Chapter 282: Feeling Uneasy

"Miss, no matter how sad you are, you must rest. You will feel more relaxed when the housekeeper comes back today."

Luo Ying was the original body's chief maid, and should have died last night. But now, while instructing her young master, she skillfully combed Lianyi's hair, put on her inner garment, then put on her outer linen garment, and tied a mourning belt around her waist.

Luo Ying swiftly cleaned up her little master, and kept talking:

"Miss, I asked Luo Huai to make some porridge. Please drink some to fill your stomach first."

"Well, maybe after a good night's sleep, I feel a little hungry. Make me another vegetarian dish and boil an egg!"

Lian Yi instructed slowly.

When Luo Ying heard Lian Yi say that she was hungry, she breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said:

"I'll go and tell the kitchen right away. Please wait a moment, young lady."

As he said this, he handed the warm honey water to Lianyi.

In the eyes of outsiders, Wu Youcai is just a slightly rich man, but Lianyi's food and daily necessities are all the best, she is just very low-key. For example, the top-quality wild honey that she gets every morning is not something that ordinary people can afford.

Lianyi drank some honey water and went to the toilet. Luo Ying and Luo Huai then set up breakfast in the dining room.

"Miss, you ate too little yesterday. I was afraid that your stomach would feel uncomfortable, so I made millet porridge, fried celery and lily, and a small dish of pickled radish."

"You don't have to accompany me. Go downstairs and have breakfast. Let the people at home take turns to have breakfast. No one should be left at the door."

Lianyi had already scooped a spoonful of porridge into her mouth and told her two maids to prepare it.

"Yes, Miss!"

This time the two of them did not hesitate. They both went out to make arrangements and left two old maids to serve at the door.

After having breakfast, Lianyi went to the mourning hall, waiting to welcome guests who came to pay their respects.

Those who came yesterday were the neighbors, and today Wu Youcai's business partners should come. I just hope the housekeeper can come back early. She is a girl who has not yet reached the age of 15 and is not capable of handling business matters.

Not long after Lian Yi knelt down, the housekeeper Wu Zhong hurried into the yard. His face looked very bad, with dark circles under his eyes, and his navy blue robe was stained with dust.

The first thing he did after entering the yard was to confirm that Lianyi was still there. He breathed a sigh of relief, then walked closer to Lianyi and whispered:

"Miss, I have something important to tell you."

There happened to be no mourners at the moment, so Lianyi nodded, was helped up by Luo Ying, and went to the side hall.

"Butler Wu, thank you for coming back so late! Have you dealt with everything your father asked you to do?"

Lianyi pressed the corners of her eyes with the snow-white handkerchief in her hand and spoke in a low voice.

"Miss, don't worry, everything has been taken care of! After the master is buried, you can go to live in the hot spring villa in the name of mourning. The master has arranged it in advance, there are enough staff and effective guards."

"Well, Daddy told me, let's do as you say. After the funeral is over, we will set off."

"Miss, this is exactly what I want to tell you."

Wu Zhong said with a frown.

"You say so."

"Miss, the original plan was to keep the coffin for seven days before sending the master away, but now something unexpected has happened. I think we should bury the master after three days of keeping the coffin. I'm afraid something unexpected will happen if the coffin is kept for too long."

"What do you mean?"

"The Li family is here!"

"Are they here for a funeral?"

“Yes and no!”

"Butler Wu, just tell me what you mean!"

"Miss, after I arranged things at the villa yesterday, I came back overnight. As soon as the city gate opened, I entered the city. Before the carriage reached our street entrance, it was stopped. They said that there was a murder in the front street, and fifteen or sixteen black-clothed and masked criminals were killed.

I was in a hurry to get back, so I asked the carriage to move back slowly. Wu An and I walked back. The yamen runners had cordoned off the street, and the coroner was performing an autopsy. I only took a quick glance."

At this point, Wu Zhong's voice became even lower.

"I spotted a familiar person who looked like the eldest son of the Li family. I was afraid that I had made a mistake, so I took Wu An with me to pretend to watch the fun. I moved closer to the front and took a closer look. I found that it was indeed Li Jizu, the eldest son of the Li family. I left Wu An there to watch and I returned first."

"Butler, is the man you are talking about my cousin? Are you sure?"

Ripple asked with a small frown.

"Miss, I recognize him for sure. When I first moved to Jiangnan, I was the one who went to Beijing to deliver New Year gifts. Once, that cousin even met me in person, so I remember it very clearly."

"My cousin is so weird. My father passed away yesterday and he came to the funeral that night. Who notified him? Why did he arrive at this time? And you said they were all wearing black clothes and died so close to us. This..."

Lianyi pretended to be surprised and brought up all the doubts, stringing them together and speaking.

Sure enough, the steward's face turned from red to white, then to blue, his breathing became heavier, and then he looked up at his young lady and said:

"Miss, I'm afraid this person has bad intentions. If the Li family knew that their son died near our home, they would definitely put the blame on you."

"Don't worry, housekeeper. Let's see what Wu An has found out first, and then we can make a decision."

"yes!"

Seeing that his young lady was able to remain calm, Wu Zhong did not say anything more.

At this time, Luo Huai outside the door reported:

"Miss, Wu An wants to see you!"

"Let him in!"

Lianyi nodded to Luo Ying beside her.

The conversation between Lianyi and Manager Wu just now did not avoid Luo Ying. Luo Ying understood the danger involved, and her hands and feet were a little weak, but she still took two quick steps to open the door and let Wu An in.

"Wu An has met the young lady."

"How did the bailiffs judge the incident at the street corner?"

Manager Wu asked directly.

"I know Captain Sun, so I asked around. He said that these people were killed by two masters. There were two kinds of scars on their bodies. They must have been protecting someone from being hunted down, but ended up dying here. They didn't have anything on them that could prove their identity.

The head of the police, Brother Sun, suspected that they were assassins kept by officials. Their identities were difficult to ascertain, so he could only send them to the government office after an autopsy and post notices to see if anyone would come to claim the bodies.

He said that the chances of being recognized are slim, and if the murderer is not caught, the bodies will eventually be sent to the charity cemetery. It is already the hottest time of the year, and the government office does not have that many bodies on ice."

Although Wu An is only eleven years old, he is articulate and smart. In just a short while, he managed to find out so much information.

"Luo Huai, An Zi did a good job. Let him go to the kitchen for breakfast and give him two more eggs."

"Thank you, Miss!"

Wu An happily went to the kitchen to eat.

This time the door was open, Lianyi took out a handkerchief, wiped her eyes and said:

"Manager Wu, we are in the process of holding a funeral because my father passed away suddenly and there is no one at home. We only heard about the murder of the masked criminal, and we don't know more. Don't you think so?"

Wu Zhong was immediately startled and understood what his young lady meant. She had no intention of identifying the body at all.

"Don't worry, Miss, I know what to do, but..."

"It would take more than a month to travel from the capital to Jiangnan and back. By then the body would have stank. Who would be able to recognize it?"

(End of this chapter)