National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 681 - 624: Aspiring to a Great Journey (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Chapter 681: Chapter 624: Aspiring to a Great Journey (Requesting Monthly Votes)

The meeting ended.

Jiang Yuan, with blessings from Huang Qiangmin, went to greet Pang Jidong and the botanists.

When he got to the meeting room downstairs, he saw that Pang Jidong and the botanists were in the midst of an animated conversation.

Several of them already knew each other, and since Pang Jidong was cultivating an image of being studious and thoughtful, he only asked the simplest of questions. The botanists felt a strong sense of being needed and were able to meet those needs in return, so the back-and-forth discussion quickly became lively and enthusiastic.

As Jiang Yuan entered the room, he could even sense a feeling of intellectual invigoration wafting through the air.

"You’ve all worked hard," Jiang Yuan greeted everyone with a smile and added, "It’s almost noon; let’s go have a simple lunch together."

"Just a little something to eat is fine," the group easily agreed.

Even though it wasn’t time to get off work yet, the botanists’ job was essentially done.

Sulei asked with concern, "That body we found separately, did we finally identify where it came from?"

Jiang Yuan hesitated a moment before answering, "The case has already started going through the process, so I can’t talk about it for now. But to be honest, looking for Liu Hongbing’s body and finding this one was quite unexpected."

"In a county like Ningtai, to find such a place for burying bodies... one wonders what it’s like in other places," Sulei mused, perhaps drifting into overthinking.

"Many counties don’t have environments as good as Ningtai. They would probably bury bodies in the mountains," Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, "that is, if they can leave the city without getting caught."

"Coming to the police station just once makes one feel the world isn’t so safe," Sulei shook her head.

"We should invite the criminals to the station to see our new technology; I bet nine out of ten would become despondent," Jiang Yuan did not address Sulei’s remark directly, for a technician is not a romantic and does not believe that any social measure can truly make society better.

In fact, the so-called better world has always been just a fantasy of literati from a certain era; they don’t realize that today’s world is already the better world for some people.

It’s just hell for others, that’s all.

Jiang Yuan took the group to a small restaurant near his home.

Just as Mount Tai is to Tai’an and Shaolin is to Dengfeng, the areas surrounding Siningshan were Ningtai County’s prime consumption spots.

However, because of the local economy, the sense of luxury here was reflected more in frequency than in price.

Near the Jiangcun Residential Area, there were several good small restaurants. The owners were all middle-aged chefs who could not continue working in large hotels and, by a twist of fate, ended up in Ningtai. They opened their own small establishments based on the culinary skills they were best at.

Unlike large hotels, these small establishments only make a limited number of dishes, some selling just a few types.

But because they excel in those few dishes, they give the impression of being very tasty.

The concept of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant producing gourmet food is based on this principle - when the chef is sick of making the same food, that’s when the customers find it irresistible.

After confirming everyone’s preferences and dietary restrictions, Jiang Yuan led the group into a donkey meat restaurant and skillfully ordered meat, sausage, and soup, then said, "This Zhang Xiang Ji has been an old donkey meat restaurant in our Ningtai for a while. It used to sell one donkey’s worth of meat every few days, but now they can sell one per day. Business has improved and the flavor has gotten even better."

"It’s fresher," Pang Jidong nodded.

"That’s right," said Jiang Yuan as he led everyone into a private room and ordered beer, tea, and soft drinks. Then he laughed and continued, "This owner emphasizes diligence in preparing donkey meat. Donkey meat is actually more tender than beef, but like venison, it has the problem of a strong gamey smell. The solution in this restaurant is to wash it a lot. After slaughtering the donkey, they soak the meat in a tub of water and keep changing it until the water runs clear, with the aim of washing out all the blood. This task is quite labor-intensive and many restaurants that become less tasty over time do so because they reduce the frequency of the water changes."

The guests listened intently, with Professor Mu nodding continuously, remarking, "Turns out it’s a dish that requires real dedication."

"My father actually came here to learn the skill, but it’s so exhausting he’s barely done it a few times after mastering it," Jiang Yuan said, bursting into laughter.

