Cui Wenxing and Cui Bin stood frozen in a daze. Suddenly, Zhang Di scrambled to her feet and delivered a vicious slap to Cui Wenxing’s face. "Speak! What did you do to my daughter?"
The old woman’s features were contorted, yet beneath her performative grief, there was a faint, unsettling glimmer of excitement. "My poor daughter... how could she lose the baby just like that? Police! Officer!" She lunged forward and grabbed Zhao Zhijie. "Was it this scoundrel? Did he beat my daughter until she miscarried?"
Zhao Zhijie held her back. "Zhang Di, I called you here to look after your daughter, not to start a riot. The police will give you an explanation for what happened, but are you sure you don't want to go see her first?"
Zhang Di opened her mouth to argue, but the pressure of Zhao Zhijie’s hand on her shoulder increased. The usual easy-going look on his pale face had vanished. Before she could utter a word, Zhao Zhijie cut her off. "If you cause trouble in the hospital, you won't be allowed to care for her. According to the Regulations on Public Security Administration, I have to detain you the moment you strike someone. Think about it."
"That’s my son-in-law!"
"It doesn't matter who it is!"
Zhao Zhijie’s stance was resolute. Zhang Di let out an indistinct grumble from the back of her throat, lowered her head, and muttered to the doctor, "I... I'll go see my daughter."
The doctor nodded. "I’ll give you the bill in a moment. You need to settle the fees first."
Zhang Di jumped as if stung, about to protest, but she wilted under Zhao Zhijie’s predatory gaze. Still unwilling to let it go, she turned and shot Cui Wenxing a venomous glare.
Cui Wenxing seemed unable to recover from the shock. His eyes wandered aimlessly, as if he hadn't yet processed the fact that he’d had a child, only to lose it in the same breath.
After Zhao Zhijie escorted Zhang Di to attend to Cui Xiaoye, he returned and whispered to Lu Linjiang, "Captain Lu, let's head back to the station first. We’ll notify Cui Wenxing’s family later."
Zhao Zhijie understood the local situation better than he did, so Lu Linjiang didn't question him. He gave a silent nod and signaled Yang Bo to help bring the two men back.
Ever since the doctor announced the miscarriage, Cui Wenxing and Cui Bin had fallen into a strange silence. Both were completely quiet now, looking utterly soul-shorn.
Once they were back at the police station, Zhao Zhijie rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Which one of you is going to explain what happened first?"
Cui Wenxing was the first to snap out of it. "Me! Cui Bin set up a meeting with my wife and beat her until she miscarried. What else is there to say?" He looked around and found Lu Linjiang among the four people lined up in the corner. "He’s the one who took my wife to the hospital. He can be a witness!"
Zhao Zhijie gestured for Cui Wenxing to sit. "Cui Bin, why did you ask to meet Cui Xiaoye?"
Cui Bin remained silent, his expression still vacant. Cui Wenxing glared at him and spat out a contemptuous sneer. "He just hates my dad! He wanted to get revenge on my family! You’re a goddamn coward! *Pah!*" Cui Wenxing spat directly into Cui Bin’s face. "You squandered your own family’s fortune until there was nothing left, and you didn't amount to anything out in the world. You actually thought you could marry Xiaoye? You should take a long look in the mirror!"
Zhao Zhijie tapped the table impatiently. "Cui Wenxing, watch yourself!"
Cui Wenxing replied indignantly, "My wife was the one beaten! My child is the one who’s gone! I’m the victim here! I’m going to sue him; I’m going to make sure this bastard rots in jail!"
"Cui Bin, what is going on with you? Why did you meet Cui Xiaoye, and why did you start a fight?" Zhao Zhijie slapped the table until his palm was red. "Cui Bin! I’m talking to you!"
Cui Bin finally seemed to wake from his trance. He calmly wiped his face. "Officer Zhao, I have something to report."
"Then speak!"
"Yawei Pavilion has been selling all kinds of bushmeat for years, including national protected species."
"Bullshit!" Cui Wenxing’s face turned crimson instantly. He lunged forward, trying to grab Cui Bin’s throat. "You lying son of a bitch! You killed my son, and now you want to destroy my whole family? I’ll kill you, you shameless prick!"
"Oh," Lu Linjiang murmured softly. "Well, that certainly makes things easier."
Zhao Zhijie was forced to cuff the two men further apart. Against the background noise of Cui Wenxing’s continuous stream of curses, he calmly asked Cui Bin, "You say Yawei Pavilion has been selling bushmeat for years. Do you have evidence?"
Cui Bin said firmly, "I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Do you have photos or videos?"
Cui Bin’s expression stiffened. He slowly shook his head. "I tried to take some, but the lighting was too dim."
"Because there’s nothing to see! This is a frame-up! I’m going to sue you into the ground, you bastard!"
Cui Bin suddenly turned, pointing his uncuffed hand at Lu Linjiang. "The foreigner in the photo he showed me the other day—that man went to Yawei Pavilion! He even stayed there for two nights!"
Lu Linjiang didn't show much excitement. Zhao Zhijie glanced at him, and Lu Linjiang shook his head, signaling for Zhao Zhijie to continue the questioning.
"Is there evidence?"
"I saw him myself! That foreigner wore a leather jacket, jeans, and carried a black bag. He stayed in their Shenxian Residence for two days!"
"Are you sure he stayed at their place?"
"I’m certain!"
Cui Wenxing looked as though he had no idea what they were talking about, watching them with a wary expression.
