Chapter 347 - 345: Still Has Some Skills (First Update)

Chapter 347: Chapter 345: Still Has Some Skills (First Update)

Not knowing your weight is quite normal, as in ancient times, few adults regularly weighed themselves.

However, the words of the owner of Qinghui Garden caused Xu Jing and Mr. Yao to ponder deeply.

Like an eight or nine-year-old child? Could it be that Mr. Song has dwarfism? In that case, he surely doesn’t weigh much and fits the suspect profile of being between ninety to one hundred pounds!

And that Mr. Qiao also seems to fit the characteristics of the suspect.

No wonder Wang Qilang took just one look at them and brought them both back to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. Although his methods seem unreliable, he has some kind of protocol.

Mr. Yao couldn’t help but look at Xu Jing with resignation and say, "Miss Xu, it seems we have to make a trip to the Ministry of Justice."

However, considering the severity of this case, it should have been handled by the Ministry of Justice from the start. It was only because of the preferences of the Jiang Family and Jiang Zhaoyin that the Western Capital’s yamen got involved.

Whether the people at the Ministry would be willing to cooperate with them and thoroughly investigate this case together is uncertain.

Moreover, it appears that Wang Qilang is quite hostile toward Miss Xu.

When the time comes, they might just say, "It’s under interrogation," making it inconvenient for outsiders to disrupt, thus indefinitely delaying their meeting with Mr. Song and Mr. Qiao.

He even suspected that Wang Shaoqing had rashly taken the two as suspects just to obstruct their investigation!

Naturally, Xu Jing also thought of these scenarios and said calmly, "No need for now, I’ll first ask a few questions to the people here."

Speaking, she looked at the owner and asked, "When Jiang San came here earlier, she met with Mr. Song and Mr. Qiao alone. Do you know what they talked about at that time?"

Although it was said to be a private meeting, Mr. Song and Mr. Qiao are outsiders, so Jiang San could not possibly be in the same room with them alone, just sending her personal maidservant far away and speaking to them alone.

Because her maidservant was quite far from them, although she could see them, she couldn’t hear what they were discussing.

The owner hesitated for a moment and then said, "Since Jiang San is a very important guest for us, I also privately asked Mr. Song and Mr. Qiao, but they said Jiang San wished they wouldn’t repeat what she said to them. However, they did reveal a little, saying Jiang San only asked them a few questions about theater, and actually, they didn’t talk much. Even together, the time Jiang San spent speaking to them didn’t last as long as a cup of tea."

Jiang San’s personal maid had also mentioned this.

Xu Jing nodded and asked, "You’ve collaborated with a woman named Sister-in-law Wu to buy her tofu. Generally, who interacts with Sister-in-law Wu the most?"

This question was previously asked by the people of the Ministry of Justice, so it was much easier to answer. The owner immediately said, "It’s Steward Su from the back kitchen who interacts with Sister-in-law Wu the most. I’ll call him over right away."

In no time, a middle-aged man in his thirties with a large belly led in a very nimble-looking young lad. The man bowed to Xu Jing and Mr. Yao and said, "I am Su Guangfu, greetings to Mr. Yao and Miss Xu. This is Zhang Gui, a servant in the back kitchen. When I’m busy, he’s the one who interacts with Sister-in-law Wu."

Zhang Gui also quickly bowed to Xu Jing and the others.

Xu Jing nodded and asked, "How long have you been working with Sister-in-law Wu?"

"Over three years now. It was initially a manager from another eatery who introduced her to me, mentioning her tofu was excellent, with great craftsmanship and quality ingredients, and when I tried it, it certainly was.

We’re not specialized in catering, and we use tofu just to make some cold dishes or snacks, so we don’t need a large supply. Sister-in-law Wu provides high-quality tofu in small quantities, which fits our needs perfectly."

"Does Sister-in-law Wu always deliver the tofu by herself?"

"Yes, she always pulls it in with a donkey cart, drops off the goods, and leaves, barely chatting with us."

Quickly drops off the goods and leaves?

Xu Jing had a contemplative look and asked, "When does she usually deliver your goods?"

"Although we’re not in the morning market, we open at 9 a.m. Since we’re catering to esteemed guests, some might come to watch plays in the early morning. Everything in the kitchen has to be prepared before opening, so Sister-in-law Wu usually delivers her goods before 7 a.m. (8 a.m.)."

"Were the troupe members there by then?"

Steward Su nodded, "They need to prepare, so of course, they were already there."

"Have you seen if Sister-in-law Wu has any contact with the troupe members, especially with Mr. Song and Mr. Qiao?"

Steward Su immediately looked troubled, "Honestly, I don’t recall, and I can’t confirm if the troupe members even know about Sister-in-law Wu since the troupe stays far from our back kitchen and usually doesn’t come around here.

But I can’t guarantee that Sister-in-law Wu never had contact with them..."

Considering this matter involves life and death, he dared not speak definitively.

Zhang Gui also nodded, "I’m the same as Steward Su, never seen Sister-in-law Wu interacting with the troupe. Not just the troupe, but even with other kitchen staff, she rarely interacts, except maybe chatting a bit with Sun Chef."

Sun Chef?

Xu Jing asked, "Is Sun Chef here today?"

"Yes."

Steward Su replied promptly, "As people from the Ministry of Justice just questioned Sun Chef, I brought her along, and she’s waiting outside."

This Steward Su seemed rather careful and prudent.

Xu Jing immediately said, "Let her in."

Mr. Yao couldn’t help but remark, "Wang Qilang truly deserves his title as a Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, diligently carrying out his duties."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but glance at him.

Wang Qilang indeed has some skill. If he were more focused on his work rather than getting sidetracked by other matters, he could achieve more as a Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Sun Chef quickly came in; she was a plump and kindly-looking woman dressed in a simple green cloth dress, which was slightly tight on her. On approaching them, she seemed somewhat tense, but seeing Xu Jing was a woman, she looked surprised, then visibly relaxed.

Xu Jing got straight to the point, "I heard you often chat with Sister-in-law Wu. What do you usually talk about?"

Sun Chef clasped her hands nervously and said, "Both Sister-in-law Wu and I are widows with sons, so we empathize with each other’s situations. We mainly talk about our sons or daily life, nothing special."

"Has Sister-in-law Wu ever mentioned the troupe here, or has she brought up anything related to the troupe?"