Chapter 45 Don't Act Impulsively
"Come on! Drink! Keep going!"
Tu Miaoling gazed at the dancing man with a dreamy look in her eyes and chuckled.
"My beauty, come here to me..."
The male prostitute suddenly stopped and obediently walked over in small steps.
Tao Tao rested her elbow on the table, propped her chin on her hand, and tilted her head to look at her, who was a little tipsy and confused. She sighed helplessly.
Seeing that the male prostitute was about to snuggle up to her, Tao Tao lightly tapped the table. The male prostitute looked up in confusion, and suddenly a piece of silver was thrown from the air.
He quickly reached out and took it, his smile becoming even more alluring and seductive. Just as he was about to climb over, he saw the young man in front of him wave his hand.
He paused for a moment, his eyes widening slightly, a hint of surprise in them.
Then he got up, silently retreated to the door, turned around, opened the door, and left.
When he saw the two young men, he thought he was going to suffer again today, but he never expected it to be so simple and easy. He was really lucky.
"Where is he? Where did he go? Why isn't he coming yet..."
Tu Miaoling mumbled in a daze.
"What exactly did Madam Liu say to you that day?"
Tao Tao glanced at the drunken man slumped on the table and smiled faintly. His behavior was unrestrained and bold; he dared to wear men's robes to a brothel. Truly, he was worthy of being the daughter of a butcher.
Every era truly has its own unique individuals.
"Madam Liu...Madam Liu told me...her husband is impotent and likes to torment her, something about lighting candles...and then whipping her..."
"Just what?"
As the conversation drew to a close, the voices gradually faded, and Tao Tao couldn't help but lean closer.
Tu Miaoling suddenly raised her head and shouted, "Go ahead and whip her!" At first, Liu Niangzi was ashamed, but in the end, she found it amusing.
She suddenly started shouting lewd words in bed, catching Tao Tao off guard. Tao Tao didn't have time to stop her and couldn't help but chuckle and facepalm.
Fortunately, there were only the two of them in the room; otherwise, it would be a small matter if they were laughed at, but Tu Miaoling's reputation would be much worse.
After speaking, she touched the wine pot and drank some more.
"I don't believe it! I find it disgusting!"
She gulped it down, cursing angrily at Liu Niangzi for her lack of self-control.
"Liu Niangzi suffered such cruel torture, yet she still had to uphold her husband's dignity and protect him. What's the point of this marriage if it's all just women suffering?"
"Originally, Liu Rong was just a laborer who did odd jobs everywhere. He married Liu Niangzi for their family's tofu shop. When her father was alive, the tofu shop was very prosperous. People from the north and east of the city came here to buy it."
"It's just that the old man isn't very ambitious. Besides, he's always been making the tofu himself. Otherwise, he would have opened a branch store long ago. Ever since Liu Rong married Liu Niangzi, he hasn't even done odd jobs. He just relies on the tofu shop to support his whole family."
"At that time, Liu Niangzi only learned the basics. Most of the tofu shop was run by the old man. What else could Liu Rong do besides eat and drink? As a result, her father was worked to death. Fortunately, Liu Niangzi had learned most of the techniques by then."
Although business wasn't as good as before after she inherited the tofu shop, it was enough to support her family. Later, Madam Liu passed on her tofu-making skills to Liu Rong, and the two of them made a living together. But unexpectedly, only six months later, she accidentally fell into the water.
After speaking freely, Tu Miaoling naturally became much more sober. As she looked up and gulped down a mouthful of sake, a tear rolled down her cheek and disappeared into her clothes.
"I don't think Liu Rong truly likes her. If he really liked her, how could he not know that she has ringworm?"
These words made Tao Tao suddenly lift her droopy head and ask in surprise, "What did you say? Madam Liu has ringworm?"
“Yes, I saw him buying begonia cakes at Lin’s Pastry Shop the day I left the city. Three days ago, I was on my way to Luzhou to buy piglets, but unfortunately I encountered a riot and was delayed for a day. I only arrived in the capital this morning. I didn’t expect to hear the bad news about Lady Liu, so I went to pay my respects to her.”
"Life is truly unpredictable. One should seize the day and enjoy life to avoid regrets."
As she spoke, she started drinking again.
Based on the known information, Lady Liu left in the middle of the night, had no internal or external injuries, and showed signs of drowning.
The second Liu family mother and son had completely different attitudes toward their daughter-in-law's death. Not only did strange women and children appear in their home, but they also rushed to bury the body after taking it from the government office, and were even stingy with the funeral arrangements.
Third, Liu Niangzi was in a bad mood on the day she died, and on the same day, Liu Rong, knowing that his wife was allergic, still bought crabapple cakes to take home.
After being married for many years, she couldn't believe that Liu Rong wouldn't know that Liu Niangzi had tinea versicolor.
Flowers…crabapple blossoms…drowning…swollen throat leading to suffocation…
Tao Tao's thoughts were racing, wondering if there was any connection between them.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she muttered to herself, "Isn't being allergic to flowers just a way to cause swelling of the throat? In severe cases, it can even trigger asthma, difficulty and rapid breathing, leading to mechanical asphyxiation and death."
"How is this any different from drowning?!"
She knows what happened!
Tao Tao clenched her fists, stood up excitedly, and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered that there was a drunkard behind her.
She quickly turned back and gently patted Tu Miaoling's flushed face.
“Wake up, Miss Tu? It’s time to go back. I know what happened with Lady Liu’s case. She didn’t fall into the water by accident; she was murdered.”
Tu Miaoling showed no reaction, and she couldn't just abandon her.
Several empty wine bottles were on the table and the floor. She only took a sip of the wine that was delivered, and the rest went into Tu Miaoling's stomach.
She also mentioned that her father loved to drink, and Tao Tao felt that her father was no less so.
Tao Tao looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on a pot of floral tea in the corner of the table.
Looking at her still smacking her lips, he said helplessly, "I'm sorry."
Without hesitation, he poured the teapot over her face. In less than two breaths, she suddenly woke up with a start, as if she had sprung up from a carp.
"Is it raining?!"
Tu Miaoling's eyes widened in shock as she looked around. Suddenly realizing she was still in Chu Feng Pavilion, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Tu".
She heard a shout in her ear, and she turned her head sharply to look at her, squinting her eyes to look at her seriously, and said "Eh" in surprise.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm drunk."
She took the handkerchief Tao Tao handed her and wiped the water off her face and her wet hair.
Tao Tao sat down and asked, "Do you remember what you just said? About Madam Liu?"
Tu Miaoling thought for a moment and nodded: "I remember most of it."
"Didn't you just say that Lady Liu's death wasn't an accident?"
"Yes, she didn't fall into the water accidentally. It's very likely that she had ringworm and was thrown into the lake just before she was about to die to make it look like she accidentally fell into the water."
"Was it done by Liu Rong?"
Tu Miaoling's tone suddenly turned furious, her face turning ugly and angry.
Before Tao Tao could answer, she suddenly stood up and walked quickly outside.
"Don't be impulsive, Tu Miaoling!"
Tao Tao hurriedly chased after her, not knowing what she might do given her fiery temper.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com