Chapter 37 Searching for Someone: I'm a Bad Girl!
"I'm a bad person!"
Qingduo could no longer hold back and burst into tears. Through her fragmented account, Zeng Zhengqing learned what had happened.
Lu Nong's disappearance was truly unexpected, and he figured that at this critical juncture, there was probably no other possibility but Serinfu.
He had privately investigated Shouzhentang and found numerous instances of forgery, but his main concern was clearing Lu Nong's name regarding "Huatang Chun," and he didn't want to get involved in anything else. Once Chen Ji and Lu Nong signed an exclusive agreement, the simplest way for Sai Linfu to resolve the matter was to pay the outstanding debt, thus ending the controversy and calming things down. Subsequent investigations by Chen Ji into other forgeries were no longer her concern.
However, Sailinfu directly ordered his men to abduct her. Zeng Zhengqing quickly realized his intentions after a moment's thought. It seemed that he had underestimated Sailinfu's shamelessness.
Qingduo's shoulders trembled violently before his eyes. Zeng Zhengqing felt as if his heart had been pierced by the quills of a hedgehog. He asked, "What does Madam think of Sailinfu?"
Upon hearing this, Qingduo felt a surge of anger, a burp escaped her throat, and her misty eyes burned with fury: "He's utterly wicked! A heartless and depraved villain!"
Then she pursed her lips and cried out again, "But now I'm a bad guy too, waah—"
Although she looked pitiful, he couldn't help but laugh. He stroked her head and teased her, "Ah, he's the big bad guy, and you're the little bad guy."
Qingduo turned her head away, this time her anger was directed at him. She said indignantly, "Zeng Qingqing, why did you scold me?"
She can call herself a "bad guy," but if others say she is, they're insulting her—she's such a difficult person to please. Zeng Zhengqing didn't seem to care. Seeing that she wasn't wallowing in self-blame, he seized the opportunity to ask, "Is the reason a 'big bad guy' is so wicked something he decided himself, or something others decided?"
Qingduo was stunned. She vaguely knew the answer, but still murmured, "But I cursed him in the street and provoked him, so he kidnapped Sister Lu Nong..."
"Your Madam helped others in the past, which was an act of kindness and virtue, but he was not influenced by you and changed his ways; now that he continues to do evil and cause trouble, should we blame you for that?"
"Even if the lady hadn't sung clappers in the street, as long as we wanted to get back 'Huatangchun' and clear Lu Nong's name, this kind of thing would have happened. Because Sailinfu is a treacherous and vicious person."
"Whether he does good or evil originates from his heart. If his heart is as firm as bamboo, it will not be destroyed by the wind or broken by the rain, and he will naturally uphold truth and cultivate goodness. If his heart is weak, unable to distinguish between beauty and ugliness, and he willingly falls into depravity, how can it be the fault of others? You should know that the distinction between good and evil is not in external things!"
Qingduo gazed at Zeng Zhengqing, her tears ceasing, her eyes shining brightly, reflecting the colors of the tears that had welled up within them. She listened intently as Zeng Zhengqing continued:
"You had good intentions, but things didn't go as planned. This is partly due to your lack of experience, but the unexpected events were also beyond your control. Take this as a lesson. No one is born perfect in everything. After this experience, you will naturally improve next time."
The clouds drifted by, and finally the moon revealed itself, casting its soft, warm light. Qingduo smiled through her tears: "Qingqing, I understand! Although I acted impulsively and poorly, I am not like Sailinfu at all!"
"Madam is intelligent and quick to understand!" Zeng Zhengqing took the opportunity to praise her. "Putting everything else aside, her sense of justice alone surpasses that of many callous people."
Qingduo smiled sweetly, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and said, "I am a naturally chivalrous person. I have loved helping others and standing up for others since I was a child!"
That's enough, that's enough. Too much praise will only make things worse. As for his childhood habit of helping others—he disagreed.
Zeng Zhengqing raised an eyebrow at her, said nothing, and changed the subject, saying, "The most urgent task is to find Miss Lu Nong."
"Oh dear!" Qingduo suddenly stood up and peered towards the door. "I wonder if Brother Zhu and the others have found Sister Lu Nong yet!"
