“What do you mean?” Coroner Qian became greatly interested and walked over to interject.

He was accustomed to dealing with corpses and skilled at finding clues about the deceased from their remains. For this young man to reach such a conclusion based solely on an empty water vat was quite intriguing.

Qiao Zhao quietly watched Shao Mingyuan, waiting for his explanation.

Shao Mingyuan reached out and patted the rim of the vat: “The bottom of the water vat is very dry, and about two feet up there’s a clear dividing line, which should be where the original water level was. I just tried scratching above the dividing line on the vat wall with my fingernail, leaving a mark that’s still quite distinct.”

He paused here, and Coroner Qian had already figured it out. Nodding appreciatively, he asked Qiao Zhao: “Little girl, do you understand the reason?”

Qiao Zhao thought for a moment and said, “General Shao just said there was nothing in the water vat. Does this mean the Tofu Beauty didn’t struggle after falling headfirst into the vat?”

“Exactly!” Without waiting for Shao Mingyuan to answer, Coroner Qian clapped his hands, “If a normal person accidentally fell in while reaching into the vat to scoop water, they would instinctively struggle violently to survive, and the vat walls should show many deep scratch marks. But now there’s nothing left behind, which means the Tofu Beauty was already dead when she fell headfirst into the water vat, or at least had already lost consciousness.”

Shao Mingyuan smiled and nodded: “Each profession has its specialty. Coroner Qian explains it most clearly.”

Hearing this, Coroner Qian immediately felt pleased and looked at Shao Mingyuan with approval.

Anyone would be happy to receive targeted praise in their area of expertise, and the eccentric Coroner Qian was no exception.

Qiao Zhao glanced at Shao Mingyuan.

So this was where someone used his sweet talk.

Shao Mingyuan was particularly sensitive to Qiao Zhao’s gaze and immediately looked over, his eyes full of affection.

Qiao Zhao’s mouth twitched, and she coughed to cover her embarrassment: “I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

“This water vat is so deep—why would the Tofu Beauty wait until the water was nearly gone before fetching more? Wouldn’t that make using water very inconvenient?”

Shao Mingyuan’s eyes flashed as he stared thoughtfully at the water vat.

“What’s strange about that? Just fetch more when it’s almost finished,” Coroner Qian said dismissively.

Qiao Zhao shook her head: “No, that doesn’t quite make sense. The Tofu Beauty was widowed young and raised her child alone. A weak woman independently raising her son, though strong, would feel very insecure deep down. This would show in daily life—she would habitually arrange everything in advance to avoid being caught off guard when needed.”

Qiao Zhao glanced toward the gate and continued: “When the village chief led us here, I noticed the well isn’t close by. A mother who habitually keeps everything in perfect order wouldn’t wait until the water was nearly finished before fetching more.”

Shao Mingyuan caught the implication: “Zhaozhao, what are you thinking?”

Qiao Zhao pondered: “I’m wondering if perhaps someone usually fetched water for her—”

She spoke only half her thoughts and didn’t continue.

For a widow to have someone fetch water for her wouldn’t be seen as a good thing in the world’s eyes. With Qiao Zhao’s upbringing, she normally wouldn’t voice such speculation casually, but since it concerned the Qiao family fire, she couldn’t overlook any possibility.

“That is a possibility.” Shao Mingyuan nodded gently.

If someone fetched water when it ran out, naturally there’d be no need to worry about having more or less water.

He gazed at the young lady calmly, analyzing the clues, wanting nothing more than to pull her into his arms and thoroughly ruffle her soft hair.

His girl—how could she be so clever?

“Since the Tofu Beauty’s death wasn’t accidental and occurred on the same day as the Qiao family fire, there might be a connection,” Qiao Zhao said.

“Mm, don’t worry. Since we’re here, we won’t overlook any anomalies. Whether there’s a connection, we’ll investigate shortly.” Shao Mingyuan raised his hand and swept it across Qiao Zhao’s hair. “I’ll look around elsewhere.”

The Tofu Beauty’s home wasn’t large. He walked through every corner and said to Qiao Zhao, “Let’s go out too. Have them all come clean up, and let’s eat first.”

With many hands, the cleaning went quickly. An hour later, the house was completely renewed, and food was served.

“There’s nothing fancy in the village—we’ll make do.” Yang Houcheng was already starving and grabbed a chicken leg with his chopsticks, wolfing it down.

Shao Mingyuan silently took the other chicken leg and placed it in Qiao Zhao’s bowl.

Binglu, standing behind Qiao Zhao, nodded secretly. Knowing how to give her young lady the chicken leg, General Shao was quite considerate.

Thinking this, she glanced at Chi Can curiously.

Young Master Chi had been very fond of her young lady before, but he’d been so quiet lately.

She understood now—it must be that after General Shao and Young Master Chi fought on the boat, the loser withdrew.

Qiao Zhao stared at the chicken leg in her bowl for a moment, then silently began eating.

Forget it—pushing back and forth in front of everyone would be even more embarrassing.

Shao Mingyuan caught sight of the young lady earnestly eating her chicken leg from the corner of his eye and couldn’t help smiling.

He knew it—once he thickened his skin, Zhaozhao had no way to deal with him. With girls like Zhaozhao, you couldn’t reason with them.

The young general, having gained this profound insight, was full of anticipation for the future.

After the meal, Shao Mingyuan stood up: “I want to pay respects to my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”

“So urgent? We haven’t prepared incense, candles, or spirit money yet,” Yang Houcheng said.

“I’ll kowtow before their graves first and hold a proper memorial tomorrow.”

The group walked through the apricot grove, and what appeared before them were the broken walls and ruins left after the great fire.

Shao Mingyuan had been watching Qiao Zhao closely. Seeing her face instantly turn pale, he couldn’t help reaching out to grip her hand tightly.

Qiao Zhao didn’t struggle—all her attention was focused on the tragic scene before her.

Chi Can’s gaze fell on their clasped hands, and he smiled silently.

His Li San was a heartless girl, but Shao Mingyuan’s Zhaozhao was not.

He had lost completely, but this was good too—at least he could finally truly give up.

“Let’s go. I heard from my brother-in-law that father-in-law and mother-in-law rest eternally on the mountain behind the residence.”

Qiao Zhao came back to herself and only then thought to withdraw her hand. Her face pale, she nodded without saying a word.

She was afraid that if she spoke, she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

The group climbed the mountain, and graves large and small appeared before them.

Qiao Zhao’s legs went weak, and she knelt.

Through countless miles and waters, with everything changed, she had finally returned, yet she couldn’t openly call out “Father” or “Mother.” Her grandparents’ graves were even more heartbreaking, overgrown with tall grass.

At this moment, Qiao Zhao forgot to disguise herself, tears streaming down like rain.

Chi Can and Yang Houcheng were startled and couldn’t help exchanging glances.

Shao Mingyuan also knelt and kowtowed nine times heavily before Qiao Zhao’s parents’ graves, silently promising: Father-in-law, mother-in-law, please rest assured. I will protect Zhaozhao for life, sharing life and death with her from now on, never to part.