Tiger Police

Chapter 573 Dumplings
Tang Yuan was right.

Making dumplings requires skill.Especially the appearance is very important.In the northern saying: good-looking dumplings are delicious.

The leftover dumplings in the bowl are crooked. It feels like stuffing the stuffing and kneading the two sides of the dumpling skins together... Although this is a necessary process for making dumplings, kneading is very technical, especially the sides of the dumplings. If done ingeniously, two dumplings will form a beautiful flower when put together belly to belly.

Tang Yuan raised his head and looked at Hu Pingtao: "When I was in the hospital, I heard from Cao Zhong that his wife made the dumplings last night. It seems that his wife is really not very good at making pasta."

Hu Pingtao explained: "Because I usually eat less, I don't have the opportunity to make dumplings. Making dumplings is the same as cooking. To put it bluntly, practice makes perfect. So whether it was Cao Zhong's son's request yesterday, or Cao Zhong's wife's experience in making dumplings, Their performance proves that they seldom eat dumplings."

"You were right about one thing just now: to save trouble, if the family wants to eat dumplings, whether you or I will choose to buy them outside."

"Actually, Cao Zhong is the same. If only his son wants to eat, Cao Zhongda can go to the store outside and buy a copy. Because his affection for his son is obviously deeper than that for his two daughters. To put it bluntly, he is patriarchal. The problem is that his son and two daughters both said they wanted to eat, and they were face-to-face, so it was difficult to favor one over the other, so Cao Zhong simply threw the problem to his wife and asked her to solve it."

Tang Yuan didn't quite agree with this, he frowned and asked, "Boss, why are you so sure?"

"Because Cao Zhong doesn't have much money." Hu Pingtao explained: "The reason why I started talking about the house just now is to provide circumstantial evidence for this matter. Having money can really solve many problems! Since Cao Zhong and his wife I don't even have any special interest in dumplings, as an adult, I must give it to the children first."

"Cao Zhong's patriarchal thinking is very serious. If there is any delicious food, he must give it to his son first, and his daughter will not be able to take care of it for the time being."

"But there is a prerequisite for all kinds of behaviors: if there are three identical good things, Cao Zhong must distribute them equally to the three children. So when conditions permit, he told his wife: go to the vegetable market in the afternoon to buy meat, and come back in the evening to pack meat. dumpling."

"It's definitely cheaper to mix the noodles by yourself than to buy slices outside! Let's talk about dumplings stuffed with cabbage and pork. You can buy ten dumplings for eight yuan in a shop outside. Just the three children of the Cao family, it's easy. It’s easy to loose a hundred dumplings. It’s 80 yuan if you do the math.”

"The pig's hind leg costs only a few dozen yuan per kilogram."

"Cabbage is even cheaper. Fresh cabbage costs at most six yuan per kilogram."

"Let's talk about flour... You can do the math yourself. You can buy vegetables and make dumplings at home. You can eat several meals for 80 yuan."

"Cao Zhong's wife is still very good at living. Yesterday she made more than 200 dumplings, which is enough for two adults and three children."

Tang Yuan kept listening without expressing his opinion.Mainly because he didn't understand what Hu Pingtao wanted to express.

Hu Pingtao continued to analyze: "As you said before, there are no signs of prying on the doors and windows, and the things in the house have not been messed up. It is unlikely that outsiders will enter the house to rob. Looking at this aspect, the possibility of acquaintances committing the crime Big."

"Although the wholesale market occupies a large area, the house Cao Zhong rented is very small, and there is a corridor outside, and people live on the opposite side. The left and right sides are also the layout of the front shop and the back room. The only difference lies in the size of the house."

Hearing this, Tang Yuan couldn't help blurting out: "Boss, do you doubt Cao Zhong?"

Hu Pingtao did not deny: "This is just an option that I think is very likely at present. It is still the same sentence: there must be benefits to committing murder, and no one will do things that are not beneficial. Kingslayer kills the king , can get a crown; if the husband of a beautiful woman is deliberately killed, his wife will lie in someone else's arms."

"In the same way, this case looks like food poisoning on the surface, but if the theory I mentioned is applied, Cao Zhong can benefit greatly by being in the middle."

"When I was in the hospital, I saw Cao Zhong's wife and eldest daughter respectively. They were still in a coma and did not wake up. His wife...Liu Xiao'e...that's the name. She looks very ordinary, with a thick waist. See The kind of rural woman who looks quite strong. In a word: she has no beauty, and her figure is not good."

