Chapter 88: The mirror is ridiculously large, it can fit two people...
"Old Chen, Eleventh Lady, it's not that I don't want to help you, it's just that the situation is urgent and we're short on manpower. I can't spare anyone to help you look for it right now!"
There was a constant rumbling of cannon fire in his ears, and the flames illuminated half the sky red. The headman was sweating all over from running, and a part of his gray-black eyebrows was burned. He reached out to take the bowl of water handed to him, said thank you, and drank it all in one gulp. He looked up and saw someone stuffing a silk bag into his hand. The bag was heavy, and the things inside were hard, and there was a dull sound of heavy objects colliding.
The village head immediately declined, saying, "That's not what I meant, Old Chen!"
Lin Meizhu insisted on placing the silk bag in his palm and said, "I don't mean any harm. My sworn brother is away, and my grandfather unfortunately has a leg injury. We can't respond to the gentry's call, and we feel bad. We see everyone charging into battle but can't help much, so this is the only way we can do our bit."
Because the government did not take action, the gentry in Jiangling County called on the people to prepare their own weapons such as hoes and sickles, and to protect each other. When bandits invaded, they would send out men to resist them when they heard the sound of gongs and drums.
Chen Huisheng looked at the village head's bewildered state and knew that the situation outside was not optimistic and that money was needed. He advised, "Take it quickly!"
The village head had just passed by with his militia when he was hurriedly pulled in. Seeing that several of the men were determined not to leave without him, he reluctantly accepted the gift and said a few more words: "The bandits who attacked this time are coming with great force. I see that they are well-equipped, very similar to those from Black Wind Village. Our people didn't notice them before and rushed in with hoes, sickles, and other weapons. What happened?! They were carrying muskets! Alas! Many militiamen were frightened and lost their composure, and were trampled by the horses... At this time, I can only help you pass on the message and ask the others to keep an eye out for any children stranded in the area you mentioned."
The Inspection Office had already issued an order prohibiting unauthorized personnel from leaving the city while bandits were rampaging. Those who did so would be treated as spies carrying messages for the bandits. If they rashly ventured out, searching like a blind fly, they would likely be imprisoned or even executed on the spot, which would only exacerbate the situation. However, Lin Meizhu knew she couldn't do nothing. The longer she delayed, the more dangerous Xiaoman's situation would become.
There is a great opportunity right now.
After a while, Lin Meiju, dressed in men's clothes, hurried away with the village head and others.
Just as the head of the village said, the people who came into the city to rob were none other than the Black Wind Village. They often operated in the Nanyang area of Henan Province. However, because the new Nanyang prefect, Qin Yan, had stepped up his pursuit, the thieves gradually shifted their activities downwards and began to harass several cities bordering Hubei Province.
Lin Meizhu treated injured soldiers and militiamen in a makeshift medical tent, also using the opportunity to seek help from acquaintances. She had repeatedly stressed to Xiaoman that if they heard the clatter of horse hooves, they must flee as quickly as possible and seek shelter. Xiaoman was a quick runner, familiar with the city's hidden paths. As long as they didn't encounter the marauding bandits head-on, their chances of escape were good.
However, she did not see Xiaoman among the injured. After asking everyone, she only knew that Xiaoman disappeared near Huishengtang. Two hours had passed since the riot occurred and the bandits withdrew, and no one had seen Xiaoman again.
Lin Meiju fell into another kind of worry. This speculation made her terrified. Just thinking about it made her hair stand on end: someone took advantage of the chaos to kidnap Xiaoman, and she was locked up.
From the outset, she had sent a message to Luo Shanchang, asking him to keep an eye out for suspicious individuals at the city gates. She also listed several locations in the city, hoping the sentries would take the time to check them during patrols. She also had Zhuzi send a message to Zhou Er in Lin County, asking him to be more vigilant in the surrounding area and to write back if he had any news. Lin Meizhu didn't dare to conduct a high-profile search, partly for fear that word would leak out and alert the wrongdoers, and partly for fear of rumors spreading after Xiaoman returned.
Lin Meiju stayed up all night, and as soon as the curfew came out, she arranged for people to go out and look for people, but they all returned empty-handed. It was the village head who gave her a clear way: if someone really disappeared, no matter which faction they belonged to, it would be difficult for the government alone to find them. They had to rely on those people from all walks of life who had well-informed and well-informed people.
