be time to slaughter chickens or sheep, so it wouldn’t be too burdensome. On the other hand, his men had worked all night without sleep and were now starving.
“Alright then, we’ll accept your hospitality.”
Zhang Changshou and others were indeed delighted. They brought over baskets, along with large clay jars of clean water and towels for washing hands and faces, showing great attention to detail.
“In this remote countryside, we don’t have much to offer. Please make do with what we have,” Zhang Changshou apologized.
After all, they had given a generous ten taels of silver!
Xie Yu first let Ma Bing wash her hands, then washed his own. He noticed the food brought out consisted of steamed buns, eggs, pickled vegetables, and rice soup, and he showed no sign of disdain.
“These are quite good already.”
He previously hadn’t fully understood what the common people’s lives were like, but after going to Donghe County, he realized that even in a place so abundant in chickens, not every household could eat chicken or eggs at every meal.
These must have been prepared reluctantly by the villagers, who saw the money as a windfall.
Earlier, they had been too busy to feel hungry, but now seeing the steaming breakfast, Ma Bing suddenly realized how famished she was.
She stepped forward to grab a steamed bun and took a sip of hot soup to moisten her throat, then let out a yelp.
“Burnt your tongue?” Xie Yu asked in concern.
Ma Bing shook her head, half-laughing, half-sorry. “We never went back last night. I bet Master Wang is probably mourning over that pig’s head right now!”
Crying might be an exaggeration, but it was definitely a hassle.
Wang Heng was a conscientious person who would never eat alone without waiting for them to return. However, with the hot weather, preserving prepared food wasn’t easy. He must have carefully packed it into large jars, wrapped them in a thin layer of saltpeter, and then covered them with cotton cloth before hanging them in the well.
It must have been quite troublesome.
Thinking through this, Xie Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
When Ma Bing saw him laugh, she remembered the earlier incident of washing her face and felt her face flush.
Looking again, she realized they had unconsciously moved closer together, making her feel even more uneasy and wondering if she should move elsewhere.
However, the surroundings were filled with people sitting or standing in small groups, all busily eating and drinking, paying no attention to anything else. If she suddenly stood up, it might draw too much attention…
Besides, Ma Bing couldn’t help but glance at Xie Yu. He seemed to have eyes all over his body, and as soon as she looked, he immediately turned to her with gentle eyes.
“How is it?” Xie Yu asked.
When she looked at him, he smiled.
It was a very light and natural smile, like gentle ripples on a lake brushed by a soft spring breeze.
He probably knew he was good-looking and used it well, always maintaining the right balance. Even if he occasionally acted a bit forward, it never made others feel uncomfortable.
So, being good-looking really had its advantages.
If it were Butcher Yu sitting there smiling at her now, she would have kicked him over by now.
Ma Bing inwardly grumbled. After all, he was her real brother and had inherited some of their father’s traits.
Seeing Ma Bing remain silent for a long time, Xie Yu slightly raised his eyebrows, showing a hint of confusion on his face.
“Nothing,” Ma Bing sighed quietly, giving up the idea of changing seats.
Well, he was so composed, so she shouldn’t act too affected.
Seeing her bow her head to eat again, a glimmer of amusement passed through Xie Yu’s eyes.
This was just fine.
He had always been a very patient person. Slow and steady wins the race.
However, the food was indeed very simple and not particularly tasty.
The steamed buns were made from coarse grains, the rice porridge was thin, and the pickled vegetables were truly just pickled vegetables—only salted with salt and turnip greens.
Ma Bing often pickled various small side dishes, adding lots of oil and various spices, making them sour, crisp, and spicy, very delicious. But this pickled vegetable was just salty—simply very salty.
Moreover, since the farmers couldn’t afford refined salt, each bite carried the slightly bitter taste of coarse salt.
It wasn’t delicious, but Xie Yu ate it carefully, bite by bite.
He also decided that after returning, he would go to the palace and tell his uncle about the meals ordinary people ate.
Eating the egg straight was a bit dry. Ma Bing first ate the egg white, then placed the yolk in her rice bowl with few grains, crushed it, and thus obtained a fragrant bowl of porridge, which she drank up in one go.
Seeing this, Xie Yu opposite her felt he had learned something and also imitated her method. Indeed, it went down much more smoothly.
After finishing their meal, the group packed up the bones and second-hand farming tools and returned to Kaifeng.
Everyone had stayed up all night and was very tired, so they went to their rooms to rest first, agreeing to meet again after two hours.
Sure enough, as soon as Ma Bing entered the herb garden, she saw a very anxious former imperial physician.
As soon as he saw her return, Wang Heng looked as if he had been saved. “You’re finally back! I put the pig’s head in the well. Should I take it out and cook it now?”
Ma Bing laughed. “You could have just eaten first. If we hadn’t come back for two or three days, would you really have waited for two or three days?”
Wang Heng blinked. “No, I wouldn’t.”
He would only wait until this morning.
He had already made up his mind. If everyone hadn’t returned by noon, he would reluctantly sacrifice himself and deal with the pig’s head first!
