Chapter Fifty: Chewing Tea Leaves

“Yes, yes, there is indeed something I need to discuss with you in person. But please don’t worry—it has nothing to do with Deng Chun. You don’t need to feel burdened; I simply want to ask a few questions related to Wenrui.” Kang Ge smiled at Wenrui’s father, and without waiting for any further words, he took the initiative to pull a pair of shoe covers from his pocket and slipped them on.

Upon hearing that it had nothing to do with Deng Chun, Wenrui’s father visibly relaxed and hurried to open the door, nodding to them. “Please, come in. I’m truly sorry. With you running around everywhere for my son’s case, I should be more considerate and not keep coming up with excuses. But honestly, our family is in utter chaos at the moment!”

“We completely understand your situation,” Yan Xue assured him. “Don’t worry, we’ll do our best not to add to your burden or cause any trouble.”

When a homicide occurs, the greatest loss is, of course, suffered by the victim—a vibrant life abruptly extinguished. Yet the victim’s suffering ends with death, while for family and friends, the agony and torment truly begin. For this reason, even if the relatives of the deceased are not especially cooperative or their attitude is less than ideal, Yan Xue always tries to be understanding.

This was the first time the two of them had visited Wenrui’s home. Previously, Yan Xue had seen many high-end, branded clothes in Wenrui’s dorm and assumed that, although Gao Yang had mentioned Wenrui’s family was not particularly well-off, it was all relative. After all, their families lived in the same neighborhood; perhaps compared to the Gaos they were average, but compared to others, they must be doing reasonably well.

Based on her own years of renting experience, Yan Xue knew this neighborhood was quite decent—peaceful yet convenient, with spacious grounds and excellent facilities, and well-managed, not the kind of place chosen by those in financial difficulty.

But now, standing in Wenrui’s living room, Yan Xue realized that Gao Yang’s earlier comments were not exaggerated, and Kang Ge’s conclusion had been spot on: Wenrui’s family was perhaps the kind that, having just gnawed on plain steamed bread at home, would wipe their lips with pork rinds before stepping out so they could boast about eating meat till they were sick of it.

Yan Xue already knew that three generations of the Xu family lived together, so she had imagined, based on Gao Yang’s comments, that perhaps five people shared a seventy or eighty square meter apartment—a fairly common arrangement in secondary cities like W City. But Wenrui’s home appeared to be barely over sixty square meters: a clearly remodeled two-bedroom unit.

On the south side, two bedroom doors stood side by side. One was open—Wenrui’s father had just gone in—allowing Yan Xue to see inside and catch a glimpse of…half a window.

Why only half a window? Because it was obvious that a once-spacious bedroom had been split by a partition wall, and since there was only one window, it had been divided down the middle, each of the two new rooms taking half. It looked awkward but at least preserved basic lighting and ventilation.

One of the partitioned rooms was closed. From the open door, Yan Xue could see that two steps inside, a standard double bed already dominated the space, leaving the room feeling cramped.

The apartment was immaculately clean, but the furniture was a chaotic mismatch—not just old or new, but a jumble of odds and ends. The sofa was a solid wood and fabric style, its frame a natural wood color, yet the coffee table before it was a shiny, dark lacquer. In one corner of the living room stood a reddish-brown Chinese-style cabinet.

The walls, after years of habitation, were cracked in several places, some of the paint peeling off entirely to reveal bare plaster beneath, yet no proper repairs had ever been made. This shabby, hasty environment was a striking contrast to the personal items Yan Xue had seen in Wenrui’s dorm.

Before long, Wenrui’s father emerged from a back room, supporting Wenrui’s mother. She looked far more haggard than during their last meeting—hollow cheeks, vacant eyes, sickly and listless. At the sight of Yan Xue and Kang Ge, she forced herself to nod in greeting and then, with her husband’s help, lowered herself onto the small sofa in the living room.

Seeing the mother’s poor condition, both Yan Xue and Kang Ge were alarmed. They had anticipated she might be wan, but hadn’t expected her to be in such a state of collapse. When they’d seen her at the police station, she’d been strong and combative, arguing fiercely with Wenrui’s grandmother, full of spirit. Now, in such a short span, she was utterly broken.

Looking into her empty eyes, the first word that came to Yan Xue’s mind was: “utterly desolate.”

“Let’s keep this brief,” Kang Ge said gently. “We’ll clarify a few key points and won’t take up much of your time.” The sight of Wenrui’s mother moved him deeply. Not long ago, she had been formidable and unyielding. Now, she was almost unrecognizable.

“Yes, of course! Please, ask whatever you need—we’ll do our best to help!” Wenrui’s father responded immediately, nodding gratefully at Kang Ge. “If there’s anything you need to know, don’t hesitate. As long as it helps solve the case, we’ll do whatever’s necessary!”

“We wanted to ask: did Wenrui usually drink tea?” Yan Xue inquired.

“Tea? What kind of tea? You mean the traditional leaves and all that? No, no, these days kids barely touch tea. They all prefer cola, juice, or those instant coffees and milk teas.” Wenrui’s father seemed puzzled by the question, his face full of confusion.

