Chapter 91 The damp floorboards began to creak...
Lin Meizhu was a bit amused and said, "It's true. I just cooked and delivered the food."
Shen Changfeng's reputation outside was clearly not good. Aunt Zhang didn't believe his explanation and asked, "Then what's wrong with your tongue?"
"It's because..." It was because he was holding her and her chest bumped against his. Afraid that Aunt Zhang would misunderstand, Lin Meizhu had to change her explanation: "I was eating in a hurry and accidentally bit it."
"Then why are you sweating all over and your face so red?"
It was also because he held it tightly and refused to let go, it was hot.
Lin Meizhu said vaguely, "It was too hot. I came back in a hurry. It was too hot."
When Shen Changfeng first said that he had conditions, Lin Meizhu thought that if he took the opportunity to make those rude requests, she would definitely turn around and leave, but in the end he just said that when he was in the city, he asked her to bring him some food.
Lin Meizhu explained, "He said he's been in Jingzhou for a few months and still can't get used to the food here, so he wants me to cook a few dishes that suit his taste... Also, because his hand is injured, it's not convenient for him to do things. If I have free time, I can help him with some trivial matters."
Aunt Zhang was skeptical: "That's it?"
Lin Meizhu nodded, her eyes clear and bright, "That's all."
In fact, that was the situation right now. Although he hadn't taken any further action today besides hugging her, she could clearly sense his emotions. She wondered how much longer he could hold back. After all, Shen Changfeng was still Shen Changfeng.
The next morning, Lin Meizhu prepared breakfast and went to the back street early.
The guard on the attic was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy named Suo Zhu. He was very shy when he saw Lin Meizhu and said hesitantly, "The boss led the brothers out searching early this morning."
Lin Meiju smiled and said, "In that case, I didn't know he got up so early." Then she invited Suozhu to have breakfast together.
Suozhu declined hastily. He had been instructed in advance to serve tea to Lin Meiju and then leave immediately.
Lin Meiju listened to the sound of Suo Zhu coming downstairs and set her eyes on Shen Changfeng's desk. After the footsteps downstairs completely disappeared, she put down the half-eaten bun, walked quickly to the desk, quickly flipped through the official documents on it, and then put everything in place according to her memory, sat back in her original place, pretending nothing had happened and continued to drink tea and eat.
The people from Fubo Village returned to the county town around noon.
When Lin Meiju heard the sound of horse hooves, she looked down through the attic window, saw who was coming, and went downstairs to greet him, lifting her skirt.
Shen Changfeng had just dismounted and as soon as he stopped, he saw Lin Meiju walking quickly out from the corner of the attic stairs. There was a smile in her eyes, and she looked gentle and charming. The swirling sleeves of her sky-blue skirt were like a fluttering butterfly, and she seemed eager to jump into his arms at the next moment.
Shen Changfeng had been waiting for this scene for a long time, and in an instant, his frown relaxed.
Shen Changfeng threw away the whip in his hand, strode forward, and put his arm around her waist. Lin Meizhu stretched out her hand to push away his chest, turned her face away, and said with disgust: "You stink."
The men behind him chuckled softly.
Seeing Lin Meizhu's embarrassed look, he took her waist in his hands, leaned over and whispered, "Let's talk upstairs."
Shen Changfeng was very hot, and as soon as he entered the attic he began to untie his arms. Lin Meizhu followed him and asked, "Did you find a clue?"
Shen Changfeng's hand was injured, making it difficult for him to move. He untied the knot very slowly. After pulling twice, he stopped and stood in front of the table. He raised his cup and drank the remaining tea. He nodded and said, "That's right."
Lin Meizhu circled around him, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, and asked, "Where did you find her? What did you find? Do you know her whereabouts? Is she in danger now?"
It was strange. It was clearly just a very ordinary conversation, but Shen Changfeng felt inexplicably warm and somewhat strangely satisfied. He actually hoped that she could rely on him more, let him know that she needed him.
He seemed to see her when she first married into the palace, sometimes pestering him and nagging him. He felt that he was one step closer to his goal and was in a good mood.
Shen Changfeng savored the thought for a few moments, and just as he was about to reply, Lin Meizhu misunderstood the meaning of his silence. She raised her bare hands to pour him some tea, then leaned over slightly to untie the armbands, urging him with her eyes, "Hurry up and speak!"
Shen Changfeng drank cold water, but it felt soothing and warm in his stomach. He secretly praised himself for making such a great move.
He raised his hand to facilitate her movements and said, "In Linjiang Alley, at the end of the street corner, there is a pile of discarded wood. The hound found the scattered beads there."
Shen Changfeng took out a handkerchief from his sleeve. Inside the handkerchief were crystal clear agate beads and jade, as well as a small gourd-shaped gold bead. "Take a look. Is this one of her accessories?"
Lin Meizhu looked at the round pearls and couldn't hide her excitement, "Yes! It's Xiaoman's bracelet!"
Shen Changfeng handed her the handkerchief and said, "The bandits are greedy for money. If they took people away, they would not have left the pearls and jade there. The only explanation is that Xiaoman escaped before the bandits arrived."
Shen Changfeng walked to the washbasin rack in the inner room, rolled up his sleeves, scooped up some cold water and splashed it on his face. He continued, "The people from Black Wind Village advanced on both fronts, but before the main force reached Huisheng Hall, they encountered local militia and soldiers. If Xiaoman was still nearby at that time, her first choice would have been to run back to the medicine hall. This is most consistent with a child's subconscious act of seeking help."
Lin Meizhu followed his line of thought and said, "But she didn't. Instead, she appeared in the streets on the edge of the market. This means that she had already left the pharmacy before the incident."
