get married first, fall in love later

The sun was approaching the middle of the day, and it was almost noon, but the three of Qian Xiaobao and his party had not yet arrived at the "Jucai Gambling Workshop".Jiang Qingxiao's face became more and more anxious, but Miss Ouyang, who has never been able to read people's faces, still didn't notice it, and she was having fun in front of the various booths.

Qian Xiaobao slightly raised his head to look at the sky, then lowered his head to think carefully, and finally walked up to Ouyang Xi, pretending to be unintentional, and said casually: "My lady, we are going to the casino now Helping Miss Qingxiao catch the thief, your way of walking will cause trouble."

It was only then that Ouyang Xi suddenly remembered the business, patted his forehead with a little annoyance, and repeatedly apologized to Jiang Qingxiao: "Qing Xiao Qing Xiao, I'm so sorry, when I saw these funny things, I almost turned you down Forgot all about it."

Jiang Qingxiao is not the kind of person who cares about every detail, and she has a close relationship with Ouyang Xi, so naturally she won't hold any grudges against her, so she just grinned and said: "It's okay, it's not yet noon, it's too late now."

"Really? Let's go then."

Ouyang Xi pulled Jiang Qingxiao's arm and walked forward, but stopped after a while, turned to look at her with some embarrassment and asked: "Uh...that gambling house, how do you get there? "

Jiang Qingxiao smiled slightly, clasped her wrist behind her back, and walked into a side alley: "Let's take a shortcut, it's faster." After speaking, she turned and waved at Qian Xiaobao: "Brother Qian, please follow me .”

Qian Xiaobao put away his folding fan, gave a slight nod, and then followed.

"Jucai Gambling Shop" is the largest gambling shop in Jiangzhou City. It is located in a horizontal alley in the middle of the main street. It is a small two-story building facing the street. A wooden door plaque without any decoration is hung across the position, with the words "Jucai Gambling Square" written on it.The style of writing is suave, unrestrained and unrestrained, and at first glance, it still has the demeanor of a literati.Just push the door and lift the curtain to enter, the scene is another matter.

The sight is a bustling scene comparable to a vegetable market, where people of all colors gather and the sound of shouting and shouting can be heard endlessly.Roughly speaking, the first floor is for retail investors and some small-amount gambling projects. There are only a few rectangular wooden tables set up according to the types of gambling. People of different ages and clothes are surrounding them, and some are concentrating on Looking at the table and waiting for the result of the betting game on the spot, some seemed to be cheering for themselves, clenched their hands into fists and raised them above their heads, waving them slightly while yelling, "Double, double, double..."

As soon as Qian Xiaobao and his party walked in, Ouyang Xi was attracted by the scene in front of her. The ancient gambling house, this is one of the places she most wants to see besides the brothel.Thinking of this, his body began to involuntarily squeeze into the middle of the crowd, his slender neck stretched straight, wishing he could plunge into the front of the gambling table.

Jiang Qingxiao, whose sleeves were being held tightly by her, naturally also suffered. Before she could react, her body was pulled into the crowd, and then Ouyang Xi's excited voice came from her ear : "Wow, it turns out that ancient people used dice to gamble, and this dice looks similar to ours!"

Jiang Qingxiao was at a loss: Ancient people?us?what's the situation?

This time, Qian Xiaobao rarely kindly stepped forward to help her out of the siege, and pulled Ouyang Xi out of the crowd.

Ouyang Xi glared at her unhappily: "I haven't seen enough, what are you pulling me out for?"

"Dear lady," Qian Xiaobao put on a serious face, and taught her earnestly and unrepentantly: "We are here to catch thieves, not for fun, if you want to play, can't you wait until the business is done? "

Ouyang Xi was a little puzzled: "Aren't we just going to wait here for that little thief to come?"

Qian Xiaobao nodded: "That's right."

"That's it." Ouyang Xi clapped his hands and said excitedly: "I haven't heard that the Great Hermit hides in the city. We will mix in the crowd. When the enemy is in the clear and I am in the dark, we can easily be there." The thief caught him without realizing it. How about it, is my idea good?"

Qian Xiaobao sighed slightly in his heart: Rather than catching thieves better, your idea seems to be more beneficial for you to play here, right?

Jiang Qingxiao was at a loss again: Why did she not understand what Xiao Xi said? Although she was not a rich man in school, she was proficient in the Four Books and the Five Classics. Can't even understand it?