"Cao Zhong said before that he came to the provincial capital to work in the early years, and later he started the pepper business because of a friend's introduction. I checked some relevant business records from the market management, and Cao Zhong's store can only operate So-so, at least on paper, he didn't make any money."

Tang Yuan felt his eyes light up: "Could there be some transactions that were not recorded in the ledger and were done in private?"

Hu Pingtao snapped his fingers: "That's what I want to say. What's the point of opening a business if you can't make money? Of course, this kind of thing is not absolute. The business is not good this year, so make up for it next year. Cao Zhong may also belong to this situation. So I think Cao Zhong’s business situation may not be as embarrassing as it seems on the surface, maybe he has a sum of money in his hand, Maybe he has a good business in private, but his wife doesn't know anything about it."

Tang Yuan tentatively asked, "Maybe?"

Hu Pingtao shrugged his shoulders and did not deny it: "Yes, maybe. I have no evidence, just a guess. As I said before, this is just an alternative to the direction of the investigation of the case."

Tang Yuan said slowly: "If this is the case, then Cao Zhong has a good reason to kill."

Hu Pingtao sighed: "Yes! With money in his pocket, his wife becomes a yellow-faced woman. There are also children. Although Cao Zhong favors sons over daughters, he gave birth to three at one go. For him It is also an extremely heavy burden. If he takes this opportunity and kills the child cruelly, even if he finds another woman to marry outside in the future, will there be any burden around him."

Tang Yuan frowned: "Boss, I think your reasoning has a big flaw."

Hu Pingtao turned around and said with a low laugh: "I know, you are referring to Cao Zhong's son. Even if he is really ruthless enough to poison and kill people, he will definitely avoid his son and will not take everyone with him. .”

Tang Yuan curled his lips: "You already know, but I'm still talking nonsense!"

Hu Pingtao learned: "Actually, there is another loophole—the person who made the dumplings was Cao Zhong's wife. Even if Cao Zhong wanted to poison him, he had to have a chance."

Tang Yuan added: "What's more, Cao Zhong himself ate dumplings, which is also a flaw."

Hu Pingtao shook his head: "This can't be counted. Don't forget, Cao Zhong woke up this morning and ran outside to ask for help. Also, he himself said that he didn't eat much dumplings last night. He didn't feel well. Eat it. If he has no intention of mental arithmetic, he only needs to eat a few casually, and it can be justified on the surface."

Tang Yuan frowned even deeper: "According to what you said, it's really hard to find a clue about this case."

"So I'm waiting for Ding Jian to get the test results as soon as possible." Hu Pingtao explained: "Fatty Ding is still very stable in his work. He has sampled everything in the house, big and small. Dumplings and refrigerators Not to mention the food left in the tank, not even drinking water, swill, garbage, and cooking utensils.”

Tang Yuan added: "There are also seasonings. Poisoning is quite particular, as long as you put some in the soy sauce. Generally speaking, it will work for a week."

Hu Pingtao took a long breath: "So this case is very troublesome to verify. Let's speculate here, the key is to wait for the test report. If... I mean if, Fatty Ding's test results show that all If there is no toxin in the sample, it will be troublesome, and the entire direction of speculation will have to be reinvented.”

Tang Yuan was stunned for a moment, and then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "All the samples were tested to be non-toxic? How is this possible? Cao Zhong's family obviously suffered from food poisoning, and the medical examination report from the hospital came out."

Hu Pingtao said slowly: "There are many types of poisoning, and there are many different conditions of food poisoning. Of course...I'm just giving an example. There is such a possibility, but the probability is very small."

As he spoke, he pointed to the bowl of dumplings on the dining table: "If there is no poison in this dumpling, then what I just said is meaningless."

"Also, the soy sauce you mentioned just now is also one of the possible detection directions for this case."

Tang Yuan understood as soon as he heard it: "Boss, you mean to inspect the store where Cao Zhong's wife buys ingredients?"

Hu Pingtao nodded: "The meat stalls and vegetable vendors we bought at that time also need to be thoroughly investigated. Seal up all the food sold and take samples for testing. If it is true that a certain type of food is poisonous, once it spreads, we will It will cause large-scale social incidents."

