"Right now, I suspect this might be a murder for money. Do you know if Gan Juhua’s husband, Zhu Guifu, died in a car accident recently? The driver paid her eighty thousand yuan in compensation. We need to check if that money is still there."
Officer Zhang listened carefully. This was a crucial clue. He immediately ordered an investigation. According to Zhu Leiyao, they were supposed to accompany Gan Juhua to the bank to deposit the money that day. So, logically, the money should still be there.
"We checked. The money is still there," an officer reported back to Officer Zhang.
If the money was still there, it couldn’t be a murder for money. If not for money, why was Gan Juhua killed? The case seemed to hit a dead end.
Zhu Yanyi looked at Gan Juhua. The old woman’s eyes were wide open, her face distorted by pain.
On the table nearby sat a bowl of red bean rice and a bowl of pickled vegetables with tofu. Gan Juhua’s meal was very simple. The pickled tofu was even leftovers from the funeral.
Zhu Yanyi walked over, squatted beside Gan Juhua, and checked her poisoning symptoms. Then she stood up, walked to the table, picked up the bowl, and sniffed it gently.
"Oleander fruit," she said.
"What?" Zhu Xinfu asked urgently.
"Oleander," Zhu Yanyi explained. "Its scientific name is Nerium oleander. Every part of the plant—flowers, leaves, and fruits—is poisonous. The fruit looks like a pod, and the seeds inside look very much like red beans. There are a lot of oleander seeds in this red bean porridge. I don’t know if she ate them by mistake or if someone mixed them in."
Officer Zhang came over and ordered the red bean porridge to be taken away for testing. She recognized Zhu Yanyi from spirit projection. "The Little Divine Doctor’s judgment is never wrong. Now we need to test it to confirm the result, and to find out if this was murder or accidental poisoning."
Suicide had already been ruled out. Although the old woman seemed to be a widow, she had money, and her daughter and son-in-law had promised to support her every month. The chance of suicide was zero. So, it was either murder or accidental poisoning from mistaking oleander fruit for red beans. Regardless of the result, this was no longer within Zhu Yanyi’s scope.
Zhu Yanyi and Zhu Xinfu returned home. When Zhu Shunyao heard that oleander caused the death, she was stunned.
"Does oleander fruit really look like red beans?" Zhu Shunyao asked.
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Fortunately, our family always uses red beans we grow ourselves."
Xie Xinlian said from the side, "I’ve heard many people say that in past years, some people often went to rivers and mountains to find wild red beans. Every household would gather several jin to make red bean soup or bean tea for New Year."
Zhu Yanyi paused slightly. "Does Mom mean this oleander fruit was likely gathered by Fourth Grandma herself from the fields, mistaking it for wild red beans?"
Xie Xinlian nodded slightly. "I think it’s very possible."
"Are there oleander plants nearby?" Zhu Yanyi asked. "Oleander can repel insects and flies. I didn’t see any planted around here, but the flowers are pretty. Maybe someone planted it because they liked the flowers."
"Who knows," Xie Xinlian said. "We don’t have such things at home, so I don’t know who else might plant them."
"It’s so dangerous. Why would anyone plant it?" Zhu Xinfu frowned.
"Every disadvantage has an advantage," Zhu Yanyi explained. "Oleander can resist smoke, dust, toxins, and purify the air. Its leaves are toxic to humans but resistant to harmful gases like sulfur dioxide and chlorine. Tests show that potted oleanders near pollution sources suffer little damage and can still bloom. Even covered in dust, they grow vigorously. People call them environmental guardians. That’s one reason.
Second, oleander leaves and bark can treat heart failure, coughs, and bruises. As I often say, toxic things aren’t always just poison; they can be medicine too. Oleander is like that."
Zhu Xinfu nodded slightly. "I see. No wonder some people still plant oleander."
Zhu Yanyi added, "Usually, where oleander is planted, there’s a warning sign. It says this is oleander, it’s toxic, and ordinary people shouldn’t eat it casually. So if it was planted, it’s unlikely someone would mistake it for red beans."
After speaking, Zhu Yanyi looked at Zhu Xinfu. "I suspect it was wild oleander. Of course, this is just my guess. It’s also possible someone deliberately picked the fruit and mixed it into Fourth Grandma’s red bean rice."
Zhu Xinfu sighed. "This isn’t our business to handle, but we must make people aware of oleander’s dangers."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "I thought about it. How about I go find Uncle Leiyao tomorrow? Let her tell everyone about the dangers of oleander, so no one accidentally picks it in the future."
"Good idea. You should go talk to Uncle Leiyao tomorrow," Zhu Shunyao interjected. "This is a matter of life and death. At least, no one will lose their life to oleander in the future."
Zhu Yanyi nodded again.
The next day, Zhu Yanyi went to find Zhu Leiyao. When she understood her purpose, she agreed without hesitation. It was for everyone’s safety, so it was better to be careful.
Zhu Leiyao even asked anyone in the village who had wild red beans to bring them over for Zhu Yanyi to identify.
Zhu Yanyi didn’t refuse. She checked the beans, and fortunately, everyone’s red beans were pure, with no oleander mixed in.
After Zhu Yanyi finished identifying the oleander fruit, the results for Gan Juhua’s case came out. Accidental poisoning was ruled out because no oleander plants were found in Ganxie Village. Since the plant must have been brought in from outside, it was unlikely Gan Juhua accidentally picked oleander fruit mistaking it for red beans. This left only intentional murder.
But murder must have a motive. Gan Juhua’s eighty thousand yuan compensation was still there, so it wasn’t murder for money. Then, what was the purpose of killing an old woman? This puzzled the officers greatly.