Chapter 134: Piano Sounds on a Rainy Night
But the man was not hiding very well. It seemed that he was waiting here deliberately, hesitating whether to come out.
Seeing Chang Suining stop, Ah Zhi, who had a keen sense, glanced over and asked, "Who is hiding there stealthily?"
As soon as the question was uttered, a figure hurriedly walked out from behind the flowers and trees, with a smile on his face, and he bowed repeatedly to Chang Suining.
Chang Suining took a moment to react before recognizing the other person: "It's you."
In two months, he had transformed from a charlatan who could disguise himself as a Taoist priest selling eggs into a dark-skinned farm servant who, at first glance, seemed down-to-earth and simple.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the simplicity disappeared: "Oh, the girl still remembers me!"
"I told you to stay in the manor and work for a month to pay off the debt, but two months have passed in the blink of an eye." Chang Suining said, "I was negligent."
The man was surprised and said in thought: "It's been two months? It can't be..."
Then he smiled shyly: "I feel like I have only been here for a few days! I am so happy here that I don't want to leave!"
Azhi: “…” He’d better tell the truth.
Chang Suining felt that there must be some truth in the other party's words.
This person's complexion was as black as charcoal, which showed that he had never been lazy - she had asked the manager of the farm about this, and the manager just said that this person was too busy, with a new idea every day, and never had a moment of leisure all day long, and he couldn't stand seeing others being idle.
Although his skin color is dark, his spirit is fuller. His eyes are not honest, but the look in them is positive.
It's just that it's not certain whether the other party is doing this out of a desire to survive or has other ideas.
To confirm, Chang Suining asked casually, "After staying here for two months, what do you think of this farm? Is it a good place?"
As the man followed her forward, he said, "It's more than just a good place... It's close to the mountains and the water, it's a perfect place for Feng Shui!"
As he spoke, he paused, perhaps thinking of the girl's style of killing and burying him, and was afraid that this Feng Shui treasure land would become his burial place -
After controlling his expression, he added, "It's just... there is one thing I have to say."
Chang Suining likes to hear it. She likes to hear people speak out, rather than not knowing whether to speak out or not.
"Tell me about it."
"It's a good place, but this farm, the hills behind, and the fields... although they haven't been completely abandoned, they are really a waste of natural resources." The man's tone was quite painful: "If someone can take good care of them, the harvest can at least double!"
While speaking, he quietly observed the girl's expression.
The girl nodded and said, "Indeed, I have many other farms like this one. Due to the lack of people who are good at taking care of them, they are all half-abandoned."
Even though he was mentally prepared, the man's heart still trembled when he heard it - how rich must he be to leave such a mountain of gold and silver unattended! If you don't know how to take care of it, you can give it to those who need it! He seemed to have swallowed a whole basket of lemons in his heart, but he could only smile and say: "Your father was born a military general and has a kind heart. He only uses these farms to support his old subordinates. It is not easy to take care of these farms. It has not been handed over to someone who is good at it. It is good that it has been able to maintain the current situation over the years..."
Chang Suining: "You know my family's affairs very well."
For someone who can cheat people on the street, his ears, eyes and mind are definitely more sensitive than those of ordinary people.
The man did not deny or make any excuses, but just smiled and said, "General Chang is famous and I have admired him for a long time!"
"My father has a great reputation, but as you said, he really lacks the brains to manage the farm." Chang Suining said casually, as if chatting: "But recently, my housekeeper and I have found many people who are good at managing farmland from all over the place--"
The man nodded and said, "I have seen those people before. They are all good at farm work, but most of them only know how to follow instructions. They can certainly work under others..."
Chang Suining naturally took over his words: "Indeed, we are still lacking a good manager who can lead them to work. I am also looking for one now. However, this manager not only needs to be proficient in farming, but also has to have some knowledge and brains, and also needs to be loyal, so it is not so easy to find at the moment."
The man rolled his eyes and was about to speak when he suddenly heard a question:
"Shen Sanmao, why are you getting close to my girl?"
The person who came quickly was the manager of the farm. He was an old subordinate of Chang Kuo. Although he was old and his left hand was disabled at an early age, his voice was loud and powerful, which made the man shrink his neck.
"Your name is Shen Sanmao?" Chang Suining looked at the man: "Is that your real name?"
The man smiled and nodded: "Yes...it's easy to feed."
Chang Suining nodded: "Well, it's twenty-seven lives after all."