But here, Qian Xiaobao looked at Ouyang Xi with a helpless smile, raised his hand and patted the left sleeve, and said pointedly: "Obviously there is a way to get twice the result with half the effort, wouldn't it be a pity not to use it?"

Seeing this, Ouyang Xi immediately remembered the portrait Jiang Qingxiao drew before: "That's right, why did I forget about this, it's better to have someone help than to work around by myself." After speaking, he turned around and pulled Jiang Qingxiao with one hand, and the money with the other Xiao Bao said: "Then what are you waiting for, hurry up and find someone to help catch the thief!"

Hearing this, Qian Xiaobao smiled lightly and shook his head, clasped her wrist with his backhand, pulled her in the opposite direction, and said, "Miss, you should go this way to find someone to help you." After speaking, he pulled Ouyang Xi's arm He stepped up the stairs next to him.

Qian Xiaobao led the two of them to the door of the shopkeeper's room, raised his hand and knocked twice, and after a while, he heard light footsteps coming from the room, he stopped in front of the door and asked casually: "Who is there outside the door?" ?”

Qian Xiaobao said: "It's me, Qian Xiaobao."

As soon as the words were finished, the door of the room opened, and a young man who looked gentle and refined appeared in everyone's sight. He saw Qian Xiaobao was slightly taken aback, then smiled lightly, cupped his fists and bowed, and said, "So It's Mr. Qian, I haven't seen you for a long time, when did you come to Jiangzhou, why didn't you send someone to inform me?" After speaking, he welcomed the three of them into the door, took them to the table and sat down, and then called the subordinates outside the door to make a cup of tea. A pot of new tea came to help everyone present fill it up one by one, and then sat opposite Qian Xiaobao and looked at him with a smile on his face.

Qian Xiaobao put the folding fan in his hand on the table, took a sip from his teacup, and explained his purpose straight to the point.

"Brother Yin, to tell the truth, the younger brother came here to ask for something."

"Oh? I don't know what troubles the young master?"

Qian Xiaobao put down the teacup, took out the portrait that Jiang Qingxiao drew in the inn from his sleeve, handed it to him and said, "Dare to ask Brother Yin, can you recognize this person?"

Shopkeeper Yin took the portrait and looked it over, and then said: "This man is Wang Er, and he is a frequent visitor to my place. Why do you ask me this, my lord?"

"It's like this," Qian Xiaobao raised his hand and pointed gently at Jiang Qingxiao beside him: "My friend said that this person stole the money bag in the downtown area two days ago, so we are today Came here for this."

"So that's how it is." Shopkeeper Yin placed the portrait on the table, looked at Qian Xiaobao and said, "I've often heard that this king's hands and feet are not clean. I also suffered from this guy today. Don’t worry, if you need any help, please feel free to ask, I will definitely spare no effort to help.”

Qian Xiaobao smiled slightly when he heard the words, and said: "The news we sent people to investigate said that this little thief will come here to gamble money today, so I hope Brother Yin can send some people to help me capture him in one fell swoop."

Shopkeeper Yin said after hearing the words: "Why do you have to come to the door in person for such a small matter, you just need to send someone over to inform." After speaking, he raised his hand and greeted the subordinates outside the door to his eyes, raised the portrait and said: "You take this portrait. Go and identify the brothers downstairs, watch carefully, and send someone to report immediately if this person appears in the workshop."

"Yes."

After the subordinate responded, he picked up the portrait and turned around to leave the door.

Qian Xiaobao sat upright at the same place and cupped his fists to shopkeeper Yin, thanking him: "Brother Yin is very grateful for your help, and I will definitely thank you afterwards."

Shopkeeper Yin hurriedly replied: "You're welcome, you're welcome." After speaking, he seemed to think of something, and said to Qian Xiaobao: "Don't worry, my lord, my subordinates will do their best to help you catch that thief after receiving the order. If you are worried, you can wait here for a while and wait for the news. Besides, this room is facing the gate on the first floor of my gambling house. Standing at the window, you can always observe the people who come in. With such a double guarantee, the little thief It’s hard to escape even if you insert your wings.”

Qian Xiaobao said: "Brother Yin is very thoughtful, then we should be respectful rather than obedient, and we will bother you here for a while."

"My lord, you don't have to be polite. I'll go out and order someone to prepare some tea and snacks. I'll check to see if the order just now has been conveyed."

