Chapter 27 Double Confusion (07) Uncle, please rub my stomach...
The willow tree grew wildly, its dense branches weaving a tender green curtain that concealed the two of them, making their conversation indistinct. Xu Bai could only glimpse Yu Qi's expressionless face through the gently swaying "curtain." Jiu Li's face, however, was radiant with spring-like joy, displaying a myriad of expressions—one moment angry, the next mischievous—her eyes flashing with countless emotions in an instant, more vivid than any opera singer on stage.
He asked Du Zhong with a smile, "You all say you're afraid of Mr. Yu, but why do you always see Yu'er talking back to him? It must be because of your old lady's power."
Du Zhong curled his lips, "She's already amazing enough on her own, why would she need to rely on anyone else's power? Besides, our old lady listens to our master, and ultimately, the Yu family is run by our master."
"The old lady listens to her son?" He glanced at her and nodded. "It must be because Mr. Yu is very knowledgeable."
"It's not for that reason. Our old lady has always been a little afraid of offending her master."
"A mother is afraid of her son? What kind of logic is that?"
“People get afraid of their children when they get old, what’s so strange about that?” He felt he knew more than Xu Bai, and a sense of pride welled up inside him. He then casually twisted one hand behind his back.
A moment later, Yu Qi emerged from under the willow tree, glanced at him, and he quickly lowered his hand and followed.
Jiuli took a few steps, turned back, pouted at Xu Bai, her steps slowed, pointed at Yu Qi's back, and then helplessly spread her hands. Xu Bai understood and could only nod and smile. She nodded back, then turned and bumped into Yu Qi, who was frowning and looking at her coldly. She quickly lowered her head and followed him, pretending to be polite.
Having learned her lesson for no apparent reason, she not only failed to learn her lesson, but for some reason, she became even more determined to oppose Yu Qi. However, he never gave any clear instructions on what he forbade, and no matter how much he tried to control her, he could never get to the point, like trying to scratch someone's itch but never quite getting it right.
However, after maintaining proper decorum for half a day, she sat in her room upon returning home, reflecting on her encounter with Meng Ran and Aunt Zhou that morning. Aunt Zhou seemed rather nervous around them; if she had nothing to hide, why would she be nervous? She also felt that Meng Ran was somewhat odd; this fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl seemed far more mature than her—
As she grew sleepy, she lay down on the bed. When she woke up, it was already dark. She vaguely remembered that Du Zhong had come earlier, as if to invite her to dinner. She had no appetite, so she didn't go to eat and went back to sleep. She didn't know what time it was now.
She could still hear considerable noise coming from the room where the doctors were staying, so it must not be too late yet. She still didn't feel hungry; her stomach felt sour and bloated, and it seemed to be cramping slightly.
She got up to pour herself some tea, and just as she put the cup to her lips, she heard a knock at the door. She went to open it, and Du Zhong came in carrying a basket. "It's past midnight already. You're finally awake. Are you hungry? I saved some dinner for you, and I reheated it in the kitchen."
Upon hearing the mention of eating nine carp, he frowned and said, "I don't want to eat it, I have no appetite."
Seeing that she looked unwell and seemed to be in bad spirits, Du Zhong was alarmed and hurriedly went back to his room to call Yu Qi.
Yu Qi came in, first touched her forehead, then pulled up her wrist to check her pulse, then let go of her hand and sneered, "Indigestion and catching a cold, do you really think the food outside is better?"
Upon hearing this, fearing he would scold her again, she quickly covered her forehead and pretended to have a headache, staggering back to the bed, saying, "Oh, my head hurts and I feel cold."
Yu Qi had no choice but to swallow his words, and instead named a few herbs, ordering Du Zhong to prepare them in the kitchen, and then instructing, "Bring a small stove back to the room to decoct them, the kitchen isn't clean."
Du Zhong hurriedly ran out, and Yu Qi slowly walked over and closed the door. The noise of the doctors gathering and laughing at night was also shut out. The candlelight on the kang table trembled in the silence, then stabilized. Inside the room, there was only Jiu Li's "ouch" sound. Because he also felt it was abrupt, he lowered his voice with each groan.
Yu Qi found it amusing, walked back to the bedside, and glanced down at her, saying, "Alright, it's not that serious."
