The clay pot was covered with a thin layer of mud, about as wide as a finger joint. A strong bitter and unpleasant medicinal smell came out from the cracks.

Baoning took a small wooden stick, calmed himself, and lifted the lid completely.

There was a small hole in the mud. Baoning picked it with the stick. After a while, a fat round-headed worm poked out. It had a light blue head and was as thick as half a little finger. It crawled out slowly. Its body was two inches long. Its back was white and transparent, and you could see the tiny blood vessels inside. There were two golden threads on the sides of its body.

Compared with the leeches commonly seen in rice fields, the golden leech looked smaller and more beautiful. But it was a wriggling worm after all.

Baoning stared at it for a while, her stomach was sour and she felt nauseous.

She closed the lid, took a sip of water and suppressed the discomfort in her heart.

This was the only golden leech that Aunt Ming could find. It was about to lay eggs, and she had to take good care of it. If this leech died, or if too few of the eggs survived, things would become troublesome.

This thing cannot be bought with money.

Aunt Ming was purely lucky to have this one. Her second daughter, Ji Tongchu, married Jia Xian, the second son of the Chongyuan Marquis's mansion, and had two sons. The youngest son got heatstroke while playing outside last summer. He was infected with heat poisoning and had small rashes all over his body. He was about to die. The son of the Marquis of Chongyuan may have a hidden illness. He has been married for five years but has no children. This little grandson is the treasure of the Marquis. When he was at a loss, someone brought a pair of golden leeches to offer, which just happened to relieve the heat poison of the young master.

The second girl knew that the aunt liked this kind of thing and could take care of it. After the young master recovered from his illness, she gave it to her to raise.

The male leech was used to detoxify. It was about to die after being used. It was saved by the aunt with medicine. It survived a whole winter and died in the early spring of this year.

Fortunately, the female leech had eggs. If it can be laid smoothly, it can be regarded as a successor.

If it dies, it will be too difficult to find the next one. And Pei Yuan’s poison can’t last that long.

This thing needs to suck blood to survive, so you have to keep throwing living things into it to feed it, especially the female leech that is about to lay eggs. It can suck half a cup of animal blood a day.

Baoning was a little worried. Where can she get food to feed it?

Aunt Ming said that if there is really no food, you can feed it some cooked egg yolks, but it is not good to feed it all the time. Baoning thought about it. She will make a small net bag tomorrow and go to the river to see if she can catch fresh snails. If it really doesn't work, she will go to the market to buy some, and then go home to raise a small tank. When this female leech lays eggs in the future, it can also be fed to its children.

Before going to bed, Baoning put a crushed egg yolk in it, sealed the small jar, poked the air vent, and placed it respectfully on the highest shelf.

She silently chanted in her heart: Mother leech, mother leech, you must do your best!

...

After leaving, Feng Yongjia did not return to the horse farm, but went to his own villa in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

He bought this place secretly without Feng Xiang's knowledge. This place is secluded, and he kept several delicate concubines there, and no one knew about it.

As soon as Feng Yongjia entered the house, a woman came up to him, gently took his arm, and blew into his ear: "Master, why haven't you come for a few days? I thought you didn't want Qingqing anymore."

Qingqing was redeemed by him from the Goulanyuan half a month ago. She had a slender waist, plump breasts, and a pair of charming eyes. Feng Yongjia had always loved her. But when he saw her again today, he felt annoyed.

He pushed the woman away and said contemptuously, "You are full of dust." Qingqing was stunned by his scolding.

"Go back to your own room and don't bother me." Feng Yongjia shook his sleeves, strode to the main room, and slammed the door.

Qingqing looked at his back with hatred, gritted her teeth and said, "Poor thing, you really think you are a big shot." She curled her lips, turned her waist and walked away.

Feng Yongjia sat in the room and drank to relieve his sorrow.

He claimed that he was a miserable man because he was talented but not appreciated. He was a gifted man since he was a child. He passed the imperial examination when he was just over ten years old. Unfortunately, his father was just a poor and powerless groom. He wanted to take the exam again, but because he could not give gifts, he was suppressed by corrupt officials and never achieved his ambition. As time went by, his mind changed. He originally wanted to get ahead through fame and fortune, but now he realized that talent was useless. Without money, he couldn't make a living. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been unable to find a wife until now.

Not long ago, his father suddenly got a horse farm. He took advantage of it and jumped from a poor scholar to a young man. He thought he would no longer have to live a hard life. But his father was like a miser and didn't let him spend a penny.

Feng Yongjia was depressed, even more than before when he was unsuccessful. He thought of a way to steal money and go out to gamble. Unexpectedly, this thing made money so quickly. In just a few days, he had a lot of money. He no longer had to look at his father's eyes. He bought a courtyard and a concubine, and lived a happy life for less than a month. Then, misfortune struck. Three days ago, he lost a gambling game to Xu Guang. Not only did he lose everything, but he also owed two thousand taels of silver.

Xu Guang was a favorite of Huang Ji, the deputy chief of the Shaofu Supervisor. He could not hit or scold him. If he was pushed, he would fall down. He could only grit his teeth and pay back the money.

But how could he get the money?

Feng Yongjia lamented his bad luck again.

After drinking two sips of wine, he beat his chest and stamped his feet. Suddenly, he thought of Baoning again, and his heart was sad. He originally wanted to marry a woman like that, well-educated, gentle and considerate, and a daughter as kind as water. But fate was unfair and he could not get it. That cripple, why does that cripple have such a good life? If he could have married such a wife earlier, he would not have embarked on the wrong path now!

Feng Yongjia felt unfair, gnashing his teeth, jealousy gave rise to hatred, took another sip of wine, leaned on the table and sobbed.

The door was kicked open suddenly.

The cold wind blew in, and Feng Yongjia shuddered. He raised his head and met Xu Guang's ferocious face.

His heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened, and just when he was about to call for help, Xu Guang blocked his mouth with the handle of the knife. Feng Yongjia's tongue shrank, and he dared not speak.

Xu Guang bent over to look at him, grinning: "Little scholar, I don't want your money anymore, let's make a deal."

Feng Yongjia shrank and looked at him.

Xu Guang narrowed his eyes and said, "You help me kill a man, and I'll help you get a woman. How about that?"