Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
Click-click-click-click.
Jiang Yuan held a brick in one hand, lightly scoring it twice with the chisel, then flipping it over to score another side. With a few swift chops right on the marks, he cleaved off a two-inch piece of the brick.
The seven-inch piece he'd cut fit snugly into the cement-slathered wall, seamless and precise to the millimeter.
Jiang Yuan, proud of his handiwork, spun the chisel around, inadvertently scaring his two dogs into retreating a couple of steps.
"Cowards. Come here!" Uncle Qiang, squatting nearby mixing cement, was the family's dog trainer. Seeing the dogs bolt without looking back, he immediately started scolding them.
Er Gou hung its head low, reluctantly inching back.
"What's there to fear from a chisel!" Uncle Qiang grabbed the dogs by the scruff of their necks, waving the chisel in front of them as a demonstration.
The dogs kept their heads down, too scared to look.
"I'll have to put these two through some intensive training soon," Uncle Qiang said, feeling a bit embarrassed as he tried to explain away the incident.
Jiang Yuan laughed heartily, "As long as they can guard the house, that's best. If not, we can always buy new dogs for that, and these two can just be pets."
"No need, they just haven't been trained properly," Uncle Qiang said, pointing to the chisel in Jiang Yuan's hand. "That thing is indeed scary. Back in the day, there were quite a few people across the country who used it to rob and kill."
Jiang Yuan was familiar with the story Uncle Qiang was recounting.
The so-called chisel was a small tool with one flat end and one wedge-shaped end. The metal head, usually the size of a fist, had a wedge side for chiseling and a flat side that could be used as a hammer or mallet.
The chisel wasn't very large overall; the fist-sized metal head was attached to a wooden handle less than the length of a forearm. It was easy to carry and conceal, so if you were caught with it, it just seemed like you were carrying a tool. Thus, in the mid-90s, there were many instances of robberies committed with chisels.
The method of robbery was bold and wild. The criminal would spot someone on the street who looked wealthy, follow them quietly, and when they were right behind the victim, the chisel would come out from a sleeve, and with a swing, they'd strike the back of the victim's head.
The chisel might be small, but its striking power was formidable. A visit to the museum would reveal that its basic form was similar to the top mallets and six-petal mallets from the Tang and Song dynasties.
Since ordinary people don't walk around wearing helmets like the eight-petal or hexagonal copper helmets, a hit to the head would typically incapacitate them, often leading to serious injury or death, causing widespread fear.
Jiang Yuan flipped the chisel in his hand, thinking that it was still quite a formidable weapon if not for the presence of video surveillance nowadays.
A surprise attack from behind, a single hit, quick disengagement, and an easily concealed weapon—if you were unlucky, the victim might not even get a clear look at the assailant. That's why this type of crime had its own name: the "Chisel Gang" or "Chisel Crew."
Of course, the chisel was also quite handy for bricklaying. After fixing two bricks with it, Jiang Yuan switched to a trowel to spread the cement.
Uncle Qiang watched as a flower bed rose from the balcony, feeling a bit odd but also impressed, "Your work is even better than the old hands in our village. If you were still there, every household would want to hire you as the head mason."
Jiang Yuan had lived in the village too and chuckled, "Being the head mason means providing cigarettes, and I don't smoke, so it would be a waste."
"Three packs every three days, even if you don't smoke, you could still take them. Head masons are expensive these days, and they can bring an apprentice who earns 150 a day. Too bad you're from Jiang Village; your bricklaying skills are wasted," Uncle Qiang said with genuine regret.
Jiang Yuan laughed, "Let's lay some more bricks while we have the time today."
"If you really want to lay more bricks, go downstairs and build a solid, big wall," Jiang Fuzhen said, coming over with a skimmer.
"A big wall... What for?"
"To create a wall of honor for your awards and certificates. When you earn accolades in the future, I'll hang them up there. Just like the white wall in our living room when you were studying. The entrance is too small; even the 'Second-Class Merit Family' plaque had to go up there."
"What wall?"
"Any wall will do, as long as it's easy for people to see," Jiang Fuzhen said, growing more pleased with the idea, "We'll build it on the open space in front of our unit, so the whole complex can see it."
"People might talk," Jiang Yuan said.
"Talk about what?" Jiang Fuzhen huffed.
"Showing off?"
"It's not about showing off. Who posts on social media? They can show off on social media, but I can't show off on my own award wall? Our ancestors allowed descendants to hang plaques in the ancestral hall. We're honoring our family; what's there to fear?"
"Fear of... jealousy?"
"With all the compensation money we got from the demolition, aren't people already jealous?" Jiang Fuzhen chuckled, "If anyone feels like being jealous, they'll just have to keep it to themselves."
Jiang Yuan found the reasoning sound yet not quite right, and after some thought, he suggested, "Let's build one at home then. If we build it outside, it'll be exposed to wind and rain... But we already have walls at home, so it's not really necessary..."
"You could build a cover for it, like a pavilion. Add some eaves or something."
"What about when it's windy?"
"Add another layer of windows?"
"Wouldn't that just be another room?" Jiang Yuan thought to himself, I'm not a builder; I've only just learned how to lay bricks.
Jiang Fuzhen slapped his forehead, "Never mind, I'll just find a room on the first floor of the complex and set it up there."
Uncle Qiang reminded from the side, "If you move all the plaques and certificates there, there'll be nothing left to hang at home. What will you show to visitors?"
