When Xiao Mao looked up again, his eyes were vacant. Having already started talking, he completely abandoned any further resistance. He honestly confessed to the fact that the restaurant sold various types of wild game every few days. When Lu Linjiang showed him the photo of Guzman, Xiao Mao recognized him instantly.
Guzman had eaten there on the night of the 18th, alone. Normally, they wouldn't sell such things to foreigners for fear of trouble, but Guzman had a specific code obtained from a specialized forum. Furthermore, the kitchen happened to have a masked palm civet that had been ordered by another customer who then stood them up. Cui Shihai, intent on fleecing the man for all he was worth, decided to sell it to Guzman.
"And do you know where that civet came from?"
Mao Fangliang clutched his water cup, trembling. "N-no. My uncle and cousin handled all of that. They never told me anything." He stared fixedly at Lu Linjiang. "Am I... am I going to be infected?"
Lu Linjiang placed Xiao Mao’s deposition in front of Cui Shihai. "Boss Cui, how do you plan to explain this?"
Cui Shihai snorted. "I don't know what Mao Fangliang is talking about, and I have nothing to explain. That kid has loved reading weird things since he was little; he’s probably gone soft in the head."
Lu Linjiang wasn't surprised by Cui Shihai’s reaction. "Boss Cui, there’s something I haven't mentioned yet. That man I was looking for, Guzman, died from a viral infection. There is a high probability he contracted it from eating at your place. Think about it—from skinning the civet to serving it, someone had to do the work. I heard your son is quite the chef; I wonder if he was the one who handled the cooking."
Cui Shihai kept his eyelids half-lowered, staring at the table with an air of feigned indifference.
"I’ve consulted with experts," Lu Linjiang continued, watching him closely. "The incubation period after infection can vary, but once the disease manifests, it’s almost always fatal. To this day, there are no effective drugs to control this virus. I wonder if the chef in your family will be just as unlucky."
Cui Shihai remained as still as a monk in meditation, sitting on his stool as if he were deaf to the world, projecting an attitude of 'say whatever you want.' Just as Lu Linjiang was considering how to apply more pressure, Jiang Cheng, wearing a medical mask, knocked and entered. He carried a tray. When he set it down, Lu Linjiang noticed an assortment of items, the most striking of which was a blood collection tube.
"I just drew some blood from Cui Wenxing," Jiang Cheng said. "I brought a test strip with me that can quickly detect an infection."
Lu Linjiang hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to go and draw blood from Cui Wenxing in the meantime. He watched as Jiang Cheng poured the blood from the collection tube into a test tube and then added a series of incomprehensible reagents.
Jiang Cheng gently agitated the test tube, strictly timing the process with a stopwatch. The blood in the tube gradually separated into layers, with a clear liquid precipitating at the top. Jiang Cheng used a clean pipette to draw some out and placed it into a petri dish. Finally, he unwrapped a sealed test strip and dropped it in.
The previously expressionless Cui Shihai finally moved. Despite his best efforts to hide it, his eyes involuntarily fixed on the test strip—a detail that did not escape the observation of Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo. The two exchanged a silent look.
"If the virus is present, the strip will slowly turn red," Jiang Cheng explained as the strip was gradually saturated by the solution. "Being a carrier is a complex concept. Simply put, it’s like carrying a time bomb; it might explode, or it might not. However, for a virus like Gaimore, detonation is only a matter of time."
Before he could finish his sentence, the originally beige test strip began to turn red. A few seconds later, it had become a piercing, vivid crimson.
"Impossible..." Cui Shihai let out a low cry, then alertly swallowed the rest of his words, instinctively looking toward Jiang Cheng.
With only his eyes visible, Jiang Cheng looked at Cui Shihai with a hint of pity. "I'm sorry."
"You think I'll believe this kind of trickery?" Cui Shihai said, his voice blustering to hide his inner fear. "How do I know you aren't lying to me!"
"You are free to think that. However, once I leave, I will notify the CDC to take Cui Wenxing into custody to prevent him from infecting others." Jiang Cheng wasn't angry at all in the face of Cui Shihai’s suspicion. "These strips are very expensive; I only brought one this time. I’ll bring more in a couple of days to test you as well. I hope you haven't been infected."
"This blood is hazardous material. I need to take it out for disposal. I’ll be going now." Jiang Cheng gave Lu Linjiang a nod, carefully packed the items on the tray, and walked out.
Cui Shihai seemed to fall into a daze. Lu Linjiang seized the moment. "Cui Shihai, are you still not going to talk?"
Cui Shihai sat there woodenly. Lu Linjiang and Yang Bo were in no hurry. Based on experience, after suffering such a blow, there was a high probability Cui Shihai would confess. Now, they only needed to wait patiently for his mental defenses to crumble.
However, a variable occurred in what should have been a smooth process. Although Cui Shihai had been shaken by Jiang Cheng’s experiment, he recovered in just five minutes. Even though his complexion was ghastly, he said, word by word, "I have nothing to say. I have always been law-abiding in my business. I never sold the things you're talking about."
"You!" Yang Bo started, but fell silent at a look from Lu Linjiang.