She pressed half her face against the pillow, glanced at him with one eye, then looked away, muttering, "I'm really not feeling well."
“I know. It’s just that you ate too much meat at lunch and your spleen and stomach can’t digest it.” He sat down, took her wrist and examined it again, his voice much softer, “You have a weak spleen and stomach to begin with, you shouldn’t have been so greedy.”
Jiuli regretted her actions. "That braised duck was delicious, so I ate two extra pieces." She turned over, lifted the blanket, and said, "Uncle, please rub my stomach."
In the past, whenever she had indigestion, the old lady or Aunt Feng would massage her stomach. If Yu Qi was away seeing patients, she would pitifully ask him when he would be back, her hands trembling under their care. When she was having fun, she didn't think much of him, but when she was sick, she longed for him to be by her side.
He glanced at her and pulled the blanket over her.
She lifted the blanket again, dissatisfied. "How can I rub it properly through the blanket?"
She was wearing a thin, smoky gray silk dress, so thin that you could clearly feel the texture of her skin. He didn't say anything, threw the blanket back, and placed his palm on the blanket, pressing it slightly. "It's easy to catch a cold after indigestion."
She could only pout and glance at him, thinking to herself, "Growing up has its downsides too."
She couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Yu Qi chuckled, "What else could you possibly be worried about?"
"Can't I have troubles and worries?" she asked him, giving him a reproachful look.
He didn't ask any more questions, and fell silent with a slight smile on his lips.
How annoying! She stared at him, her cheeks slightly puffed out, silently complaining. But her complaint wasn't straightforward; it was a lingering, melancholic grumble, lacking any real anger. Yu Qi lowered his head, watching his hand linger on the blanket. Noticing her gaze fixed on his face, he didn't dare look up, afraid of catching something in her eyes—those eyes weren't good at hiding anything.
The stalemate continued in silence for a while. Du Zhong came in after preparing the medicine, placed the small stove in front of the bed, fanned the fire to boil the medicine, and soon the black pot boiled. The bubbling sound reminded Jiu Li of the times he used to eat meat hot pot in the old lady's room in winter. Yu Qi was not used to sitting in the old lady's room. It was rare for him to eat at home, and he would always put down his bowl and leave early.
It had just snowed heavily that morning. She tilted her head and watched him lift the curtain and go out. He was only wearing an ordinary cotton robe. A cold wind rushed in, and she suddenly felt cold for him. She quickly put down her bowl and asked the old lady, "Didn't you sew a robe for your uncle? I'll take it to him."
It was a deep blue cloak with a silver fur lining, which had been made for quite some time. For some reason, the old lady hadn't given it away yet. When she saw that she volunteered, she quickly ordered a maid to fetch it for her. She patted her head and said to Mama Feng, "Our little Yu'er has grown up and knows how to care for people. It's good that your uncle didn't raise you in vain."
She was six years old when she ran to Yu Qi's room carrying her robe. She tripped and fell twice on the way, but didn't feel any pain. Instead, she burst into joyful laughter.
Yu Qi heard the curtain being drawn and came out to see what was going on. He noticed that she was not very tall, but was carrying a large bundle. Thinking it was something heavy, he quickly went to take it from her. "What is this?"
"The clothes the old lady sewed for you."
He lowered his eyelids slightly, his pale face showing a hint of embarrassment. He casually placed his clothes on the table, neither opening them nor asking anyone to take them back, and hurried off to leave.
Jiuli then picked up the bundle and stuffed it into his arms. "This cloak is blue, and you see my cape is white. Wouldn't it look good if you wore these clothes and carried me out together?"
Yu Qi glanced at the robe, then looked at her with amusement, "So you want me to take you out after all this time?"
She nodded firmly.
His expression changed. "No, it's all snow outside."
She glared at him, “It’s so hard to get this much snow. I can recite Liu Zongyuan’s ‘Birds have vanished from a thousand mountains, and human tracks have disappeared from ten thousand paths,’ but I still can’t grasp the scene. Won’t you take me to see it?”
Later, unable to resist her nagging, he took her out. As soon as they reached the fields, she refused to walk any further, afraid of slipping down the embankment, and insisted that he carry her.
