The maid's road to success

Chen Luoxi and his men searched almost the entire area where the disaster victims were gathered, but they couldn't find Wen Niang and the others.

"Sir, this is actually a good thing. It means that the girl is still well and where is she now?"

Zhushan looked at Chen Luoxi who was almost collapsed and tried to comfort her.

Chen Luoxi looked around and felt so powerless.

After days of busyness and worry, he became more and more panicked and scared.

"Didn't the prefect say that some people returned to the countryside, and some found other places to hide?"

Zhuhai feels that there is still hope as he hasn't found everyone yet.

"I'm afraid she's not in Yuzhou, or she's escaped again."

Seeing that Zhuhai was speaking so easily, Zhushan bumped into him and told him to shut up.

"Sir, good things take time. The girl likes stability. She won't be on the road all the time. She will always find a place to stay."

Chen Luoxi sat down, holding onto a stone, and covered his face without saying anything.

"If a girl finds a suitable place to live, what will she do there?"

Chatting about the bamboo sea and the bamboo river on one side.

Later, Zhuhe was trained by Zhushan to be very smart and didn't want to talk much with Zhuhai.

The more you talk, the more mistakes you make. This is what Zhushan taught us.

"If it were me, I would open a small shop with my own yard, open the shop whenever I want, close the shop whenever I want, take a rest, drink and eat meat, and beat up anyone who causes trouble."

Zhuhai mumbled a lot, and Zhuhe said impatiently.

"You can't do anything but fight. What kind of store do you want to open? Go away. You look like a sick person."

Zhu Hai was pushed by him and staggered to the side.

However, Chen Luoxi raised his head after hearing Zhu Hai's words.

"Zhushan, go find someone to check out all the new shops that have opened in Yuzhou in the past year. What do they do, who opened them, and where are they located?"

Zhushan's eyes brightened when he heard Chen Luoxi's instructions.

"Master, do you think the girl would open a shop if she stayed there?"

Chen Luoxi nodded.

"Mrs. Wen is not the kind of person who would take her money and do nothing. She likes to spend the money she earns, but she doesn't know how to farm, so the most likely thing is that she will open a small shop and buy a few acres of land."

Zhushan nodded. He had noticed this habit of the girl since he knew her.

No matter how much silver the young master gave the girl, she used the money she earned from her embroidery to buy the things she needed and pay monthly wages to several people in the courtyard.

"I will go to Yuzhou to check the documents."

With a new direction, Chen Luoxi perked up and continued to work.

Wen Niang didn't expect that Chen Luoxi had found a new way to find them through the idea of ​​opening a new shop. She also didn't expect that she and Bihe had always believed that no one knew her real name, and Jin'er, who had been to Chunyuan to play several times, heard it.

Wen Niang was not in good spirits during the day and often became dazed while making handkerchiefs. She only reacted when she was pricked by a needle.

When I read a book, I often lose track of what I am thinking.

He didn't eat much, which made Bihe very worried. While Wen Niang was dividing the lines in the room, she came over to tell Wushan.

"Go to the prefect's place and take a look at the matter between the Protector of the Country and that woman. Be careful and drink the anti-plague medicine before you go."

Bihe stuffed some money and cakes into Wushan's pocket and told him to act accordingly.

Wushan was a half-grown child, and Jin'er and the others had also seen him. It was not surprising that he was sent to deliver pastries.

Bihe and Wu described Chen Luoxi's appearance and told him not to get too close.

Chen Luoxi is very cautious. If he knows that someone is investigating him, he will inevitably investigate.

Wushan may not be able to keep it secret.

Wushan nodded and walked towards the village where the Yuzhou officials were temporarily staying.

It was not until noon that they arrived. Wushan saw that there were officials guarding the houses nearby.

Not daring to act rashly, he walked around the village.

I saw the only relatively bright courtyard.

I thought that since the Duke of Huguo was a high-ranking official, he must live in the best place. But there were yamen runners and guards around, so I couldn't get close.

"Stop, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Wushan didn't expect to be discovered here.

"I'm Wushan. My sister knows Miss Jin'er from the Tongpan Mansion. She asked me to deliver some cakes. If you don't believe me, you can go ask Miss Jin'er."

Bihe prepared a lot of pastries for him and put them in his bag. Before coming here, he had thought about how to deal with it if he was discovered.

"Why are you here? The women don't live here."

Wushan had already thought of an excuse.

"The adults stayed at our house for a few days before, but later moved away. We only know that they all came here, but I have no idea who lives where. This is my first time here."

The man did not doubt this statement.

"I've never seen the world, and I thought everyone lived in this big compound. Are we in trouble?"

The man didn't think anything could happen to a half-grown child, and said impatiently.

"If you don't know, don't wander around. This is where the imperial envoy and the inspector of Kyoto live."

After a while, the person who went to report brought Xier over.

"Wushan, why are you here?"

Wushan looked shy and scratched his head.

"My sister asked me to bring you some snacks. I didn't know where you lived and I took the wrong road."

