WSMTATMC C139

Chapter 139

The shop’s main doors were tightly shut, and only after Chen Qingyan had knocked for a long while did they crack open a sliver.

“Master, you’re here!” Tian Ju hurried to pull them wider.

As soon as Chen Qingyan stepped inside, Tian Ju slid the bolt back into place, lest anyone force their way in.

Seeing him, Wang Ying and Lin Sui both moved quickly to the front. “Qingyan—what brings you here?”

“Ah Ying—are you all right?” Chen Qingyan took his hands and looked him over from head to toe.

“I’m fine…” Wang Ying’s face was wan, his soles cold, his body trembling slightly with anger. After selling popsicles for so long, he had never heard of someone being poisoned to death by one!

“What’s going on with the man outside?”

Wang Ying shook his head. “No idea. Not long after we’d opened this morning, shouting broke out outside. At first I thought they were cursing someone else; then Sui went to look—and there was a dead body laid at the door…”

Though the corpse was covered with burlap, Lin Sui had been so terrified his legs nearly gave out.

Wang Ying decided on the spot to have Tian Ju bar the door. No matter how the crowd cursed, they would not go out—wait for the yamen runners to arrive before doing anything.

They waited half an hour—not for bailiffs, but for Chen Qingyan.

Softly, Lin Sui asked from the side, “What should we do now?”

“I’ll go out and explain,” said Chen. “Even if it’s poisoning, there must be evidence. To slap a corpse at our door with no proof—what kind of behavior is that?”

Wang Ying grabbed him at once. “Don’t go. Wait for the authorities.”

“So we’re to let them smear our shop at the door?”

“This isn’t that simple…”

From the sudden commotion a few days ago, to yesterday’s “someone ate our popsicle and had diarrhea”—for which Wang Ying had to pay one string of cash for the fellow to see a physician—to today’s death “by popsicle”… If no one was pulling strings behind the scenes, even a ghost wouldn’t believe it!

Wang Ying clenched his jaw. “If this can’t be resolved, there’s no business left to do anyway! If people start saying Mi Xue Ice Shā kills with poison, who would dare eat it?”

As the saying goes: to cut off a man’s livelihood is like killing his parents. Wang Ying was no soft persimmon to be kneaded at will—push him to the wall and no one would have it easy.

Another quarter-hour, and finally there came the voices of yamen runners outside. “What is all this?”

“Officer—be our judge! I have only this one brother. He was just fine yesterday—ate one of their bamboo-tube popsicles, went home with a stomachache, and even with a physician he couldn’t be saved—poisoned to death, he was! They must have put poison in it!”

Wang Ying could no longer contain his anger. “What proof have you that your brother was poisoned by a popsicle? We sell hundreds, even thousands, every day. Why is it only your brother that died? How do you know he didn’t eat something else and was poisoned by that!”

At that, the youth shut his eyes and began wailing again. “My poor brother… why did you leave so soon… If only you hadn’t eaten that popsicle yesterday, this wouldn’t have happened…”

The onlookers pointed and muttered at Wang Ying. Someone said on purpose: “Didn’t expect poison in these popsicles. Best not eat them again.”

“Right! How else could they sell it so cheap? Iced treats used to be dozens of cash a bowl.”

Wang Ying fixed his gaze on the speaker. If he was not mistaken, the man had also been among those stirring up yesterday’s ruckus!

Several bailiffs eyed Wang Ying up and down. “You’re the proprietor of this shop?”

“I am,” Chen Qingyan cut in first.

Wang Ying looked back at him. “What are you doing?”

Chen whispered at his ear. “I’m a licentiate—I needn’t kneel to officials. You have the head for this—stay outside and find a way.”

“Come with us to the yamen,” the bailiffs said. “This store will be sealed and shut for now. The deceased will be brought for the coroner’s autopsy!”

“Qingyan!” Wang Ying followed anxiously behind.

Chen waved him off. “Don’t worry.”

They took Chen away. The shop was sealed; the corpse borne off. The crowd finally began to disperse.

Wang Ying hadn’t time to despair. He called Tian Ju over and whispered a few words in his ear. “Be careful—just note the address and don’t get spotted.”

“Rest assured, sir—on my way!”

Trailing after Wang Ying, Lin Sui’s eyes brimmed. “Sister-in-law—what are we going to do?”

“Home first—then talk.”

They hurried back. As they stepped into the courtyard, they ran into Chen Qinghuai and Chen Qingsong seeing Liu Changyi out.

Seeing Wang Ying’s pallor and Lin Sui’s tear-streaked face, the two brothers hurried up. “What’s happened?”

Wang Ying took a deep breath. “A group came to make trouble at the shop—claimed someone ate our popsicle and was poisoned to death. The yamen came and took your elder brother away.”

“What?!” Qingsong cried out, startled. “W-what do we do?!”

“Don’t panic,” said Liu Changyi. “I’ll go find my father and ask him to help.”

Though he held an idle post, Master Liu had a powerful elder brother—and his words carried weight at the prefectural yamen.

