Chapter 82: A Courtyard Full of Roses (Two Chapters Combined into One)
Zhao Shiqing was about to say he was visiting relatives, but something clicked in his mind as the words reached his lips. He spoke before Niqiu could, "My father borrowed twenty taels of silver from his family years ago. Later, he went to Liangdi to do business and never had the chance to repay the money. We happened to be passing by here this time, so we decided to return the money and put my father's worries at ease."
Li Laosi's eyes lit up and he said, "So you're here to pay back the money. It's rare to find people like you these days."
Zhao Shiqing smiled and said, "It's only natural to pay back a debt."
Li Laosi looked at her and Niu Qiu again and saw that they were both fourteen or fifteen years old. He looked behind them and saw no adults, only a little girl about their age.
Zhao Shiqing looked back following his gaze and was also stunned. Where were Xiao Zhen, Jiang Ping and the others?
They were still there when I came and knocked on the door.
Li Laosi was overjoyed. He only had three little ones and no adults around, so he deserved to make a fortune.
He turned around and shouted towards the house: "Dalang, Erlang, Sanlang, Silang, guests are coming, please invite them in."
As he was speaking, four young men rushed out from the main room: "Father, who's here?"
Li Laosi hurriedly said: "Guests are coming, please invite these two young ladies and this young man..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw the young lady and young man in front of him running away.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to pay back the money? Wait!"
Li Laosi's shout was heard from behind. Zhao Shiqing and the other two ran all the way. When they ran to a big willow tree, they saw Xiao Zhen standing with his arms crossed.
"Why are you here?" Zhao Shiqing asked.
Xiao Zhen: "Just wait and see these three little fools get humiliated."
Zhao Shiqing......
Before Zhao Shiqing could launch a counterattack, Xiao Zhen turned and left. Zhao Shiqing asked, "Where are you going?"
Xiao Zhen: "Go find the village head."
Zhao Shiqing looked at Niu Qiu, then at Ling Bo: "Is there a village head in the village?"
Loach shook his head. Although he grew up in Beijing, he and Xiaobao did not get their household registration until they followed Zhao Shiqing. Who could understand the hardship of being an illegal resident?
Ling Bo said: "We don't have a village head in Baihe Village, nor in Fanghe Village."
It's private land, so there's no need for a village head.
As for Zhao Shiqing, she knew even less.
Xiao Zhen was walking in front. Hearing the three people muttering behind him, he couldn't help but turn around and asked, "Have you ever thought about going to find the village head before?"
The three of them shook their heads and said in unison: "No."
Xiao Zhen couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
The three of them were shocked. Oh my God, this guy could actually laugh. It was so scary!
Xiao Zhen: "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."
He really didn't expect that the clever Miss Zhao Er didn't even know that there was a village head in the village. When he was at Old Man Huang's house, he found out that Zhuxitang and Qingzhu Village had the same village head, who was from Qingzhu Village. He was in charge of two villages and had been the village head for twenty years.
In fact, when Zhuxitang was first built, the government wanted the head of Huangzhu Village to be in charge of it. However, the old Li family, who were assigned to Zhuxitang, disagreed. Seeing that another armed fight was about to break out, the government handed Zhuxitang over to the head of Qingzhu Village to be in charge. Because this head was from Qingzhu Village, he did not give any face to the old Li family of Zhuxitang. Although the old Li family was used to being domineering, they were suppressed by the head of the village and had been well-behaved over the years and had not done anything too outrageous.
However, Xiao Zhen also understood Zhao Shiqing. After all, before the accident in his previous life, he didn't understand these things. Later, he wandered around the world and saw many things he had never heard of before. The environment has a huge impact on people.
Zhuxitang is separated from Qingzhu Village by a bamboo forest, while Qingzhu Village is separated from Huangzhu Village by a hillside.
As the group was about to cross the bamboo forest to go to Qingzhu Village, they saw the same group of people coming out of the bamboo forest.
"Hey, Mr. Zhen!"
Who else could that chubby figure be but Zhen Wuduo?
Seeing them, Zhen Wuduo smiled and said, "Why are you here just now? I was just about to go to Zhuxitang."
He pointed at the skinny old man beside him and said to Xiao Zhen, "Son, this is Chen Lizheng, hurry up and call someone."
As expected, the old ones are the wisest. Just when Zhao Shiqing was asking for information from house to house, Zhen Wuduo not only met the head of the village of Zhuxitang, but also found the old files of Zhuxitang from more than 30 years ago!
Xiao Zhen was a little surprised, but still nodded slightly to the old man: "Chen Lizheng."
When Chen Lizheng saw Xiao Zhen, he was surprised. The son of Old Master Zhen looked nothing like him!