If you accidentally lose one, you still have twenty-six left.
The steward reminded: "Girl, don't listen to his nonsense. This man is smart and eloquent..."
That mouth could trick a live duck into jumping into the oven and roast itself for him to eat!
"Has he been lazy on the farm these days?" Chang Suining asked.
"He's diligent at work." The manager said whatever he wanted to say - he just thinks too much! "It's not necessarily a bad thing to be diligent at work and think a little." Chang Suining looked at the man - she put him in a sack and picked him up because she saw that he was thoughtful enough.
Hearing this affirmation, the man was stunned. He met the girl's eyes, hesitated for a moment, and suddenly knelt down towards Chang Suining.
"If you can put aside the past grudges, I am willing to stay and manage this farm for you!"
He spoke briefly and without any flattery. Chang Suining raised his eyebrows slightly: "But apart from this mouth, what else do you have that is so outstanding that it is worth me to let bygones be bygones?"
Upon hearing this, the man immediately took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his arms and said, "This is what I have been thinking about these days. Please take a look, young lady."
After Chang Suining nodded, Azhi took two steps forward and took it.
Chang Suining unfolded it and saw that it was just a blueprint. On it was the distribution of houses, farmlands and forests on the farm - this needed to be measured step by step.
And this is not just a drawing, it also includes suggestions for possible changes.
Chang Suining took a quick look at it and handed the drawing back to Azhi.
Seeing that she didn't look at it carefully and didn't seem to be interested, the man felt empty in his heart. Just as he was feeling uneasy, he heard the girl say, "There are limited markings on the drawing, and I can't understand it very well. Let's talk while we walk."
The man's face lit up when he heard that, and he stood up and said, "Girl, please follow me!"
He led the way all the way, and it was obvious that he knew the inside and outside of the farm very well.
"Since you are so familiar with this place, why don't you run away?" Chang Suining walked with his hands behind his back, with a hint of curiosity in his tone.
The man was startled, then smiled and said, "To tell you the truth, after I became familiar with the dogs on the farm, I escaped twice at night."
The manager's eyelids jumped when he heard this - he knew it! When this guy escaped, he must have taken the dog with him!
Chang Suining didn't show any surprise on his face: "Then why did you come back?"
She left the person here to try whether he could be used, but such things also depend on fate. If such a person was determined to escape, she would not force him to stay, as keeping him would bring disaster.
"Where can I escape to? There's no one at home." The man sighed, perhaps realizing that this was not the time to talk nonsense, so he spoke frankly and talked about his past.
His family was in business when he was young, but before it was his turn to take over, his incompetent father failed in business, and the shop was gone, leaving him with a lot of debts.
Not long after, his father passed away due to illness. He had just finished the mourning period for two days when he went home one day and heard some festive music in the alley. He went forward to join in the fun and heard that a widow had remarried. Upon closer listening, he found out that the widow was his mother.
Wow, his mother was getting married, and she didn't even tell him in advance! So he just watched as the sedan chair carried his mother away.
Afterwards, in order to make a living, he tried all kinds of jobs and learned and studied everything, but there were a bunch of debt collectors behind him. Not to mention the capital to turn things around, if his creditors saw him eating a steamed bun one day, they would chase him and scold him for two blocks. Naturally, nothing he did went smoothly.
After a while, he started to cheat.
"...Your mother is an unreasonable person when she gets married!" The steward listened with great interest, and there was some sympathy in his eyes: "Since she's already married, why didn't she take you with her?"
The man shook his head: "It's not her fault. My father left me with a lot of debts. If it were me, I would remarry."
"..." The manager said to Chang Suining, "Girl, no wonder he doesn't want to leave. It turns out that it's convenient for him to hide from his debts here with us!"
"It is only natural to pay back debts." Chang Suining said, "If you work hard, I will not treat you unfairly. If the harvest of this farm can really double, you will be debt-free by next year at the latest."
Shen Sanmao was stunned when he heard this.
He originally wanted to climb the big tree of General Chang's Mansion, so that he wouldn't have to pay back the debt...
He didn't expect that the girl who had knocked him unconscious and brought him here would actually be quite disciplined in her conduct. He tried to figure out the girl's temperament and style in his mind, and responded with a smile.
The manager was still worried, and he advised Chang Suining: "Girl, this man is really..."
