(Quick Transmigration) Even If You Become an Animal, You Still Have to Serve an Iron Rice Bowl - Chapter 6

“Something happened to Zhang Jibo?”

Yang Yue shook her head and sighed with a complicated expression. “It’s Zhang Jibo’s elder sister.”

“What’s wrong with Sister Zhaodi?” Xing Lu was taken aback, and her tone immediately became urgent. 

Yang Yue didn’t answer. She dragged her directly to the outside of the morgue.

“She’s inside. Already dead.”

“The body was first discovered by the neighbor next door. They said the front door was ajar, and after calling for a long time without hearing a response, they went inside to take a look.”

“Who knew that once they pushed open the door, they would see Zhang Zhaodi lying in a pool of blood. They immediately called the police.”

“By the time the police arrived, she had already stopped breathing.”

All the color drained from Xing Lu’s face, and she gripped Yang Yue’s hand tightly.

“She’s dead?”

Yang Yue wasn’t feeling well either, but she still nodded. “We called you here to identify the body, and also… to ask about Zhang Jibo.”

Xing Lu was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked up at her. 

“This has something to do with Zhang Jibo?”

Yang Yue nodded and stated that the initial suspicion pointed to Zhang Jibo as the one who did it.

“The other neighbor said that they heard the two siblings arguing, but the noise stopped shortly after. It’s suspected that he accidentally killed her while demanding money.”

After finishing, Yang Yue pointed to the morgue.

“Go in and take a look first. We’ll talk more after you come out.”

Shen Qiu followed closely behind and listened to their entire exchange.

He quickly pieced everything together in his mind and came to a conclusion.

From what he’d seen of Zhang Jibo before, he was definitely doing drugs. Don’t be fooled by its small size — a tiny bag of drugs costs a fortune. Otherwise, many people wouldn’t take the risk of dealing drugs. 

So Zhang Jibo didn’t find anything valuable at Xing Lu’s place and then went back home to ask the deceased for money. After becoming emotionally agitated, or possibly under the influence of drugs, he accidentally killed her?

The sound of faint sobbing could be heard from inside the morgue and Shen Qiu’s entire body was scooped into the air. When he turned his head, he realized that Qin Yan had arrived. 

“Qiuqiu, why did you follow them here, too?”

Shen Qiu still wasn’t used to being carried. He struggled a bit and jumped to the ground.

Qin Yan didn’t pay him any mind and turned to ask Yang Yue, “Did you find out anything?”

Yang Yue shook her head, her expression heavy. “Let her see the body first. After all, that sister basically raised her since childhood.”

As soon as Shen Qiu heard this, his ears perked up immediately.

He quickly learned some information from Yang Yue about Xing Lu and the Zhang siblings.

In today’s world, it would sound unbelievable. But back when Xing Lu was born, it actually made sense.

Thirty years ago, the newborn Xing Lu was abandoned at the door of the Zhang household, who had just lost their parents.

At the time, Zhang Zhaodi was only around ten years old. She couldn’t bear to let the baby die out there, so she brought her home and raised her alongside her newborn brother.

A ten-year-old girl stubbornly raised two children all by herself.

Although life was hard, after the two kids grew older and could help out, things gradually improved.

Zhang Jibo and Xing Lu grew up together, went to school together, and were childhood sweethearts. Once they entered high school and understood their feelings, they quickly started dating.

Zhang Zhaodi was happy about it, and the three of them had a plan. They would settle in the city together and the two childhood sweethearts would go to the same university, then get married after graduation. 

But it seemed like the heavens couldn’t allow their lives to go too smoothly.

During the year they were supposed to take their college entrance exam, Zhang Jibo started hanging out with delinquents and learned how to gamble from them. He failed the entrance exam, while Xing Lu got into the best university in Haishi.

After a brief period of time, Xing Lu smoothly graduated, and the three of them settled in Haishi.

In a big city, there were many fun activities beyond just gambling. 

Zhang Jibo had an affair and was coincidentally caught by Xing Lu right after returning home from work. At that time, Zhang Jibo was unemployed, Zhang Zhaodi was a rural woman, and the entire household depended on Xing Lu to make a living.

Anyone would be disgusted to come home after a long day at work and find their boyfriend in bed with another woman.

After that, Xing Lu broke up with him and moved into the company dorm, though she still supported the family financially.

Zhang Jibo initially tried to win her back, but later, he returned to gambling and shamelessly used Xing Lu’s money to do it. When he ran out of money, he went to her to ask for more.

By this point, Yang Yue was nearly in tears.

“I’ve known Lulu since college. I saw with my own eyes how Zhang Jibo drained her dry.”

“Back then, she didn’t even make much money. Every month, she’d give a fixed amount, and when Zhang Jibo couldn’t get more, he’d hit her. Lulu endured it at first because of Zhang Zhaodi.”

“To Lulu, Zhang Zhaodi was like a mother. She didn’t want her to worry, so she never said anything about the abuse.”

