Chapter 73 Departure
The next morning, before the dawn had fully illuminated Guqu Town, Fan Xiaoxiao was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
"Who is it! So early in the morning!" Fan Xiaoxiao yawned and walked to the front of the yard to open the door.
"Manager Ji? What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?" Manager Ji, who looked anxious outside the door, wiped the sweat from his forehead, swallowed hard, and handed Fan Xiaoxiao a brocade pouch with trembling hands.
“My lady, these are things from my husband. You must hurry to the dock; the merchant ships are about to leave. Zhu Er died last night, and his lover came to report that Huang Yuan doesn’t know yet. If Huang Yuan finds out, he will definitely seal off the town. You must hurry, Brother Zhao, come with me to the Ji family! Hurry!” Steward Ji’s last “hurry” almost came out in a different tone.
Fan Xiaoxiao was startled and, without time to ask further questions, quickly woke everyone up along with Old Zhao, who had opened the door with her. Fortunately, they had returned yesterday and tidied up, so now they only needed to carry their bamboo baskets and leave.
The group remained somewhat silent throughout the journey. Manager Ji led them along a shortcut, making several turns before quickly arriving near the merchant ship. Seeing the ship still some distance away, Fan Xiaoxiao finally couldn't contain her anxiety. She opened her mouth and asked, "Manager Ji, what exactly happened? Aren't we supposed to collect taxes before leaving town?"
"Hey, why bother collecting taxes! The docks were in complete chaos yesterday, and quite a few people were injured. By the way, speaking of which, you're also involved in this matter."
Fan Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment. She pointed to herself and said, "Me? This has nothing to do with me?"
"Yes, that's right." Manager Ji nodded, recalling yesterday's scene, a hint of fear still lingering in his eyes.
"After you left yesterday, a group of men in black came. They seemed to be looking for three thugs and asked Zhu Er and the others if they had seen any suspicious people. The group wasn't from town, and Zhu Er yelled at them, demanding they pay rent or get out of Guqu Town. This angered someone so much that someone held a knife to Huang Yuan's neck. Later, a man with a missing arm came to the rescue. They said they were looking for suspicious people who had recently come to town. Zhu Er then said sarcastically that they were the ones who were suspicious."
Instantly, one of the men in black went berserk in the street, slashing and wounding Zhu Er. Huang Yuan was furious and wanted to subdue the men in black, but the leader was no pushover; he killed the berserk man in the street right there. He even said the man was somewhat insane and told Huang Yuan not to take offense, adding that he would go and treat Zhu Er's wounds.
Hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao was still a little confused: "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me?"
Manager Ji, without stopping and turning his head, sighed and said, "Sigh, you'll understand once you hear what happened next."
It turned out that Huang Yuan was forced to take that group of people to Huang's house. That night, they somehow heard about someone selling walnuts in town a few days ago, and they also heard about the different kinds of walnuts. So, they went to find Zhu Er in the middle of the night. But somehow, Zhu Er was found dead in his room. And those men in black had also disappeared without a trace.
Fan Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine. She gripped the brocade pouch tightly in her hand, and the round, soft texture inside made her instantly realize what it was—a walnut! Then she thought of Hou San, who knew about walnuts, and cold sweat immediately broke out on her back.
"Alright, I can only take you this far, my lady. The ship's owner and the young master have some connections, and he has already made arrangements beforehand." Manager Ji cupped his hands towards Fan Xiaoxiao.
"Gentlemen, farewell! Have a safe journey!"
Old Zhao, who had been following along, patted the still-sleepy Xiao Bao in Uncle Wang's arms, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. He gently pulled a small bamboo cricket from his pocket and placed it in Xiao Bao's arms. He opened his mouth to speak, but finally said hesitantly, "Girl, be careful on your journey. The sweet wine you made is delicious. See you again someday. Please give my regards to this little guy."
Looking at the bamboo cricket, Fan Xiaoxiao felt a soft spot in her heart sting as if it had been scalded. She bit her lip. After hesitating for a moment, she quickly said to Steward Ji, "Steward Ji, of the three conditions you promised me, only two have been fulfilled so far. For the last one, please take good care of Uncle Zhao! If war breaks out, remember to head northeast. There's a snow-capped mountain there that can ensure your safety! My grandfather told me this in my dream! Remember!"
After saying that, she didn't turn back and led everyone onto the merchant ship.
Half an hour later, the Huang family finally learned of Zhu Er's death. Huang Yuan was furious and sealed off the entire ancient town of Guqu.
Meanwhile, Fan Xiaoxiao and her group had already boarded the boat and sailed out of Guqu Town.
Are you still thinking about that walnut?
Uncle Wang sat down next to Fan Xiaoxiao. Ever since she boarded the boat, the girl had been staring blankly at the brocade pouch in her hand without opening it, just looking at it with annoyance.
"Sigh." Fan Xiaoxiao sighed. She had miscalculated and been careless. She shouldn't have given the walnuts directly to those two good-for-nothings. Now, Hou San even knows where the walnuts came from! Those men in black will probably be watching her sooner or later. And it seems the walnuts are a key item that those men in black want to know about.
So, after boarding the ship, she hid in this corner, trying to recall what the key props in the book were, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember anything about the walnut. As for the men in black, she had no clue either. The plot was like a tangled mess, with no clues to be found.
"Sigh." Another long sigh escaped her lips.
Uncle Wang smiled helplessly: "If you keep sighing, the little girl will turn into an old woman! Are you worried about those men in black?"
"Yes, Uncle. Do you think we'll be chased?" Fan Xiaoxiao asked, her head drooping and her voice muffled.
"Probably not. Our ship will reach Jingchuan in three days. They shouldn't know, right?"
Hearing this ambiguous answer, Fan Xiaoxiao let out a sob and covered her face. She was so unlucky; picking up something had somehow led to trouble. How could she have forgotten that she had transmigrated while catching lobsters in the rain?!
"Uncle, you go inside first, I want to be alone." Fan Xiaoxiao curled herself up, burying her head in her arms, looking rather pitiful.
Uncle Wang scratched his head helplessly, then finally sighed, stood up, and went into the cabin.
Sensing that the person had left, Fan Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and opened the brocade pouch that Ji Yushu had given her.
Sure enough! Lying quietly inside was the carved walnut! Next to the walnut was a note. Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback, then took out the note and unfolded it.
She had been learning some of the local script from Madam Fan recently, and now she could roughly understand what Ji Yu had written. She quickly read through Ji Yu's writing. Her heart, which had been pounding in her chest, instantly settled back into her stomach. —Those men in black seemed to have gone to find the person who bought the walnuts; they'd probably trace it back to Old Sun soon. I've already replaced it with a fake, so my wife can rest assured. But I can't understand the book, so I don't know what use the walnuts are. I think it's best to return them to their rightful owner.
Fan Xiaoxiao let out a long sigh of relief, tearing the note in her hand to shreds. With a flick of her wrist, the scraps of paper were blown into the river by the wind, eventually sinking to the bottom with the secret.
"Miss Fan".
(End of this chapter)
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