Free Web NovelChapter 587: Chapter 557 This was premeditated_1
Mr. Zhao huffed with annoyance, then rolled his eyes before he finally spoke.
"Zhou Xiaozhou, it’s only been twenty-four hours since we sent it for inspection. Just being able to identify the impurities is already quite difficult. As for the carrier you mentioned, that will take many days, and rushing won’t help, because Mrs. Cui has sent it directly to the provincial office."
Zhou Ning sighed and sat on the sofa without saying anything more, while Xia Momo glanced at him.
"I found a website, a sharing site for baking enthusiasts. Levels from beginner to advanced are divided into several categories. Based on the color scheme and the size of the cake, I will provide a diagram according to the different levels. But are you sure this will help the case?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"I’m not sure, but knowing the level of the person’s cake-making skills can narrow down the investigation. I don’t think a beginner would have the courage to give their cakes to someone else. Li Li would accept a cake from the murderer without any guard; it wasn’t the first time she received a cake. She knew the taste was good and trusted her a lot."
Xia Momo pondered for a moment, took out her phone, found a number, and dialed it. Meanwhile, the computer continued to compute the color traces, combining them according to patterns to form connectable floral shapes.
Zhou Ning saw that Xia Momo was actually using a mechanic’s analysis method within the software. Despite its unreliable-sounding name, it proved useful. The height and capacity of the cake, the position where the cream was applied, and the force of impact gradually formed some combined shapes.
These combined shapes were then dragged into a search component containing various options like animals, flowers, objects, and cartoon characters. The seemingly messy combinations turned into patterns.
Of course, four of these patterns were floral, and the shapes of the cakes all turned into hearts. Zhou Ning took a glance at the cake box, realizing that these were inferred from the positions where cream was found. It’s very likely that the cake was heart-shaped indeed.
As for the flowers on the surface, it was hard to judge.
At this moment, Xia Momo’s phone connected, and she sat down and asked softly with a gentle voice:
"Mom, why did you take so long to answer the phone? I have a question. Aunt used to be part of a pastry association, right? I have some traces on cake boxes here that I need her to help identify. I tried calling her but couldn’t get through. Can you contact her for me?
If she can’t use WeChat, I can also go see her tonight. She has been running a cake chain store for over twenty years, and before that, she was a well-known pastry chef in Qindao, having taught so many students..."
"Alright, stop flattering her. Hearing you boast like that, she doesn’t even sound like your aunt anymore. I’ll call her now. Is there a case on Xiao Ning’s side?"
Xia Momo felt a bit embarrassed, but thankfully, Zhou Ning was the only one close by while the others kept a distance. Zhou Ning pinched Xia Momo’s hand, signaling her not to be shy. Xia Momo smiled and quickly said:
"It’s for him that we’re looking. We need an expert’s opinion; all I can do here is make guesses based on composition and drawing techniques, which is somewhat far from reality. We need to ask a professional." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Wait for a moment, I’ll ask her now."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Ning glanced at the time—it was already past five. Xu Dayuan had not returned since descending Xu Qingquan’s house, probably investigating the two people. Zhou Ning motioned with his hand.
"Get off work; there’s no need to stay here and stew. By the way, has anyone seen Peng Shinian? We didn’t leave him at Rongchang Garden, did we?"
Sun Gaotie raised his hand, stepping back a couple of steps as a precaution against anyone nearby who might kick him, maintaining a safe distance before speaking:
"Boss, half an hour ago, when we hadn’t evacuated from Rongchang Garden, Peng Shinian seemed to have discovered something. He rushed downstairs and had Director Xu arrange someone to take him back to the laboratory. He told me to inform you, but then Director Xu came in and I got distracted and forgot."
Zhou Ning shook his head. When it came to Sun Gaotie, nothing was surprising. After all, not losing himself was an accomplishment for him. Sun Gaotie wasn’t smart, but he was persistent, forgetful, unable to read subtleties, but could be on his knees with persistence.
"Everybody go. I’ll go to the laboratory to have a look. Momo, we can make it, right?"
Xia Momo, who was in the middle of messaging on WeChat, heard Zhou Ning and hurriedly nodded.
"I told my mom we won’t be coming home to eat. There’s really not enough time. If you want to go to the laboratory, I’ll join you."
Zhou Ning smiled at her. By this time, Mr. Zhao and the others had left. In the morning, they had driven He Shancun to the hospital, and now she would share a ride with Xia Momo. The two went upstairs to the laboratory.
After swiping their cards to enter, they saw Peng Shinian busy at work. Zhou Ning stopped Xia Momo from entering and, with a puzzled look on her face, she whispered:
"What’s the matter? We’ve come all this way, why can’t we go in?"
Zhou Ning pointed to the various bottles in front of Peng Shinian, quickly shut the door, and gently shook his head:
"It seems like he’s conducting experiments. Let’s not disturb him. He likes to research according to his own direction, and that’s a good thing. Besides, he’s eager to prove his influence on the case with his capabilities. Let’s give him that chance and space.
