Chapter 12 Confidentiality
It seems that the Chen family has some unknown secrets, and the matriarch of this secluded mansion might know something.
She had absolutely no interest in these secrets, which is why she said she didn't know.
Because not knowing is the best thing.
Qiu Zhaolan's gaze remained fixed on her, scrutinizing and appraising her.
She slowly said, "You've misunderstood. To be honest, the master has contracted some unclean diseases, which is why his health is poor."
"The master was too embarrassed to say it, and his reluctance to seek medical help led to the current situation."
Suddenly, her eyes welled up with tears. Her personal maid quickly took out a handkerchief and handed it to her, saying with concern, "Madam, please don't be sad. Take care of yourself."
The housekeeper, Lin, stood to the side with his head down, remaining silent and trying to minimize his presence.
"Oh, I see. I misread it. I'm sorry."
Tao Tao suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly apologized.
"The matters concerning the body are almost finished today. You can start notifying your relatives and friends to come and pay their respects. You will need to wear these clothes again tomorrow before entering the cemetery. I will bring the paper effigy and the coffin with me tomorrow."
Tao Tao lowered her head and walked away. When she reached Butler Lin's side, she called his name softly.
"Butler Lin..."
Butler Lin looked up and saw her pointing outside.
He glanced at Qiu Zhaolan, who was standing by the soft couch staring at the corpse.
She walked out quietly.
When the First Madam arrived, she had already sent everyone outside back, so there is no one outside now.
Tao Tao stood by the green bamboo, waiting for Steward Lin to come out.
Hearing footsteps, she turned around.
Butler Lin knew what she was waiting for, so he didn't say anything more. "Let's go, come with me to the accounting office to collect the money."
"Thank you, Butler Lin. I will bring my men earlier tomorrow."
He nodded.
Tao Tao, holding a heavy purse in her hand, turned and walked towards the door.
She went straight to the carriage shop to rent a carriage as soon as she left the mansion, because it was really inconvenient not having a means of transportation.
The burly boss sized her up and down. "Young lady, what kind of carriage do you want?"
She didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I want a carriage to pull a coffin." Then, realizing it might be inappropriate, she quickly added, "If I can't rent one, I'll buy one."
"Pulling a coffin??"
He looked at her in surprise.
"You...sigh..."
He sighed inexplicably, a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at her.
"No, boss, you've misunderstood."
Tao Tao sighed and rubbed her forehead. She could tell from his expression that he had misunderstood.
“My family runs a funeral shop, and we’re in dire need of a horse-drawn carriage to haul goods.”
"Oh! Oh dear, young lady, you have truly offended me."
The boss suddenly realized what was happening, quickly apologized, and then began to introduce the business to her.
She spotted a cart with a plump, strong horse; its limbs were thick and powerful, clearly a fine horse.
She reached out and touched the horse's greyish-white mane, looking it over. Its big eyes were watery, and its eyelashes were incredibly long. Grey horses were quite rare, and this one was beautiful.
Seeing how much she liked it, the shopkeeper immediately began to introduce it, talking about how it was a rare breed, how it could travel a thousand miles a day, and so on, using all sorts of flowery language.
Go as exaggerated as possible.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Tao Tao immediately raised her hand to stop, looking at the horse as she asked, "Just tell me how much this costs?"
The shopkeeper beamed and said warmly, "It's not expensive at all, only three hundred taels of silver."
She blinked, and the horse in front of her happened to blink its big eyes back, which was very cute.
She turned to look at him, frowning, her eyes filled with disbelief. Thinking she had misheard, she asked again, "How much did you say?!"
The shopkeeper remained unfazed and said with a grin, "Three hundred taels of silver."
Tao Tao's eyes widened instantly: "So expensive?!"
Is she some kind of scumbag?! How could she charge such a high price?!
"It's not expensive at all, brother, I'm not kidding you. Many people have wanted this horse before, but I didn't sell it! I'm just waiting for the right person to take it! Otherwise, I wouldn't sell it no matter how much money you offer."
"A destined person? Then I am the destined person, please give it to me."
She twitched the corner of her mouth, feeling speechless.
Upon hearing her words, the shopkeeper's face changed: "What are you saying! I previously quoted four hundred taels and above, but I only asked for three hundred taels because you are a young lady and have a special connection with this horse."
"Then please wait for the next person who is destined to be with you."
Tao Tao turned and left without hesitation.
She had only taken two steps when the boss called out anxiously from behind, "Young lady! Young lady, wait!"
The boss rushed up, "Tell me, how much do you want?"
"Eighty taels."
Upon hearing the price, he was stunned and shook his head repeatedly, "No, no! Your price is too low! I haven't even made back the cost of raising horses."
He scratched his head, somewhat helplessly: "If you... if you contribute a little more, it's not easy for me to raise this horse this big, is it...?"
Tao Tao glanced at the horse, a troubled look on her face. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "How about this, I don't have much money. It's a flat price of ninety taels of silver. I really don't have any more."
The boss fell silent, and there was a few seconds of quiet between the two.
She sighed, turned around as if to leave, but the shop owner quickly grabbed her and said impatiently, "Fine, fine, forget it. I'll sell it to you at a loss today."
"I only sold this one car today, and you're offering such a low price..."
He complained, but still turned around to prepare things for her.
While he was fiddling with something, she quickly took out the extra money from her purse and stuffed it into her sleeve.
The boss harnessed the cart to the horse and threw a bundle of fodder onto it.
"This is for the horse, I'm giving it to you along with the horsewhip."
Tao Tao took the reins in one hand and handed over the silver in the other: "Thank you, boss."
The shopkeeper took the heavy purse, opened it, counted the items, and confirmed the price was correct. Just as he was about to put the purse into his pocket, he heard her calling his name.
"boss."
"ah?"
He looked up at her, puzzled.
Tao Tao gave a knowing look and smiled awkwardly but politely: "Pouch, empty pocket."
"Oh? Oh! I'm sorry, it was my fault."
The shopkeeper quickly emptied the money out of the purse and returned the dusty purse to her.
"Thank you, I'm leaving now."
"Alright, take care, young lady. Remember to come back to see me next time!"
She sat on the horse, urged it forward, and turned back with a smile: "Okay, I'll definitely come to you next time."
Driving the carriage, she arrived at the alley where the Yu brothers lived. The road was narrow, and she couldn't turn around after entering, so she stopped the carriage to the side, got out, and walked in.
The wooden door in front of her was somewhat dilapidated, so she reached out and knocked.
Suddenly she heard a shouting or cursing coming from inside.
In the courtyard, three men who looked like thugs surrounded the boy lying on the ground. The leader had a horrifying scar on his face.
Wan Guirong bent down, his thick arms grabbing the boy's collar as he approached menacingly.
"I'm telling you! If you don't pay me back by tomorrow, I'll chop off your brother's hands and feet as payment!"
The boy in front of him was pale-faced, his eyes filled with worry as he looked at his younger brother who had been punched and was lying on the ground not far away. He pouted, but didn't know what to say.
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