Old Master Zhen is short and fat, while Young Master Zhen is tall and straight.
Old Master Zhen is approachable, while Young Master Zhen has a cold and arrogant demeanor.
Old Master Zhen speaks with witty words, while Young Master Zhen is frugal with words.
I've seen fathers and sons that don't look alike, but none as different as this.
Could it be that this old master Zhen is being cuckolded?
Thinking of this, Chen Lizheng looked at Zhen Wuduo with a little more sympathy in his eyes.
Old Master Zhen doesn't look confused. I think he knows that having a green head is not scary. What is scary is knowing that there is a green head and still forcing himself to smile.
Alas, poor Old Master Zhen.
Zhen Wuduo didn't know that Chen Lizheng felt sympathy for him. He couldn't wait to go and see with his own eyes the place where his daughter had lived.
He was a very cunning man, but at this moment, the smile that came from the bottom of his heart could not be concealed.
Xiao Zhen glanced at him and asked in a low voice, "What did you find out?"
Zhen Wuduo patted his arm excitedly, "I guessed right. Your sister and her family really do live in Zhuxitang. Your sister's name is Fu Xiaoying, and her husband's name is Shi Yuchun. The Shi family fled here, and their grandfather is buried in Zhuxitang. The ancestral grave is here. Your sister and her family will come back sooner or later. Hahaha, now that we know our son-in-law's name, it will be easier to find him. When I get back, I'll have people look for him everywhere. My son-in-law is a businessman, so he must have opened a shop outside. That's why he hasn't been back for so many years."
Zhen Wuduo kept talking to himself. When he realized something was wrong, he found that Xiao Zhen had stopped at some point and was staring at Zhao Shiqing without blinking.
Zhao Shiqing opened his mouth in astonishment.
"Why don't you two little ones leave?" Zhen Wuduo asked.
Zhao Shiqing suddenly realized something and walked past Xiao Zhen to Zhen Wuduo. "Old man, you said your daughter's last name is Fu? And your son-in-law's last name is Shi. Which Shi is it?"
Zhen Wuduo: "Shichenshi, what's wrong?"
Zhao Shiqing didn't notice that her voice was shaking: "Do they have a daughter? Is their daughter blind?"
Zhen Wuduo was stunned. Blind? He had only heard Chen Lizheng say that the Shi family had gone out of town to see a doctor for their child and hadn't returned since. When he learned that the Shi family's wife was named Fu Xiaoying, he was so excited that he dragged Chen Lizheng to the Shi family to see her. As for what the child's illness was, he forgot to ask.
He was about to speak when he heard Chen Lizheng say, "Yes, their daughter is blind. Miss, do you know them?"
Zhao Shiqing felt a buzzing in his head, and his body seemed to lose control. He rushed to Chen Lizheng and asked, "Is their daughter missing?"
Chen Lizheng was almost knocked back two steps by her. Zhen Wuduo supported him and prevented him from falling. After all, he was old. He patted his chest and said, "Girl, don't worry. The family I'm talking about didn't lose their daughter. Their daughter has an eye disease. They went to another place to see a doctor. Many people in the village know about this."
Zhao Shiqing subconsciously asked, "Did they go to see their daughter? To see her eyes? How long have they been gone? Hasn't she come back yet?"
Because Zhen Wuduo had just asked about it, Chen Lizheng didn't need to think too much and said, "It's been ten years. I remember it very clearly. It was the year before the current emperor ascended the throne."
Zhao Shiqing's heart was pounding. "Is it around April or May?"
"Yes, the roses in his house were in full bloom all over the wall. A child saw that no one was at home, so he jumped onto the wall to pick the flowers. When I saw him, he yelled at me," said Chen Lizheng.
Zhao Shiqing stopped asking questions and silently followed Chen Lizheng and Zhen Wuduo towards the village.
Her mind was in a mess. One moment she was thinking about the family taking their daughter to see a doctor, and the next moment she was thinking about the unattended rose. She didn't notice that a pair of eyes were almost glued to her face.
Xiao Zhen coughed dryly, and Zhen Wuduo withdrew his gaze. Meeting Haodaer's rebuking gaze, Zhen Wuduo said with a stiff upper lip, "The more I look at it, the more it looks like him. Really..."
Xiao Zhen glared at him, Zhen Wuduo shut his mouth, but couldn't help looking at Zhao Shiqing.
......
After walking a long way until they entered an alley, Chen Lizheng suddenly exclaimed, "Li Laosi, what are you doing here?"
Chen Lizheng then said to Zhen Wuduo, "This is the Shi family's house. Even though it looks a bit run-down now, it was the best house in Zhuxitang more than ten years ago."