Awakened from her slumber, Lin Meizhu hurriedly made connections and finally found someone who claimed to know someone with connections to both the government and the underworld. He was well-connected to both the underworld and the corrupt, with numerous underlings and extensive influence in the Jingzhou area, wielding a vast network of businesses. Lin Meizhu was so anxious she didn't care about whether the truth was true or not; as long as he could help her find the person, it was all good.
The middle-aged man looked embarrassed and stammered, "The Lord is very busy. If you want to see him, you may have to wait for some time..."
Lin Meizhu pressed a banknote into his hand, and the middleman said, "This is a matter of great importance. Even if I have to break my head today, Madam Lin, I will ask for a chance!"
As they escorted Lin Meizhu to the sealed, oil-walled car, the middleman continued to nag at her many rules, such as speaking sparingly when meeting someone, and even when speaking, being concise and to the point, never looking up at the person, not relying on her good looks to make the other person easy to talk to, and definitely not crying. The gang was resolute and swift, and they hated pretentious behavior the most. Most importantly, she was generous and didn't bargain...
Lin Meiju understood the reason, but why was the meeting place, which was said to be extremely confidential and would result in fatal consequences if leaked, located in the small shabby building on the back street of her home?
Actually, calling it a run-down building isn't quite the right word. The three-story house wasn't small, but the facade had been completely decayed from long abandonment. Even the wooden steps creaked as she stepped on them, making Lin Meizhu tremble with fear. Ascending to the second floor, there was a little more activity. Lin Meizhu could hear someone whispering in a room. When the door opened, she caught a glimpse of someone transcribing something inside, presumably a request. Turning around, she saw a familiar figure and quickly called out in a low voice, "Brother Wei! Do you have something to ask for, too?"
The hunter who had briefly adopted the Jade Lion of the Night jumped in fright when he saw Lin Meizhu. "Ah? Ah? Ah, yes, yes! I have something to ask you!" He frowned and walked up the stairs to the third floor. After a while, he came down again with a sigh. "Oh! What should I do? This is too difficult!"
Seeing his distressed expression, as if things weren't going smoothly, Lin Meizhu hesitated to ask any more questions. Her heart sank again, and she secretly went over her words a few times. No matter how she changed them, they still felt inappropriate. She worried that she would be too long-winded and offend him, or that she wouldn't be sincere enough to move that hard-hearted man.
However, Lin Meiju did not have the chance to say these words. The man in charge of receiving outsiders sent her away after asking her questions and told her to go back and wait for news.
Lin Meizhu was puzzled. Why could Brother Wei be received, but she couldn't? She knew the sturdy man in front of her was just a small fry. She took out a silver ingot and placed it on the thin table. "Brother, please introduce me to your boss. I'd like to meet him."
The sturdy man was a little impatient, and the muscles on his face twitched. He placed Lin Meizhu's work sheet on the thick sheet at hand and shouted, "Next!"
Lin Meizhu heard footsteps behind her and became anxious. She could only muster up the courage to say, "Brother, I really need to see your boss. Please do me a favor..."
Before she could finish her words, another man in black came up and leaned over to say a few words to the man taking notes. Then the two men looked at Lin Meizhu with a look of deep suspicion, which made her scalp tingle and made her want to look in the mirror to see if there was anything wrong with herself. Then one of them said, "Our boss wants you to go up to the third floor."
Lin Meiju felt relieved. She didn't dare to stop and went upstairs pretending to be calm.
The scene in the attic on the third floor was completely different from that downstairs. It was very clean, spacious and bright. The empty hall faced a terrace with no railings. Lin Meiju's legs felt weak after just one look at it, let alone going closer to see what was going on outside.
There was the scent of tea in the room, but it seemed to be too strong and smelled very bitter. Under this strong bitter aroma, the smell of alcohol seemed lighter.
The left side was divided by a latticework partition. On the inner side stood a large, dark red, carved peep-toe mirror. Behind the latticework was a gauze cabinet, which seemed to contain a large bed. Lin Meizhu noticed that the furniture and other items inside were different from the original decor. Only the mirror was an old item, apparently a favorite of a later owner who had kept it. However, the mirror was ridiculously large, easily enough to hold two people. She had no idea what it was used for. She didn't dare examine it closely, but simply glanced at it briefly before returning her gaze to the screen to her right.