Qian Xiaobao clasped his fists again to thank him, then got up and watched shopkeeper Yin go out.

After a while, someone came in with a few plates of snacks, and replaced the cool tea on the table with a new pot, then bowed and bowed to leave.Ouyang Xi got up and walked to the window, looked down, and greeted Jiang Qingxiao casually: "Qingxiao, come and have a look, you can really see the gate here, and everyone who comes and goes can see clearly .”

Hearing the sound, Jiang Qingxiao walked up to her side, followed her example and looked down, and said, "Sure enough. The shopkeeper Yin is really righteous, and he really went down to supervise in person." After speaking, she turned her head and thanked Qian Xiaobao He smiled and said, "Thank you Brother Qian for your help, otherwise how could I find so many helpers today."

Qian Xiaobao replied with a light smile: "Miss Qingxiao, you are being polite. The important thing is to help the girl successfully catch that little thief. These small favors are really worthless."

The two chatted casually and politely, and then came to Ouyang Xi's side one after the other, staring down the stairs intently.However, seeing that noon has passed, the gamblers in the gambling shop who came early also lost all the silver they carried with them, and went home with sad faces and mournful faces, but they still haven't seen the little thief on the portrait. figure.

Unknowingly, Jiang Qingxiao became a little anxious, and unconsciously muttered: "Could it be that he came here before we came, and then left again?"

Qian Xiaobao was about to answer, but a voice sounded one step ahead of her behind the three: "That's not true." Looking back, it was the shopkeeper Yin who had returned.

Hearing this, Jiang Qingxiao took two quick steps to come to him, and asked, "How can the shopkeeper be so sure?"

"Firstly, I have checked carefully downstairs just now, and Wang Er has not been to the gambling house today; secondly, gamblers are always 'persistent', especially gamblers like Wang Er, if they have money, they will not lose it all. , she is absolutely unwilling to leave easily. I would venture to guess, seeing that the girl has a great temperament and well-dressed clothes, she must have a lot of silver in her purse, right?"

Speaking of the money bag, Jiang Qingxiao was angry, she escaped from marriage, and originally planned to avoid it for three or two months before going back.So he brought out all the banknotes and some simple and easy-to-carry jewelry that he had accumulated over the years. Now that he has been robbed by the thief, he has nothing left, and he has ended up being chased for debts, so he doesn't care about it now , only bitterly said: "The silver in my purse is enough for him to gamble here for three days and two nights!"

"So, if Wang Er comes here today, even if he is unlucky and only loses but not wins, he will have to stay in this gambling house for three or four days before he loses everything. And we haven't seen him until now, then It must be that this person has never been here, and it is definitely not that he has finished gambling and went back."

Shopkeeper Yin chuckled and nodded when he heard the words: "What Mr. Qian said is true, and this is what I mean."

Jiang Qingxiao asked unwillingly: "Then why hasn't Wang Er appeared yet?"

"Maybe there is a delay, or maybe the girl's information is wrong."

"But..." Jiang Qingxiao wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Qian Xiaobao: "Qingxiao, don't worry, it's still early, we might as well wait a little longer."

Ouyang Xi also echoed from the side: "Yes, yes, but it's only been a long time, let's wait until it gets dark and try, and I don't believe he won't come."

After finishing speaking, shopkeeper Yin greeted people to order the food from the restaurant outside. After everyone was polite, they put the food on the round table in front of the window, finished it in a hurry, and then went to stare at it again.However, until the sun went down and the sky gradually dimmed, the eyes of the three of them began to become a little unbearable, but they still didn't see the little thief.

Jiang Qingxiao knew that he would not gain anything today, although he was very disappointed in his heart, he still forced a smile on his face and turned to the shopkeeper Yin and said: "Today is really troublesome shopkeeper, it is a waste of everyone's painstaking efforts, but nothing is achieved, I am really ashamed !"

Shopkeeper Yin bowed his head slightly in return: "Miss, you are welcome. Since you are Mr. Qian's friend, you are also my friend. These small favors are really not worth mentioning. Madam, please rest assured, I will tell my subordinates to keep an eye on them all the time. The figure of the little thief must go to report."

Hearing this, Jiang Qingxiao clasped her fists again and saluted and thanked: "Then there will be the shopkeeper Lao Yin."

After working hard for a day but getting nothing, the three of them felt a little depressed and didn't want to stay longer. After saying goodbye to the shopkeeper one by one, they took each other back to the inn.