It was past eight o’clock in the evening. The shops lining the streets had long since shuttered.

At the far end of Zhong Chang Street there was a small courtyard—modest in size, with four rooms of flat-roofed housing at the back.

A flat-bed cart stood in the yard, loaded with raw herbal materials. More medicinal herbs were piled across the surrounding ground. Even before reaching the entrance, one could already smell the heavy, pervasive scent of traditional medicine carried on the air.

The lights in the flat rooms had already gone out. The occupants were asleep.

Urgent knocking broke the quiet of the night—one sharp blow after another, each strike tightening the nerves of whoever heard it.

A light came on in one of the rooms. After a moment, someone came out wearing a sleeveless, front-fastening cloth jacket, grumbling as he walked. “Who is it—do you have any idea what time it is?”

A voice outside called out, “Medical consultation.”

“I sell herbal materials here. I don’t see patients,” the man replied.

“It’s urgent. Please open up.” The person outside sounded genuinely pressed.

Reluctantly, the man unlatched the iron door.

The moment it swung open, two figures swept in and pinned him to the ground. Cold handcuffs snapped around his wrists.

He struggled against the ground. “What is this? What are you doing?”

The beam of a flashlight fell across his face. He screwed his eyes shut against the glare, wrenching his head to one side.

“Ma Tao. We meet again.”

The man pressed to the ground was none other than Xiaoqiu’s brother, Ma Tao.

Inside the house, Xiaoqiu had heard the commotion. She opened her door, and at the sight of officers crowding the courtyard, she let out a terrified scream.

Bai Jin stepped forward and cuffed her as well.

“Miss, don’t shout. Come with us to the Military Police Bureau.”

Xiaoqiu trembled uncontrollably, her face drained of color as she stared at Bai Jin.

Shi Ting walked through the four-room flat. The middle space served as kitchen and dining area. The two rooms on the south side were bedrooms—one for Xiaoqiu, one for Ma Tao. And in the room to the east, there was a bed made up with a white sheet. Printed on the sheet were the words “Shun Cheng First Hospital Inpatient Ward”—though several characters had worn away with use.

That same room also held a collection of medical instruments, all of which should have been kept sterile but were instead left exposed to open air, blanketed under a thick layer of dust.

E’Yuan applied reagent around the bed frame and found traces of residual blood. On the flat cart outside, blood traces were discovered as well, and a nail head was found with fabric fibers caught on it.

In Xiaoqiu’s room, Bai Jin found a school uniform skirt, a pair of white leather shoes, and a pair of nylon stockings—all washed clean and carefully stored in a box.

A comparison with photographs confirmed these were the victim Cailing’s belongings.

Ma Tao and Xiaoqiu were taken back to the Military Police Bureau.

Xiaoqiu was badly shaken—she curled in on herself, shaking, unable to speak a word. She was unrecognizable from the sharp-tongued girl she had been before.

Ma Tao, by contrast, dropped his head and, after drinking a cup of water, found his voice.

“I didn’t kill anyone,” he said.

Shi Ting looked at this studious-looking young man. “You worked at the First Hospital. You were dismissed for performing an unauthorized operation on a patient.”

“I had bad luck.” Ma Tao sighed. “Other doctors get away with the same thing. I was the one who got stuck with an unlucky patient.”

“You had been responsible for medication distribution, so after being let go, you turned to selling herbal materials.” Shi Ting had caught the scent of medicine on him the very first time they met.

“That’s right.”

“Cailing came to you through Xiaoqiu’s introduction, didn’t she.”

At the sound of Cailing’s name, Xiaoqiu’s body jolted. Tears began to fill her eyes.

Ma Tao’s head sank lower. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“Tell me everything. How did Cailing die?” Shi Ting placed a cigarette on the table in front of him.

Ma Tao took it, drew two long drags, and then began to recount the events.

Cailing and Hu Yang had been in a relationship for two years.

Hu Yang was devoted, but Cailing had grown restless. She frequently told Xiaoqiu and Nannan that she couldn’t spend her whole life tied to one man—there was a whole world out there.

Xiaoqiu urged her to reconsider. Hu Yang was a good person with a solid family background. Staying with him meant a stable future and a comfortable life.

When Cailing’s cat went missing, she was frantic. She searched everywhere with no success. One day she spotted an advertisement on a telegraph pole for a detective agency—full of extravagant claims, promising that no case was beyond the detective’s abilities.

Cailing went to the agency. Long Yue agreed to find her cat. And Cailing fell for Long Yue at first sight.

The lovestruck Cailing began visiting Long Yue constantly. She had stopped caring about the cat—she wished it would never be found so she would always have an excuse to see Long Yue.

She confided in Xiaoqiu about her white knight and swore her to secrecy. Xiaoqiu tried to talk sense into her: hold onto Hu Yang—this white knight business is a fantasy, and besides, just because you’ve fallen for someone doesn’t mean they feel the same way.

Cailing refused to listen. She continued visiting the detective agency, and at the same time, she told Hu Yang she wanted to break up. Hu Yang went from desperate pleas to angry arguments.

Cailing’s mind was made up. She ignored Hu Yang’s entreaties entirely. And just as she was preparing to boldly pursue her white knight, she discovered she was pregnant.

The child was Hu Yang’s. She was furious—she no longer loved him, and felt only revulsion at the thought of carrying his child. Its existence would be an obstacle to everything she hoped for.

Cailing went to Xiaoqiu in desperation. She couldn’t go to a proper hospital—records would be kept, and it would come to light.

