After buying the jade pendant, Yan Xia went to the county government office.
This time, instead of preparing a purse, he took out two taels of silver and handed it to Xie Yan'an.
"I would be so kind as to ask you, sir, to grant me an audience with Manager Deng."
Xie Yan'an glanced at Yan Xia.
I didn't answer.
"A serious criminal in prison is not someone you can just visit whenever you want."
Yan Xia looked distressed.
"Sir, I really don't have much silver on me. Please make an exception."
Xie Yan'an scanned Yan Xia from head to toe and noticed that she was only wearing a plain silver hairpin in her hair, and the bracelet on her wrist was gold, but it didn't look like solid gold; it should be gilded.
Then it won't be worth anything.
but.
Xie Yan'an suddenly stood up from her chair.
His eyes were fixed on Yan Xia's waist.
This jade pendant is actually made of red jade, and it's flawless. Even if it's sold at a very low price, it would still cost several hundred taels.
He just happened to lose another bet last night.
If I were to obtain this jade pendant, then...
"I see that the jade pendant at your waist is quite nice."
"Sir, I really can't give you this jade pendant, I..."
Yan Xia covered the jade pendant and backed away repeatedly.
Shi Qi, who was standing to the side, shouted loudly.
"It's an honor for you that my elder brother wants your jade pendant. Don't you want to go in and see Manager Deng? Give me the jade pendant, and you can stay as long as you want. Let me tell you, don't push your luck."
There were only the three of them in the guard room; the other officers had been sent away by Shi Qi.
Xie Yan'an didn't want to force the issue, but Shi Qi's words put him in a difficult position. His expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he didn't say anything in the end.
If I could get my hands on this jade pendant and pawn it, I could gamble to my heart's content tonight.
Maybe after making a few times his initial investment, he'll stop playing altogether.
Buy a big house, take a few beautiful concubines, and enjoy a life of luxury.
"There's nothing I can't get if I want it. If you don't give it to me, you can forget about seeing this person again. Also, he's a bit stubborn. Looks like I'll have to try some torture."
Xie Yan'an followed Shi Qi's words and played the bad cop.
"Here, here, I'll give it to you, please don't hit Manager Deng, sir. He's old and can't take the pain. Here, take the jade pendant and let me go in to see him."
Yan Xia took off the jade pendant and handed it to Xie Yan'an with a fawning smile.
"Xiao Qi, take her there."
"It's my elder brother."
Before entering the cell, Yan Xia instructed Shi Qi, "Remember what I said, don't mess it up."
"yes."
"Brother Deng," Yan Xia called out as she entered the third cell.
"Manager Yan, you've come." Compared to last time, Deng Qiuzhi looked much more haggard, with many new injuries on his body. Yan Xia's expression was somewhat serious.
"Don't worry, you'll be out soon. I've already thought of a way..."
She revealed her plan to Deng Qiuzhi.
They left after a short while.
In the afternoon, Yan Xia put on ugly makeup and took the freshly made colorful fruit tea to the Xu residence.
The gatekeeper announced her arrival and let her in, led by a maid until they stopped at a courtyard.
"Please come in."
The maid stood at the door, motionless.
Yan Xia pushed open the door to the main room.
Inside, there was a large round table with several people sitting at it. The person in the main seat was Old Madam Xu, and the people next to her were the family of three we had met yesterday.
"Yan, why are you only arriving now?"
Old Madam Xu was very kind to Yan Xia. It seemed that Yan Xia's flattery yesterday had pleased her. As she spoke, the man at the round table's eyes narrowed sharply. He stared intently at Yan Xia.
After watching for a while, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked away.
"I originally planned to arrive at Chenshi (7-9 AM), but an unexpected event occurred. I was thinking of making you an iced drink, so I was delayed for a while. In the summer heat, even if I sit still, I feel sweating profusely. I imagine that is also the case for Madam Xu. So I specially researched and made a colorful fruit tea for you to cool you down."
Yan Xia walked to the table and took out the fruit tea from the food box.
Fortunately, she had prepared a few extra cups, just in case there were too many people and not enough to drink. There were five cups in total, one for Madam Xu.
Each of the three family members gets a cup.
There's still one cup left.
Madam Xu was a bit overweight, as is the case with people who love sweets. In addition, she was old and didn't like to exercise, so she couldn't sleep in the summer because of the heat.
Magistrate Xu was filial and worried that she would catch a cold, so he only allowed his servants to put some ice in her room at noon to cool her down.
Once it's past noon, the ice will be removed.
Yan Xia arrived in the afternoon, and Old Madam Xu's forehead was covered in sweat.
Hearing this, she laughed even more heartily.
"How do you drink this? Is this colorful fruit tea made from fruit?" Old Madam Xu picked up the bamboo cup, looked at it from left to right, and didn't know how to drink it.
Yan Xia simply picked up the remaining cup to demonstrate to her. There was a short tube in the cup, just enough to protrude a bit from the cup. It was made of thin bamboo and, when held in the mouth, it was like a modern straw.
With one sip, the fruit tea immediately comes up. Because it's chilled, one sip and the summer heat is completely gone.
Yan Xia couldn't help but sigh.
Madam Xu looked on with envy and imitated her actions, taking a sip herself.
"Wow—the texture is amazing, absolutely wonderful."
She was illiterate and didn't know how to praise something for being delicious. She racked her brains for words, but could only manage to utter the word "exquisite."
"Grandmother, I want some too," the girl said coquettishly.
"Alright, alright, Jiaojiao, you can have some too. Wenshan, each of you take a cup and use this bamboo to suck up the juice."
Old Madam Xu was teaching them how to drink it. She herself hadn't known how to drink it either. Her smug look was like that of a child who had just learned a few pinyin words and was showing them off to their parents.
Yan Xia wanted to laugh, but she held it in.
"Wow, Grandma, this tastes so good! It's sweet, bitter, fruity, and has the fragrance of tea. How did you make it?"
The girl's eyes widened.
"This tea is a concentrated juice extracted from eighteen kinds of fruits. It is blended with the prepared vine tea, a little sugar water is added, and it is stirred well. Mixed with fruit pieces, it becomes a colorful fruit tea. Towards the end, you can remove the bamboo tube and eat while you drink it."
Yan Xia explained to her.
"Wonderful, truly wonderful! No wonder your shop is doing so well, Ms. Yan."
Madam Xu loved this fruit tea so much that she kept drinking it.
“It’s really good. I can’t get anything this delicious at the border. Mother, I’m not leaving. Jiangnan is still the best.” Xu Wenshan once again clung to Madam Xu’s arm and acted coquettishly.
She looks like she's in her thirties, but she acts like a little girl. She must be very pampered.
Yan Xia thought to herself.
“No, no, your mother said that your eldest brother will take care of you for the rest of your lives. From now on, you and Jiaojiao will stay with your mother in the house, enjoy the flowers, feed the fish, and if you feel bored, we can go to the estate to play or go to the temple for a while.”
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