Tang Yuan's face was a little pale, and his breathing was a little short.He knew very well that what Hu Pingtao said was definitely not an exaggeration.

Indeed, poisoning has many possibilities.

If Ding Jian's test results show that the dumplings are normal, then the investigation into the source of the toxin must be expanded.

Oil, salt, sauce, vinegar... all surrounding non-staple food stores and canteens must be checked.

"I'll make arrangements now." Tang Yuan could no longer take care of so many things, and now the key is to hurry up.

Hu Pingtao nodded: "You go! I will follow the matter here."

The advantages of being a captain are quite obvious, and many things can be arranged for others to do.

……

After Tang Yuan left, Hu Pingtao knocked on the door opposite Cao Zhong's house.

Pang Zhonghua quickly let him in and boiled water to make tea.

Hu Pingtao took a look at the house, it was still very spacious.So he smiled and said, "Your side is bigger than the other side!"

Pang Zhonghua explained: "This used to be a house on the railway. Later, the province engaged in land replacement, and a large area of ​​the original house of the Railway Bureau was vacated. The whole house was moved, and this place was vacant. They are all five-story red brick houses with a very good structure. It’s solid, it’s a pity to tear it down and rebuild it, so it was divided into a dry goods wholesale market.”

"The house next to this side used to be residential, with a set of 30 square meters. The actual area of ​​the former welfare housing was larger than the real area of ​​the house book. You can see that this room alone is more than 70 square meters, plus the outside There are more than [-]. Once the outer wall is opened, it becomes a pavement, and the inner room is for people to install a hollow wall."

"Although Lao Cao came earlier than me, he is stingy and reluctant to rent a big house. The shops on his side are all small shops, which were rebuilt from the former coal shed. The corridor is wrapped in a piece, and it looks like a So what’s going on, it’s actually all illegally built houses before. It’s just that the market is managed as a whole, as long as the rent is paid on time.”

Pang Zhonghua is very talkative, and Hu Pingtao likes to deal with this kind of people, and asked: "Your name is also quite special. Hehe... a celebrity!"

Pang Zhonghua smiled and said: "Don't mention it, this name was given by my father. I have never heard of this person before. Later, when my child went to school and enrolled in a calligraphy class outside, I realized that there was such a person. Fortunately, I There is an extra single person next to the word "Zhong", otherwise it is really hard to tell."

Hu Pingtao reached out his hand to touch the teacup and felt that it was not so hot. He picked it up and took a sip before changing the subject: "Are you familiar with the situation in Cao Zhong's family?"

Pang Zhonghua nodded: "It's okay! Everyone is doing business together, and there are two pairs of doors. You can't look up and look down... He is quite honest. I have never seen him quarrel with others."

Although these words are somewhat vague, the meaning is obvious.

Hu Pingtao smiled and said, "How is the business in Cao Zhong's shop?"

"General." Pang Zhonghua said: "I make dried fruits here. Walnuts, chestnuts, raisins, preserved apricots, and candied winter melons... Doing this kind of business depends on years of accumulation, and it takes a lot of people to know. Let's go. Lao Cao's side..."

As he spoke, he laughed in a low voice "hehehehe" and said, "It's not that I'm speaking ill of people behind their backs; Lao Cao is a man with a solid eye. He only knows how to make peppercorns. I said he didn't say it once or twice. You will die if you buy dried chilies along the way? There are also star anise, grass fruit, fennel seeds and so on. Only when there are more varieties in the business can there be more customers and make money."

Hu Pingtao nodded: "That's right, that's the truth."

Pang Zhonghua started talking, and he talked more and more: "Old Cao didn't listen to him, he only sold pepper. Once I asked him why he didn't engage in diversification, and he said that it would cost money to rent a warehouse, and his family had In such a big place, there are too many things to pile up... Listen, what kind of theory is this?"

Hu Pingtao smiled slightly and brought up a new topic: "Does Cao Zhong have any women outside?"

Pang Zhonghua subconsciously opened his eyes wide, let out an "ah", and asked unexpectedly: "Why, you found out that Lao Cao is raising a mistress outside? Oh... no... it should be Xiao Er."

Hu Pingtao smiled and waved his hands: "I just asked casually. After all, you are neighbors."

Pang Zhonghua said seriously: "This is really not... I mean, I don't know about this, and I have never seen Lao Cao with other women. He is quite clean in this regard."

(End of this chapter)