Zhao Shiqing looked over and saw that there were no roses covering the wall, only withered vines. She walked over quickly and was greeted by the burly man she had just met not long ago and his sons.
Li Laosi recognized Zhao Shiqing at a glance. He rubbed his hands and said to Chen Lizheng, "I heard someone was looking for the Shi family, and I was worried, so I came to check on them."
Zhao Shiqing sneered: "Didn't you say that there is no family with the surname Shi in this village?"
Li Laosi's eyes widened. "By then, my family had all died. How could I have been wrong when I said there was no one with the surname Shi in the village?"
He stood blocking the door as if this was his home.
Zhao Shiqing ignored him, pushed him away and walked to the door.
The door was closed and locked.
Zhao Shiqing looked at the lock. There were traces of being smashed on it. The traces were very fresh, and it was obvious that it had been smashed recently.
Looking at the top of the wall, there are obvious signs of climbing, and there are even clear footprints under the wall.
She looked at the tightly closed door, then suddenly turned around. Ling Bo hurriedly asked, "Second Miss, I'm here."
Zhao Shiqing looked at Niu Qiu and said, "Climb in and see if there's a swing set under the wall."
Niu Qiu rolled up his sleeves and tried to climb the wall. Li Laosi shouted, "The village head is here, and you dare to go in and steal things? Village head, you don't care. These outsiders are obviously not good people."
Zhao Shiqing said to Niu Qiu, "Ignore him, go in and take a look."
"Great!" Although Loach's martial arts skills were mediocre, his body movements were very agile. He climbed up the wall in a few moves. He stood on the top of the wall and looked down. "There's a swing, but it's a little broken."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhao Shiqing's body swayed, and Ling Bo quickly supported her: "Second Miss, what's wrong with you?"
Ling Bo has been with Zhao Shiqing since she was a child, and this was the first time she saw Zhao Shiqing like this. The little girl was very scared and looked at Xiao Zhen for help.
Xiao Zhen walked up to Chen Lizheng and said, "My friend is most likely the child from the Shi family. You just saw her. She also remembered that there was a swing in the yard. How about letting us go in and take a look?"
Chen Lizheng looked at Zhen Wuduo and asked, "Are you two a family?"
Zhen Wuduo didn't know what to say, so he simply reached out and took out a few banknotes from his pocket and said, "I'll buy this house."
Chen Lizheng didn't dare to accept it and shook his head, saying, "No, this house doesn't belong to the village and can't be sold."
Zhen Wuduo grabbed his hand and stuffed the banknote into his hand: "What are you selling? This is a donation to the village to build bridges and roads."
He put on a smiling face again: "Old brother, can you let my son and granddaughter go in and take a look?"
Chen Lizheng was already shocked by the banknotes that were forced into his hands. How could he say no at this moment? He could only nod and agree.
Zhen Wuduo waved his hand and said, "Son, granddaughter, come on, come in with me!"
Hearing this, Xiao Zhen frowned. This strange name sounded awkward.
Although Zhen Wuduo is old, his skills have not declined. When Xiao Zhen reached out to pull him up on the wall, he climbed up by himself. Chen Li was amazed. How could this pampered fat old man be so powerful?
Li Laosi was already anxious and shouted at Chen Lizheng: "Lizheng, these people are obviously scammers. Why did you let them in?"
Chen Lizheng glared at him fiercely. "What liar? I think you're more of a liar. Tell me the truth, did you cheat that girl earlier? There are many ways to make money. Don't stare at other people's empty houses all day long, hoping to take advantage of them. There are not so many bargains in the world for you to take advantage of."
Li Laosi still didn't give up. He had been eyeing Lao Shi's yard for many years, so how could he just let it go?
"Mr. Lizheng, the Shi family is extinct. They don't even have a son, only a blind girl. Besides, they haven't been back for so many years. If they had relatives, they would have found them long ago. Why would they wait until now? And what about that little girl just now? You remember that the Shi family's daughter is blind, right? That little girl doesn't look like a blind person at all. She's a liar!"
......
At this time, Zhao Shiqing turned a deaf ear to all of this. Just when she jumped onto the wall and saw everything in the yard, her eyes became dazed and she almost fell off the wall.
Ling Bo hugged her tightly: "Second Miss, let's go down first, let's go down first."
After jumping into the yard, Zhao Shiqing felt her legs go weak. She staggered to the swing, sat on it, and slowly closed her eyes.
"Lingbo, push me."
Ling Bo was about to reach out to push the swing when a big hand landed on the swing before her.
Xiao Zhen shook his head at her and made a gesture to keep quiet.
Ling Bo silently stepped aside, and Xiao Zhen pushed the swing. The dusty old swing slowly swung in his hands.
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