Xier has a good feeling about the people in Yufuzhai and Chunyuan.

The lady likes it and she likes it too.

These children were also very kind and sincere. They were delighted when they saw him take out a few cakes wrapped in oil paper.

"Brother, our young lady recognizes this child. Please let him in."

The bailiff obviously didn't expect that a child dressed so poorly actually knew the young lady of the Tongpan Mansion.

"Come in."

Xier took the lead, and Wushan took the opportunity to stuff a handful of candy into the mouth of the yamen runner's mouth. Although it was not valuable, it was not easy to buy it at this time.

The bailiff was surprised at the boy's sharp eyesight. He did not think the little incident just now was troublesome and was in a good mood.

There was a reason why Wushan gave this handful of candy. He looked at the defense here for a while and figured out something.

There are special guard teams in every place, and the people who stopped him are responsible for this area.

This time he used the snacks sent by the Tongpan Mansion as a cover. If possible, he would like to try it again later. With this person around, he might not be caught as a thief.

"Wushan, come in and sit down."

Wushan stood in the yard and shook his head.

"My sister said that boys and girls should sit at different seats after the age of seven. I am already a big kid and cannot just come into your room. I will sit in the yard."

The wife of the magistrate actually felt that it was inappropriate for Wushan to enter the room. After all, Jin'er also lived here now, and there were some handkerchiefs, jewelry, and shoes used by her daughter in the room. It would not be nice for a man outside to see them.

But there is so little space here, and it would be rude to let people stay outside. They can't do such a thing.

I didn't expect Wushan to be so polite and take the initiative to sit outside.

"There's nothing outside, isn't it?"

Jin'er didn't think too much about it, she just felt that it was not good to let people sit outside when they came from far away to deliver things.

"At home, I often practiced martial arts and learned to read with my brothers and sisters in the yard. All we needed was a place to sit."

Wushan insisted on not going in, so Madam Tongpan asked the servants to bring out stools and tables, and set out tea and some steamed rice cakes.

"My sister said that the young lady loves to eat cakes. Recently, she made some mung bean cakes, osmanthus cakes, red bean cakes, and a dish of glutinous rice cakes in her spare time."

Wushan took out each of the delicacies and let them taste them.

The wife of the Tongpan was happy when she saw her daughter's happy expression.

Although it is relatively safe here, it is not easy to find the foods you like to eat on a daily basis.

Especially Jin'er has a picky taste and lost a lot of weight because he couldn't get used to the food.

Now that the people from Chunyuan sent so many cakes and pastries, she no longer had to worry about being hungry.

Even if you don't want to eat, you can have a bite to fill your stomach. At least it will make you feel better.

As they were gossiping, the people next door heard that someone was sending cakes to the Tongpan Mansion, and the daughter of the Wu family wanted to share some.

Mrs. Liu felt very uncomfortable when she saw her daughters were so unruly.

The youngest daughter of the Wu family copied Buddhist scriptures in her room for several days. Her eldest sister said that one must be sincere when copying Buddhist scriptures and it is best to eat vegetarian food.

She hadn't eaten well for several days, so she just ate bland porridge and vegetarian dishes.

When I heard people talking about someone next door sending a lot of cakes and pastries, I packed a bag full of them and began to miss those sweet snacks.

They instigated the nanny to ask for some, but their mother found out and scolded them again.

"Mother, we are not just greedy. Didn't father ask you to make friends with the woman from the An family? You went there twice but didn't see her. I think she is from Kyoto and is not used to the food here. You should bring some and send it over. Maybe she will see it."

The youngest daughter of the Wu family thought that it would be best to leave the place for them for a while.

Mrs. Liu thought this was a good idea, but she was the prefect's wife after all, so how could she ask for other people's food?

Unexpectedly, after just a while, someone from next door sent two plates of dim sum. Although there were only four square pieces, four or five kinds were not a small number.

"Mother, Madam Tongpan is very considerate and sent us some cakes, but we can't just accept them for free. Let's see if there is a suitable gift in return."

Mrs. Liu nodded and took her daughter to the room where the luggage was stored to look for it.

"I was originally going to keep this moonlight brocade for you to make clothes, but now it seems that there is nothing more suitable."

The eldest daughter of the Wu family doesn't care about these material things. What she values ​​more now is her reputation.

The two younger sisters were always acting like mischief, and as a result, the reputation of the daughter in the family was damaged.

The eldest daughter of the Wu family has been engaged to her cousin from her uncle's family. Her uncle's family is extremely strict in observing etiquette, and her aunt also attaches great importance to these rules for her daughter.

If she continues like this, she is afraid that after the disaster, her uncle's family will come and hear the gossip, which will have a huge impact on her.

"These pastries and food are in short supply nowadays. It's not easy for Madam Tongpan to send these. This moonlight brocade is not more expensive than food at this time. If we add a box of rice beads, it will be beautiful if we string them together to make bead flowers."

Mrs. Liu asked someone to take the things to the next door.

Wushan was asking Jin'er and Xier about something.

“Why send it to those next door?”

