Chapter 60: Smoked Chicken

When it comes to pawning items, people usually think first of pawnshops, which are commonly seen everywhere. However, in reality, many other types of shops also engage in pawn transactions, covering all aspects of daily life—clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

Sometimes, when customers come to buy things and happen to be short on cash, they may offer their belongings as partial payment. This is quite common.

Take clothes as an example. A cotton garment might fetch only twenty coins at a proper pawnshop, but if one goes to a fabric shop or clothing store and buys something there, the shop owner might pay twenty-five coins to purchase the garment.

Don’t underestimate those extra five coins; in the hands of a thrifty wife, they might even be enough to feed the entire family for a meal.

The collected garments are then disassembled and refurbished by the shop, slightly modified, and remade into new clothing, which is then resold for as much as thirty or even forty coins.

This makes the task of searching for the bundle extremely burdensome.

Yuanpei spoke as if he were an experienced person, “Yes, these things happen often. Back then, when my sword was damaged and I went to a weapon shop to buy a new one, even though the iron quality was poor, they still accepted my old sword as half the price.”

Ade complained bitterly, “Oh my dear sir, how can you still be so proud at a time like this?”

Before anything happened, this practice was indeed mutually beneficial. However, now that a murder case has occurred, it’s the officers like them who suffer.

With no other choice, the bailiffs sent out to search for the bundle had to expand their target from pawnshops alone to include fabric shops and clothing stores.

If nothing is found there, they might even have to ask around at other shops dealing with food, drinks, and daily necessities.

With too many targets, they came up empty all day.

When the workday ended in the evening, Ma Bing swiftly made a round through Donghe County. She purchased a roasted dark golden smoked chicken and bought some locally produced soybeans to feed the horse. On her way back, she was surprised to discover that Wang Zheng’s donkey still hadn’t been returned, so she mischievously approached it.

This donkey was quite good-looking, tall and sturdy for its kind, with big round eyes that looked gentle.

It seemed to smell the aroma of the soybeans Ma Bing was carrying, so it moved its lips and stretched its head out, though not daring to come too close, cautiously looking at her.

Ma Bing chuckled and indeed grabbed a handful to put into the feeding trough in front of it.

The donkey snorted a few times, wagged its tail, and happily began to eat.

It seemed completely unaffected by the gloom of its owner’s murder.

So carefree.

Chen Wei indeed had a knack for farming. This year’s yellow soybeans had not yet been harvested, so Ma Bing naturally bought last year’s stock, but the beans were plump, smooth, and larger than average, looking quite pleasing.

Yesterday, everyone at the Kaifeng Prefecture enjoyed the tofu made from them, so Ma Bing thought that when the new season’s soybeans came out, she must definitely buy some from the grain shop in Donghe County.

Using such good soybeans to make tofu and stewing fish heads would be so fragrant!

Horses, along with donkeys, oxen, and mules, were kept separately, as different animals have different temperaments, and putting them together could easily lead to fights.

After feeding the donkey, Ma Bing took the soybeans and went to the next stable to find her big black horse, only to see Xie Yu feeding the horses as well.

A person who truly loves horses would never completely entrust their horse to someone else. Even if temporarily staying elsewhere, they would often come by to talk, brush the horse, and build a closer bond.

Xie Yu had served in the imperial guards, and his mount was his most loyal comrade and companion, a relationship deeper than most.

Ma Bing’s big black horse recognized him too. Not seeing its owner arrive, it trotted over to him, stretching its neck to try to grab some food from his mount’s feeding trough.

Xie Yu’s horse had a calm temperament and was quite tolerant of familiar horses, so it didn’t directly drive the other away but looked over with a helpless glance, as if asking for help:

What should I do?

Xie Yu was a bit helpless. After hesitating for a moment, he still gave some feed to the black horse as well.

Generally speaking, a knight requires absolute obedience from his horse, so he rarely fed other people’s horses. But in this case…

He shook his head slightly, moved some hay into the feeding trough in front of the big black horse, and couldn’t help but comment, “Indeed, like master, like horse…”

Ma Bing, who had just arrived, said, “…”

Wait, what do you mean, Minister Xie?

She deliberately made her footsteps heavier, and Xie Yu stiffened, slightly regretful, he punched the air with his hand and turned around to greet her, “Miss Ma.”

