“Mother, my brother said I’m a pig, so he’s a pig brother, and also a pig.”
Upon hearing Yi Huan's words, Zhao Ruyun couldn't help but laugh: "Alright Huanhuan, let your mother and brother come over for dinner, they're hungry."
Lunch was prepared by Zhao Ruyun. She stir-fried vegetables with pork cracklings and stewed some pork. Because Su Luo had said that her family should eat good rice, they haven't eaten broken rice since.
Su Luo is now able to work and earn money, and she no longer lets Zhao Ruyun fetch water for others. She feels that after so many years of hard work, she has finally been able to rest these past few days.
"Luo Luo, I cut the cloth this morning, but we only have enough embroidery thread to sew one garment. Go to the market in a couple of days and buy some more from the county."
Su Luo forgot that she didn't know anything about needlework; she only bought fabric and forgot to buy thread.
"Okay, I'll go again in a few days."
There are six market days a month: the 5th, 10th, and 15th, and so on. Two days later is the 22nd, the market day. On these two days, we go up the mountain to find some things to sell.
In the afternoon, Su Luo took a few small cloth bags that Zhao Ruyun had sewn together and asked Yan Chuan and Yi Huan to go with her to pick the honeysuckle flower that they had seen on the mountain last time.
The two also brought their beloved dogs, Stone and Flower, along with them. The baby's soft voice and the dog's barking made the whole mountain lively.
"Mom, can we eat this flower?" Yi Huan asked, bewildered.
As Su Luo picked the flowers, she said, "Yes, it can. This is a Chinese medicinal herb. It can be used to make tea or as medicine. The buds are better than the open flowers."
Yi Huan: "Then I only want the buds, not the blooming ones."
Yan Chuan only picked flower buds and asked Su Luo, "Mother, what words will you teach me today?"
Why is this child so focused on studying? But Yan Chuan has a strong learning ability; he only needs to be taught once to grasp the concepts.
"Chuan Chuan, Huan Huan, today I'll teach you to recite the Three Character Classic. You two can learn together!"
"At birth, human nature is good..."
Su Luo would read a sentence, and Yan Chuan and Yi Huan would repeat it...
They quickly memorized how to pronounce it, and Su Luo then explained the meaning of the Three Character Classic to them so that they could understand it more deeply.
...
On the third floor of Fumanlou, Axu reported to Nangong Qing about his investigation into Su Luo's identity over the past few days.
"Young master, this is how things went."
Nangong Qing was dressed in white, with green bamboo embroidered on his outer robe. His black hair hung down his shoulders, and he had a handsome face. He was a true gentleman.
“Ah Xu, you really found out everything. Apart from knowing that the woman’s name is Su Luo, all this information you have is of no use.”
Ah Xu, sword at heart, bowed before Nangong Qing: "Young Master, we've really finished investigating. Su Luo was mentally unstable after being picked up by her mother, and was later sold to the Chen family. Her husband died in the army, and she gave birth to a son and a daughter. Some time ago, her aunt hit her on the head with a stick, and suddenly her madness disappeared, and she became normal again."
Ah Xu told everything he knew with absolute certainty, fearing that Nangong Qing might not believe him.
“Young master, I also found out that Su Luo took medicinal herbs to Ji’an Hall to sell twice. This morning she also saved a child who was on the verge of death and taught the people of Changping Village the method of saving lives. I have never heard of that method before, but she really saved someone again today.”
Nangong Qing pondered, opening and closing the fan in his hand repeatedly.
"She can save lives with one hand and kill people without a trace with the other. Just who is this woman?"
Ah Xu looked up: "Young Master, we've also investigated the two subordinates who were killed. They were thugs who collected loans from underground gambling dens and had people on their hands."
A man named Huang Mazi, also from Changping Village, had come to cause trouble for Su Luo a few days ago. He probably had ill intentions that day, but he didn't expect to be killed instead.
Ah Xu felt that killing such scum would be a good thing for the world.
"Ah Xu, you said that Su Luo sold herbs to Ji'an Hall?"
"Yes, young master!"
“That’s perfect. Go to Ji’an Hall and call Du Xiuyuan here. I want to ask him if he has any other clues about this woman.”
Ah Xu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, young master. I will take my leave."
After a short while, Doctor Du was brought over on horseback by Ah Xu.
He thought something had happened to Nangong Qing, so he didn't dare to delay for a moment.
"Young master, where do you feel unwell?"
Du Xiuyuan was unusually respectful in front of Nangong Qing, but seeing Nangong Qing's appearance, he didn't seem to be sick.
"I am perfectly healthy. I called you here because I want to ask you about someone. Do you know Su Luo?"
The name was completely unfamiliar to him. With so many people coming and going at Ji'an Hall every day, he seemed to have never heard of this name before.
"Young master, I don't recognize you."
"You really don't recognize him?"
Nangong Qing's voice was cold and clear, which made Du Xiuyuan break out in a cold sweat. He dared not offend this man.
Ah Xu quickly reminded Du Xiuyuan, "Dr. Du, it's that woman who came to your place twice to buy Smilax glabra."
Ah Xu's words immediately enlightened Du Xiuyuan. He remembered the woman, but he had never asked her name. He had only taken her medicinal herbs because he felt sorry for her and saw that she was dressed in rags that day.
"I remember that woman; she recognized some medicinal herbs, but I don't know anything else."
Nangong sighed as he looked out the window: "You know nothing else about her?"
Du Xiuyuan dared not lie to Nangong Qing and immediately said, "I really don't know, did that woman offend you, young master? Should I still accept the medicinal herbs she brings next time?"
"receive!"
Nangong Qing looked at Du Xiuyuan and said, "Not only should you accept her, but you should also get close to her. Try to get as much information out of her as possible, and report to me everything you find out about her."
"Yes, young master."
Su Luo had no idea that someone was investigating her behind her back, but even if they were, they wouldn't find anything about her.
The three women, having picked two small cloth bags of honeysuckle, were about to go home when they saw that Huahua was still with them, but Shitou was nowhere to be seen.
"Stone, stone..."
Yan Chuan called out several times but didn't hear Shi Tou's call. He was so anxious that he was about to cry.
Su Luo helped Yi Huan hold Hua Hua's hand and then had Yan Chuan take two small bags of honeysuckle, saying, "Don't worry, Mother will go into the mountains to look for it for you. The stone should have gone up there."
Su Luo ventured deeper into the mountains and after a while, she heard a dog barking. Following the sound, she indeed found the rocks.
The stone kept chasing something and barking at it. Su Luo went closer and saw that the stone was chasing a flying tiger.
Seeing that the stone couldn't catch up with it, the flying tiger, as if teasing the stone, stopped on a branch and waited for the stone to get close before leaping to the next tree, making the stone roar in anger.
Su Luo pulled on Shi Tou's dog leash, and the Flying Tiger saw Su Luo and ran away in fright.
A mouse tried to run away, and Su Luo chased after it; tonight's meal depended on it.
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