Upon hearing Qin San Niang's question, the waiter who was about to go to the counter to give her change stopped in his tracks.
"Madam, isn't it a coincidence? There are hotels and guesthouses at the back of this street, and two of them are quite nice and reasonably priced. You can go and take a look later..."
If this woman can afford such expensive food, she can certainly afford to stay in a hotel, so the waiter was extremely enthusiastic in promoting it!
Qin San Niang gave the waiter two large coins as a token of her gratitude, not too much, not too little, but a small token of her appreciation. She also ordered a bag of large, flat steamed buns, which were handmade and had a chewy texture with a delicate wheat aroma—the children loved them!
Stepping out of the restaurant, Qin San Niang was utterly shocked! So this was the true prosperity of Guocheng at night? The crowds gradually increased, making the already narrow road even more congested.
Along both sides of the road, restaurants and eateries were brightly decorated, and the sounds of singing and music filled the air. A cool breeze, carrying the damp scent of the lake, blew in. Various enticing aromas, accompanied by the shouts of roadside vendors, wafted into my nostrils. What's that? Barbecue? Lamb skewers?
Qin San Niang really wanted to go shopping! But looking at all these little kids, she decided to solve the accommodation problem first, otherwise they'd be sleeping on the streets again. Although the children repeatedly said they didn't mind, Qin San Niang did! Who would want to sleep on the street if they had a bed?!
Following the waiter's directions, Qin San Niang and her companions quickly found a hotel called Huimin Inn. Having learned from their previous experience, the process was much easier this time. However, Gu Qingshan only had a travel permit and no household registration certificate, which was indeed a problem. Furthermore, his fierce demeanor sent chills down the spines of the inn's young staff, who feared they might be inviting in a thief!
In the end, it was only through Qin San Niang's persistent pleading that they were able to get an extra twenty coins. With the help of the young lady A Zhi, the soft and sweet young lady stepped forward and explained to the shopkeeper that this was her father. She explained that she had lost her household registration certificate in the rush of fleeing the war, but she still had her own document.
Seeing his daughter wink at him, Gu Qingshan forced a smile to indicate that it was true. However, this smile only frightened the young shop assistant more. Fortunately, the girl was cute, and the woman accompanying them had paid extra, so he turned a blind eye and completed the formalities.
There are three rooms in total, one for each of the three families. However, since there are more people in Qin San Niang's family, they asked for a large room with two large beds.
After settling in, they discussed going out for some fun with Liu and the others. Liu herself didn't mind the sights of the streets, but the children wanted to see them, so she nodded in agreement.
There were many roadside vendors, much like a night market in later times, even more bustling, with all kinds of food and drinks, and even acrobatic performances, dazzling the group of people.
Gu Qingshan walked behind. He wasn't interested in the hustle and bustle, but he had participated in a mission to find lost children in his early years, which happened in this very night market. At this moment, he was keeping a close eye on the children in front of him, never leaving their side.
Unexpectedly, instead of encountering a child hunter, he stumbled upon a murder case! That's really bad luck!
Unexpectedly, there were grilled lamb skewers at the night market! How could we miss that?! Qin San Niang and her group bought quite a few skewers. The skewers were as big as pigeon eggs, with a slightly yellow outer layer and juicy inside. They were then sprinkled with pepper and cumin powder, making them incredibly fragrant!
Now, not only the children, but even several adults were tempted. What a joke! This is meat!
Qin San Niang waved her hand and brought out thirty skewers. After waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, she took the children by the hand and led them to the roadside, where they began to eat without any regard for their image. Before they had even finished a single skewer, they saw the group of yamen runners from earlier in the day running towards them.
Looking in that direction, I saw a group of people gathered in a circle. I didn't know what was going on, but I could vaguely hear people shouting things like "Dead! Dead! There's no hope!" It seemed like a murder had occurred.
Liu was alarmed. Her children were all quite young, and it was really inappropriate to leave them there. Looking at a wet patch on the ground in the distance, she realized they must have drowned. If that were the case, they would truly be unjustly killed ghosts. Thinking this, she knew she couldn't let it go, so she quickly grabbed her children's hands and started to walk back.
"Mother, you go back first, I still need to buy some things." He couldn't very well say that his professional habit had kicked in and he was planning to go and take a look, could he? Afraid that Liu would disagree, he had a sudden idea and said, "Fatty, stay with me. The things at the night market are cheap and there are many kinds. I'm afraid we can't find anything suitable during the day."
That's true! Liu didn't suspect anything, but simply told the two of them to be careful and to hurry back in a bit.
As for Gu Qingshan, he naturally went back with Liu and the others. For him, firstly, there was no one to protect Azhi, and secondly, he felt very reassured by Qin San Niang's skills! As for Liu's concerns about Qin Niangzi's safety, Gu Qingshan could only mutter a few complaints to himself.
Unexpectedly, Aunt San Niang wanted to go and see what was going on. Fatty was a little scared, so she stood at a distance and watched. Aunt San Niang told her not to move around and to shout if anything happened. Fortunately, there were many businesses around, so she bought Fatty a candied hawthorn and had her sit by the roadside to eat it.
Squeezing through the crowd, I saw that the person who had drowned was a woman, probably around twenty years old, wearing a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a slightly swollen face; she was definitely dead.
Before Qin San Niang could get a good look at the deceased's face, a cloak was draped over her. When she looked up, what a coincidence! It was the same handsome constable she had seen during the day!
The other party's willingness to respect the corpse's dignity, even with his cloak soiled, won Qin San Niang's favor; this person had a pure heart!
Beside the corpse stood a plump woman adorned with gold and silver jewelry. The gold hairpin in her hair swayed merrily with her exaggerated movements, almost blinding Qin San Niang! She was currently weeping and pleading.
"My dear Man'er, why are you so heartless? What have we ever done to wrong you? Have I ever wronged you?! You were the top courtesan in our brothel, Hua Man Lou! If you end it all, how am I supposed to live?!"
Those heartbreaking words would bring tears to anyone's eyes. If it weren't for the fact that there wasn't a single tear in their eyes, one would have to wonder how deep the bond was between the mother and daughter!
Qin San Niang understood that this was a case of a courtesan who had drowned. The people around knew the woman's identity as soon as they saw the madam of Hua Man Lou approaching. However, Qin San Niang was new to the place and did not recognize her as the madam of the brothel from her appearance alone.
Looking at the expressions of the onlookers, they seemed to recognize the deceased. They whispered among themselves, "This is Man'er from Hua Man Lou. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also skilled in both literature and martial arts. The madam has made a lot of money from this girl!"
Some of the women watching looked on with disdain, saying that she was just a prostitute who had seduced countless men, leaving the wives alone in their rooms. She was despicable and hateful! This was karma!
Life is full of different aspects. Look, for the same thing or the same person, everyone will have different opinions, depending on your perspective.
Qin San Niang was particularly curious about how the constables would handle this matter. Could they simply close the case hastily just because the deceased was a courtesan? That would be a real waste of your uniforms!
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