Uncle Nine, where are you running to?

On the way back, Lin Jiu and Jingzhi did not walk fast. Jingzhi walked out of boredom. After a while, he pulled Lin Jiu to do his old job - picking herbs.

Even though she had Lin Jiu's amulet and was temporarily out of danger, it seemed as if all her good luck had been stolen and her luck was terrible.

Jingzhi and Lin Jiu searched for a long time, but found nothing except a few common medicinal herbs for treating headaches and fevers.

Just as she was so angry that she picked up a stick to hit the tree trunk, Wencai suddenly screamed from the front of the forest path.

"Teacher, master!"

Lin Jiu thought that he was possessed by the bad spirit again and something bad had happened. His eyes flashed and he quickly ran over.

He is fast, but Jingzhi, who loves to join in the fun, is even faster than him.

Before he ran to Wencai, Lin Jiu saw Jingzhi, who was running ahead of him, suddenly take two steps back.

"What happened?" Lin Jiu walked closer and saw a child in tattered clothes lying face down on the ground, his life or death unknown.

Jingzhi carefully squatted down and wanted to help, but suddenly she remembered the nightmare she had last night.

In the deep mountains and forests, there is a child lying on the ground.

No matter how you look at it, it’s so weird.

Then, her outstretched left hand suddenly changed to a thin wooden stick held in her right hand.

Jingzhi poked the child's arm twice with a wooden stick, "Hey, kid, are you okay?"

The child didn't move at all.

Jingzhi poked again and again.

Lin Jiu couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so he squatted down and turned the child over.

The moment they faced upwards, he and Wencai both exclaimed in surprise.

"Light rain!" *2

Jingyi looked confused, "Do you know each other? Whose family is this?"

Lin Jiu shook his head. "He's an orphan. He usually begs for food in town. Sometimes when he's bullied by other kids, he runs to hide near the charity cemetery. Wencai and I have run into him a few times."

As he spoke, he reached out and gently patted Xiaoyu's pale face.

"Small--"

When his fingertips just touched Xiaoyu's round face, Lin Jiu was suddenly frightened.

Without time to explain, he immediately touched the blood vessels in his neck and tried his breathing.

Wencai's eyes widened as he looked at Lin Jiu's increasingly heavy expression. He suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart:

"Master, he he he..."

Lin Jiu sighed heavily, his eyes full of pity.

This child was born at the wrong time and in troubled times. He wandered around for a few years and died here. It was really pitiful.

"The skin is still warm, which means he died not long ago. Carry him to the funeral home."

Wencai took two steps back in fear, pointing his finger at himself, "Me? My back?"

Lin Jiu: "Do you think I should carry you on my back?"

Jingzhi raised her hand, "I can recite it."

Lin Jiu pushed her hand down and glared at Wencai again, "No need for you. He has been well fed and served these past few days, it's time to let him do some work."

Lin Jiu looked down at Xiaoyu.

He is obviously ten years old, but because of lack of food, his arms, legs and head are as thin as if he is six or seven years old. It is really heartbreaking.

Wencai's injuries have almost healed, so it's more than enough for me to carry him.

"Let's go." Lin Jiu pulled the wooden stick out of Jingzhi's hand, gently patted the bark off her fingers, and then took her to the front.

Jingzhi looked at the two people's clasped hands and couldn't help but smile slightly.

He seemed to be getting more and more used to being close to her, which was great.

She turned back to look at Xiaoyu on Wencai's back and asked, "Ajiu, are you planning to bury him?"

Lin Jiu nodded. "He has no relatives, and no one will take care of his funeral." Lin Jiu thought for a moment before saying slowly, "Let's put him in the funeral home first. Once we find the murderer, I'll perform a ritual for him and then choose a date to bury him."

Jingzhi slowed down and stared blankly at his righteous profile.

Suddenly, she turned his face and pecked his lips, "Ajiu, although you always have a sour face, you have a really good heart."

Wencai watched the two of them being affectionate with each other again. Or it could be said that it was Jingzhi who was being affectionate with each other one-sidedly. He really couldn't bear to watch it, so he quickly took two steps to the front.

Lin Jiu glanced at his back, then touched his mouth awkwardly, "From now on, outside, can you please not..."

Before he could finish his words, Jingzhi smiled and kissed him again, "What else?"

Lin Jiu: "..."

He pulled his hand free, held his breath, and walked forward with big strides, his hands behind his back.

Jingzhi groaned twice and quickly chased after him, "Okay, okay, I won't kiss you outside! Really, you're so shy."

Lin Jiu: Is he shy? Is that so?

It was obviously her, she was using both verbal and physical force in broad daylight.

"Hey~ No kiss, just hold my hand."