She could see a man sitting there, his posture very straight. Judging from his movements, he must be flipping through some books. She took a deep breath, lifted the hem of her skirt and walked to the screen. She bowed and called softly, "Sir."
The sound of pages turning behind the screen suddenly stopped.
Lin Meizhu sensed something was amiss and paused, feeling anxious: Why were the people inside reacting like this? Could it be that the "master" had touched a taboo and was being called "boss" like the others?
The person behind the screen took several breaths to calm the turbulent emotions evoked by those two short words. She probably didn't know that her soft voice could make people's bones tingle. He closed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What do you want?"
Lin Meiju was about to submit the work in her hand, but after taking a step or two, she stopped abruptly and stopped in front of the screen. She looked at the figure inside that was so familiar that she almost bit her tongue.
Lin Meiju was in a state of confusion. The people inside did not urge her. After a long silence, she finally walked in with her head down.
Shen Changfeng also didn't look at her. He glanced at the things she handed over and said, "Go back and wait for news."
This answer was so mechanical that it made Lin Meiju even more anxious for no reason.
Lin Meizhu pursed her lips and asked, "How long will it take for there to be news?"
Shen Changfeng said: "It's hard to say for sure. If you don't trust it, you can go find someone else." He put the thin piece of paper on the table and pushed it in front of Lin Meiju.
Lin Meizhu saw his bandaged hands and the pain on his face that felt like it was being pricked by needles. He stood stiffly without moving and said, "I can pay more."
Shen Changfeng twitched the corners of his mouth. He hated her for being so clear about the distinction between public and private matters. His reply was also somewhat cold and concise: "Okay, the highest bidder will be expedited."
Lin Meizhu sighed softly and said, "I want you to help me find it."
Shen Changfeng automatically intercepted the first three words and asked, "What?"
Lin Meizhu was silent for a moment, recalling what the middleman had said about Shen Changfeng's work style. Her tone became earnest and sincere: "I want you to help me find it."
That's not what I just said.
Shen Changfeng looked up at her and saw that the man's face was full of confusion, as if there was something extremely difficult that could not be achieved at the same time. He was unwilling to move closer and was so stingy that he refused to say a word, let alone open his eyes to look at him, as if he was some kind of monster.
He admitted that he was angry with her, and no one could remain completely indifferent after suddenly losing two fingers. However, after the bloodbath at Golden Tiger Village, his frustration had subsided, and he had someone pass on a message to her... After hearing from his men that she had come to ask for a favor, he hesitated for a moment before inviting her upstairs. He didn't know what to say to her, but perhaps he just wanted to see her, to hear her words. But seeing her so eager to use money to break away from him, he felt that his initiative to ask for peace and invite her upstairs had become ridiculous.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh at himself. He slowly leaned back on the chair, his shoulders slumped slightly, and he was silent for a long time, unable to utter another word.
A voice came from behind the screen, "Boss, Lord Qian is waiting for you at the Eight Immortals Tower."
Shen Changfeng casually threw the work sheet onto the report board halfway up the side, stood up, and walked straight around her towards the attic stairs.
Seeing him about to leave, Lin Meizhu hurriedly followed him a few steps and said after him, "This matter really can't be delayed. It's been half a day since the incident. Xiaoman is different from other people her age. She is immature and can't tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. What's more..."
Shen Changfeng strode forward, his tone still calm, and said, "Qingsong will do it for you."
Lin Meizhu knew that assigning tasks to subordinates, instructing them to do their best, and personally supervising them had completely different effects. Every moment Xiaoman spent wandering outside was a moment more dangerous, and she had to seize every second.
Seeing his indifferent attitude, as if he was just doing his job, and his departing figure also revealed a certain degree of determination, Lin Meizhu was extremely anxious and forgot her instructions for a moment. The accumulated worry and anger in her heart rushed to the surface, and she blurted out a sentence, the ending tone trembling slightly: "What do you want in exchange for helping me?"
Hearing the suppressed cry in her voice, Shen Changfeng's back stiffened, and he immediately stopped, closed his eyes tightly, and sighed again and again in his heart: Shen Changfeng, oh Shen Changfeng, this is all you have achieved in this life.
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