I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: The Dismemberment Case

“You’re lying; I don’t look like that.” Xiang Xi still had some self-awareness. The person in the painting was as delicate and fair as a fairy—how could it possibly be him?

“Isn’t it just that my portraiture skills are limited? But the spirit and charm are very similar. Look, this tiny mole on the neck—isn’t it in the exact same spot as yours?”

Xiang Xi had never even noticed he had a small mole on the back of his neck; he only knew that when Yang Tongchuan was feeling passionate, he loved to catch that spot and nibble on it.

“And this one.” Yang Tongchuan picked up another one: “Beauty Emerging from the Bath.”

“Look at this tub, look at the background—isn’t this our house? I help you bathe every day; surely you recognize your own bathtub?” Yang Tongchuan was eager to prove his devotion.

“Furthermore, this one…” Yang Tongchuan gathered the drawings, intending to explain them one by one.

“Is it… is it really me?” Xiang Xi realized he might have truly misunderstood Yang Tongchuan.

“If not you, then who? Always overthinking things.” Seeing that Xiang Xi had stopped crying, Yang Tongchuan felt at ease.

However, Xiang Xi’s habit of feeling insecure and prone to worry needed to change; otherwise, it would drain his spirit and lead to illness from suppressed anxiety.

“How could you draw such… scandalous things?” Xiang Xi looked closer at the content of the drawings.

Is this what Husband truly wants? I can’t do that!

“How is this scandalous? What I drew isn’t even as vulgar as those ‘instructional’ books tucked away at the bottom of your dowry chest. I call this ‘expressing emotion through the brush.'”

“How did you know about…” Xiang Xi’s face turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

“Heh, I’ve been attending to your dressing and washing every day lately. Is there anything in your chest I don’t know about? Little dummy, don’t forget what your husband does for a living.” Yang Tongchuan suddenly regained his swagger.

Xiang Xi was no match for Yang Tongchuan in an argument. He felt himself being talked into a corner again.

Yang Tongchuan pulled Xiang Xi into his arms. He had been “celibate” for three months, and looking at these “old works” today had left him feeling a bit restless.

“The doctor said if we’re careful now, it’s alright. What do you think?” Yang Tongchuan’s hands began to wander.

Xiang Xi felt a bit ticklish, but while he didn’t have much desire himself, he didn’t know how to say no.

“I’m afraid of hurting the baby,” Xiang Xi said worriedly.

“I won’t. I’ll be very, very careful. I won’t be greedy.” Yang Tongchuan felt his self-control was up to the task.

Xiang Xi touched his stomach, which didn’t show much yet, and leaned against Yang Tongchuan.

Later, Yang Tongchuan was a man of his word, keeping his strength in check. Though not entirely satisfied, he at least got a “taste” and wouldn’t go hungry.

Spring brings drowsiness, autumn brings fatigue, and summer brings mid-day naps.

Lately, everyone at the yamen (government office) had been feeling sluggish. Those coming to report cases brought nothing but trivial neighborhood squabbles. The most serious case involved someone’s chicken flying into a neighbor’s yard and being eaten.

No big cases meant no extra perks or rewards, and Yang Tongchuan was getting a bit anxious.

Today, it wasn’t Yang Tongchuan’s turn to patrol the streets, so he stayed at the yamen to kill time. Suddenly, the grievance drum at the gate thundered. Someone was reporting a crime, shouting that a life had been lost at the docks.

Work had just begun at the docks this morning, and laborers were busy unloading cargo. The first ship carried tea and porcelain from the south; the unloading went quickly at first. After the tea was moved, the workers noticed a strange smell on the ship, like a dead rat.

When they got to the porcelain at the back, there was a massive, man-sized floor vase encased in a wooden frame. It was exceptionally heavy, and when moved, there was a distinct sloshing sound of water inside.

Sensing something was wrong and fearing responsibility, the worker reported it. Uncle Chen came to handle it and confirmed the large vase did indeed contain liquid. He had the workers move the vase to the edge of the ship and slowly tilt it over to drain the water.

As it tilted, black, foul-smelling water poured out of the mouth of the vase and into the river.

Suddenly, with a plop, a dark, furry object fell into the water.

Uncle Chen initially thought it was a black cat that had fallen in, couldn’t get out, and died. But upon closer inspection, it was actually a human head that had already begun to decompose.

The yamen constables arrived at the docks upon hearing the report, and Yang Tongchuan followed. The rotting head had been fished out and placed on the dockside. The large porcelain vase that held it sat nearby.

Head Constable Wang took Yang Tongchuan to talk to Uncle Chen, the dock manager, and the ship’s captain to understand the situation. The decomposed head’s features were unrecognizable, but based on skeletal characteristics, they guessed it was a woman.

The ship’s captain had come from Suzhou/Hangzhou. After unloading here, he planned to continue north to Liaodong to pick up furs and ginseng. He had only stopped at this county because an old customer had placed an order, and he needed to replenish supplies.

“Who is the buyer of this large porcelain vase?” Yang Tongchuan asked while taking notes.

“It’s the Yinghui Porcelain Gallery in the west of the city.” The ship captain was terrified of these incidents; not only was it bad luck, but it delayed his schedule.

The constables split into groups to take action. One group went to investigate the identity of the deceased, while the other followed the porcelain buyer’s lead to see if they could find any useful information.

By the time Yang Tongchuan finished his work and returned home, he had missed dinner. Fearing that “unclean things” might clash with Xiang Xi and the unborn child, he specifically bathed with mugwort at the yamen before coming home.

Xiang Xi had long since set aside dinner for his husband, keeping it warm on the stove.

“What did you do today? Why did you bathe outside?” Xiang Xi had a keen nose; he smelled the scent of soap and mugwort on Yang Tongchuan.

Yang Tongchuan didn’t dare lie, fearing Xiang Xi would overthink it, so he told him what happened at the docks.

“Then… are my brothers okay?” Xiang Xi hadn’t expected such a terrifying thing to happen at the docks.

“They’re fine. It’s just that I’m afraid this case isn’t something we can handle.” Yang Tongchuan was just a lowly junior constable; he had never handled a major case this serious.

That night, the teams met at the yamen to exchange information. They reached a chilling conclusion: the female victim was likely not a local. It was highly probable she was murdered and dismembered somewhere along the merchant ship’s route, and her head was dumped into the vase.

Where was the original crime scene? Where was the rest of the body? What was the motive? How was the body disposed of? None of these were questions a small-town constable like Yang Tongchuan could easily solve.

The County Magistrate planned to send official documents to the yamen of the previous port where the captain had loaded his cargo, hoping for a joint investigation. However, based on Yang Tongchuan’s years of experience “fishing in troubled waters,” this case would likely end up as a cold case.

The turning point came half a month after the documents were sent. The yamen from the actual crime scene sent a team to Changxing County, requesting Yang Tongchuan and the others to assist in the investigation.

Constable Wang took Yang Tongchuan to receive them and kept him as the local liaison to help the visiting team investigate the case locally.