Fragrant willow catkins

"Enemy?!" Wu Hualing was shocked.

Boss: "Well, the enemy of a concubine in the dance house came here to hunt her down."

He spoke very seriously, as if he was deliberately conveying information to Wu Hualing.

Wu Hualing: "How did you know?"

"I have business dealings with that company and I know them very well. I can't be wrong!"

Wu Hualing looked at the small bridge and the flowing water thoughtfully. She had already entered the dream. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Wu Hualing picked up the bracelet and changed the subject. "Oh~ Boss, this is beautiful. How much is it?"

The boss looked reluctant and said, "Five taels."

Wu Hualing gave the money readily, "Here! I'll go back first, and I'll come back to listen to your story next time."

The boss took the money and watched the three people leave reluctantly.

Back in the inn room, Wu Hualing asked Xiao Qiao Liu Shui anxiously, "How is it? Is what he said true?"

Xiaoqiao: "It's pretty much the same. The boss has a good relationship with your father."

Liushui: “I also tell him some private things.”

That year, the head of the family told the boss that when he first met Aunt Li, he went to the capital to perform. On the way back, he rescued the weak Aunt Li. He fell in love with her at first sight. Aunt Li was very grateful to him and went back to the dance house with him.

The owner of the house often brought Aunt Li to meet the boss and ordered jewelry for her.

Once, the head of the family talked to the boss alone and complained that several people in the mansion had died mysteriously. Wu Hualing's mother also quarreled with him because of Aunt Li and went back to her parents' home. Fortunately, Wu Hualing was not in the mansion and was not in danger.

The boss was a little worried, "Could it be... related to Aunt Li?"

The head of the family: "No, even if I did, I would still protect her!"

He said it firmly.

Later, the head of the family lamented the impermanence of life and death, and told his boss that he had decided to find a painter to paint a picture of him and Aunt Li, and preserve it as a memorial.

Xiaoqiao Liushui calculated the date and it seemed to be two days before the Wu family was wiped out.

Liushui: "The head of the family didn't come on the second day, and on the third day, news came that the family was exterminated."

Wu Hualing: "Painter?"

If there were a portrait, we would know what Aunt Li looked like.

Although it was also in Wu Hualing's memory, the three of them had very poor drawing skills and could not take it back as a clue.

So the three of them began to search for painters in the city, screening the painters' ages, and finally set their sights on a teahouse.

There are painters in the teahouse who specialize in drawing portraits of guests. They have good skills, are of appropriate age, and are quite famous, but they have a lot of rules to follow.

The owner of the house loves beauty, so he will definitely look for the one with the best craftsmanship.

The three of them came to the teahouse, and at first they sat down to drink tea and listen to music for a while, then they asked the waiter about the painter, and the waiter took the three of them to the open studio.

Entering the private room, just like last time, Wu Hualing sat in her seat as a model, attracting the painter's attention, and Xiaoqiao Liushui took the opportunity to fall asleep.

The painter started to paint while Wu Hualing chatted with him.

"Master, I heard that you have great skills, so I came here specifically to have your portrait painted."

"Master, is this pose of mine okay? Will it look good when drawn?"

"Master, you have been doing this for a long time, right? Do you want to accept an apprentice?"

After asking this series of questions, the painter went from not wanting to pay attention to her to being impatient, and scolded her in a low voice, "Don't move! Don't talk! Don't disturb my thoughts!"

As the rumors say, this chef’s service attitude is not very good.

Wu Hualing was afraid that he would go on strike, so he immediately kept quiet. After the silence, the painter felt much more comfortable and wrote much faster.

When the painting came to an end, Wu Hualing glanced at the small bridge and the flowing water, and the dream ended. The small bridge nodded, and Wu Hualing understood.

"Master, there used to be a dance house here, did you know about it?"

The painter ignored her.

Wu Hualing: "You painted a picture of the Wu family's master and a woman. Is it still here?"

The painter then raised his head and stared at her, "Why are you asking this?"

Wu Hualing smiled sweetly, "Curious."

The painter's eyes were full of disbelief.

This old man is much more difficult to deal with than the jewelry store owner.

Wu Hualing was helpless. She was afraid that if she said too much nonsense, the old man would lose his temper and kick them out. So she had to reveal her identity to him, "I am Wu Hualing, the eldest daughter of the Wu family."

The painter's eyes lit up for a moment, a hint of joy after taking a good look. "...Yes, the painting is still here. At that time, Master Wu felt that Aunt Li's head ornaments were monotonous, so he asked me to bring some jewelry to paint on her head some other day."

Wu Hualing stood up excitedly, "Then can you give me the painting?!"

The painter's face showed displeasure again, "Sit down! Wait until I finish painting before you tell me anything!"

After the painter finished painting, he handed her a portrait of Wu Hualing, in which Wu Hualing was surrounded by flowers and smiling sweetly. He then took the three of them to his private studio and went back to work, leaving them to find their own.

The painter has his own residence in the teahouse, and this studio is in his room. It is very large and filled with line drawings.

Wu Hualing opened the cabinet where the paintings were stored in the studio. There were nearly a hundred portraits in it. They should be the ones that had not been taken away. Each one had a different face.

The three of them searched for a while. Wu Hualing recognized his father's face, so they soon found him. The three of them were able to see Aunt Li's true appearance.

It was indeed a gorgeous and beautiful face, the kind of aggressive beauty that seemed to be able to fascinate people at first sight.

After taking the portrait away, all the clues were found. As for why Aunt Li was hunted down by her enemies, they had to go back to the capital to investigate.

The three of them returned to the inn with the two portraits. As soon as they entered the inn, they saw the jewelry store owner sitting in the store holding a box, waiting for them.

Seeing the person coming back, he walked forward with a shaky step, "The jewelry you ordered."

Wu Hualing was a little confused, "I didn't decide, did you make a mistake?"

The boss was very sure, "It's yours, the money has been paid long ago, and now it has been returned to its original owner."

Putting the box in Wu Hualing's hand, the boss left contentedly and didn't bother her anymore after completing the task.

Wu Hualing found a table and sat down, put down the box and opened it. Inside was a set of jewelry. The color and style of the set were more girlish. There was also a note inside, which was a few years old.

【Gift for Hua Ling’s seventh birthday】

In just a moment, tears welled up uncontrollably in Wu Hualing's eyes and she felt very complicated.

This was the birthday gift her father prepared for her in advance, but before her birthday, Wu Hualing had left home with her mother and her father was killed, so he was unable to hand the gift to her in person.

Wu Hualing closed the box and held it in her arms, trying to calm herself down.

Having grown up, she no longer needs fatherly love, but when she became most independent, she realized that when her father quarreled with her mother, he was still thinking about her.

Xiaoqiao Liushui stood beside Wuhualing and reached out to comfort her.

Xiaoqiao: "Let's go."

Liushui: "Go home."

Wu Hualing couldn't explain the matters between her elders, but she now had her own home.

Wu Hualing: "Well, go home."

Carrying the box and the portrait, the three of them went upstairs to pack their things.

The three of them returned to No. 1, and the waiter came running to greet them, "How's it going? What did you find out?"

Wu Hualing: "I haven't finished the investigation yet. Let's talk about it when the master comes back."

The waiter said: "Okay, you must be tired after the long journey, go up and have a rest."