He rarely talked behind others’ backs, but today, he had just made a spontaneous remark, only to be caught red-handed by the person herself, making him unavoidably embarrassed.

Ma Bing narrowed her eyes at him, hands behind her back, circling around him several times, “Minister Xie, Minister Xie, what a righteous gentleman…”

Xie Yu felt extremely awkward under her gaze, his ears even turning red, visibly uncomfortable.

He just felt regretful, very regretful!

He resignedly sighed, “Sorry.”

Ma Bing snorted, then first gave her big black horse a light rap on the head, saying in a not-too-loud voice, “You, look at you, so pitiful, like a robber! Even if I wasn’t here, could the stable hands at Donghe County really let you starve?”

The big black horse kept chewing its hay without looking up, only glancing at her sideways with its big eyes, showing no sign of remorse.

I was just testing, he insisted on giving it. How could I possibly throw away such a good offer?

Seeing them like this, Xie Yu couldn’t help but smile.

The first time they met, this girl could have just taken it by force, yet she still gave him some medicine! Truly touching.

“Minister, who do you think the murderer might be?” Ma Bing went to fetch a bucket of water to brush her big black horse.

As the weather got hotter, horses sweat more easily. It’s good to wash them with clean water regularly to keep them fresh and clean.

The big black horse happily wagged its tail, turned around, and affectionately nudged her waist.

Ma Bing pushed it away in mock disgust, “Your mouth is full of hay!”

Xie Yu stepped aside slightly, following her movement, “Now it seems, anyone could be the culprit.”

According to the confessions of Liu Xi and You Xiaotian’s couple, Wang Zheng had already been somewhat drunk when he left that day. A drunk man who looked quite wealthy would definitely be the best target for a criminal.

There were few people near the riverbank, making it the ideal place to commit the crime. Posters had been put up for several days, but no witness had been found yet.

Unfortunately, heavy rains fell for several days after the incident, causing the water level to rise, completely submerging the crime scene under the river, making it impossible to find new evidence.

How did the murderer get Wang Zheng off the donkey?

Threaten? Set a trap?

Or… Wang Zheng got off by himself.

The effect of alcohol lasts a long time, so it cannot be completely ruled out that Wang Zheng fell off the donkey due to drunkenness on his way home.

Drunk people often get thirsty, so he might have stopped by the river to get water halfway.

The murderer might have started following him from the city or happened to be by the river and saw this drunk man displaying his wealth.

At that time, there was no one nearby, and Wang Zheng was drunk, there couldn’t have been a better opportunity!

Ma Bing frowned, “If it was really for money, why kill him after robbing him?”

Wang Zheng might not have been a good person, but to kill someone just for a bit of property seems excessive.

Xie Yu looked at her, “Maybe someone is naturally cruel, or Wang Zheng resisted, angering the murderer, or saw the murderer’s face, so he decided to kill him outright.”

Ma Bing nodded, “That’s true.”

But she soon noticed a strange detail, “Minister Xie, do you remember what You Xiaotian’s couple said? When Liu Xi suddenly attacked, Wang Zheng didn’t resist at all.”

He had been publicly humiliated, yet he merely muttered a few defiant words when being expelled and then left in anger.

When the bailiffs previously questioned Wang Zheng’s friends, many had mentioned his cowardly nature, always bullying the weak but afraid of the strong.

Because he was so “pragmatic,” he rarely, if ever, made enemies outside, and certainly never dared to.

So according to this, when he later encountered the bandit, he should have been more afraid. Would he really resist?

Xie Yu pondered for a moment, gradually forming a hypothesis in his mind.

At present, there are several possibilities:

First, the murderer is inherently cruel, treating human life as nothing, and just happened to kill Wang Zheng.

Second, the murderer is someone Wang Zheng knew, and after Wang Zheng accidentally saw the murderer’s face, he was killed to silence him.

Otherwise, a drunk person in a panic would really have difficulty remembering much. As long as the murderer escaped, where in the vast sea of people could he be found? There would be no need to silence him.

And the third possibility is that Wang Zheng really did resist, angering the criminal, resulting in his murder.

The experience at his cousin’s house had made him furious, yet he couldn’t resist Liu Xi’s physical strength, so he must have been full of anger all the way.