Another reason Jiang Fuzhen himself didn’t prepare donkey meat was to avoid affecting the business of Zhang Xiang Ji. There aren’t as many people who eat donkey meat compared to those who eat beef, lamb, or pork, and most people who do want to try the novelty might come for a taste once in several months or even years and probably won’t eat it again anytime soon.

If Jiang Fuzhen cooked donkey meat and gave it away to everyone, the end result might be that Zhang Xiang Ji would have to close down and leave.

And this wasn’t just undue worry on Jiang Fuzhen’s part. When Jiang Yuan was in high school, Zhang Xiang Ji once faced a crisis; it was only by purchasing a donkey from them every week and giving it away that they were able to keep going.

Many people even started eating donkey meat because they had tasted the donkey meat sent over from Jiang Fuzhen.

Over these years, Zhang Xiang Ji had developed several new dishes.

However, according to Jiang Yuan’s taste buds, the most delicious was still the soy sauce donkey meat.

What was especially tasty, though, was the thinly sliced donkey meat eaten in hot broth.

This hot-pot style cooking involved taking thick slices of cooked soy sauce donkey meat and boiling them in a well-prepared broth until piping hot. Enjoying them simply or dipped in sauce was exceptionally delicious. It was a different experience from the traditional cold mix flavor and also distinct from the complex taste of hotpot, focusing on the rich flavor of the donkey meat and the tender texture of the flesh.

The complementary donkey meat soup was also very delicious, with some even adding a sour and spicy flavor to it, making you feel warm all over and full of energy.

After the meal.

Jiang Yuan was picking his teeth while chatting with Pang Jidong, but the conversation quickly turned into a lecture.

The botanists initially had a social vibe, but as Pang Jidong scratched his head, everyone started joining in.

It seems that the propensity to teach is truly ingrained in human DNA. Just thinking about how even celebrities dare to instruct people on how to act, how to live, and how to face the world gives one an appreciation of the humor in it.

Ding.

Mission Completed: An old horse may be stabled but still longs to gallop a thousand miles.

Mission Objective: Make Pang Jidong fully understand the elements of legal botany, and familiarize him with using legal botany to solve cases.

Mission Reward: Legal Botany (LV3) skill level +1

Jiang Yuan drank tea while watching Pang Jidong hold a pen with a lost look, then reviewed the search scene from the past few days with his newly acquired Legal Botany (LV4) skill.

A national-level expert now!

In the afternoon.

Jiang Yuan asked Jiang Yongxin to arrange for a car to take Pang Jidong and the botanists to Changyang City Airport, where they took the VVIP channel and a Coaster vehicle right to the plane.

Jiang Yuan himself then returned to the funeral home to examine the second body.

In the evening.

The DNA report for the second body was completed.

The laboratory called immediately, saying, "Captain Jiang. The second body matches a merchant from Ningtai living in Changyang City, 38 years old, named He Yuxiang, who was reported missing on April 20th in Beijing."

"Was the case filed in Beijing?" Jiang Yuan asked.

"Yes. By the book, we should notify them," said the lab. The procedure is actually inflexible, but respect must be shown.

Jiang Yuan said, "Then notify them, and send me the report to look at."

"Okay, right away."

After the call ended, Jiang Yuan spread his hands to Wang Lan and Wu Jun in the autopsy room, smiling, "There we go, we’ve outpaced ourselves, it’s Beijing’s case now."

Since Beijing had filed the case, that jurisdiction remained with them here. They would still need to cooperate and arrange the evidence properly.

Wang Lan, being a visitor, didn’t mind and said with a smile, "We’ve nearly finished the autopsy report, and the DNA results just came out. Nothing we can do about that. I’ll head back tonight if there’s nothing else."

"Ah, don’t go before we have dinner," Wu Jun said, not willing to let Wang Lan just leave, even if this was an official matter. Some social eating and drinking were always in order.

Wu Jun took off his gloves and started washing his hands, saying, "Jiang Yuan, I remember you mentioned a donkey meat restaurant that’s really good. Book a private room for us tonight, will you?"