“Nonsense!” Before he could finish, Wenrui’s mother, who had seemed detached and weary, suddenly broke in, glaring at her husband with undisguised reproach. “I’ve told you before you don’t pay enough attention to our son, but you never listen! This is how well you know your own child? Is this how much you care?

Don’t listen to his nonsense. He spends all day out working, never bothers with anything at home, doesn’t even notice if the oil bottle falls over! After all these years, he hasn’t earned much, hasn’t given Wenrui a proper environment, and never cared about anything at home. He doesn’t even know the basics about his own son!

Our Wenrui drinks tea! Not regular green or black tea—he’s not fond of those. It started in his senior year of high school, when his studies were grueling. To help him stay awake and nourish his body, I got a prescription for medicinal tea from an old Chinese doctor. I carefully chose the best ingredients, weighed and packed them myself!

Wenrui always took good care of himself and gave us little cause to worry. He didn’t especially like the taste of herbal tea—it’s strong, even adults don’t enjoy it much—but he knew it was good for him, and he drank it for my sake, knowing I’d spent money and effort. He’d even chew up and swallow the tea leaves so nothing was wasted.”

“Did Wenrui chew the tea leaves occasionally, or almost every time?” Yan Xue’s heart skipped a beat at the answer; suddenly, some confusing questions seemed close to being resolved.

“Most of the time, he didn’t waste anything,” his mother replied, a bit puzzled. “But why are you asking about this?”

“You said Wenrui started drinking the herbal tea you made for him in his senior year. Has he been drinking it ever since, or only sometimes?” Yan Xue ignored the mother’s question, as there was not yet any way to explain.

“He stopped drinking it for a while when he started college. But around his third year, as graduation neared, I felt he was running himself ragged and losing weight, so I bought more ingredients and made the tea again. At first, he didn’t drink much, but later he said he wasn’t feeling well and started drinking it again. It’s been more than half a year now.”

Wenrui’s mother looked bewildered, not understanding Yan Xue’s sudden interest in the medicinal tea. She felt uneasy, even a little offended. “Yes, I made the tea myself, but the prescription came from a reputable old doctor—it’s not something I just made up!”

“Please, calm down! We understand,” Wenrui’s father quickly interjected, trying to soothe her. “This is all for the sake of our child. They’re just being thorough and responsible for Wenrui.”

Her mood eased a little. She pursed her lips and said nothing, shrugging off her husband’s support and heading to the kitchen. Since Wenrui’s accident, she had clearly been tormented, unable to eat or sleep; she walked unsteadily, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Wenrui’s father wanted to follow and support her but hesitated, afraid it would upset her further. Turning to Kang Ge, he managed a bitter, forced smile—one uglier than tears.

Not long after, Wenrui’s mother returned, carrying a small plastic basket in both hands. She walked straight to Yan Xue and shoved it into her arms with a suddenness that belied her previous frailty, startling Yan Xue.

“It’s all here! Take a look! Examine it however you wish, test it however you need!” she said, almost defiantly.

Yan Xue glanced down into the basket. It was filled with a variety of unidentifiable Chinese medicinal herbs, all mixed together and dark in color, giving off a distinct herbal aroma.

“We’ll need to take these back with us,” she said, nodding for Wenrui’s mother to sit down. “We found the same toxin in the tea bags from Wenrui’s dorm. He must have brought them from home, right?”

Wenrui’s mother stared at Yan Xue as if she’d lost her mind, her gaze frozen and her face stone-like, though her body trembled more and more violently.

“Do you need some sedatives or heart medicine?” Kang Ge quietly asked Wenrui’s father.

Wenrui’s father was still reeling from Yan Xue’s words. At Kang Ge’s suggestion, he hurried to get up and fetch medicine for his wife, but before he could stand, she clutched his hand with desperate strength, as if drawing the will to go on from his grasp.

“You’re saying…the herbal tea I made for Wenrui killed him? How could that be?! He was my own son, I’m his mother! What kind of mother could harm her own child? If I could, I’d give my life to bring him back—without a word of complaint!”

“Please don’t get upset. The problem did originate with the tea, but we’re not saying you’re at fault,” Yan Xue tried to calm her.

“What do you mean? You’re saying the tea killed Wenrui, and I made the tea myself! I picked the herbs, dried them, packed them with my own hands! If the tea was the problem, aren’t you saying I’m the problem?” Her voice rose with grief and indignation, tears brimming in her eyes.

Her distress was palpable, but Wenrui’s father seemed to grasp Yan Xue’s intent.

“But the tea was only ever at our home—never taken outside. We handled the drying and packing ourselves. We bought the herbs from a pharmacy, but those people have no grudge against us, no reason at all. And if the prescription were dangerous, surely something would have happened before, but it never did…”

He hesitated, frowning, then suddenly had a thought. “Could the problem have occurred at the university?”

Wenrui’s mother now understood as well. “Yes! The tea and the herbs were never tampered with at home—no outsiders ever come here! The problem must have happened at school! Someone there must have been jealous of Wenrui’s talent and did something terrible to him! And now, with Wenrui gone, they’ll probably spread rumors to ruin his name! You must catch that heartless monster!”