The woman stared at the broken cup with terror on her face.
Chief Gao's friendly smile slowly vanished.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
His voice was calm, but the woman trembled as if she had heard a death sentence.
"I…I saw something inside the cup," she stammered.
"What did you see?"
"An insect. I thought an insect had fallen into the water."
Chief Gao lowered his gaze towards the broken pieces of pottery.
Water had already spread across the dusty ground. There was nothing visible within it, but the woman's excuse was reasonable. After the locust swarm, a stray insect could have entered the courtyard.
Unfortunately, Chief Gao did not appear convinced.
His gaze remained fixed on the woman.
"What insect?"
"I didn't see it clearly. It was small and black."
"Small and black?"
"Yes."
Chief Gao's eyes narrowed.
Before he could continue questioning her, Janna suddenly placed her hands on her chest and sighed with exaggerated relief.