She thought for a moment and said, "This matter has become such a big fuss. Even if Sailinfu had bad intentions, he wouldn't dare to take Lu Nong's life. Otherwise, the government would definitely suspect him first. He's blinded by greed, so he has no reason to put himself in such a deadly situation. He probably took Lu Nong away just to scare her and make her stop causing trouble!"
Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and said, "I'm the one who started this! Go ahead and arrest me! What's wrong with bullying Sister Lu Nong!"
“Because there are some things that only Miss Lu Nong can do.” Zeng Zhengqing stood up and said, meeting Qing Duo’s questioning gaze. “He taught you a lesson, but at most he stopped you from causing trouble in the streets. It’s only a temporary measure.”
Besides, you don't look like the kind of person who can be easily manipulated.
He continued, "Miss Lu Nong looks delicate and is the original author. Only if she stops pursuing this matter can it be truly resolved."
Qingduo suddenly realized, then said worriedly, "Sister Lu Nong only looks weak, but she's actually very stubborn." If that weren't the case, the two wouldn't have argued over a bowl of noodles when they first met. "What if she doesn't agree? What if... what if..." She didn't dare to finish her sentence.
Just as Zeng Zhengqing was about to comfort her, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Qingduo flew out without taking her feet off the ground and saw He Jin and Zhu Yi. She looked behind them but did not see Lu Nong.
Zhu Yi suddenly grabbed her shoulders: "Has Lu Nong returned?" Seeing Qing Duo shake her head, he turned and shouted to He Jin: "Brother-in-law, there's no mistake! It must have been that bastard Sai Linfu who did it!"
He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking: "He really is pretending to be stupid and denying it! But who else could it be but him!"
He Jin patted Zhu Yi on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down: "That shopkeeper is a slippery fellow. He kept changing the subject, but he wasn't surprised when we came looking for him. He didn't show any emotion when he heard that Lu Nong was missing. He was the one who did it. I asked him a few more questions, and the girl wasn't in the shop. I don't know where he hid her."
Qingduo said urgently, "Then let's arrest him and force him to tell us!"
"Without evidence and only suspicion, how can we arrest someone? It's late at night, and I can't mobilize manpower. I can only wait until dawn to gather clues."
"Wait, wait, wait again! When will this end! Every minute Lu Nong stays in their hands increases her danger! I'll go door-to-door searching for her now, it's better than doing nothing!" Zhu Yi turned and walked away.
“I’ll go with you!” Qingduo caught up with him, but Zeng Zhengqing stopped her. He said to He Jin, “County Commandant He, Sai Linfu has a subordinate named Shi Chun. He used to be a member of the ‘Daxing’ gang in Wuzhou. After the court cracked down on them and made arrests, their main force was damaged and moved away. Shi Chun then joined Sai Linfu and carried out fights and revenge for him.”
"It's more likely that Sailinfu won't do it himself and will have Shi Chun do it. County Magistrate He might as well use him as a breakthrough point. This man loves drinking and carousing, and has a lover at Yunjing Tower who often stays there. We can go there directly to find him."
He Jin carefully observed Zeng Zhengqing, noting his impeccable attire and refined demeanor, yet also his unexpected knowledge of everyday life. For a moment, the conversation lingered, unsure of the truth.
Zeng Zhengqing noticed his hesitation and explained, "My name is Zeng Zhengqing, and I am the owner of Qingyuan Bookstore. I conducted some investigations on Sailinfu regarding Miss Lu Nong. County Commandant, please rest assured that everything I said is true. Since it concerns Miss Lu Nong, I dare not utter a single falsehood."
Hearing his words, He Jin was already certain. He glanced at Qing Duo, thinking that a young lady shouldn't go to a place like Yun Jing Lou. He nodded and said, "Then Hu Zi and I will go find Shi Chun. You all wait here until that young lady returns; she will need your care."
Watching He Jin and Zhu Yi's retreating figures, Qing Duo couldn't help but clasp her hands together in prayer: "Guanyin Bodhisattva who saves us from suffering, Jade Emperor, Heavenly Emperor, please bless Sister Lu Nong!"
*
Shi Chun had done his job well today and was particularly pleased with himself. He drank an extra lot of wine and lay on the bed unconscious. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, he felt someone pushing him. He grabbed the hand and unconsciously stroked it, mumbling, "Stop it, stop it... I'll take care of you another day."
