Chapter 348 - 346: Overlooked Details (Second Update)

Chapter 348: Chapter 346: Overlooked Details (Second Update)

Sun Chef shook her head, "No, in my opinion, Sister-in-law Wu devoted herself entirely to her son. She paid little attention to anything else besides him, let alone the theater troupe.

But her son is promising, having passed the scholar exam. My child isn’t as successful as hers. Recently, she often mentioned her son’s plans to enter the spring exams next year and his impending marriage. Sister-in-law Wu isn’t as laid back as I am; she often gets anxious over trivial matters, affecting her mood. But I noticed she was in good spirits lately, so hearing she committed suicide is truly unbelievable..."

"The day Sister-in-law Wu passed away, she brought tofu to Qinghui Garden. Did she say anything to you that day?"

"Yes, she mentioned that the next time her son was coming home on leave was soon, and she planned to cook an old hen for him for nourishment. But I was busy that day, so we didn’t talk much."

Xu Jing frowned slightly and exchanged a secret glance with Mr. Yao.

Based on the questioning, it seemed Sister-in-law Wu really had no connection with the theater troupe at Qinghui Garden.

It became more evident that it was impossible Sister-in-law Wu took her own life.

Supposing she had secret ties with the theater troupe would be a stretch, and currently, there is no direct evidence to support it.

Mr. Yao said, "We’ve finished our questions. If you recall anything else related to Sister-in-law Wu, please report it to the Western Capital’s yamen immediately."

Sun Chef acknowledged quickly, bent slightly to bid farewell with a salute, but her face changed slightly, and she seemed to freeze. She performed the rest of the strange salute and was about to leave.

However, when her expression changed, Xu Jing was already watching her closely. He then asked, "Wait a moment, Sun Chef. I recall that work in the kitchen is busy and tedious. Sometimes, when it’s hectic, one wishes they could split into three people. Therefore, kitchen workers usually choose somewhat looser clothes to allow more movement, yet today, I noticed you wore a clearly ill-fitting outfit. Could you tell me why?"

Her saluting movements were odd when she entered and left, but at first, Xu Jing thought it was due solely to nervousness upon seeing them. But her exit salute was even stranger, and paired with her slightly tight outfit, Xu Jing immediately realized the issue.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing slightly tight clothes, but being restrictive to the point of hampering movement is abnormal for a chef.

Mr. Yao was surprised and looked at Xu Jing. Although he too noticed something off about Sun Chef, he thought little of it. He was accustomed to commoners being nervous around them and overlooked this detail for a moment.

Sun Chef paused, unsettlingly. She said, "My son has been away on business for a long time. Recently, there was an avalanche at the place he went to. Many caravans that left before him returned, but he hadn’t come back yet. I was very worried, so I went to pray at a shrine outside the city. A few days ago, he finally returned safely, and I wanted to thank Buddha for protecting my son. I usually like bright-colored clothes, but I thought it inappropriate to wear such attire when praying, so I wore this old, ill-fitting outfit."

She rarely prayed to Buddha or deities. Being widowed young, she single-handedly raised her son, always trusting in her own hands over anything else.

If her son hadn’t been away for so long, she wouldn’t have resorted to praying.

"Praying to Buddha?" Xu Jing paused, a thought flashing through his mind, before he took a sharp breath and asked, "Did you pray at Jingyuan Temple?"

Sun Chef was startled and looked at Xu Jing in surprise, "How did you know?!"

Xu Jing’s mind suddenly cleared. She exhaled slowly, "Was that place recommended to you by Sister-in-law Wu?"

Sun Chef’s mouth gaped, taking a long time before saying, "Madam, you... you must be a Bodhisattva!"

How did she know everything?!

Hearing Sun Chef’s words, Mr. Yao had guessed it as well, his expression darkening, "Did Sister-in-law Wu visit Jingyuan Temple often?"

Unexpectedly, there was a connection between Jiang San and Sister-in-law Wu through Jingyuan Temple!

Sun Chef unconsciously glanced at Mr. Yao, then back at Xu Jing, answering, "Yes, Sister-in-law Wu is very different from me, as she devoutly believes in Buddha. She often visits Jingyuan Temple and speaks highly of the efficacious deities there. When her son was taking the local exams, she prayed there, and he succeeded! That’s why I thought of praying at Jingyuan Temple when I was anxious recently."

Mr. Yao asked, "Do you know how long Sister-in-law Wu has been going to Jingyuan Temple?"

Sun Chef thought for a moment, "It must be less than three years. I recall her saying she used to frequent Famen Temple to the north of Western Capital."

Mr. Yao was taken aback, "Why did she suddenly change her place of worship?"

Devotion often emphasizes sincerity. Usually, people won’t easily switch places of worship once they’ve chosen one.

Of course, some may hear of a temple’s unique blessings and visit during specific times, but from Sun Chef’s description, Sister-in-law Wu seemed to have entirely abandoned Famen Temple for Jingyuan Temple.

Sun Chef hesitated for a while before saying, "Actually, I’m just guessing. If I’m wrong, I plead for your forgiveness. I always felt Sister-in-law Wu might have had some unpleasant experiences, making her averse to men. She’s never said this outright, but I can tell she becomes especially anxious and uneasy around the men here. Once, we had a large tofu order, and Zhang Gui wanted to help her carry it. His hand was still far from hers, yet she was frightened enough to drop the entire plate of tofu...

But that only happened once. Sister-in-law Wu has never openly stated her dislike for men, but it’s just a feeling I have."

Mr. Yao was utterly surprised to uncover this information and glanced at Xu Jing.

Xu Jing’s lips twitched slightly, "Do you think Sister-in-law Wu changed her place of worship due to that incident?"

"That’s what I believe, my lord."

"According to you, did Sister-in-law Wu not have such strong aversion towards men before?"

Sister-in-law Wu must have changed noticeably for Sun Chef to sense this.

Sun Chef nodded, somewhat uneasily, "Yes, Sister-in-law Wu has delivered tofu here for over three years, and I’ve known her for this long too. Though she was always reserved from the start, she was far less anxious and uneasy around Steward Su and Zhang Gui in the beginning.

But, of course, this is just my perception—others might not have noticed, and it could be that I’ve sensed it wrongly..."

Worried about being implicated, she quickly added that last part.