"Boss Cui, even if Cui Wenxing is a carrier, it’s not entirely hopeless. At the very least, if you tell us where the civet Guzman ate came from, perhaps the CDC can find a vaccine." Lu Linjiang stared at him intensely. "Cui Shihai, your grandson is gone. Do you not want to save your son either?"
Cui Shihai’s chin suddenly began to quiver. Lu Linjiang thought he was finally about to confess, but Cui Shihai, his eyes rimmed with red, actually shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Lu Linjiang’s face remained entirely unreadable. "Fine. Think it over, Boss Cui. You won't be leaving for the time being. Whenever you change your mind, find me."
The people in the outer office were surprised to see the two come out so quickly. Wang Qi asked in disbelief, "No way? He didn't say a single word either?"
"Either?" Lu Linjiang asked sharply. "Cui Wenxing didn't say anything?"
"Right. Even after seeing the test results, he managed to hold back. I don't know if I should praise him for being composed."
Lu Linjiang almost admired the psychological resilience of this father and son. "He didn't have a breakdown even after knowing he was infected?"
Wang Qi and Zhao Zhijie looked confused. "Wasn't it his father, Cui Shihai, who was infected?"
Realizing something was wrong, the four of them turned to look at Jiang Cheng simultaneously. Jiang Cheng shrugged. "The blood was drawn from the rabbit by the door. The test strip was just ordinary pH paper. The chemical reagents were just to change the acidity to make it look more intimidating. If they had even a bit of medical knowledge, they wouldn't have been fooled."
The four of them: "..."
Yang Bo rubbed his forehead. "So, the ruse was exposed?"
Jiang Cheng looked at them innocently. Zhao Zhijie added, "Well, Cui Shihai only has a middle school education. Cui Wenxing graduated from a vocational school; he studied accounting before learning to be a chef."
"Then it should have been impossible for them to know," Jiang Cheng said, relieved.
The office fell silent for a moment. Lu Linjiang frowned slightly. "Regardless, judging by Cui Shihai’s reaction, he definitely believed it to some extent. So why was he able to keep his composure under those circumstances?"
"By the way, Cui Wenxing was also very strange," Zhao Zhijie said, shaking his head. "I took the opportunity to lie to him, saying that Cui Xiaoye might also be infected. As a result, Cui Wenxing actually looked like he was gloating. This morning, when Cui Xiaoye first had her accident, he looked like he was going crazy with worry. He really seemed to love her. In such a short amount of time, he suddenly acts like she got what she deserved. The contrast is just too great."
Yang Bo recalled Cui Wenxing’s nervous appearance at the clinic that morning. "There’s definitely something wrong here."
"Setting aside Cui Wenxing, look at Cui Shihai. A man who knows his son is likely to die, yet still keeps a secret—why?" Lu Linjiang asked. "There’s only one possibility: telling the secret would bring even greater trouble."
The group watched as Lu Linjiang walked over to the duty roster and used a marker to jot down the timeline of events. They watched as he wrote a name in the center of all the incidents: "Cui Dongming."
"The old Village Head?" Lao Liu asked. "What does the Village Head have to do with this?"
"We can boldly speculate that the shift in Cui Wenxing’s attitude happened after Cui Dongming went to see him. His concern for Cui Xiaoye this morning wasn't fake. For such a massive change to occur in just a few hours, there must be a reason. Guess what it is..."
Zhao Zhijie was the quickest to react. "Could it be Cui Bin?"
"A relationship between a man and a woman... Suppose Cui Dongming went to Cui Wenxing and shared some gossip about Cui Bin and Cui Xiaoye..." Lu Linjiang drew an arrow between Cui Dongming and Cui Wenxing. "For example, saying the child isn't his. Only words like that could make Cui Wenxing’s attitude turn so hardened."
"No way," Lao Liu said. "Would Cui Wenxing believe that?"
"Not necessarily. Didn't they just believe Jiang Cheng’s fake test strip?" Jiang Cheng pointed out.
"Exactly. A lie depends on who tells it. Jiang Cheng’s setup was professional enough to stun them. As for Cui Dongming, I went to see him this afternoon, and I think he’s very interesting."
"Except for the time years ago when Cui Shihai tricked Cui Bin into giving up the house—when he happened to be away—this old Village Head hasn't missed a single event since. When Cui Bin returned, he provided accommodation. When Cui Bin and Cui Wenxing were detained, he met with both of them separately... No!" Lu Linjiang paused to think. "No, even the fact that Cui Dongming 'just happened' to be away when Cui Shihai made Cui Bin sign over the house is very strange."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
果子狸 | Masked Palm Civet | Often referred to as "civet" in the context of wild game.
崔石海 | Cui Shihai | The owner of the wild game restaurant.
崔文兴 | Cui Wenxing | Cui Shihai's son, the chef.
崔东明 | Cui Dongming | The old Village Head of the village.
崔小叶 | Cui Xiaoye | Cui Wenxing's wife.
毛方良 | Mao Fangliang | Also known as Xiao Mao; Cui Shihai's nephew and waiter.
试纸 | Test strip | In this context, used for a fake medical test.
PH试纸 | pH strip / Litmus paper | The actual item Jiang Cheng used to trick the suspects.