When we went to the hospital, he brought back Xu Qingquan’s clothes, trousers, and shoes, and it seems Ma Liang and others’ as well. I guess he collected samples from Xu Qingquan’s house and Li Li’s house too. Let’s wait for a surprise. Let’s go see our aunt, and yes, take all the different brands of Vitamin A Mr. Zhao prepared."
...
Driving with Mrs. Xia, Xia Momo headed towards an old storefront in Tuandao.
Zhou Ning got out of the car and walked towards the store, where people were queuing outside. Someone called out in Qindao dialect:
"Buddy, just because your girlfriend is pretty doesn’t mean you can jump the queue, right? This shop has strict rules: no service without queuing. Don’t end up fussing for half an hour and leave empty-handed."
Zhou Ning turned around and saw that the speaker was a young man in his twenties, who was clearly a regular and very familiar with everything here.
However, it was a friendly reminder. Before Zhou Ning could reply, a little old lady came out from a door next to the store. She bore a resemblance to Mrs. Xia but was much shorter. She was about to speak up when Xia Momo came running and threw her arms around her.
"My little Momo is still so beautiful. You never come to visit your auntie, and this must be your boyfriend, right? I must say he’s quite handsome; I like his height and looks. My Momo has good taste indeed. Come on, let’s go inside and talk."
Zhou Ning hurriedly nodded and greeted the auntie, who smiled warmly, clearly showing genuine affection. The young man who just reminded Zhou Ning to queue up called out:
"Boss, your family is here, and what a young and lovely couple they are! If it’s a happy occasion, let us share the joy. Can you lift the limit for today?"
The auntie turned around, shot the young man a glance, and couldn’t help but laugh.
"Alright, no limits today."
All the people in line cheered, clearly indicative of how good the business usually was. Following the auntie, the few of them entered the courtyard next door.
Only then did Zhou Ning notice the Qindao City Pastry Association sign hanging at the main entrance, and the courtyard was a hidden gem, with circular concave-shaped three-story buildings, looking very beautiful.
Zhou Ning just looked on without saying much, but he was still shocked; no wonder Xia Momo sought out her auntie, who was definitely a professional.
The group went up to the second floor, which turned out to be a showroom with various forms of cakes on display. It wasn’t just about decorating, but rather had everything one could think of. The 200-plus square meter room was filled with four tiers of shelves, all packed full.
After a round, Zhou Ning felt dazzled.
"Auntie, did you make all of these?"
The auntie nodded with a smile.
"I made them over the past two years. I probably wouldn’t be able to make them as finely now; my eyes aren’t what they used to be."
The auntie waved her hand, motioning everyone to sit, glanced at Mrs. Xia, and then casually asked:
"Your mother mentioned that you came without eating, in a hurry to ask me something. Let’s not beat around the bush, just ask me straight what it’s all about."
Xia Momo didn’t stand on ceremony and opened her notebook, telling her auntie everything they had analyzed beforehand—the size of the cake box, the color residues inside, the poisoning substance, and so on.
The auntie listened attentively and finally took out her magnifying glasses, examining the images carefully, the ones created by the software based on the colors Xia Momo described.
After a long look, the auntie finally looked up at Zhou Ning.
"Well, cake decorating is a very spontaneous thing. It’s not like following a design blueprint to the letter, just like drawing on paper. Mood variations, or the color mix, or the cream’s consistency can all affect the outcome of the decoration.
But according to what you’ve said, this cake was taken home on the evening of August 31, and the person didn’t eat it that night but ate it the next morning. Although the weather was hot at that time, most people would turn on the air conditioning and keep the cake refrigerated, so temperature wouldn’t have much effect.
I know about vitamin A. There was a student who came to learn cake decorating—she added the oil from the vitamin capsules to the cream to whip it up, so her daughter could ingest the vitamin A. When you mentioned it, she immediately came to my mind.
I’ve tasted what she made, and there was no noticeable change in flavor, color, texture, or melting. But she added a very small amount to a 250-gram cake—a single capsule worth of the oil.
So, judging by the cream traces on the cake box you brought over, I’d say the person who made the cake is skilled and the floral design is pretty good, very similar to the light purple hydrangea pattern Momo guessed.
For someone skilled and with proper composition, the fact that the cake ended up melting and sticking to the box makes me believe it has to do with the added vitamin A, not in controlling the shape after production.
If an excessive amount of vitamin A was included, it wouldn’t maintain its shape for long. It’s all just theory unless we try. Do you have vitamin A? Let’s attempt to make it; tell me what proportion was used inside, and I’ll try to replicate it."
Zhou Ning’s eyes lit up, knowing the proportions, of course, although he wasn’t sure what brand the perpetrator used. But there were only two or three tasteless types available on the market, and he had brought some with him that day.
"Can we do that? Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie. I’ve brought a few brands of vitamin A with the necessary proportions all marked. I’ll just go to the car and get them."
The auntie couldn’t help but burst into laughter, jabbing Xia Momo and saying:
"You two, you’ve been planning this in advance, huh?"