“Until one day, Zhang Jibo went to Lulu to ask for money again and saw Lulu being walked home by a male colleague. He exploded. By then, Lulu had rented a small single-room place.”

“Zhang Jibo dragged Xing Lu inside and beat her up until Zhang Zhaodi came by to deliver something and rescued her.”

“Xing Lu almost died that time. Several of her ribs were broken, and she still has scars from that injury. Her abdomen was so severely injured that she lost the ability to have children.”

“Once Lulu recovered, Zhang Zhaodi directly cut off ties with Zhang Jibo. But Lulu and I both knew that she only did it to stop him from using their family ties to exploit her further.”

“Afterwards, Lulu left her original job and moved to another city. She got a promotion and a salary increase, finally getting her life back on track. She rarely went back at Zhang Zhaodi’s request and only occasionally visited while sending back money each month.”

Yang Yue wiped away her tears.

“Not long ago, Lulu told me she wanted Zhang Zhaodi to come live with her, but Zhang Zhaodi kept refusing because of Zhang Jibo. Who would’ve thought their last meeting would be like this…”

Shen Qiu and Qin Yan both sighed deeply. 

Just as she finished speaking, Xing Lu came out of the morgue. There were no tears on her face, but her eyes were red.

“The body… when can I take it away?”

“Once the forensic examination is complete.”

Xing Lu nodded. She picked up Shen Qiu and hugged him tightly, as if seeking comfort.

This time, Shen Qiu didn’t resist.

“You want to ask me something?”

Yang Yue took both the person and the cat to her office.

“Have you seen Zhang Jibo recently? Or can you guess where he might go?”

Xing Lu thought for a moment and was about to shake her head, but Shen Qiu patted her gently.

“Meow meow meow!” Phone! Phone! Phone!

He pawed at her pocket, and Xing Lu suddenly remembered.

“I didn’t see him face to face, but he broke into my house a few days ago and took one of my bracelets.”

She furrowed her brow and hesitated for a moment, but continued, “That night, when I got off work and went home, I felt like someone was following me, but I wasn’t sure it was him.”

Yang Yue nervously looked her up and down. “Did anything happen?” 

Xing Lu shook her head and handed over her phone.

“I still have the video. You can take a look.”

Right as she finished speaking, Shen Qiu jumped out of her arms.

He’d just sensed someone following them earlier—it had to be Zhang Jibo!

But how could he tell Qin Yan and the others? Shen Qiu scratched his head anxiously.

As for the issue of drugs, it seems like no one knew that Zhang Jibo was using drugs. Wouldn’t this mean the investigation would miss this clue?

He paced around anxiously, ultimately feeling powerless. 

Cat sigh.jpg

Being a kitty has its downsides, too.

After the questioning, Yang Yue copied the surveillance footage and personally escorted Xing Lu home.

On the way back, Shen Qiu once again sensed someone tailing them.

Worriedthat something might happen, Yang Yue repeatedly urged Xing Lu not to leave the house after sending her home.

Shen Qiu also checked the entire home thoroughly and confirmed that no one had broken in.

That afternoon, Xing Lu locked herself in her room and didn’t come out until it was dark. She then applied for leave and gave the housekeeper a day off too, while keeping the house well-stocked with food.

While feeding Shen Qiu, she reminded him, “It’s not safe outside these days. We’d better stay at home, understand, Qiuqiu?”

Shen Qiu flicked his tail in agreement.

Thank goodness Xing Lu was conscious of her safety. Otherwise, if Zhang Jibo got desperate, anything could happen.

Everyone thought Zhang Jibo would come to find Xing Lu, including Shen Qiu.

The police even posted sentries outside the complex, watching it around the clock for 24 hours a day. But after five days had passed, there was no sign of him.

Zhang Zhaodi’s body had already been cremated by the police. Yang Yue had personally delivered the ashes.

Shen Qiu muttered to himself. Could Zhang Jibo have fled? Has he given up on Xing Lu?

The criminal investigations team was even holding a meeting to discuss issuing a warrant when halfway through the meeting, they received a call from an informant. 

There was a drug deal taking place in an upscale club in the city. The meeting was immediately suspended, and the team was dispatched on an emergency mission.

At the same time, Shen Qiu overheard Xing Lu taking a call from a coworker who said they were dropping off a document.

His fluffy tail gave a lazy swish. Shen Qiu didn’t think much of it. As long as she didn’t go out, Zhang Jibo wouldn’t get the chance to act.

~~~

2.6k characters to 1.7k words | Translation Time:  4 hours

T/N: This chapter was pretty simple to translate since it was mostly exposition, so there are no footnotes! 

Also, I’m starting a new job, so I’ve been trying to translate after work or on the weekends. I read as I translate, so I also want to see where the investigation ends up going. 

If I translate anything wrong or make any spelling mistakes, let me know and I will correct it!