After saying this, both of them burst into laughter.
“Alright then, I won’t bother you anymore,” Wang Heng pointed at her. “Look at you, so exhausted, with bloodshot eyes and dark circles. Go inside and take a nap. Would you like hot water for a foot bath?”
Since his children and grandchildren were not around, he often looked at Ma Bing as if she were his granddaughter, inevitably giving her a few nagging reminders.
Ma Bing also felt sore in her legs and feet. Worse still, she had sweated several times, gotten dirty and smelly. So she indeed asked for several buckets of hot water, took a quick bath, and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
After all, she was young and in good health. Occasionally staying up for a few days was no big deal.
After a short nap, she indeed felt refreshed.
It was already getting late. Ma Bing casually tied up her hair, stretched several times, and listened to her bones crackling like popping beans before pushing the door open to go out.
But… the entire courtyard was full of people!
“What are you all doing here?!” She was stunned.
It seemed everyone had already taken a bath and changed clothes. All of them looked neat and tidy, still slightly damp from the water, sitting properly around a stone table.
Above the stone table was a wooden frame covered with lush grapevines, almost completely blocking the scorching sunlight, yet allowing the breeze to pass through. It was very pleasant to sit there in summer.
The pot containing the big pig’s head had reappeared in the corner, with a small fire burning underneath, causing the broth in the pot to bubble gently.
“Two liang is up! We were just waiting for you!” Yuanpei grinned happily. “Come on, perfect timing. We can eat and talk together.”
The breakfast provided by the villagers had almost no oil, so for these young men in their early twenties, it was barely enough to wet their appetites, just a slight appetizer.
After a nap, their stomachs were empty again, and all they could think about was the big pig’s head they hadn’t managed to eat the day before.
Hoping, who had just finished his shift, was also there. Hearing this, he smiled sheepishly. “Finally made it.”
Ma Bing: “…”
Look at them, taking over the place like this!
Wait, actually, she was the one who was supposed to be the guest…
Xie Yu moved aside slightly, indicating for Ma Bing to sit next to him.
There was only this one big table, and all the other seats were occupied, so Ma Bing had no choice but to go there.
Only then did she belatedly realize that, at some point, everyone seemed to have subconsciously accepted that whenever she and Xie Yu were present, they would always sit together…
What was going on?!
Xie Yu poured a cup of warm water and pushed it toward her. “Did you sleep well?”
Ma Bing snapped back to reality. “Hmm…”
A martial artist’s hands were steady. The stone table surface wasn’t flat, but when Xie Yu pushed the cup, the water surface didn’t ripple at all.
There were too many people, sitting quite close. She could clearly smell the faint steam coming from him, mixed with a slightly deeper scent of pine after snow.
Hmm, it seemed the soap bean must be this scent…
Wait a minute!
Ma Bing’s face suddenly flushed. What was she daydreaming about!
The pig’s head meat had long been stewed, and everyone was eager to start cutting it, making a mess.
Ma Bing finally couldn’t stand it anymore and chased them all away one by one. Then she directed them to go to the front vegetable garden to pick a few fresh cucumbers. After washing them, she used a knife to smash them into large chunks, then mixed them with a prepared garlic vinegar sauce. The freshness of the vegetables blended with the greasiness of the meat, complementing each other perfectly—rich but not greasy, refreshing and delicious.
Xie Yu looked regretfully at the peeled garlic cloves already prepared in the small kitchen, feeling he had missed another opportunity to show off.
He remembered Ma Bing had mentioned before that he had a talent for peeling garlic.
Along with the steamed fish, boiled shrimp, and a few stir-fried vegetables brought from the small kitchen, the table was crowded with dishes. Everyone first ate half their fill without talking, then finally had the energy to discuss the case.
Zhang the Coroner was also there.
As the person who had the closest contact with the skeleton, he spoke first: “The deceased was between eighteen and forty years old. He wasn’t a scholar and had not engaged in writing or painting work for a long time before his death. He also wasn’t someone who did farm work or other heavy physical labor regularly.”
“How can you tell?” Yuanpei asked curiously, tossing a big piece of pig’s cheek into his mouth.
He hadn’t expected this part to be so delicious—soft, tender, and slightly chewy. It was much more interesting than just eating plain meat.
Ma Bing gestured for him to extend his hand. “Skin, muscles, and bones are all related. First, you train the skin, then the muscles, and finally the bones. Look, you’ve practiced martial arts for years, and your right hand used for holding a sword and the fingers commonly used for archery are noticeably thicker than ordinary fingers. The same principle applies to those who write regularly.”
Before she finished speaking, Xie Yu beside her silently extended his hand.
Seeing that Ma Bing didn’t react, he even moved it forward a bit.
Wasn’t she talking about a scholar’s hands?
Because of the earlier incident of washing her face, Ma Bing felt a bit uneasy looking at him now. However, his expression was too open and honest, and indeed, among everyone present, only he had been writing regularly for years, so she had no choice but to use his hand as an example.
“Lord Xie has always taken great care of his hands, so there aren’t many calluses. However, because he has practiced calligraphy since childhood, if you look closely, the fingers he uses to hold the brush with his right hand are different from those on his left.”
