I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

Xiangxi wants to eat some vegetarian steamed buns.

Yang's mother asked Yanzi to prepare the noodles the night before.

Get up early to pack fresh ones.

Xiangxi also got up early and asked Yanzi to knead the dough and roll out the wrappers, while she prepared the filling herself.

Peel and shred the radish, then add salt to draw out some water.

While waiting, cut the fresh tofu you bought earlier into small cubes, heat oil in a pan, and stir-fry until golden brown.

Chop the rice noodles that have been soaked in hot water in advance.

Squeeze out the water from the shredded radish and chop it finely.

Add tofu and glass noodles, along with a handful of dried shrimp and chopped green onions, and season with condiments.

Finally, add a little sesame oil.

"I'll make the steamed buns, you boil the water and cook the millet porridge." Xiangxi assigned the tasks to Yanzi and then sat in the kitchen, skillfully making steamed buns.

Xiangxi was always quick and efficient at work, but after marrying into the Yang family, she didn't have many opportunities to demonstrate her abilities.

When Mingle, the eldest sister-in-law, arrived at the kitchen, the first batch of buns was almost ready.

"What time did you get up? You've almost finished wrapping the dumplings." Mingle helped Xiangxi up from her chair.

"I went to bed early last night, so I couldn't lie in bed this morning." Xiangxi was making steamed buns, and some flour got on her clothes.

"I'll take care of the rest. You go back to your room and change your clothes. Also, call your second brother to get up and eat." Ming Le saw that there wasn't much work left, so there was no need for all three of them to squeeze into the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll go back first."

When Xiangxi returned to the room, Yang Tongchuan had already woken up.

"Making steamed buns is such a hassle, I might as well go to the morning market and buy you a basket." Yang Tongchuan took out a clean set of clothes and helped Xiangxi change into them.

"Making steamed buns isn't tiring. Try them; my vegetarian steamed buns are delicious." Xiangxi kept the doctor's advice in mind, deciding to control her diet and exercise moderately.

When the two arrived at the main hall, the eldest sister-in-law was serving millet porridge to everyone.

"When I brought the steamed buns in just now, your older brother couldn't resist sneaking a bite, saying they were even better than the meat buns outside." As Mingle spoke, she added a spoonful of brown sugar to Xiangxi's millet porridge.

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Xiangxi took her bowl of porridge and sat down to eat with everyone.

The family hadn't even finished their breakfast when someone came to the door.

Niu Sanli arrived carrying a bundle.

"Boss, I'm here." Niu Sanli must have left before dawn, his hair was wet with dew.

"So early? Haven't eaten yet? Yanzi, get Sanli a plate of steamed buns, let's eat first." Yang Tongshan told Yanzi to lead Sanli to the kitchen to eat.

"Is this the lackey you were talking about, brother?" Yang Tongchuan asked his brother.

"Hmm, is it alright?" Yang Tongshan swallowed the last bite of the bun and turned to ask his younger brother's opinion.

"We won't be able to tell anything yet, let's use it first and see."

"That's what I was thinking too. The new shop is opening soon. I was thinking of letting him make do in the storage room at home for the next few days to see if he's a good fit. If he is, I'll let him live in the new shop from now on."

"Yes, Old Man Niu is a very honest man. I hope his youngest son will take after him." After finishing his meal, Yang Tongchuan went to the yamen first.

Yang Tongshan left late, so he asked Niu Sanli to put the package in the storage room. After tidying it up, he took Niu Tongshan out.

"Remember, call me 'Manager' in the shop, don't get it wrong," Yang Tongshan reminded Niu Sanli.

"Yes, I understand."

-------------

Yang Tongchuan arrived at the yamen. Today, he didn't have to patrol the streets, so he stayed in the yamen and dawdled with his colleagues.

Suddenly, the patrolmen rushed back, saying that someone had died at the largest inn in town, Yuexilai.

Officer Wang, along with Yang Tongchuan and the others, immediately rushed to Yuexilai Inn.

The entrance to the inn was already crowded with onlookers.

Two constables were left to maintain order outside, while the rest of the people went upstairs under the manager's guidance.

As soon as Yang Tongchuan opened the door, he smelled a nauseating odor—a strange smell that was a mixture of alcohol, feces, and urine, with a sticky feeling after a night of passion.

The bed curtains were half-drawn, revealing a section of a man's arm.

The constables guarding the area saw Constable Wang and his men enter and hurriedly told them what had just happened.

"We were patrolling nearby when we heard a commotion. When we came over, we saw a disheveled woman rushing out of the inn, shouting that someone was dead. We subdued her and went inside. The man inside was already dead, and there were some incense sticks next to him..."

As the constable was speaking, the town's old coroner also arrived.

When the coroner opened the bed curtains, he saw that the man lying on the bed was probably around thirty years old, barely clothed, and his lower body was covered in excrement from incontinence.

The man had no external injuries, only a few very faint red marks on his chest, as if he had been scratched before he died.

The man's eyes were still open, his lips were frothy, and his complexion was frighteningly bluish-purple.

The manner of their death was extremely gruesome.

The coroner examined the body carefully, and the results wouldn't be available for a while.

Officer Wang, along with Yang Tongchuan and several others, first went to interrogate the woman who was being held in the woodshed.

This woman is a prostitute. Last night, the waiter from the shop went to her, saying that he had a customer, so she came over.

This inn was doing good business, with many out-of-town guests. The owner then started having crooked ideas, often acting as a pimp for guests in need, finding them women.

Chief Constable Wang knew about this.

As long as nothing serious happens, he always turns a blind eye to the gifts he receives.

"This old man is very generous, but he demands a lot of things, and the women who serve him all want to stay overnight." The woman was already dressed and was trembling.

"What do you mean? Were there other women besides you last night?"

"No, I was alone last night. That's what my buddy said. This guy is hard to please. He's been staying in the room for a few days and has been seeing women every day. Every morning, the women who come out of the room have legs that are weak."

Yang Tongchuan was speechless. What kind of mess was this?

"Where did the wine in that room come from?" Chief Constable Wang asked about every detail of the scene.

"I don't know, he was already drinking when we arrived."

"Have you had it?"

"I drank it."

"How much did you drink?"

"I don't remember."

"What's the deal with those romantic scented diffusers?"

"He ordered it, not me." The woman felt she was about to be blamed.

When did you find out he was dead?

While Officer Wang asked questions, Yang Tongchuan took notes.

"This morning, after he woke up, he wouldn't let me leave, insisting on doing it again, so I gave in. But after a short while, he started having seizures, and I was terrified. I tried to push him away to call for help, but he suddenly became very heavy, and I couldn't get any strength in him." The woman's eyes began to show fear.

"Later, when I pushed him away, his eyes stopped moving. I touched his nose, and he stopped breathing. I..." The woman couldn't continue, as if she had been terrified.

At this point, the constables who remained at the crime scene found the deceased's travel permit (travel permit: equivalent to "pass + identity document", issued by the authorities to people traveling abroad).

Upon inspection, Constable Wang recognized the man as Dong Xingzhi, who was likely a traveling merchant who frequently traveled between the interior and the outside world to conduct business.

But when he saw the section for relatives below, Officer Wang's eyes widened in surprise.

Yang Tongchuan sensed something was wrong and glanced at him discreetly.

In the section for family and relatives, his ex-wife's name, Lin Yujun, was clearly written: Lin Yujun.

Constable Wang glanced awkwardly at Yang Tongchuan, who gave a helpless, bitter smile.

At this moment, the old coroner finished his autopsy and came to the conclusion that homicide had been ruled out; the person died of a sudden stroke.