Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 51 Suspicious Origin
Shen Tuzhuo questioned Pei'er, "Didn't we agree to wait for me to come before having lunch? Have you finished eating already?"

Tan Huaike immediately came to her defense: "Why are you yelling at Pei'er? When did we agree to wait for you for lunch? How come I didn't know? I didn't even cook your meal in the first place."

Pei'er said innocently, "Madam, the Second Young Master came this morning. I, I wanted to tell you, but I was so busy that I didn't find the chance to say it..."

"It's okay, it's not your fault." Tan Huaike glanced at his uncle, "He came uninvited."

"Then what's going on with these two kids? Why do I have nothing to eat, but they do?" Shen Tu Zhuo was dissatisfied.

"They are my little guests, so naturally they have something to eat. Besides, how much can they eat? You have the same appetite as four of them." Tan Huaike crossed his arms and said to him, "I am also puzzled. Aren't the dishes cooked by the chef hired by Shentu Mansion delicious? Isn't it enough for you? Why do you come to me every day to eat? My millet and flour are either grown in my own fields or bought with my own money. Simple meals can't entertain the noble Master Zhuo."

"What did you say back then? It's only natural for me to eat my brother's food! You're my sister-in-law, so what if you treat me, your dear uncle, to a few meals? You're so stingy..."

"Anyway, today's beef stew and samosa are all gone. Uncle, you should find a way to fill your stomach."

The two of them argued boisterously, something Pei'er had grown accustomed to, while Zhongming and Zhongyun watched with rapt interest. Zhongyun had witnessed the power of this lady's arguments, while Zhongming found it truly shameless that someone could engage in such a reciprocal argument with the boss, using such stilted arguments.

In the end, Shentu Zhuo was at a disadvantage. After all, all the dishes and chopsticks were washed clean, and there was not even a scrap of lunch left. He could only go to the big kitchen next door to find something to eat later.

A hungry person would naturally be in a bad mood. He looked down at the two little guys and asked, "Who are you? Where are you from?"

He had a ferocious look on his face, and Zhongyun was a little afraid of him, so she quietly hid behind her brother.

Tan Huaike came to their rescue: "Today, the elder sister of the Tan family went to the cloth shop and acted like a spoiled braggart. Thanks to Ah Ming, who ran errands for Shopkeeper Du and tipped me off, I was able to arrive in time and suppress her arrogance. These two siblings depend on each other for survival. One runs errands at Yunhe Xiangjie, and the other works as a partner for a traveling merchant. I've been impressed by their intelligence and wanted to bring them back to have a good talk. Perhaps they'd be willing to become my trusted associates."

"Really? My sister-in-law is truly kindhearted." Shentu Zhuo snorted coldly, "But what I'm asking isn't where they came from today, but where their household registration is, who their parents are, and how they came to Zhangye County."

"Ah, I haven't asked about these yet..." Tan Huaike looked at Zhong Ming, "I don't think this is a big deal. Why don't you tell me about it yourself?"

Zhong Ming's eyes flickered. "My surname is Zhong, and we're from Changying County... in Wuwei Commandery. My parents both died of illness, so my sister and I fled home and ended up in Zhangye Commandery..."

"Do you have any evidence?"

"The pass...can't be found..."

Shentu Zhuo frowned and looked at Tan Huaike meaningfully.

Tan Huaike was stunned. These words were vague and it was obvious that Zhong Ming was trying to avoid something. She only thought that the brother and sister were local orphans who had lost their father. She didn't expect that there might be other hidden secrets behind their origins?
Shentu Zhuo didn't want to embarrass the two children, so after a few words of advice, he stopped being aggressive. The border had always been a mixed bag, and he trusted that Tan Huaike would weigh the pros and cons.

Zhong Ming was a little flustered by the question. He pulled his sister to say goodbye to Tan Huaike: "Madam, we still have work to do and can't delay for too long. We are leaving now."

Tan Huaike nodded: "Well, go ahead and do your work. Think carefully about what I said. Come to me when you have figured it out."

After the two children left, Shen Tu Zhuo mocked them, "I've long admired your cleverness and used delicious food to coax them home. Sister-in-law, do you know what kind of person you are acting like?"

"Like what?"

"Human trafficker." "..." Tan Huaike believed that she had a clear conscience and did it out of kindness. However, after hearing what he said, she thought back on it and realized that he really did seem like a child trafficker. She rubbed her forehead and said defensively, "I didn't think that much..."

"In the future, if you want to be kind or even recruit confidants, you should first find out who they are. Even if they are children, you can't be complacent. In the past, there were cases of bandits forcing children to sell themselves into slavery in wealthy families, and then colluding with them to rob them. You must be on guard."

"Thanks for the reminder, I understand. It's just that these two children really caught my eye, and I'm short on people right now. If there aren't any major omissions, I'd like to give them a try."

"Okay, since you want to, I can help you check their background."

"Thank you, uncle."

"It's okay, as long as sister-in-law remembers to save some food for me next time."

"...Okay, just come and get it." Tan Huaike was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
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You don’t know until you check, and when you check, even Shentu Zhuo is shocked.

He first asked someone to inquire about the family in Changying County, Wuwei Commandery, based on Zhong Ming's account. Indeed, they had found the siblings' home. The children's surname was Zhong, and both parents had died of illness—all of this matched up, but further inquiries presented a problem.

News arrived from Changying County that the siblings had been adopted by a relative of their father's clan and later sold to a human trafficker. The relative had accepted payment and signed the indentures, but now the two children were apparently free, not sold by human traffickers, and no one held their indentures.

To ask deeper, who was the human trafficker who bought the brother and sister from that relative?

The reply came from a human trafficker named Wu Chou.

Wu Chou.

It was Wu Chou who was brutally murdered.

Shen Tu Zhuo had anticipated the suspicious origins of the two siblings, but he never imagined they would be linked to the case. Furthermore, Wu Chou was also the trafficker who bought and sold Tan Huaike. What was going on?

He told Tan Huaike the results of his investigation.

Tan Huaike was also quite surprised, but she quickly calmed down: "So, their origins are clear, and they are now free. I think it's okay for me to hire them."

"Is that all you think of?"

"As for Wu Chou's murder, we also have new clues." Tan Huaike said, "The brother and sister were rescued because of this. They may know who did it. I should go find them and ask them."

"Can you ask?"

"If we can find out, we'll be rewarded. If we can't, that's fine too. Since that man let go of the slaves held captive by the traffickers, he shouldn't be afraid to reveal his information."

"Auntie and I share the same view. Rather than saying the murderer is seeking revenge, it's better to say he's testing someone." Shen Tu Zhuo stroked the jade pendant around his waist and narrowed his eyes. "He's looking for someone, and he's also waiting for someone to look for him."
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　Next chapter: My sister likes this fragrance very much.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)