Everyone looked carefully and indeed saw that this was true.
This was the result of long-term habits gradually shaping the bones.
Dripping water wears through stone—this was exactly what that saying meant.
“The same principle applies. If a person often uses their lower limbs for force, the leg bones in both legs will definitely be thicker and stronger than other bones. Those who do farm work need to carry heavy loads on their shoulders, so the bones around their shoulders and back will be thicker and stronger.”
As Ma Bing was about to reach out, she suddenly noticed that the bowl of vegetable and egg flower soup had somehow been moved in front of her without her noticing. She hesitated for a moment before starting to scoop some.
Did he do it?
While thinking, Ma Bing continued speaking. “However, this person’s bones throughout the body are all in good condition, delicate, but without the calluses on the right hand typical of scholars. Therefore…”
Yuanpei, chewing on pig’s head meat, decisively concluded, “He’s a ruffian!”
Everyone: “…”
Not necessarily.
Xie Yu signaled Yuanpei to stop shouting nonsense and offered a more plausible conclusion. “Therefore, this person must not have done heavy work regularly, didn’t study, and even his family situation was probably quite good, at least with other laborers to support him.”
Everyone suddenly understood and felt greatly relieved.
Among those present, except for Wang Heng and Zhang the Coroner, were all young people who, after being exhausted, could fall asleep immediately. However, Zhang couldn’t sleep.
On one hand, he was excited about obtaining a precious treasure. On the other hand, he had been accustomed to going to bed at sunset for decades and couldn’t sleep during the daytime.
Therefore, during the two hours when everyone was catching up on sleep, he kept examining the skeleton, naturally making new discoveries.
The entire body was now just a skeleton. After looking back and forth, the most noticeable feature was the teeth.
“The wear on his teeth isn’t severe. One reason is that he was in his prime and hadn’t used them for long. The other reason indicates that his diet was quite good. At the very least, he didn’t eat coarse grains for a long time or other difficult-to-chew foods.”
After saying this, Zhang the Coroner added another point. “This also supports the previous speculation about his good family background.”
Ordinary villagers relied on the weather for their livelihoods and couldn’t have refined food at every meal. Often, they had no choice but to rely on coarse grains and even wild vegetables that were hard to swallow, including bran.
With age, their teeth would wear down severely.
However, this deceased person’s teeth were not only in very good condition but also could even be described as relatively clean, indicating that he likely had the habit of cleaning his teeth regularly during his lifetime.
There were two methods for cleaning teeth at that time. One was to bite one end of a branch until it became brush-like, then use it to clean between the teeth and the tooth surface. Those who were more particular might also buy specially prepared tooth powder from a pharmacy.
Those with even more financial resources might have special brushes.
Exactly which method the deceased used to clean his teeth was unknown to everyone, but one thing was certain:
His family background, or at least his personal living conditions, must have been quite good.
Because if a family was so poor that they couldn’t even afford to eat, naturally they wouldn’t have the leisure or interest to take care of their teeth.
So the current clues were:
The deceased was between eighteen and forty years old. Except for the fatal injury to the back of his head, there were no obvious serious external injuries. He had not engaged in heavy physical labor or writing work during his lifetime.
His family situation was quite good, or even if his family was not well-off, he loved to indulge in pleasures.
His teeth were in good condition, with the three teeth on the left lower jaw slightly protruding but not obviously.
Additionally, he had the habit of sitting askew.
Because Zhang the Coroner also discovered that the bones in the lower half of the deceased’s body were slightly crooked, especially the area where the buttocks should be. The bone on the right side was noticeably thicker, flatter, and wider than the left.
This indicated that the deceased had a strong habit of sitting askew during his lifetime.
There was also a possibility that he often crossed his legs.
With this, the scope of investigation was significantly narrowed, but the target was still very broad.
Now everyone was thinking about “sitting askew.”
What kind of person would like to sit in that posture?
If a person’s bones had become deformed due to a certain movement, then that movement must have been performed very frequently during his lifetime—so frequently that people who knew him well would immediately recognize it.
If they could deduce this movement, it might very likely reveal the deceased’s habits during his lifetime, the places he frequently visited, and even his true identity.
After Zhang the Coroner said this, everyone subconsciously tried to imitate it. Thus, a group of people leaned backward around the stone table.
Wang Heng: “…”
Zhang the Coroner: “…”
Yuanpei’s back was against the grape trellis, so unlike others who had to be careful not to fall off, he didn’t need to worry.
He comfortably leaned against the grape trellis, feeling for a moment, then smiled happily, “You know what? It’s actually quite comfortable.”
It was just not very proper.
It was evident that the deceased’s status was low, as anyone with even a bit of status would never sit like this all the time.
Zhang the Coroner looked at them sideways and coldly said, “Comfortable, huh? Then keep leaning. Wait until your bones get crooked too, and then it’ll be even more comfortable.”
Everyone: “…”
So everyone silently sat up straight again.
No leaning, no leaning. Didn’t they see the bones were already crooked!
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