And just at that time, someone suddenly came out to rob him. Such a series of unfortunate events happening in a short time might have caused Wang Zheng to lose his temper, and under the influence of alcohol, he might have acted more bravely and boldly than usual.

Alternatively, Wang Zheng realized his opponent was weak!

At the very first moment of contact, Wang Zheng quickly assessed: this was a weak person he could handle.

His cowardly nature resurfaced, and he felt he was being disrespected. Combined with the previous humiliation, he immediately decided to resist.

Unfortunately, Wang Zheng misjudged the strength of the two sides and was ultimately killed.

However, all of Wang Zheng’s relatives and friends had been thoroughly questioned, and everyone’s reaction was quite normal, so the possibility of a familiar person committing the crime was quite low.

So…

It would be the kind of case that the authorities least want to encounter: a stranger committing the crime on a whim.

Such cases are almost impossible to investigate as long as the murderer is careful enough not to leave any evidence.

Because the murderer could be anyone on the street, even someone who just brushed past you.

“Don’t look so serious,” Ma Bing picked up the bucket and the hay bag, “take it slowly. Come on, I’ll treat you to chicken!”

Chicken again!

Since arriving at Donghe County’s yamen, every meal for the group had included at least half dishes related to chicken. No matter how delicious it was, after several days, everyone had already developed a chicken phobia.

Xie Yu, however, wasn’t the type to make unreasonable demands based on his status. Knowing the difficulties of the people, he was reluctant to ask Chen Wei to prepare other delicacies, so he endured silently.

Looking at Xie Yu’s face full of suffering, Ma Bing laughed heartily, shook the water off her hands, and simply dragged him outside, “Come on, this roasted chicken should be different. I smelled it, and it’s really fragrant.”

Xie Yu stumbled slightly as she dragged him but didn’t struggle, quickly adjusting his posture and following her out.

Ma Bing didn’t look back, seemingly very confident in entrusting her back to him. From Xie Yu’s perspective, the high ponytail swayed back and forth, looking quite smug.

He slightly lowered his eyes, looking at the few pale fingers pinching his dark sleeve, feeling an inexplicable joy.

Ma Bing had just washed her hands, only shaking them in the air a few times without fully drying them. Now, a few drops of water slid down along her fingers, quickly staining the sleeve with a darker water mark.

The stain quickly spread, climbing upward along the fabric texture. As Xie Yu watched, it felt as if a certain happy emotion also climbed up with it, slowly seeping into his chest.

It was very hot, and the sweat sticking to the body was uncomfortable, but Xie Yu couldn’t help smiling, as if even the hot wind blowing in his face was filled with joy.

Ma Bing was right. The chicken, smoked first and then roasted, was indeed delicious, with firm meat that became more fragrant the more you chewed.

“Tastes great, right?” Ma Bing went to brew a pot of sour plum soup, adding black plums, osmanthus flowers, and hawthorn slices, quickly cooling it with saltpeter, which was very comfortable to drink in summer.

Xie Yu nodded.

The chicken was indeed very fragrant, but he felt that most of his attention wasn’t on it at all.

Probably, in such a scene, anything would taste good.

“Wah, you two are having a private feast without me!”

Yuanpei came back from outside, all sweaty, shouting from a distance.

But as soon as he got close, his face turned green, and he immediately hugged his head in painful agony:

“It’s chicken again!”

He now felt like even his burps tasted like chicken, as if he had been marinated in it.

Despite his complaints, seeing Ma Bing and Xie Yu enjoying their meal, he smacked his lips and honestly joined in.

“Wow, this texture and taste are really unique!” Yuanpei became happy again, but when he looked up, he exclaimed, “Hey, Minister, you don’t look so good.”

Xie Yu kept a straight face and didn’t respond.

“Minister?” Qiu An peeked into the courtyard, “Ah, just in time.”

Xie Yu glanced at Yuanpei, who stood up holding half a chicken wing, asking with his mouth full, “Want some chicken?”

Xie Yu: “…”

Maybe this time he wouldn’t take him back?

“Old Lady Zhao’s smoked chicken? It’s really good, but not today,” Qiu An smiled and waved his hand, unable to hide his excitement, “Minister, the bundle has been found!”