No time for courtesies—Liu leapt into his carriage. “When there’s news, I’ll send word at once.”

“For now, don’t tell Mother,” Wang Ying said. “She’ll have no solution and will only fret.”

Qingsong nodded. “Then what do we tell her?”

“Say… he was invited to the Liu residence—listening to Elder Lu’s lecture.”

They agreed on their story and went in as if nothing were amiss.

At lunch, Madam Li asked where Qingyan had gone. “Young Master Liu sent for him,” said Wang Ying. “Elder Lu is lecturing. He won’t be back on this rest day.”

“Why didn’t Qinghuai and Qingsong go?”

“They invited us too,” said Qinghuai quickly. “We’ll go tomorrow.”

Madam Li suspected nothing. A son eager to study was a good thing; a mother would not stand in the way.

After the meal, Tian Ju returned and reported at once. “I found the man’s lodging—down a lane off the main street. I marked the gate and came straight back.”

“Good. You and Ma Qianzi keep watch. Wherever he goes, whoever he meets—find out and report.”

“Yes!” Tian Ju ran to fetch Ma Qianzi, and the two set out.

They’d never tailed a man before—but Ma Qianzi was quick-witted. He knew loitering at a doorway would be spotted at once. He made a banner and dressed himself as an itinerant Daoist, while Tian Ju put on a ragged outfit, smeared ash on his face, and played a beggar. In the jumble of main street, they drew no notice.

The man they watched, Wan Liang, was a layabout thug—eating and drinking when he wasn’t gambling.

With a job these days, his purse was easy. All day he lazed at the gambling den; come evening he met friends at a nearby tavern.

The two shadows trailed neither too near nor too far and, once the men were inside, put their ears to the tavern’s wall.

“Brother Liang’s flush today—treating us to drinks!”

“Bah—speak as if I’ve never treated you.”

Truth was, he mostly mooched off others—rare for him to pick up the tab. All were curious.

The four sat at a small table by the window and called for four dishes and a jug of wine.

“What good job do you have lately, Brother Liang? Let your brothers sup a little soup when you eat meat.”

Wan Liang pinched a peanut and narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare to do it, even if there was.”

Their interest piqued, they pressed him to speak.

At first he kept up a front. After a few cups, he spilled the filth of the past days.

“You know that new ‘Mi Xue Ice Shā’ in the city?”

“We do. The bamboo-tube popsicles for ten cash? I bought one. Tastes good.”

Wan Liang smirked. “I’m afraid you won’t get any now.”

“What do you mean?”

“They offended someone. And the man won’t let them sell.”

“Who?”

“You know Wei Linshui?”

“We do—‘Water Rat.’ So Mi Xue’s owner crossed him?”

Wan Liang sipped and said, “He’s selling ice so cheap—how would Boss Wei be happy? It’s smashing his business. He got me and a few others to stir things up. When that didn’t work, he thought of something nastier.

“This morning, had someone haul a corpse to their door and swear it was a popsicle poisoning. Think they can keep trading?”

Outside, two faces stiffened. Tian Ju made to rise, but Ma Qianzi yanked him back, finger to lips—listen.

“A nasty trick,” someone said. “Even if they prove it false, the business is done for.”

That’s the way of rumors—once out, true or not, some will believe; one mouths to ten and ten to a hundred—soon all will say Mi Xue’s popsicles are toxic. Who would buy?

“How much is Boss Wei paying? Still hiring?”

Here Wan Liang shut his mouth. If he introduced others, where was his cut? “Drink and eat.”

The two outside kept their posts until the foursome paid and left, then slipped away.

Back at home, they reported every word to Wang Ying. “He said the name himself—a man called Wei Linshui—deliberately framed our shop!”

Wang Ying ground his teeth. He’d known there was no reason for so many sudden troubles—so it was sabotage.

He’d heard the name—one not to be trifled with, a man who rose by ruthlessness.

No enmity between them, and Wang Ying had not even cut into his ice-block trade—yet the man struck!

“For the next few days, keep on Wan Liang. Any news, bring it to me.”

“Yes!”

—

Elsewhere, the bailiffs led Chen Qingyan into the yamen and placed him in a single-cell holding room; they did not begin the hearing at once.

In the old system, cases followed procedure. In a suspected poisoning, the coroner must first examine the body to determine if death was indeed by poison, what kind, and about how long to death. Only with a definite cause could the next steps proceed. Even fast, this would take three days.

Early the next morning, Liu Changyi came with his father’s pass, bringing not only food but a few books as well.

At the sight of him, Chen rose in surprise. “Changyi—what brings you?”

“I ran into Sister-in-law yesterday and learned they’d taken you in. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Please do carry word to my family—tell them not to worry.”

“Be easy. I’ll go right after this. There’s much that’s suspicious about this case. Father has already spoken at the yamen—they will investigate carefully and not wrong you.”

“Thank you…”

“Come now—what’s there to thank for a word in passing? Besides—soon enough we’ll be one family.”