Chapter 432 Slippery Pulse
Jia San coughed twice; he couldn't answer the question.
"What about my older brother?"
Overcome with emotion, Lin Yuesha grabbed Jia San's collar and asked, "Where are you keeping my elder brother?"
Her stepbrother was a scholar, not very strong, and only knew how to kill chickens. At home, their parents couldn't bear to let him do any physical labor. After being robbed by these bandits and taken to the mountains, he probably suffered a lot.
In particular, Madam He is a flirtatious woman who has taken a fancy to Fang Dazhuang, which would compromise her own elder brother's innocence...
Lin Yuesha shook her head; she dared not think about it.
If these people did something bad to Xiao Qi and left him with a trauma, Lin Yuesha would even have the urge to massacre the mountain stronghold. If pushed to the limit, there's nothing she wouldn't do.
"Please don't get agitated, let me explain."
Jia San had just recovered from the poison and was still weak. Lin Yuesha pushed him so hard that he stumbled. Knowing he was in the wrong but not daring to talk back, he could only mumble, "The scholar wearing yellow chick socks was taken down the mountain by our boss."
Not only a scholar, but also a bearded coachman and a servant.
The servant is Liu Quan, and who is the bearded man?
Lin Yuesha remembered that her stepbrother had traveled with the caravan, and the coachman was someone hired by the caravan.
"That fool with the big beard was tricked into doing hard labor by the caravan. Our boss learned that the young master was going to the capital for the imperial examination, so he brought the coachman along as well."
Jia San sounded guilty and didn't dare look Lin Yuesha in the eye. They had abandoned the three of them at the foot of the mountain but had kept their purses and forgotten to return them. They guessed the three of them were begging on the street.
"So you robbed us?"
Lin Yuesha pressed for details, wanting to test whether the bandits had found Xiao Qi's hidden money. Jia San mentioned his elder brother's socks, emphasizing the importance of remembering the socks, which made Lin Yuesha suspicious.
"The young master has nothing of value, the servant only has a purse, and that bearded man is even worse off, because he was tricked into coming here, his pockets are emptier than his face."
Jia San dared not hide anything and recounted the situation at the time, then said ingratiatingly, "Miss, as long as the doctor cures our boss's illness, our boss will definitely give you a generous consultation fee to make up for your losses."
Lin Yuesha nodded thoughtfully. It seemed the hiding place for the money hadn't been discovered. But was the bearded man, whose pockets were practically empty, reliable? This made her uneasy again.
The caravan had been paid, but Lin Yuesha never imagined that these people were so wicked. They even had the intention of getting rid of her stepbrother halfway through the journey. Now she was left on the mountain to do hard labor, which she truly deserved.
Fang Dazhuang also saw Lin Yuesha, and was both surprised and delighted. He then stammered, "Miss, how come you were also on the mountain? Were you robbed?"
Fang Dazhuang never expected that his young master would meet the young lady on the mountaintop in such a way, since he hadn't heard that the young lady was going to the capital for the imperial examination.
"How is that possible?"
Lin Yuesha coughed lightly twice with her hands behind her back, and said in a pretentious tone, "Your young lady was invited up here."
"You came up in a gondola?"
Fang Dazhuang nodded, indicating he understood.
"Otherwise, what other tools do we have? Jia San said he couldn't bear to make us climb the mountain so hard."
Lin Yuesha emphasized that being robbed and being invited up are two different things. Because Dr. Yan saved the two bandits who were poisoned by snake venom, the group was "forced" to come and be guests.
"But there are sedan chairs at the foot of the mountain."
Fang Dazhuang scratched his head. Usually, when Lady He went down the mountain, the bandits carried her in a sedan chair, which was much safer than riding in a gondola.
Lin Yuesha: ...
She couldn't believe the words of bandits; their claims that the hanging basket was only for their own people and that it was safe and secure were all nonsense!
"Yes, the goods are usually brought up in baskets, but a couple of days ago a vine broke and the goods rolled down the mountain."
Seeing that his young mistress looked unwell, Fang Dazhuang comforted her, "The other rattan is newly replaced, so don't worry."
Lin Yuesha pursed her lips and remained silent.
During his few days in the mountain stronghold, Fang Dazhuang was not mistreated. On the contrary, these bandits were easier to get along with than the bodyguards, and no one gave him any trouble. He was well-fed and only needed to do some work.
“Those goods weigh several hundred kilograms each, much heavier than you.”
Fang Dazhuang added, "Perhaps those people didn't mean it."
Lin Yuesha: !!!
"yes."
After a long silence, Lin Yuesha revealed a smile that was more like a grimace. Being tricked into coming up here was like getting on a pirate ship, and she was determined not to take the gondola down the mountain!
"Didn't my older brother report it to the authorities?"
According to Fang Dazhuang, more than ten days have passed, and his elder brother has disappeared without a trace, leaving Fang Dazhuang alone on the mountain. This action made Lin Yuesha suspect her stepbrother for the first time.
Lin Yuesha knew Xiao Qi's character; he was an exceptionally upright person. It was impossible for him to remain indifferent when his servants were left on the mountain to save him.
"I don't know."
Fang Dazhuang shook his head. He had already made a promise to the young master: the young master should go to the capital to take the imperial examination first, and he could stay on the mountain for a while.
According to the bandits, poisonous snakes have been rampant in the grassy fields recently. Fang Dazhuang guessed that the young master was worried about him but didn't want to report it to the authorities too obviously and alert the bandits, so he came up with this plan.
Fang Dazhuang was very confident that the young master was such a good person that he wouldn't abandon him and leave on his own.
"That's for sure. My brother would feel guilty leaving you alone on the mountain."
Lin Yuesha reassured Fang Dazhuang, telling him not to rush and to observe Yan Yan's medical treatment. She said that once the matter was settled, they wouldn't want any money, just Fang Dazhuang.
Even if the bandits had a conscience and didn't bully Fang Dazhuang, bandits are still bandits, and they might become even more ruthless once things come to a head.
After exchanging a few words, Lin Yuesha went to inquire about He Niangzi's illness, and a crisp sound of a cup falling to the ground came from inside the room.
"What did you say?"
Recently, Madam He has lost her appetite and often feels dizzy and nauseous. She used to be able to eat and sleep well, but suddenly nothing tastes good to her.
There was a fortune teller in the mountain stronghold who was an expert in divination. He told her that during her years as a bandit, she had accidentally injured several unfortunate people, and those vengeful spirits had come to her door, asking her to perform a ritual to send them away.
Lady He had caused the deaths of three men; she was considered to have a strong fate. A fortune teller said she was destined to have many husbands, which is why she packed up her belongings and led her men to seize a mountain stronghold.
Even ghosts are afraid of evil people, and Lady He is that evil person.
"The doctor told me to burn more paper money to send away the dead ghosts, and I did exactly as he said, so why isn't it getting better?"
Lady He asked Doctor Yan, "Ultimately, it's still a real illness in your body."
"Your pulse is smooth and flowing, like pearls rolling on a jade plate, and the pulse beats strongly, which is a sign of pregnancy."
Doctor Yan looked at Madam He. What she said were all natural reactions of a woman after she became pregnant.
"Pregnant? That's impossible!"
Madam He stood up, but immediately felt dizzy and quickly sat back down.
"It's been about two months."
Yan Yan was very certain that if the pulse was not obvious within a month, she would be unsure, but He Niangzi's pulse was already quite obvious, which meant she was pregnant.
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