"Go to hell!"
His hand was suddenly flung away, and he fell to the ground with a thud. Shi Chun was instantly jolted awake. He glared at the woman and said angrily, "You damned woman, I told you no, no, but you insisted on touching me! You're in such a hurry, am I paying to seduce you, or are you seduce me?"
Suddenly noticing the woman cowering, he realized: Where did she get such strength? So… cold sweat soaked his back, and he stiffly turned his neck, raised his head, and met Zhu Yi's gaze.
"This, isn't this Young Hero Zhu?" Shi Chun's face instantly brightened from winter to spring, plastered with a smile that melted away the snow. "What brings you here?"
"Could it be..." He glanced at the woman and said affectedly, "Young hero, you also have this taste? Ah, so we share the same interests!"
"Who shares your interests! Stop spouting nonsense!" Zhu Yi shouted. "Tell me! Where is Lu Nong?"
"What do you mean by 'dewy' or 'thick'? I don't know anything about that!" he exclaimed, feigning sudden realization. "Could it be a new girl at Yunjing Tower? I don't know much about that!"
Zhu Yi couldn't stand being insulted like that and threw a punch, but Shi Chun blocked it with both arms, his expression changing as he said, "Zhu Yi! Don't think I, Shi Chun, am really afraid of you. Everyone in Wuzhou City knows very well what's going on! It's only because we're giving your brother-in-law, County Magistrate He, some face! Otherwise, how could we allow you to act so recklessly!"
"Then I must thank you all for your 'kindness'," a cold voice said.
Upon hearing this, Shi Chun looked over in surprise and discovered that there was another person in the room. This person was tall and strong, with a square face and eyes that seemed to be able to see through everything under the filth.
His heart trembled, and he vaguely guessed who the newcomer was. He smiled, his face crinkling with wrinkles, and said, "Is this the famous County Magistrate He Jin?"
“Indeed.” He Jin walked slowly closer and said calmly, “Our Wuzhou is far from Sichuan. I wonder how Master Shi has mastered such a skillful face-changing technique.”
"No, no, you can just call me Xiao Chunzi," Shi Chun said with a smile. "What can Magistrate He do for me?"
"Where did you hide that girl named 'Lu Nong'?" He Jin's gaze shot towards Shi Chun.
Shi Chun smiled insincerely: "Young Master Zhu said it, and you said it too, but I really don't know who this 'Lu Nong' is."
"You knew perfectly well!" Zhu Yi, unable to contain himself any longer, grabbed him by the collar and roared.
"So what if I don't know? So what if I do know? You won't get a single word out of me!" Shi Chun smiled sinisterly, staring at Zhu Yi without showing any weakness.
"you!"
Shi Chun was not as cunning as Sai Linfu, who could speak without leaving any room for doubt. He Jin raised his hand to stop Zhu Yi's impulsiveness and said calmly, "In the government offices of Wuzhou, there are many ways to get people to talk without dying. Since you insist on not speaking, then come with me."
Shi Chun then displayed his superb skills, his face turning a dull yellow, like cow dung used as fuel on a wall by a farmer, and not a trace of a smile could be found.
*
As the last note of the clapper fell at dawn, a subordinate reported, "County Commandant He, everyone is here."
He Jin waved his hand and said, "Let's go!" His subordinates followed behind and laughed, "That guy surnamed Shi looks tough, but he's actually a spineless coward. The brothers didn't even have time to say a few words before they all gave up. If we had known this would happen, why did we bother putting on airs!"
He Jin snorted and said, "Tiger, this kind of person is all bark and no bite. He's just all show. You'll waste your breath talking to him. He's not afraid at all. You can only force him to reveal the truth by using even tougher methods."
He listened for a while, but didn't receive a reply from Zhu Yi. He looked to his right, but Zhu Yi was nowhere to be seen. He stopped and searched carefully, but still couldn't find Zhu Yi.
The subordinate scratched his head, embarrassed, and said, "As soon as the man surnamed Shi mentioned the location, Hu Zi left. I thought you were the one who told him to leave."
He Jin was shocked: "Oh no! This fool didn't wait for us and went off all by himself!"
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Author's Note: Waiting for the freshly baked comments! [shy]
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