"Fine," Zhao Zhijie said. "Let's take this one step at a time. First, tell me why you met Cui Xiaoye, and then we’ll talk about Guzman."
"I..." Cui Bin looked at Cui Wenxing with hatred. "I knew their family had been selling bushmeat, and I wanted to come back to find evidence to shut their shop down. But that day, the officer showed me the foreigner’s photo and said he was dead. I... I suspected he might have eaten something wrong at their place."
"What does that have to do with you meeting Cui Xiaoye?" Zhao Zhijie asked.
"I met Xiaoye because I wanted to ask if she knew about it. Since she married him, she hasn't had a job; she just helps out at the shop. I wanted her to get out of that mess before they dragged her down with them!"
"You’re full of shit!" Cui Wenxing stood up abruptly, trying to charge at Cui Bin, but the handcuffs caught him, turning his wrists white. He strained his body forward, pointing at Cui Bin’s nose. "That’s my wife! Since when is she any of your business? Who the hell do you think you are, saying I’m trying to hurt her?"
Cui Bin let out a cold snort. "I’m still your blood cousin. When your father tricked me into signing those papers back then, did he ever show a moment of mercy?"
Cui Wenxing scoffed at the accusation. "That house was built by my parents in the first place. They only let your parents live there for the sake of our grandparents. You ungrateful lowlifes actually have the nerve to bite the hand that fed you!"
"Your family is truly shameless, taking everything and then twisting the truth!"
Zhao Zhijie slammed the table hard. "Quiet! Both of you, sit down!" He silenced them with a sharp look before asking again, "And then? Cui Xiaoye didn't agree, so you hit her?"
"No! I didn't!" Cui Bin cried out. "I was still trying to persuade her when Cui Wenxing showed up. He started hitting me without a word, and I fought back. I don't know when Xiaoye..." Cui Bin clutched his head in agony.
Zhao Zhijie stopped questioning Cui Bin. He pulled out the photo of Guzman and asked Cui Wenxing, "Have you seen this man?"
Cui Wenxing took one look and turned his head away. "No. So many customers come in and out of the shop every day, how would I have time to remember every single one?"
"So, it’s possible he was there." Zhao Zhijie waved the photo, putting it away only after confirming Wenxing refused to look again. "It doesn't matter. Since Cui Bin says he saw this man staying at Shenxian Residence, we should be able to verify it. We don't necessarily need your word for it."
Just as Zhao Zhijie finished speaking, someone walked in. Cui Shihai, dressed in a silk-padded coat, asked politely, "Officer Zhao, what did my son do to deserve being cuffed like this?"
At the sight of Cui Shihai, Zhao Zhijie’s expression soured slightly. "Your son was in a fight. I brought him in."
Cui Shihai looked down at his son, then at his nephew, who was staring at him with pure rage. "I’ve already been to the hospital to find out what happened. My grandson was killed, and my daughter-in-law hasn't even woken up yet. Strictly speaking, my family and my son are the victims. Officer Zhao, you should release my son immediately."
Cui Shihai’s face was grim. "It’s because you’re too soft on people like Cui Bin that my grandson is gone. Are you going to keep making the same mistake over and over?"
Lu Linjiang stood up, picked up the photo Zhao Zhijie had left on the table, and asked, "Did this man stay at Shenxian Residence?"
Cui Shihai looked at Lu Linjiang with a meaningful gaze, pointedly ignoring the person in the photo. "With so many people, how could I remember? Maybe he stayed, maybe he didn't. Who can say for sure?"
He refused to discuss Guzman further, turning back to Zhao Zhijie. "Officer Zhao, all the neighbors know how well my son treats his wife. If he’d known she was pregnant, there’s no way he would have laid a hand on her. If it weren't for Cui Bin, my family would be celebrating a great joy right now."
"Now that joy is gone and she’s in the hospital, I hope you will uphold the law and release my son so he can go be with his wife. As for the person who caused her miscarriage, I expect an explanation!"
Zhao Zhijie and Lu Linjiang exchanged a look. Zhao Zhijie said, "Cui Shihai, your son is currently suspected of brawling and damaging public property. I have the right to detain him. Also, the clinic hasn't finished listing the broken equipment yet. I expect your family and Cui Bin to pay for the damages together."
"Furthermore," Lu Linjiang interjected, "someone has alleged that your family has been selling bushmeat for years. Do you care to explain that?"
"Bushmeat? Sure, we have it," Cui Shihai said nonchalantly. "Didn't you eat our signature 'Boiled Thousand Armies' the other day? That grouper was wild-caught. Didn't you say yourself that it tasted quite good?"
Lu Linjiang: "..."
Cui Shihai gave him and Zhao Zhijie a lukewarm smile. "In my restaurant, except for the shellfish which are farmed, all the fish and shrimp must be wild-caught. That’s no secret in our circles. As for anything else, I’ve always been content with my lot. I wouldn't risk everything for money by messing with that other stuff."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
张娣 | Zhang Di | Cui Xiaoye's mother.
雅味居 | Yawei Pavilion | The Cui family restaurant.
神仙居 | Shenxian Residence | A guesthouse or annex owned by the Cui family.
崔石海 | Cui Shihai | Cui Wenxing's father and owner of Yawei Pavilion.
水煮千军 | Boiled Thousand Armies | A signature dish at Yawei Pavilion, likely a spicy boiled fish dish.
野生 | Wild-caught / Wild | Used here by Cui Shihai to conflate "wildlife/bushmeat" (illegal) with "wild-caught seafood" (legal/premium).