Under Cailing’s repeated pleading, Xiaoqiu mentioned that her brother Ma Tao had worked in a hospital and had performed surgery on patients before. She offered to go home and ask whether he could perform the procedure.

Ma Tao had just suffered a significant business loss at the time. Money was tight, and the new school term was approaching, which meant he would soon need to pay Xiaoqiu’s tuition. Hearing that Cailing needed a procedure, he proposed a condition: he would do it, but all the instruments would need to be purchased by Cailing herself. Cailing agreed immediately, handing over all the money she had saved.

Ma Tao did not use the money to buy surgical instruments. Instead, he used the rusted knives and scissors he already had at home.

Ma Tao had never performed this kind of procedure before. The day prior, he had found a book and crammed what he could. When Cailing asked him before the operation whether there was any risk, he had sworn to her that it would go smoothly.

The outcome was, of course, inevitable. The moment an unqualified man with no surgical experience made his first incision, the tragedy was already decided.

Cailing hemorrhaged severely during the procedure and quickly stopped breathing. Ma Tao panicked. He recalled from the book something about cardiac compression as a resuscitation measure—and that such a procedure required the patient’s airway to be clear. He reached for the scissors nearby and cut the ties of her undergarment to reduce restriction.

His attempts at resuscitation did not save her. Cailing died on his makeshift operating bed.

When Xiaoqiu returned home, Ma Tao was still sitting slumped at the bedside, his eyes vacant.

Upon discovering that Cailing was dead, Xiaoqiu was devastated. Ma Tao told her that Cailing had died of hemorrhage. He said that if her parents found out, he would certainly be shot.

Fearing her brother would be executed, Xiaoqiu helped Ma Tao wrap the body in the sheet and tie both ends with rope.

Ma Tao thought of the Xishan Reservoir, where he often went fishing. He placed the body on the herb cart and transported it to the reservoir under cover of night.

To prevent the body from surfacing, he bound a large stone to it and sank it to the bottom.

But because the body had been placed too close to the shoreline, decomposition gases eventually caused it to drift toward the bank—where it was discovered.

After returning home, Ma Tao cleaned the room and replaced the sheet with another. These sheets had been ones he casually took home during his time at the hospital—a moment of petty pilfering that ultimately led the Military Police Bureau straight back to him.

Xiaoqiu was terrified about Cailing’s death. She carefully washed and stored the skirt, shoes, and stockings Cailing had taken off before the procedure—because she genuinely liked Cailing’s shoes.

To avoid drawing suspicion, she returned to school as usual, pretending alongside Nannan to search for Cailing.

The law reaches far, and its weave lets nothing through. Four days after Cailing’s death, Xiaoqiu and Ma Tao faced the consequences of their actions.

Ma Tao was convicted of causing death through unlicensed medical practice and sentenced to twenty years’ imprisonment. Xiaoqiu was convicted of being an accessory after the fact and sentenced to five years.

Afterward, Yan Qing explained the strange features that had been puzzling them about the body: because Cailing had died from hemorrhage during the procedure, flies were drawn to the blood—which explained why the decomposition of her lower body had been significantly more advanced.

Perhaps Ma Tao and Xiaoqiu had not set out with malicious intent. But ignorance and greed led them to make one mistake after another, until the consequences became irreversible.

~

By the end of August, the heat in Shun Cheng had not yet broken. The kerosene fan droned from morning to night inside the house.

Yan Qing was feeding the parrot when Father came in, his expression noticeably bright.

“Father, is there good news?” Yan Qing turned her wheelchair around.

The parrot called out behind her, “Master, good morning!”

Father laughed. “You clever bird—always knowing the right thing to say.”

He settled into a chair. “Your father finalized a significant deal recently. Payment and goods have both been settled, and Mr. Zhao has indicated he’d like to continue working together going forward.”

“What was it you sold this time, Father?”

“White medicinal herb.” Father said. “It isn’t widely cultivated yet—the growing conditions are extremely demanding. In this country, it’s produced in significant quantities only in Yun Dian. Securing this shipment required a great deal of effort and no small number of connections. But in the end, all parties are satisfied.”

Yan Qing poured him a cup of tea. “Father, with regional warlords quietly competing and stockpiling resources everywhere, all waiting for the moment to strike—White medicine is a wound treatment. Demand for it in wartime is enormous. Have you looked carefully into this Mr. Zhao you’ve been dealing with?”

“I have.” Father nodded with warm approval at Yan Qing’s foresight. “Your father considered this as well. White medicine is no ordinary commodity—transactions involving it naturally call for caution. Mr. Zhao’s background is clean. He’s a native of Shun Cheng, and he’s planning to open a chain of pharmacies in Qian Guan Cheng. He also purchased other medicinal materials, not just the white medicine—so there’s no cause for concern.”

“If Father has already looked into it, I’m reassured.” Yan Qing smiled. “I trust Father’s judgment.”

Father picked up a book lying nearby. “You haven’t seen much of Shi Guang lately?”

“No.”

Shi Guang had sent gifts twice, but Yan Qing had returned them both.

“I know you’re not willing yet, but you’re a woman—and finding a good match is what matters in the long run. Whether you like him or not, you will have to marry him eventually.”

“Father, stay for dinner tonight. I’ll make bamboo shoot and salt-cured pork for you.” Yan Qing had no desire to continue the conversation about Shi Guang and quickly changed the subject.

“Now that does sound appealing.” Father laughed heartily.

After going to the small kitchen, Yan Qing called Dihuai over and handed him a slip of paper. “Ask Director Shi to look into this for me—find out who exactly this Mr. Zhao is.”