Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Chapter 719: The Meaning Behind the Butterfly Tattoo

In Haizhou City, there are dozens if not hundreds of tattoo shops.However, each tattoo shop has its own unique features.

The types of tattoos offered at each shop vary greatly.

Different tattoo artists have different styles for different tattoos.

Sun Biao, the deputy captain of the Third Middle School team, dispatched three groups to investigate tattoo shops.

The tattoo on the deceased’s arm was a butterfly.

For those who have tattoos on their bodies, different tattoos represent different meanings.

Wang Tao, a member of the Third Middle School team, has a brother-in-law named Sancho, who is a tattoo artist.

"Big brother? Why are you here?"

Sancho was a bit surprised because his brother-in-law rarely visited his shop.

Three years ago, after he and his wife both resigned from their jobs as art teachers to open this tattoo shop, their family didn’t understand.

Especially this brother-in-law who is a police officer; since the shop opened, he has never visited.

Why did he come personally this time?

Wang Tao didn’t show much expression, he just replied with a grunt.

At first, Wang Tao didn’t understand why his sister and brother-in-law chose this line of work.

As art teachers, the job wasn’t tiring, it was secure with good benefits and social status. Why resign to open such a tattoo shop?

But in the past two years, after learning that his sister and brother-in-law could earn more than a hundred thousand yuan a month, he changed his mind.

They were different from ordinary tattoo artists; their backgrounds in art made their skills more proficient.

In Haizhou City, they have gained some fame.

Sancho poured tea for Wang Tao and his colleague.

"Sancho, have you seen this tattoo before?"

Although Wang Tao now understood their choice, his tone was still firm.

Sancho didn’t mind.

Being a teacher was good, but the salary was too low.

Back when they were both teachers, their combined income couldn’t even reach ten thousand yuan a month.

To earn more, for someone trained in art like him, there were some opportunities, like holding art classes on weekends.

But doing so would mean having no free time at all, teaching during weekdays and taking students on weekends.

Running the tattoo shop changed everything.

Coming from an art background and having studied sculpture, learning tattooing was easy for them.

They were much better than those who learned through unconventional methods.

So six months after the shop opened, business gradually picked up.

Many people came drawn by their reputation.

Sometimes, they even needed to provide home services, as some clients, due to their work or social status, found it inconvenient to visit the shop.

This kind of service charged even more.

Their monthly income increased from twenty to thirty thousand yuan to seventy to eighty thousand yuan, and sometimes even over a hundred thousand yuan.

After deducting rent and other costs, they could still make a pure profit of fifty to sixty thousand yuan a month.

Contrary to popular belief, tattoo costs are relatively high.

The main expenses lie in the tattoo inks.

Low-end tattoo artists use average inks, which are cheap but harmful to the body.

The materials Sancho uses are all biological pigments that have become popular in recent years.

They cause minimal harm to the body and are easier to remove if the tattoo is no longer needed.

This is much better than the chemical or mineral pigments used before.

Of course, better quality means higher prices.

A simple tattoo, like a single word, can even cost over ten thousand yuan.

Upon receiving the tattoo photo handed over by Wang Tao’s colleague, Sancho immediately noticed something.

"This tattoo... is it a Black-Veined Gold-Spotted Butterfly?"

Wang Tao was taken aback: "What?"

Sancho pointed at the photo: "I’m talking about the butterfly species in the tattoo. It’s called the Black-Veined Gold-Spotted Butterfly, not found domestically, it’s a well-known foreign butterfly."

"Is there any significance to this kind of tattoo?"

"Not really, but not many people get this Black-Veined Gold-Spotted Butterfly tattoo."

"Why is that?"

"Because it’s complex."

After placing the photo aside, Sancho walked over to his workbench and took out an album.

"Within the realm of tattoos, butterflies are a large category; many people like to tattoo butterflies."

"Butterflies symbolize love, rebirth after fire, starting anew, with many different meanings, so many choose butterfly tattoos, especially women."

"But generally, people choose geometric designs for butterfly tattoos. Outlined with strokes, these tattoo butterflies look good and are less painful."

Sancho opened the album and pointed out a few butterfly tattoos, explaining to Wang Tao.

"But the tattoo in the photo you showed me is of the Black-Veined Gold-Spotted Butterfly. This butterfly is beautiful, but the tattoo lines are complex, requiring various types of inks, making it very expensive."

"So, very few people choose this butterfly for a tattoo."

After hearing this, Wang Tao asked, "How much does it cost?"

"If you get it done here, at least twenty thousand yuan."

"Twenty thousand?"

Wang Tao’s colleague exclaimed in surprise.

This one tattoo cost as much as three to four months of his salary.

Wang Tao was stunned; he didn’t expect that a small tattoo could cost twenty thousand yuan.

No wonder tattoo shops are so profitable.

"Additionally," Sancho picked up the photo again, "the inks used in this tattoo are of very high quality, with vibrant colors, probably using the best mineral inks."

"If this tattoo was done in Haizhou City, only two or three shops could do it, and their prices would be even higher than mine."

"Tell me about the ins and outs of tattooing."

Wang Tao didn’t rush to visit the other three tattoo shops Sancho mentioned.

Instead, he wanted to understand the tattooing situation first.

Sancho explained roughly, "There are many types of tattoos."

"To put it simply, they’re categorized into realistic tattoos, like the butterfly tattoo you showed me."

"People get them because they like particular animals or plants, tattooed on their bodies."

"Besides realistic tattoos, there are tribal tattoos, biker tattoos, religious tattoos, and more."

"Apart from certain groups, people in our country tend to tattoo whatever they like, unlike all the rules abroad."

Tattoos in the domestic market have a shorter history and haven’t developed rapidly.

Although more people have gotten tattoos in recent years, they usually tattoo characters or flora and fauna in more hidden places.

Large-scale tattoos like full sleeves are actually quite rare.

According to Sancho, most people in the domestic market choose to tattoo on the shoulders, ankles, legs, or arms.

Those with full-body dragon and tiger tattoos are truly rare.

Moreover, such large tattoos, regardless of the pain, are really expensive.

They’re not affordable for the average person.