Chapter 493

In the evening, Captain Tang reported little progress in the investigation. There were too many people named Zhang Wei who were twenty-eight this year. In Jiangling City alone, there were thousands who fit the criteria and had to be carefully screened.

After dinner, we visited Lotus Pond Park. On the night before the Mid-Autumn Festival, there were many visitors in the park. By the road were vendors offering their wares. I heard there would be a large-scale 3D fountain show tonightChange Flies To The Moon.

Bingxin eagerly bought a bunch of snacks while we strolled the park. "I really envy you, sighed Xiaotao. You can eat all you want, yet you wont gain any weight. Everything I eat goes to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and b.u.t.t."

Hmph, all you do is show off! Bingxin made a face at Xiaotao. When she turned around, w.a.n.g Yuanchao and Song Xingchen had disappeared. I wasnt too worried about them. The two quiet men preferred spending their time away from all the bustle and excitement.

Droves of tourists flooded the park. Bingxin held my hand for fear of losing me in the crowd. At the same time, my other hand was clasped with Xiaotaos. Our odd trio attracted many curious looks from people trying to guess our relations.h.i.+p.

Xiaotao asked, "Do you regret not being born in ancient times? That way you can marry two wives?"

"Oh, stop it, you know youre the only one in my heart. Besides, the ancients didnt practice polygamy. Strictly speaking, a man could only have one wife but many concubines. Additionally, there were many rules. The wife must have given birth to a child before a concubine is approved."

Upon hearing the word concubine, Bingxin protested, "What are you talking about? I'm no concubine! Im Song Yang-geges childhood sweetheart. Once youre married and have kids, youll turn into an old, sallow-faced woman but a childhood sweetheart will always stay perfect in his memory."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, scoffed Xiaotao. Do you know what being a childhood sweetheart means? Youll never be promoted to wife!"

"Marriage is the tomb for love, the end of your feelings as you know it!" retorted Bingxin.

"Oh, cant you two get along nicely? Is that so hard?" I grumbled.

Hooking her arm with mine, Bingxin said, "Song Yang-gege, heres a serious question. If Xiaotao-jiejie and I were drowning, who would you save?"

"Yes, I have long wanted to ask this question as well." Xiaotao pulled my arm.

"Um..." Looking at their serious expressions, I knew Id be stepping into a minefield. I hesitated for a moment and somehow managed to dodge the bullet. "Look, theres a magic show in front. Let's go and have a look."

"Dont change the subject!" shouted the girls.

Although they argued incessantly, the girls were in agreement as soon as they got to playing together. There were quite a few interesting attractions in the park, such as shooting targets, claw machines and fortune-telling. At around nine in the evening, Xiaotao said, "Theres no word from Captain Tang. Looks like the murderer wont appear tonight."

I nodded, "Shall we head back to the hotel then? I would love to take a shower. Im drenched in sweat!"

"No, I want to watch the fountain show!" pouted Bingxin.

"Well, since were here, we might as well stay for the show!" agreed Xiaotao.

We headed to the lotus pond to watch the 3D fountain show which was actually a CG animation prepared in advance projected onto the water curtain. The girls were absorbed in the dreamlike show as the water curtain danced to the lights.

While watching the show, I couldnt help but share a little bit about the folklore. "In fact, the earliest version of the story ended with Chang 'e turning into a toad after swallowing the elixir. The story was gradually beautified after the Han Dynasty."

"Thanks for sharing that, said Xiaotao. Ive learned something new today.

How unromantic, chuckled Bingxin.

Right then, a scream tore through the night. "Ahhh, theres a dead body!"

The audience turned back to watch the excitement while we rushed towards the source of the screams. When we arrived, w.a.n.g Yuanchao and Song Xingchen were already there. Signs of inebriation colored w.a.n.g Yuanchaos face. It seemed he had gone elsewhere to drink.

The body was blatantly hung from a tree, dressed in a white Tang Dynasty costume with a Futou on his head, though the wing-like flaps on the back were drooping downwards.

The victims right arm was raised, his hand tied to a gla.s.s with a metal wire. Its position happened to fall right between two street lamps, projecting two shadows on the ground.

"Till, raising my cup, I asked the bright moon, to bring me my shadow and make us three," I recited.

The entire scene vividly expressed the poem. The only fly in the ointment was the plastic film wrapped around the corpse. If it was removed, the graceful attire could be better appreciated.

Flas.h.i.+ng her badge, Xiaotao shouted at the pa.s.sers-by, "Police! Please move away from the crime scene!"

I went around the back and found the body was tied to the canopy by two ropes. The murderer hung up the body in advance and cut one of the ropes so the body would be exposed.

"The murderer hasnt gone far! Song Xingchen, w.a.n.g Yuanchao, look for him!" I ordered.

Song Xingchen and w.a.n.g Yuanchaos men spread out in different directions. Meanwhile, Bingxin contacted the police. Due to the crowd, it wasnt convenient to lower the body at the moment. There was no way I could perform an autopsy in public.

The three of us stood there, hindering curious onlookers from approaching. During this time, eager onlookers raised an onslaught of stupid questions.

"Did this man commit suicide?"

"Is this some sort of performance?"

I gave no comment at all.

Five minutes later, Song Xingchen returned and blurted a series of numbers as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Is this the murderers license plate number? I asked.

"I'm not sure. The van left the parking lot in a hurry so I noted the license plate."

"Good job!"

When Captain Tang arrived, the officers sealed off the road, cordoned the area and dispersed the ma.s.ses. Only then did we lower the body for the autopsy.

"Oh no, a bunch of tourists took some photos. I dont know if we can keep things under wraps," said Xiaotao.

"Well use the authority of the special team and get Sina to these posts!"

"I guess thats the best option," sighed Xiaotao.

The victim was a male and under the age of thirty. Judging from the degree of muscle rigidity, the time of death was three days ago. The murderer had improved by leaps and bounds after the first two hands-on training" sessions.

The clothes were new and covered with some sort powder, perhaps chalk dust.

This confirmed my conjecture that the murderer was a teacher. The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday started the next day. The murderer seemed eager to dispose of the corpse and got to it immediately after cla.s.s. Bingxin was in charge of extracting the fingerprints from the victims clothes. Instead of removing the robes entirely, we cut off parts of the cloth stained with chalk dust and placed them in evidence bags.

After processing the clothes, Bingxin pointed, "Song Yang-gege, look!"

A piece of skin had been gouged out of the victims arm. The surrounding skin had turned pale and curled up around the wound, suggesting the victim had been scalded by hot water. The missing skin seemed to resemble some sort of pattern. I was suddenly reminded of the waiters testimony.

Turning to Captain Tang, I said, "Theres no need to look for Zhang Wei. This is our guy!"

Drinking Alone Under The Moon by Li Bai as translated by Witter Bynner.