Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

The private room of Xiangyue Pavilion was filled with the aroma of golden sweet potatoes.

Lin Zhiruo picked up the teacup, but her eyes fell on the straw at the corner of the table.

(Why is there straw in a place like this?)

The sunlight shines through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the tea set.

"Dad, look at this tea."

She pointed to a tiny circle of water stains beneath the tea set.

"Warm."

Dad frowned.

“The layout here is a bit strange.”

The waiter came in rubbing his hands.

"To answer the doctor, it was a perfect couple...who committed suicide for love."

Lin Zhiruo noticed that his eyes flickered when he spoke.

(Suicide for love? But the layout of this room is too deliberate.)

"Tell me more about it."

Dad put down the golden sweet potato in his hand.

"It's... the third son of a wealthy merchant, and a girl from here."

The waiter's voice became lower and lower.

"The two met here and drank poisoned wine."

Lin Zhiruo's eyes swept across the table.

(The tea was warm, indicating that the incident had occurred recently.)

“I’ll go check on their condition.”

She stood up, and there seemed to be a strange smell hidden in the tea fragrance.

(This smell... a little familiar.)

"Miss, people have already..."

Before the waiter could finish his words, Lin Zhiruo had already strode into the inner room.

Dad sighed and followed.

“Take me to see them.”

Lin Zhiruo followed the waiter through the corridor.

The sandalwood and tea scents gradually faded, replaced by a faint medicinal smell.

Footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.

"Little Brother, why are you taking this road?"

The waiter rubbed his hands and walked a little hurriedly.

“Well…there are guests discussing something over there.”

(This route is longer than usual, and...)

“Where does the medicinal smell come from?”

“Yes… the doctor just came.”

After turning a few corridors, we finally arrived at the patio.

The sunlight shines through the skylight, but it cannot reach the dark room opposite.

There was a faint sound of suppressed sobbing.

(Someone's crying? Something's wrong.)

Lin Zhiruo quickened her pace.

"Wait a minute, Miss, over there..."

Before the waiter could finish his words, she had already opened the door.

In the dim room, a little maid was standing beside the bed, holding a dagger.

Lying on the bed was the unconscious third son of the wealthy businessman.

“What are you doing!”

Lin Zhiruo took a quick step forward and grabbed the maid's wrist.

The dagger fell to the ground with a clang.

"Don't get in my way! This kind of person deserves death!"

The little maid's voice was filled with tears.

The other prostitutes in the room lowered their heads and no one stopped them.

(These people...seemed to be waiting for this moment.)

"Put the knife down first and tell me what happened."

Lin Zhiruo let go of her hand, but stood in front of the bed.

“He…he killed my sister!”

The little maid knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

An older prostitute sighed.

"This child's sister works in another store."

"I was deceived by this beast!"

The little maid's voice trembled.

The air in the room suddenly became heavy.

"Tell me."

Lin Zhiruo's voice softened.

“He…he always talks about redeeming himself.”

The little maid wiped her tears.

"My sister believed him and gave him all her savings."

"Then what?"

"Then he disappeared, taking the money..."

The older prostitute took over.

"The child waited and waited until he felt hopeless."

"at last..."

Her voice choked.

(Another poor guy who got cheated.)

“There’s more than one sister, right?”

Lin Zhiruo looked around.

The prostitutes' eyes flickered, but no one spoke.

Dad also walked in at this time.

"Zhiruo, look at his expression."

Lin Zhiruo leaned in to observe.

The third son of the wealthy businessman had an unnatural bluish-purple complexion.

(This toxicity... seems to be different from what it appears on the surface.)

“How long has he been unconscious?”

“From last night until now.”

The waiter answered outside the door.

“So is that girl.”

(Last night? The time doesn’t match.)

Lin Zhiruo smelled a familiar bitter taste.

(This tastes... like tea.)

"Father, let's go check out the water jar."

Lin Zhiruo brought her father to the dilapidated hut.

In the corner, an old water jar lay quietly.

“What did you find?”

Dad watched her carefully examine the water jar.

“Look at this.”

