Chapter 82: Help! Murder!

It's like a good person who has done good deeds all his life, but does something bad before he dies. Everyone will despise him and think that everything he did before was just an act.

Even if a bad person keeps doing bad things, as long as he does a little good, others will think he is so kind.

Different expectations require different actions.

The common people had virtually no expectations of the aristocratic families, while Jiang Yichun had set their expectations far too high.

Su Zhenzhen was good at arguing but not at giving advice. She just stiffly changed the subject, "Now that we've seen the family tree, there really is such a girl, and her age matches. Let's go back to Shanxian County as soon as possible."

General Huo put aside his melancholy and followed Su Zhenzhen out of the house.

Before I could even open the door, a scream came from next door.

"Help! Murder!"

Su Zhenzhen's brow twitched, and a surge of joy welled up in her heart. Sales performance, her sales performance, how long had it been since she made a single sale?

He rushed forward and jumped onto the courtyard wall in no time, taking in the scene in the neighboring courtyard.

The man lay in a pool of blood, a knife stuck in his chest. The woman sitting on the ground next to him was either his wife or his mother, it was unclear.

The woman's cries were so pitiful that they quickly alerted the neighbors.

Before long, the lights in the nearby houses came on.

A neighbor knocked on the door, "Aunt Ge, what's wrong?"

The woman quickly got up and hurriedly went to open the door.

Two middle-aged men entered the courtyard and were also frightened when they saw the scene on the ground.

"What...what's going on?"

Aunt Ge cried uncontrollably, “Chang Yuan got up to pee in the middle of the night, and I didn’t see him come back, so I went out to take a look, and who knew he would end up like this.”

"Have you offended anyone in your daily lives?"

Aunt Ge shook her head. "My son Changyuan had some schooling in his youth, but after his father died, we simply couldn't afford to support him anymore. He's not cut out for business, so he could only find a job as a night watchman. He only goes out after dark, so who could he possibly have any enemies with? It's just that this incident happened, which is why he hasn't been on duty these past few nights. Who knew..."

The two middle-aged men looked sympathetic. One said to collect the body first, and the other said to go and report it to the authorities tomorrow morning.

"However, Aunt Ge, you'd better be prepared, those previous cases all just fizzled out."

Grandma Ge was stunned for a moment, then looked up to the sky and cried bitterly.

Once everyone was out of the yard, Su Zhenzhen climbed down from the wall.

General Huo witnessed the whole thing. "Are you going to get involved in this?"

Su Zhenzhen nodded. "They are your neighbors after all. Do you still remember this family?"

"It's too far, and I didn't go out much when I was a child. But there was an old woman on this street who knew every household like the back of her hand. I could often hear gossip about couples in bed from her. I was young then, and I saw other people gathered around listening to her talk. I thought it was interesting, so I joined in. Then my mother dragged me back by the ear. I don't know if she's still alive."

General Huo's tone was full of nostalgia; decades had passed in the blink of an eye.

Su Zhenzhen's lips twitched slightly. Gossipmonger? Matters of the bedroom between husband and wife? Isn't this just like a gossip from the 906th century? She didn't know if the gossip she was spouting was true or just made up.

However, there was no better source of information at the moment, so Su Zhenzhen decided to go find this person first. If that didn't work, she would make up an identity and go next door to summon the soul of the deceased.

The next morning, after learning from General Huo about the street corner where Eighth Granny liked to hang out, Su Zhenzhen went out to look for her, and at the same time, she didn't forget to put him into her storage compartment.

Although this alley is inhabited by scholars, now that a puppet emperor is on the throne and powerful families are in power, the imperial examination is just a formality. Those with connections and talent have all become retainers of these powerful families, and the rest have no choice but to set up stalls and do some small business in order to make a living.

"Steamed buns—"

"Vegetables for sale! Vegetables for sale!"

The shouts and calls continued one after another, and the capital city was indeed more full of life. Surrounded by the hot breath exhaled by people, Su Zhenzhen realized for the first time that autumn was almost over.

Su Zhenzhen bought a steamed bun for five coins; she still hadn't spent the reward Xu Hua had given her.

When the stall owner saw that Su Zhenzhen handed him silver, he was at a loss for what to do. It was his wife who went to the next stall to borrow some copper coins and added them to their own money before they could make change.

Su Zhenzhen took a bite of the steamed bun; it was vegetarian, and the taste was just so-so.

After finishing her meal in a few bites, Su Zhenzhen followed the street and occasionally saw a few vendors. Unfortunately, although there were many people, few were buying anything; most were bartering.

It seems the capital's economy isn't doing well either, otherwise why would there be no currency in circulation? Or is it that the imperial court lacks credibility?

As you walk to the corner of the alley, you can hear the melodious sounds from afar.

"You wouldn't believe it, in that family, the husband and wife aren't really husband and wife, the mother and son aren't really mother and son. Every night, the two of them have to sleep together, right in his father's room. Aren't they afraid that the old man will be so angry that he'll smash the coffin lid?"

Su Zhenzhen thought the voice was that of a middle-aged woman, but when she got closer, she saw that the old lady had a face full of wrinkles and white hair, but was spitting everywhere.

A few idle men were standing or sitting nearby, one of whom had his arms crossed and a somewhat lewd smile on his face.

"Grandma, do you crawl under people's beds every night? Otherwise, how do you know so much?"

The old lady glared at him. "Why would you need to crawl under the bed? The commotion was so loud that people all over the street could hear it. Who doesn't know that Ge woman is promiscuous? The man's body is still lying in state at home, and she's already in such a hurry to drag her stepson onto the bed."

The idlers laughed uncontrollably, then turned and saw Su Zhenzhen. One of them made a joke.

"Grandma Ba, usually it's just us bachelors who can't find wives listening to your idle gossip. I didn't expect a young lady to come today. I'm afraid you've heard some rumors about her family and came here specifically to keep an eye on you."

Grandma Ba didn't respond. Instead, she said seriously, "I don't know this young lady. Besides, this isn't gossip. Every single thing I've said is true."

The idlers didn't argue with Granny Ba, and took out half a steamed bun from their pockets and handed it to her.

"Grandma, why don't you chat with this young girl? We'll go to the docks and see if there's any work available. We'll come back to listen to your gossip next time."

Grandma Ba picked up the steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth, choking so hard that her eyes rolled back.

Su Zhenzhen felt a pang of pity and went back to the stall to buy her a steamed bun.

The old lady's eyes lit up when she saw the steamed buns. She stuffed the remaining buns into her bosom and started eating.

Of course, they didn't forget to chat as well.

"Daughter, I have something to tell you..."