Xier was not very willing either, but looking at Madam Tongpan sitting in front of the window, she spoke in a low voice.

"The daughter of the prefect next door is very spoiled. When I brought you here, their maid saw me. I will definitely tell their daughter when I go back."

"Those people have been living a hard life for so many days, they can't stand it anymore. Instead of waiting for them to come and ask for it, why don't we give it to them? This way, they won't accuse us of being stingy."

Wu Shan then nodded in understanding. Jin'er did not stop Xi'er. She was also dissatisfied with the two young ladies of the Wu family, but she could not speak ill of others.

Xier really didn't have much to hide, and she didn't tell anyone about it, so no one else could hear her, so she wasn't afraid.

"Then just give a little as a token of your appreciation. It's easy to find money nowadays, but it's not so easy to find someone to make cakes."

Xier curled her lips.

"It's because the wife of the prefect has to take the lady from Kyoto into consideration. We have good things and we send them over. Whether the wife of the prefect sends them over there or not is none of our business."

Wushan said, pretending to be surprised.

"Disaster relief, why would Kyoto allow a lady to come?"

Xier saw that the magistrate's wife didn't notice anything, so she moved closer and spoke.

"That person was not sent by Kyoto, but by the wife of the inspector. She developed a plague prescription for this disaster relief, and she has made great contributions."

Wushan's eyes widened.

"So amazing! Even better than the men."

Xier didn't quite believe it.

"Who knows if it's true? He doesn't even leave the house on weekdays, and when he does, he wears a veil. He's very mysterious."

"The prefect's wife went there several times but didn't even see him."

Jin'er realized that Xi'er had said too much and signaled her not to say any more.

Seeing that the master and servant did not dare to talk more about the woman's identity and affairs, Wushan did not ask any more questions.

Just as Jin'er was wondering whether Wushan had heard the woman's real name, which was the same as the lady of Yufuzhai, and came to inquire about it, Wushan stood up and said he was ready to leave.

"I have been out for quite some time today. I am afraid that my sisters may be worried. I have to go back quickly. If you need honey tea or cakes, please ask the servants to go to Chunyuan."

"I was reckless today and accidentally went to the wrong place. I was so scared that I won't dare to come here again next time."

Jin'er looked at Wushan's timid appearance and the doubts in her heart were dispelled.

Chunyuan is not close to here or where the victims live, so it is unlikely that they know so much. Besides, Wushan is so timid that he is not suitable for doing these things.

I didn't think about it any more.

Wushan walked for a while, asked Xier to go back, and then he walked away. As soon as Xier left, he slipped back to the second courtyard.

The yamen runners had just left to inspect other places, and Wushan lay down near the house and looked at the people in the yard.

I saw a woman walking out of the room and handing something to a black-clad guard.

After a while, Wushan heard footsteps, quickly got up and ran to the group of yamen runners.

"Finally I've waited for you guys."

The bailiff was very surprised that Wu Shan was here again, as he was supposed to be staying at the residence of the women of the Tongpan's Mansion.

"When I delivered the pastries, I secretly kept a pack. I came to you specially to save it for you."

The yamen runner didn't believe in such things as pie falling from the sky. He thought that the child was trying to please him by giving him candy just now. Then why was he waiting for him to give him cakes now?

"My sister told me that the people here are either rich or noble, and told me to be careful. If something happens, they can't protect me. But when the adults saw me today, they didn't make things difficult for me. They also kindly informed me. I kept it in mind and always wanted to repay them. That's why I came here to find the adults."

Everyone likes to hear nice words, and the yamen runners are no exception. This guy is sweet-talking and knows how to deal with things, so they are willing to talk to him more.

"You are quite smart, kid. But this place is heavily guarded. Don't walk around casually. I will take you out."

Wu Shan smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.

"That's great. I don't quite know how to get out. Thank you for your help, sirs."

Several yamen runners had just distributed some candies from the leader, and now they saw the kid giving them cakes. They were very happy and kept calling him "adult".

These people are not highly valued in the yamen, but the officials in the prefecture dare to order them around.

Now that I am respected as an adult and receive gifts, I am so happy that I don’t know which way is east, west, or north.

"I think the adults are really busy, making rounds all the time."

A man sighed.

"Hey, who said it wasn't? People coming from Kyoto are precious, and there's also an inspector's wife in that courtyard, so we have to be careful."

Wushan exclaimed.

"Isn't that the good lady who developed the plague remedy?"

Several people nodded.

"It's her. She's the one tinkering with herbs in her room every day. She's really amazing."

Wushan looked in awe.

"The inspector must think highly of this lady."

Those yamen runners were responsible for the security of the area every day and knew more than others. They looked at each other in surprise when they heard this.

"That's not necessarily true. I feel like the way the An family's wife talks to the inspector is just like how we talk to the commander."

A hint of doubt flashed across Wushan's eyes, but they had already reached the village entrance and those people had no intention of continuing to chat with him, so Wushan could only say goodbye and leave.

Along the way, I was thinking about what I saw and heard today.