Lin Jiu walked faster and faster, but Jingzhi followed closely. She pinched his red earlobe and said, "It's so hot, Jiu, you're so cute!"

Lin Jiu turned to look at her, feeling a bit speechless.

He was in his forties and was often described as scary by his two apprentices and serious by the people in town, but no one had ever called him cute.

Don’t these two words seem out of place when applied to him?

Jingzhi saw him slow down and quickly put her hand through his arm, "Hey, are you angry already?"

Lin Jiu was silent for a moment, he really couldn't do anything about her, "I'm not angry."

"Really?" Jingzhi pressed forward, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. "Then...will you cook for me later?"

Lin Jiu: “…Okay.”

Jingzhi: "Cook fish?"

Lin Jiu: “…Okay.”

Jingzhi's eyes became brighter and brighter:

"I'll move in and sleep with you tonight?"

Lin Jiu said firmly: "No!"

Jingzhi: Tsk, I almost got it.

……

Around noon, the three people and the corpse finally returned to the charity cemetery.

Lin Jiu: "Wencai, move to the side room, help him clean himself and change his clothes, and burn some incense for him."

Wencai responded with an "oh", stepped into the yard, and walked towards the side room first.

Hearing the voices, Qiu Sheng ran out of the kitchen with a spatula in his hand, "Master, weren't you supposed to stay a few more days? Why are you back so soon?"

Lin Jiu regained the dignity he lost to Jingzhi from Qiu Sheng.

He asked in a deep voice: "Well, has the young prince delivered it to them?"

Qiu Sheng suddenly came over with a sly smile and pulled out a bulging purse from his pocket. "It was delivered yesterday, and the servants at the post station took it away. Guess how much money their housekeeper gave me?"

Jingyi looked curious, "How much?"

Qiu Sheng had never received so much money in his life. He cleared his throat, opened his purse, and pulled it down to show them.

"Ha! Three little yellow croakers!"

Jingzhi was almost blinded by the golden light, while Lin Jiu frowned slightly.

He snatched Qiu Sheng's purse and said, "The first half was escorted by your uncle and several fellow apprentices. You should return his share to him."

Qiu Sheng hesitated to speak, half-stretching out his hand, not daring to actually snatch it away. He could only mumble, "Hey, the remaining 1.5 are mine!"

Lin Jiu stuffed the purse into his arms and said, "As usual, I'll keep it for you."

Seeing Qiu Sheng fiddling with his mouth and mumbling softly, Lin Jiu glanced at him and asked, "What? You want to take it back?"

Qiu Sheng smiled awkwardly, "No, I don't want to. I'm going to cook!"

Damn, I miss it so much.

His master is really a scoundrel, he didn't leave him anything at all.

……

Jingzhi followed Lin Jiu closely into the study.

Lin Jiu walked to the shelf, took out a key from his arms, and opened a large box on the shelf.

Jingzhi came forward and saw that there were two small boxes inside the big box.

At this time, Lin Jiu took out a smaller key, opened the small box on the left, and put a small yellow croaker in.

Jingzhi understood.

These two boxes must be Qiu Sheng and Wencai’s “dowry”.

"Ajiu, didn't you say you would give Qiu Sheng half? Why did you only put one in for him?"

Lin Jiu pinched the purse in his hand and felt that the two small yellow croakers were stained with Xiaobei's blood. "...This is what Qianhe deserves."

Seeing the self-blame flashing in his eyes, Jingzhi patted his hand gently to comfort him, "No one wants this to happen. The matter has not been investigated thoroughly yet. Don't take all the responsibility on yourself."

In the study, Jingzhi held him and stood quietly for a while.

"Okay, since Qiu Sheng is cooking, why don't you think about how to find that intermediary? I'll go make you a pot of tea."

"Well, please."

Jingzhi looked at his frown and suddenly said in a weird way:

"Since you know it's troublesome...why don't you let me sleep in your room tonight?"

"……no."

He pulled Jingzhi to the door of the study.

He unbolted the door and opened it, letting the dazzling sunlight and bright blue sky outside bear witness to his innocence.

"I'm sorry, I will find the murderer as soon as possible. Can we hold our wedding after the murderer is killed?"

The words came too abruptly. She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing, "You're such an idiot."

Looking at his relaxed brows, Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly pinched his cheek, then turned and ran away.

"I'll make you some tea!"

Lin Jiu rubbed his right cheek which didn't hurt at all, and wondered, did she agree or not?

Just as I thought of this, I saw a smiling face as bright as a summer flower stretching out from the kitchen door.

"I promise you!"

The depression between Lin Jiu's brows disappeared, and his heart was suddenly filled with energy. He smiled at Jingzhi, then turned back to the study to think of a plan.