Due to lack of manpower, Lin Meiju initially focused the search on the city center. After Shen Changfeng's men joined the search, they deduced the horse thieves' attack route and the crowd's retreat route, brought in horsemen, brokers, porters and other people who often moved around the county town for questioning, locked in several key locations, and searched from the core area to the periphery. At the same time, he also sent another team to search in the opposite direction along the thieves' retreat route, and quickly determined the place where Xiaoman was last seen.
Lin Meiju thought about the location of Linjiang Alley and began to feel suspicious. Going there is in the northeast direction, and there are several streets and alleys selling food and firewood. Further away there are places making farm tools. It should not be attractive to children. Why would Xiaoman go there?
Shen Changfeng didn't notice her strangeness and continued to express his speculation, "When the bandits retreated, a small group of people rushed to the northeastern mountains. I think Xiaoman should have been swept out of the city gate by the crowd. I have already ordered my men..."
Lin Meiju was thinking about something when she suddenly heard the rustling sound of clothes rubbing against each other. She looked up and found that she was listening intently. She followed the person into the bathroom. Shen Changfeng had taken off his shirt, revealing most of his strong body. The muscles on his back were knotted. As he moved, beads of sweat rolled over his well-defined waist and abdomen, and disappeared in the slightly sunken junction.
Lin Meizhu raised her eyes and met Shen Changfeng's somewhat ambiguous gaze. She quickly turned away and hurriedly retreated. Shen Changfeng's laughter echoed behind her: "What are you afraid of? It's not like I haven't seen this before."
Lin Meiju spat at him. Perhaps because the attic was on the top floor, she felt hot easily there, and her cheeks were as rosy as if they were covered with a thin layer of rouge.
She looked at the dirty clothes on the towel rack, hesitated again and again, and just as she raised her hand, she heard Shen Changfeng say, "No need, there are special maids who will take them away for washing."
Then he said, "Help me pass the clothes."
Lin Meizhu took a few clothes from the location he told her to, and she had handed half of them over when she suddenly remembered something. She crumpled the clothes together and tied them up tightly, saying, "I'll throw them in for you."
Shen Changfeng tutted and said, "Who do you think I am?"
Lin Meizhu was secretly criticizing you, knowing exactly what kind of person you were, but she said, "You haven't finished what you were saying."
Shen Changfeng walked out, gathering his clothes. Seeing her blushing face and looking at her toes, he felt a little itchy and hummed, "Come here, I'll tell you in detail."
Lin Meizhu was furious and said, "I don't have time to argue with you!"
Shen Changfeng raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "Seriously, have a meal with me and I'll talk while we eat." Then he stretched out his hand to her.
Lin Meizhu refused to move and said, "You said you would take care of her daily life, cook and deliver meals! You didn't say it would be like this!"
Shen Changfeng said helplessly: "If you hide again, you will fall on my bed. Then can you help me serve the food? Come to me and talk to me."
Inside the room, one man was hiding in frustration, while the other was leisurely chasing after him. The damp floorboards creaked slightly. A loud shout came from downstairs: "Brother and sister-in-law! I'm coming!"
Lin Meiju's face was a little embarrassed. She paused and thought to herself: These people clearly have misunderstood something.
Shen Changfeng put on his clothes and said with a smile, "I'll find someone to re-lay the floor someday. Wait for me, I'll be back soon."
Lin Meizhu sat behind the latticework, listening to Shen Changfeng meet with one subordinate after another. Those men didn't try to keep their words low, and she frequently heard the words "imperial court" and "recruitment." The imperial court's current attitude toward the various bandit gangs was unclear. It was clear that they were watching the internal strife among the various gangs in Jingzhou, hoping to counter the bandits with one another and reap the benefits, only to cause suffering to the people below.
Shen Changfeng's attitude towards this was noncommittal, and he was probably still waiting and watching.
Lin Meizhu waited and waited, but the voices on the other end didn't stop. At first, she wondered if Shen Changfeng was stalling for time, but then she felt that didn't make sense. Shen Changfeng hadn't eaten yet, and the food was already cold. Lin Meizhu scoffed. It was good enough to have something to eat. She didn't care.
She was afraid that Shen Changfeng would forget that she was there, but she couldn't urge him, so she could only make some noise from time to time, drink some tea to relax her muscles, fan herself, and then look up to see the big mirror, which showed her eager look outside. She was a little dazed. When she was in the palace, when Shen Changfeng was handling government affairs, she seemed to be waiting for him to call her in this way.
Lin Meizhu pursed her lips and shifted her position, sitting on the small couch. Even so, she could still see half of herself. She leaned back, reclining on the wooden couch, and realized she could still see her legs. She turned over and lay down on her back. Great, now she couldn't see them anymore.
As the sun was setting, Qingsong went up to the attic with a lot on his mind. Seeing the lunch box on the table, he asked in surprise, "Boss, you haven't had lunch yet?"
Shen Changfeng raised his arm to relax his shoulders, then lowered his head again to review the letter, saying, "It's almost done. What's the matter?"
Qingsong pulled out a stack of letters from his bosom and handed them to Shen Changfeng. "I saw this in Chang Yuan's room. He's been very ill these days, so he sent someone to tell me to come look for him. I heard that you injured your hand, so he asked me to kill the old hen in the yard and make some soup for you to nourish your body."
"I think you should read these letters."
Shen Changfeng opened one of the envelopes and saw a picture of a handsome, white-faced young man in a red short-sleeved shirt, a black gauze jacket embroidered with gold, a black headband on his forehead, holding a red tasseled spear and sitting on a tall horse. His eyebrows were straight and slanted into his temples, his lips were slightly raised, his face was full of arrogance and unruliness, he was really arrogant to the extreme.
Shen Changfeng looked at the face that asked for a beating, hissed softly, and thought to himself: Why does it look so familiar?
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