Chapter 971 - 500: Official Launch of the Cold Case Investigation (3)

Director Hou quickly waved his hand after hearing that, responding with sincere expressions: "Mr. Lu, there’s no need to be so formal. We all know your character well—always upright and clean. This impression has long been rooted in our minds."

At this moment, Director Lu had already taken out a package of loose tea wrapped in cotton paper from the small fridge inside.

As soon as the paper was opened, a faint and elegant tea fragrance wafted out.

Director Lu boiled warm water with an electric kettle and gently placed the tea leaves into the white porcelain pot.

After the water cooled slightly from boiling, he slowly poured it in, allowing the tea leaves to gradually unfurl in the pot.

After waiting quietly for about five minutes, he picked up the fair cup and evenly divided the clear tea infusion into small cups in front of the three people, gesturing with a smile: "Come, give it a taste. See if the tea suits your palate?"

Director Hou and Jiang An raised their cups simultaneously, first observing the color, then gently smelling it, before sipping lightly.

Director Hou put down his teacup, nodding to praise: "It’s truly good tea, with a refined aroma, smooth entrance, pleasant aftertaste, and not a hint of bitterness."

Jiang An also nodded with a smile.

After two rounds of tea, Director Lu lightly placed the teacup on the table and turned serious: "Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, today’s case greatly benefited from your guidance."

"Some ideas and methods mentioned in the meeting today, honestly, I’ve heard them for the first time—truly eye-opening."

Director Hou slightly turned his body, glanced at Jiang An beside him, and shook his head with a smile: "Mr. Lu, you should not thank me."

"If we talk about credit, it belongs to Mr. Jiang. Although I participated in some discussions in the early stages of this case, the viewpoints Jiang An raised today are indeed novel, even inspiring me."

Hearing the praise from the two leaders, Jiang An felt slightly embarrassed and quickly bowed his hand.

"Mr. Lu, Director Hou, you both flatter me."

"I’ve not been in criminal investigation work for many years, with shallow experience, and the roads I’ve walked might not be as many as the bridges you’ve crossed."

Director Hou laughed heartily, with a warm and encouraging tone: "Mr. Jiang does not need to be overly modest. Heroes emerge from youth since ancient times; we older ones inevitably have stereotyped thinking and lack the energy of our younger days."

"Young people like you are different, with drive and fresh perspectives. The future burdens will rely on you to carry."

He paused briefly and then looked at Director Lu: "Speaking of this, he’s the only one in the homicide assault team who deduced a new path from the ’fourth-week clue.’ Even the Chief greatly praised him."

Director Lu, upon hearing this, immediately smiled and gave a thumbs up in earnest agreement: "Indeed! Today’s meeting shows that the Chief truly has keen insight, picking a capable cadre. With new blood like Mr. Jiang joining, there’s great hope for a breakthrough in this case!"

Director Hou also nodded with a smile: "Hopefully."

"If this case can indeed be solved smoothly, our trip here wouldn’t have been in vain."

"After all, the time dragged on so long, and it truly should give the deceased’s family an explanation in both sentiment and duty."

After saying this, he and Jiang An fell silent for a moment, and their expressions grew grave and deep.

Director Lu sighed gently and picked up the conversation: "You’ve really touched the critical point."

"Since the case happened, the two deceased have not yet been laid to rest."

Director Hou and Jiang An were both stunned by this, almost speaking simultaneously: "Have the bodies not been cremated yet?"

Director Lu shook his head, his tone carrying a sense of helplessness: "The family’s attitude is extremely firm, insisting that only by identifying the real culprit, they would allow their loved ones to be buried."

"Beyond emotional perseverance, there are actual practical challenges involved—such as the cost of preserving the bodies."

"We are actively coordinating with the civil affairs department to strive for some reductions."

"You know as well, the mortuary fees are not cheap, and the cost of storing a body for one day can be more than staying in a five-star hotel overnight."

Jiang An nodded deeply feeling the impact: "It is truly the case."

"Previously, in Jiangcheng, we had a similar situation where a family couldn’t agree on work injury compensation and the body was kept at the mortuary for a long time, eventually accruing preservation fees of hundreds of thousands."

"Ah, indeed," Director Lu’s expression grew heavy, "so now we face dual pressure. As police, solving the case quickly is the basic duty we owe to our uniforms; yet from a humanitarian perspective, we also hope to allow the deceased to rest in peace soon, and liberate the family from prolonged suffering, returning to normal life."

After finishing, he turned to retrieve a neatly bound dossier from the office desk, handing it over: "This is the case’s supplementary document that I specifically asked someone to find for you to take back and study carefully."

Director Hou took it and swiftly browsed the cover, saying: "I have understood the case before, Jiang An can spend more time delving into it."

Jiang An took the dossier and slowly flipped it open.

The contents of the dossier didn’t appear thick, with the first few pages showing photos of the crime scene.

His gaze landed on the first photo—an image of the front entrance of the deceased’s home.

Moments later, Jiang An raised his head to ask: "Director Lu, when we first entered the scene at that time, were the doors and windows intact?"

Director Lu immediately replied: "Yes, the locks were undamaged with no signs of tampering, and no blood was found on the door panels."

Jiang An asked: "In rural areas, generally speaking, the courtyard gates should be locked at night, how did the perpetrator enter? Could it be that the deceased opened the door themselves?"

Saying this, Director Lu himself fell into contemplation, lowering his voice as he continued: "Their courtyard walls are relatively low, in theory an adult could climb over."

"So, whether the deceased voluntarily opened the door to let the perpetrator in or the perpetrator deliberately left the door open after committing the crime, until now... it remains uncertain."