I quickly picked out all the nail fragments from the meat and pieced them together. Finally, I managed to gather about half a nail which looked whiter than usual because they were cooked.
Xiaotao looked appalled. There was no way an employee would accidentally leave such a large piece of fingernail during the preparation process, unless the entire nail was torn off.
Picking up the plastic bag, Xiaotao lamented, "God, I just had soup dumplings at Guihe Garden two days ago. Could I be any more unlucky? This is my second time tasting human stuffing. Song Yang, are you sure this came from a human? Maybe it was from a pig?"
"Over millions of years of evolution, the shape and structure of human nails are different. The nails of even-toed ungulates are much thicker than this, so this can only belong to a human."
Covering her mouth, Xiaotao seemed to recall the soup dumplings she had eaten. "Don't worry,” I waved my hand. “We’ve already determined the stuffing isn’t made from human flesh. This nail probably fell in later, after going through the meat grinder."
"In this case, there must be a murder in Guihe Garden. Let's go there now!" announced Xiaotao.
"Aren't we visiting your home today?"
"Nevermind about that,” dismissed Xiaotao. “My dear father can wait."
A wry smile rose to my lips as I thought, But he would have a bad impression of me! On the other hand, Xiaotao and I couldn’t possibly ignore a murder, could we?
When we exited the station, we found that the informant had left without leaving his name or contact information. However, that was no longer of importance. Thus, Xiaotao and I drove to Guihe Garden, an old, traditional restaurant with antique tables and chairs. As soon as we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a waitress, "Welcome! Please have a seat."
Xiaotao flashed her police badge, "Call your manager out. We have some questions to ask."
Due to the sensitivity of the case, we couldn’t reveal too many details, so the manager was puzzled as to what happened and behaved very politely before Xiaotao.
I asked if we could check their cold storage, to which the manager immediately agreed.
Scanning the refrigerator, I told Xiaotao to close the doors so I could use the Soul Returning Incense. However, I found there no signs of a murder happening here.
"If the problem isn’t the restaurant, could it be the meat factory?" Xiaotao pointed out.
"It looks like it,” I nodded. “So you didn't eat human soup dumplings."
"Thank goodness!" Xiaotao patted her chest. "I'll get someone to check on that."
A brief phone call later, we headed to her home as planned. I assumed Mr. Huang lived in a luxurious villa built in an exclusive neighborhood. To my surprise, it was a normal residential area. Although the area was upscale, it was slightly different from what I had imagined.
Upon entering the residential area, we seemed to make quite a few turns. "Are we there yet?" I asked.
Xiaotao chuckled, "We’ve arrived. This entire area belongs to my dad. When he was looking to buy a house, he didn’t think much of the available options, criticizing the location and the environment. So he ended up buying some land and developing it himself.”
I stared in amazement, completely unable to imagine the world of the wealthy.
"I don't mean to show off,” added Xiaotao. “My dad’s achievements have nothing to do with me!"
"Don't get me wrong,” I laughed. “In my mind, you’ll always be a heroic police officer!"
Xiaotao pursed her lips, "Don’t you mean beautiful and smart as well?"
"Beautiful, smart and heroic!" I corrected myself.
We pulled up in front of a standalone building and took the elevator to the top floor–a two-floor penthouse where Mr. Huang lived. Taking off her coat, Xiaotao hit the doorbell and waited for the housekeeper to open the door. "Miss, you’re back. This is ..."
"My boyfriend!" Xiaotao proudly took my arm.
"What a handsome young man,” remarked the housekeeper. “The old man is waiting for you in the dining hall."
The living room could be described as low-key luxury, inconsistent with the resplendence I expected. At first glance, the apartment looked ordinary. Hanging in the most conspicuous place wasn’t an expensive oil painting but a family portrait. In the picture, Xiaotao was only eight years old, a lovely little girl with a doll in her hand. Her mother was a dignified and beautiful woman with eyes similar to Xiaotao’s. The furniture was all wood and the coffee table was actually made from a split red sandalwood log. For such a piece, it would take at least a hundred years for the tree to grow, and the market price was staggering.
Xiaotao looked at the family portrait and sighed, "Since my mother passed away, my relationship with my dad has grown more and more distant. But it’s not because of some huge contradiction. I just don't want to inherit his business."
The sound of footsteps signalled the arrival of Mr. Huang, a robust man, with straight, sharp eyebrows which gave him an imposing air of arrogance. Upon noticing me, he laughed, "So it’s you! I see Xiaotao has been hiding a lot from me. The last time I saw you together, I could tell there was something between you two!"
"Hello, Mr. Huang. Xiaotao often talks about you," I politely greeted.
Mr. Huang waved his hand, "I hope it’s not all bad. Come in, take a seat!"
I handed him the gift I had previously prepared. It was a bottle of French red wine that cost a few hundred yuan. After all, I couldn’t really afford anything too expensive and it would only seem pretentious to Mr. Huang.
After accepting my gift, he invited us to the dining hall. It was brightly lit with the tableware neatly arranged. When I noticed the vegetarian food, Mr. Huang explained, "My blood lipids are a bit on the high side so I decided to go vegetarian. In fact, this diet is quite beneficial. The human body can either be acidic or alkaline..."
"Dad, there you go again!" interrupted Xiaotao.
Mr. Huang smiled, "I’m sorry. Xiao Song, make yourself at home. Please, dig in!"
Over the course of our meal, I answered whatever questions Mr. Huang threw my way while trying not to make a sound when eating.
Although he was a vegetarian, Xiaotao and I were served grilled steak.
Mr. Huang’s polite demeanor wasn’t feigned. Xiaotao explained that her father admired capable people, regardless of their wealth or family background. A man in his position didn't care about these external conditions. After all, no one in Nanjiang City could boast of riches before the city’s wealthiest man.
After our brief conversation, Mr. Huang suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my, what a forgetful old man I am! Do you drink, Xiao Song?"
"No, I don't!" I repeatedly refused.
"How can that be? Well, this is a rare occasion. Have a drink with me," he insisted.
Before my “father-in-law,” I could only obey his wishes. When the old man turned to the wine rack to select the wine, I glanced at Xiaotao, smiling bitterly.
"It’s just one drink, don’t worry,” assured Xiaotao.
When Mr. Huang returned with three wine glasses, Xiaotao protested, "Dad, I’m driving! It would be so embarrassing if a police captain was detained for drunk driving!"
"It’s just one glass,” smiled the old man. “This was a gift from a friend of mine. It’s not available on the market so I’m usually reluctant to drink this."
There wasn’t a label on the half-empty wine bottle in his hand. At the time, I never imagined that this ordinary bottle of wine would involve a bizarre case.