Shen Sanmao interrupted the manager and pointed to the pond in front of them: "Girl, I said that we should raise some fish in this pond that can be eaten and sold. I have a way to make the fish grow quickly. But the manager insisted on raising these goldfish that only know how to eat and produce feces for viewing. However, the girl rarely comes here, so who will enjoy this scenery? Isn't it just sitting there idle?"
"This chicken coop is even emptier than my purse. How do you sleep well on weekdays?"
"Look, girl, why are there a few vegetables growing in the grass garden ahead?"
“…”
This relentless offensive caused the old steward to retreat step by step. He almost fell backwards from anger, and his vision gradually went dark. He felt as if he was going to die soon.
"It's getting dark, let's go back first." Chang Suining said, "I will stay at the manor for a few days, and we will talk in detail tomorrow."
The old steward came to his senses and said, "Oh, it really has gotten dark. It's okay then."
The group walked back, and Chang Suining listened to Shen Sanmao talking about his strange secrets and ideas, and felt that he had gotten a great bargain.
After bathing in the evening, Xier couldn't help asking, "Girl, although Shen Sanmao has some skills, they are mostly just small tricks. Why is he worthy of your special attention?"
Chang Suining nodded: "It is true that he is clever, but there is a saying in the Art of War that those who are good at surprise attacks are as infinite as the heavens and the earth, and as inexhaustible as the rivers and seas."
Xier let out an "ah", not quite understanding what was said.
Chang Suining: "To put it bluntly, there is no need to be too normal in doing things and being a person. This will make it easier to achieve a surprise victory."
For example, there are methods to make duck eggs square or make fish grow faster. These may not sound very useful, but they are enough to show that this person is good at coming up with unexpected ideas.
Those who are good at coming up with unexpected ideas may be clever in a small world, but if they have a big world, they may be of great help.
Xier understood now and nodded, "Since the girl said so, then the money for the sack is not a waste."
…
"Has the person not been found yet?"
Inside the Ganlu Palace, the Emperor of the Holy Ce stopped reviewing the memorials and asked about the missing jade dust.
"Your Majesty, we haven't found it yet." Ming Luo said, "But we searched along the river and found an embroidered shoe. It was Aunt Yuxie's. Judging from the many traces, she did fall into the water after leaving the mansion through the back door."
"Did she fall into the water accidentally, or was there another reason..." The Holy Ce Emperor frowned slightly, "She never dared to leave the Princess's residence. This time she acted out of character, so I'm afraid there's something fishy going on."
Then he looked at Ming Luo and said, "Ask the palace officials to carefully examine the maids in the Princess's mansion. Do not let go of any suspicious signs."
"We have to keep looking for her." The Emperor of the Holy Ce said firmly, "She is not in her right mind. If she talks nonsense outside, it may damage Ashang Qing's reputation. We have to find out whether she is dead or alive as soon as possible."
Ming Luo responded seriously and slowly walked out.
There was a hint of thought in the eyes of the Holy Cemeter Emperor.
There was never a moment of peace in the capital, and she could not regard any small incident as a coincidence.
Yuxie was certainly someone who knew about that old story, but she was not the only one. If there really was someone who knew about that old story and wanted to make a fuss about it, why did they choose a maid who was mentally ill and whose words were unconvincing?
This doesn't make sense...
But if it wasn't for that old thing, what else could it be for? Is there any other value in Yu Xie? The Holy Ce Emperor's gaze fell on a candlestick, and his eyes flickered.
It started raining outside the palace again. Ming Luo walked out of the palace with an umbrella.
The rain continued for several days.
Yuxie couldn't tell how long she hadn't eaten. She had been relying on snacks to fill her stomach, and she gradually lost the energy to cry out.
When she moved her body while dazed, she found that the rope on her hand seemed to be loose. She tried to move and actually broke free.
This discovery made her sit up subconsciously and hurried to untie the rope around her ankles.
It took some effort this time, but fortunately I managed to solve it successfully.
She immediately dragged her weak body forward, pushed open the cellar door and crawled out based on her instinct for survival.
It was night outside and the rain was still falling.
She was at a loss for a moment, but did not dare to stop. She did not dare to walk along the straight corridor, so she ran along a small path.
She walked along the path into a bamboo forest. Besides the sounds of wind, rain and bamboo leaves, suddenly there was a clear and quiet sound ringing around.
That's the sound of a piano.
As the familiar sound of the piano entered his ears, Yuxie's feet suddenly stopped, his expression trembled, and he looked around.
That is... the sound of His Highness' piano!
(End of this chapter)
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