When he heard that her father's belongings were placed inside, Gu Yun felt that he had said something a bit too much. He said, "When we go to the government office later, say hello to Prefect Yang, and we will definitely be able to find it back."
Yu Jiao said nothing.
Seeing that she looked disappointed, Gu Yun stopped talking nonsense and causing trouble for her.
When the carriage arrived at the government office, the servant took out the Yang Mansion's card and said to the gatekeeper, "I am a servant of the Yang Mansion. I have something important to discuss with our master."
The yamen runner hurried inside to pass the message. Not long after, Yang Yuanchen came out of the government office, came to the carriage, and asked, "What happened? But the wrought iron master can't do it?"
Gu Yun opened the car curtain, looked at Yu Jiao, and said to Yang Yuanchen, "Her purse is missing, ask someone to help find it."
"Purse?" Yang Yuanchen heard that something was lost and asked, "Where did you lose it?"
"It was stolen by a woman at the entrance of Liuxiangju. She must be a habitual offender." Gu Yun spoke before Yu Jiao could speak.
Yang Yuanchen felt a little ashamed. As the prefect of Qingzhou, he had thieves stealing in broad daylight under his jurisdiction. It was because of his poor governance. He asked, "What does the purse look like? What's in it? Is there any mark?"
Yu Fuling embroidered the purse for Yu Jiao, using the leftover fabric from the last time she made a skirt for Yu Jiao. Yu Fuling said, "The purse is made of honey-colored plain soft satin, with three red plum blossoms embroidered on it."
Yu Jiao added in a hoarse voice, "There are about ten taels of silver in it, and a relic of my father."
"What relic is it?" Yang Yuanchen asked.
Yu Jiao pursed her lips, hesitated, and thought for a moment before saying, "It's not a rare thing, it's just an inconspicuous piece of jade."
Yang Yuanchen said, "I'll have someone conduct a thorough investigation right away. When there's news, I'll send someone to tell Miss Yu."
Yu Jiao nodded and said hoarsely, "I'm sorry to trouble Prefect Yang."
Yang Yuanchen became concerned about the objects that needed to be made and asked, "How is the iron craftsman doing? Can the objects be made?"
"The mold has been made, but we'll have to wait a few more days to know whether it can be made." Gu Yun felt uncomfortable when he heard Yu Jiao's hoarse voice, and spoke before she could say anything.
Yang Yuanchen nodded and said, "The lamb intestines that Miss Yu requested are already prepared in the mansion. As for how to make the lamb intestines, Miss Yu needs to do it herself."
Yu Jiao nodded.
"Then we'll go back home first. Ask your men to pay more attention to the purse matter." After saying this, Gu Yun lowered the car curtain.
Yang Yuanchen reminded in a low voice, "Young Marquis Gu and Young Master Liu should be careful outside. The invigilators sent from the capital have arrived. There are many people in the government office. If they recognize you two, I'm afraid there will be trouble."
Liu Ziqi said in the carriage, "We will go back home now."
Yang Yuanchen watched the servant drive away in the carriage, then turned back and entered the government office, where he arranged for a group of runners to look for Yu Jiao's stolen purse.
Yu Jiao and her companions returned to Yang Mansion quietly through the back door. The two maids from the Mu family who were waiting outside the West Garden Gate had not seen her the whole morning and were getting anxious. They tried to enter the garden several times but were stopped by the servants from Yang Mansion.
After Yu Jiao returned to the West Garden and heard what Xiao Ning said, she walked around the gate of the West Courtyard to reassure the two maids.
The servant brought the prepared lamb intestines. Gu Yun and the other two men gathered around Yu Jiao, wanting to see how she made the lamb intestine thread.
Yu Jiao didn't care about them watching. It would make them feel sick, but it was none of her business.
Yu Jiao asked the servants to get some wood ash from the kitchen. After sifting out the impurities, she soaked it in water according to the proportion and had someone take it to the kitchen to boil it.
Next, she started to clean the sheep intestines. She scraped off the fat with quick movements, leaving only the innermost layer of mucous membrane.
The mucous membrane of lamb intestine is extremely thin, and it is difficult for an inexperienced person to remove the entire mucosa.
After taking out the mucous membranes of ten lamb intestines in a row, the servant brought over the boiled wood ash water.
"What is this dirty water used for?" Gu Yun asked curiously.
Yu Jiao said in a hoarse voice, "Clean." Her throat was much better than in the morning and she could make sounds now.
Gu Yun said with some disdain, "This is too dirty, isn't it? Can things washed with this kind of water still be used?"
Seeing his ignorant look, Yu Jiao was too lazy to explain to him and deliberately cleared her throat.
Hearing this, Liu Ziqi said to Gu Yun, "Don't ask too many questions. Miss Yu has a sore throat. Don't disturb her while she's working."
Gu Yun had no choice but to shut up and walked to a chair nearby to sit down. He wanted to have a cup of tea, but the whole room was filled with the fishy smell of sheep intestines, so he put the cup down again.
After the wood ash water cooled down, the slightly yellowish water was clearly separated from the precipitated wood ash below. Yu Jiao scooped out the clean light yellow liquid on the top.
This water boiled with wood ash is a relatively crude alkaline solution.
Yu Jiao washed the peeled mucous membrane repeatedly in water, asked the servants to prepare a large jar, and made a simple wooden rack with wood. She hung the washed mucous membrane on the wooden rack and put it into the jar.
Seeing her do this, Xiao Ning was also full of curiosity, but because of Yu Jiao's voice, he couldn't ask her, so he asked Yu Fuling beside him, "What is she doing?"
Yu Fuling shook her head. She didn't know what Yu Jiao was doing.
Yu Jiao asked the servant to get a stone bowl. She put some yellow stone in the bowl, lit it with candle, and placed it at the bottom of a large jar. She covered the mouth of the jar with a log, leaving a small gap so that a little air could enter the jar and prevent the burning yellow stone from going out.
After doing all this, she explained, "Using Shi Liu Huang smoke can prevent insects, rot and mold."
"After fumigation like this, the catgut is ready?" Gu Yun had walked to the jar without knowing when. He leaned over to the mouth of the jar and sniffed. The pungent smell came out all at once, choking him and coughing non-stop. He was almost brought to tears by the smell of Shi Liuhuang.
Seeing him like this, Yu Jiao secretly said that he deserved it, and a barely noticeable smile appeared on the corner of her lips.
She said in a hoarse voice, "It takes six hours to fumigate, and then it needs to be rolled into threads and boiled with medicinal herbs."
"So this is how catgut is made. It's really labor-intensive. Miss Yu, you have worked so hard for me." Xiao Ning said somewhat embarrassedly.
"We sisters will come over tomorrow." Yu Jiao bowed and said goodbye.
"Then Miss Yu, take care." Liu Ziqi called the servant in and asked him to send Yu Jiao and the other person back.
Yu Fuling and Yu Jiao left the West Garden, took the two maids from the Mu family, got on the Yang Mansion's carriage, and returned to the Mu family.
As soon as they entered the room, a maid said that Mu Yan was waiting for them in the side hall, so Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling went to the side hall.
"Nothing unexpected happened today, right?" Mu Yan looked Yu Jiao and Yu Fuling up and down and asked with concern.
Yu Jiao shook her head, smiled, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's nothing. I need to go to the Yang Mansion tomorrow to see Madam Yang again."
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