Lin Zhiruo pointed at the sediment at the bottom of the jar.

“The color is different.”

“Well, it seems to be layered.”

Dad leaned in to observe.

"You can't make assumptions about things."

"I know."

Lin Zhiruo took out a straw from her bosom.

"This straw was found in the room."

She inserted the straw into the water jar.

“Look.”

Dad narrowed his eyes.

"The wine has separated into two layers."

"The upper layer is clear, but the lower layer is muddy."

(Just like the tea that day.)

"So..."

“Yes, they used the same method.”

Lin Zhiruo's voice was cold.

"First, use straw to absorb the upper layer of wine to prove it is non-toxic."

"Then..."

"Then replace the straw and drink the poisonous wine from the lower layer."

Dad sighed.

“These people…”

“No, Daddy, there’s more.”

Lin Zhiruo pointed at the edge of the water jar.

“Look at these marks.”

(This isn't the first time.)

Lin Zhiruo and her father returned to their room in Xiangyue Pavilion.

The moonlight shines through the window lattice onto the untouched cup of tea.

"Dad, look at this tea."

She swirled the teacup gently.

The tea glowed with a strange luster in the moonlight.

“It’s layered.”

Dad narrowed his eyes.

“Like wine in a water jar.”

Lin Zhiruo pointed at the tea set on the table.

“They test the poison with the tea from the top first.”

"Then..."

"Changed the poisoned tea from the lower level."

She picked up the straw.

"This straw is their life-saving talisman."

(This method is really vicious.)

"But why pretend to commit suicide for love?"

Dad asked.

"Because it's better to die two than one."

Lin Zhiruo's voice turned cold.

“They planned this a long time ago.”

“That girl…”

“She didn’t drink the poisoned tea at all.”

Lin Zhiruo pointed at the marks beside the bed.

"Look, the tea here is spilled."

(That's how she survived.)

“So, this is revenge.”

Dad sighed.

Three days later, Lin Zhiruo came to Xiangyue Pavilion again.

Under the sycamore tree in the backyard, a familiar figure was singing a nursery rhyme by the railing.

"Butterflies are born beautifully, with wings they can fly high..."

The clear singing echoed in the courtyard.

(Isn’t this the girl who was “unconscious”?)

A little maid ran over hurriedly.

"Miss, what are you doing!"

"It wouldn't be nice if the doctor saw it."

The singing girl turned around.

In the sunlight, her face was very rosy.

(Pretending quite well.)

“Doctor Lin.”

Seeing Lin Zhiruo, the little maid was startled.

"I...we..."

“No need to explain.”

Lin Zhiruo looked at the "patient".

“I knew it.”

The prostitute lowered her head.

"doctor..."

“I just came to confirm one thing.”

Lin Zhiruo pointed at her wrist.

"Did you rub this wound with straw?"

The whore jerked her head up.

(really.)

“To make the wound look like it was caused by a struggle.”

Lin Zhiruo's voice was very soft.

“It’s a very clever technique.”

After leaving Xiangyue Pavilion, Lin Zhiruo walked alone on the street towards Chunfeng Pavilion.

As dusk deepens, the lanterns in the flower-willow alley light up one by one.

(Anything is fine.)

She looked at the buildings along the roadside.

Behind every window, there is an unknown story.

(What’s the difference between the people here and those in the harem?)

There was a commotion around the corner.

Another rich young man with a group of bad friends.

"I will redeem you."

A drunken voice drifted over.

(What a familiar lie.)

Lin Zhiruo quickened her pace.

Such scenes are also common in the harem.

It's just replaced with more gorgeous decorations and more high-sounding rhetoric.

(That’s human nature.)

She thought of the girl who sang the nursery rhyme.

The butterfly in the song could never fly out of this cage.

(They chose a final resistance.)

Passing by a restaurant, the sound of clinking glasses could be heard.

"Here, this glass of wine..."

Lin Zhiruo suddenly stopped.

(Poisoned wine or sweet words.)

They are all struggles in difficult situations.

She looked up to the sky.

The moon hides behind the clouds, as if it can't bear to see the various things happening in the world.