Jiang Fuzhen suddenly lost his enthusiasm, his inner turmoil evident.
Jiang Yuan reminded him, "The meat should be cooked by now."
"Oh, I'll go stir it." Jiang Fuzhen hurried back to his task.
Jiang Yuan then continued to build the flower bed in peace.
Being at home felt much more relaxing than being away on business.
He also worked on construction projects outside, mainly pumping water from mines, filling in garbage, and excavating collapsed mine entrances.
The stress of this kind of work was considerable, especially when you were always hoping to gain something from it, which made you feel different.
How relaxing it was to be at home, just building a flower bed. Jiang Yuan could even choose not to plant any winter melons and just leave the bed as is. If he got bored, he could put a table in it and use it exclusively for writing official documents, which he could then burn as offerings to his ancestors. The older generations who liked to study could read more official documents in the afterlife, perhaps even passing a civil service exam for a better position in the underworld, which would be a reasonable way to support future generations.
When tired from bricklaying, Jiang Yuan would check his phone.
In the dozen or so groups he had joined, there was active discussion about the case on Purple Peak Mountain.
In the groups without Liu Jinghui, the conversations mixed in discussions about him and the case.
In the groups with Liu Jinghui, the focus was mainly on the case.
Jiang Yuan casually opened a group chat and saw someone sharing their experience:
Daily Lethargy: [I once responded to a call where someone had fallen into a latrine. It was quite deep, up to an adult's chest. Standing up, only the head was visible, but they couldn't climb out on their own. That scene...]
Instant Fame: [Did they die?]
Daily Lethargy: [No, but they might as well have been socially dead. That person was a village scholar who had gone out to study, and during the New Year, they brought their child back to visit relatives, and that happened. When we pulled them out, he were still wearing a Gucci belt.]
Forensic Li Rui: [Returning home in glory only to fall into the cold manure?]
Jiang Yuan had some recollection of Forensic Li Rui, an active chatter during the Purple Peak Mountain case. The group he was in now was probably one that Li Rui had invited him to join.
Daily Lethargy: [No joke, the water in the manure pit is super corrosive and bad for the skin. I don't recommend soaking in it. It's very dangerous in hot weather, with many toxic substances, and in cold weather, it's very uncomfortable and can easily cause frostbite.]
Forensic Li Rui: [I get the hot weather, but cold weather should be the most comfortable scenario, right?]
Daily Lethargy: [Please elaborate on how comfortable a latrine is in cold weather!]
Jiang Yuan was amused when he saw a familiar name pop up:
Forensic Wang Lan: [Speaking of true stories, I've encountered someone who fell into a latrine in winter. The nighttime temperature was just below freezing, so there were slight signs of frostbite. When they fell in, the ice shards cut their skin, causing extensive ulceration. And because hypothermia sets in quickly in winter, that's how I came across them...]
Daily Lethargy: [So it seems they were lucky to be just a wilted flower after all.]
Forensic Li Rui: [Three people's worth, definitely not enough to drown.]
Forensic Wang Lan: [Thanks to Jiang Yuan, this case wouldn't have been resolved so quickly without him. If not for Jiang Yuan, the wilted flower would have stayed in the hole for at least another week.]
Daily Lethargy: [Shocked.gif, another week and they probably wouldn't have been able to pee.]
Forensic Li Rui: [I've seen the fingerprints Jiang Yuan did, they were really strong, haven't seen his other work though.]
Forensic Wang Lan: [His crime scene investigation is so thorough, it's like a dog licked it clean.]
Daily Lethargy: [Thorough... like a dog?]
Jiang Yuan cringed a bit reading that.
Forensic Wang Lan was usually a serious person when they met, but now his choice of words was a bit too casual.
Of course, the most casual of them all was "Daily Lethargy." Jiang Yuan clicked on his profile but didn't recognize him.
Jiang Yuan then browsed other groups for a while before returning to the main chat page, only to find that "Daily Lethargy" had tagged him.
Daily Lethargy: [@Water Engineer, it's Jiang Yuan, right? I have a fingerprint here, can you take a look and see if you can work it out?]
Forensic Li Rui: [I can do fingerprints too...]
Daily Lethargy: [Then give it a try, if you succeed, I'll commend you for it.]
Jiang Yuan shook his head but still got up, washed his hands in the bathroom, returned to his room, and turned on his computer.
He copied the fingerprint, enlarged it on the screen, and began to study it closely.
It was indeed a challenging partial fingerprint.
After looking for a while, Jiang Yuan tried to mark it twice, both attempts ending in failure.
Two hours had passed in this manner.
Jiang Yuan wasn't in a hurry and tried a few more times. Before dinner, he had successfully matched it.
Compared to a simple full fingerprint, it took him a long time, but for a partial print, as long as it was a match, it was quite meaningful.
Such matters couldn't wait. Jiang Yuan took out his phone and opened the "Qinghe Skill Sharing Group" again.
Water Engineer: [@Daily Lethargy, I'm Jiang Yuan, the fingerprint is a match, how should I send it to you?]
Daily Lethargy, who had been chatting in the group just moments ago, suddenly disappeared.
After a while, Daily Lethargy asked: [No kidding? This is a homicide case!]
Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.
With that, the group fell silent.
Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate to type: [It's a match, the suspect is a repeat offender, how do I send you the information?]
Daily Lethargy: [Hold on, I've sent a friend request and am on my knees waiting. Once you accept, you can send it.]