Last month, he ordered people to sow Hedyotis diffusa on the ridges of the fields. He has leased this area of land and a small hill across the way, and still hires people from the village to grow some common medicinal herbs. Hedyotis diffusa doesn't take up much space; it can grow simply by scattering some seeds on the ridges. It's just that it's not cold-resistant, but with the heavy snow these past few days, I can't help but come and take a look.
He crouched down, placed her on his lap, and brushed aside the snow to reveal a patch of tender green grass sprouting beneath. She leaned out from his embrace, reaching out to touch the tender shoots. They were a little cold to the touch, but warm in his arms, like touching spring in winter, and she burst into a clear, hopeful laugh.
He picked her up and stood up, looking at her with amusement. "Why do you find everything so novel?"
He seemed completely uninterested in everything he saw, as if he had long since severed ties with the world.
Jiuli then remembered another strange thing: why would he have the interest to stroll around the garden at noon?
Just as he was about to ask, someone outside the window called out in an inquiring tone, "Mr. Yu." Judging from the voice, it was Zhang Da. Du Zhong went to open the door, and Zhang Da peered into the room, smiling as he said, "The door to the north room is open and the light is on, but there's no one in sight. I think you're probably in Miss Yu'er's room." Seeing medicine being brewed by the bedside, he exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, who's sick?"
Du Zhong let him in, saying, "Little Fish has eaten too much and has indigestion."
Jiuli almost jumped up in anger, but she quickly got up and explained, "I didn't eat too much, it's just that meat is hard to digest."
Du Zhong went inside the screen to check her complexion, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing, just a little upset stomach." Seeing Yu Qi get up from the edge of the bed as if to lead him out, she suddenly perked up. "Are you talking about the case? Tell me here, I want to hear it too!"
Yu Qi had no choice but to sit down outside behind the screen, gesturing for Zhang Da to sit as well. Zhang Da said, "I came over at noon and didn't see you, sir. I thought you had a sudden illness."
"No, I was just taking a stroll in the garden when I had nothing to do." After saying that, he smiled casually. "Officer Zhang, those officials in your yamen are not very good. Today, since Lord Qi is not in the garden, they are all slouching and leaning against each other, looking listless. They say they are patrolling the garden, but they just wander around for a few minutes before gathering in an empty room to drink and gamble."
Zhang Da was surprised. Could it be that the yamen runner forgot to serve him tea when he was in Xu Bai's house that morning, and he was holding a grudge? He secretly despised him for being such a petty person, but smiled and made excuses for his subordinates, "That's how all the yamen runners are. When the magistrate isn't around, they'll try to shirk their duties. But if something really happens, don't worry, they're all very diligent. If anyone speaks rudely or disrespectfully to you, sir, just tell me, and I'll punish him."
Others may not know, but Jiuli does. Yu Qi never meddles in other people's business, so if he suddenly brings this up, there must be a deeper meaning. Therefore, Jiuli listens even more attentively.
Yu Qi smiled and waved his hand, "It's nothing. We've been working hard for days, and it's rare that Lord Qi isn't here, so we're a bit relaxed. But when I was sitting in that room during the day, I saw that the yamen runner before the shift change was quite energetic. Whether the superior is here or not, it's the same for him. In my opinion, those who are lazy occasionally can be let off the hook, but those who are always diligent should be rewarded. I wonder what his surname is?"
Zhang Da frowned as he recalled, then laughed loudly, "Oh, you mean him? His surname is Cai, and his given name is Jin. He's been a constable for four or five years. He's always been a diligent person, but he's honest and not very good at talking, so he's not well-liked in the yamen."
Yu Qi nodded, then asked, "Did Miss Guan see Rouge today?"
“That’s exactly what I’m here to tell you. This afternoon I called Rouge over, thinking that the two women would sit together and cry, but they started arguing after only a few words.”
"Oh? What's all the noise about?"
"No, it's Rouge who's making a scene. I said Rouge is so rude. Miss Guan offered her money, and not only did she not appreciate it, she also started cursing, saying that the Guan family is contemptuous, and that even though she comes from a brothel, she can play instruments and sing and earn money herself, so she doesn't need to take a few stinking coins from the Guan family. Listen to that, it's really unreasonable. Miss Guan only pitied her for being nameless and having spent some time with her brother in this brothel—"
As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed, and his tone became serious. "Hiss, right, if we're talking about someone who might kill Guan Zhan, Rouge is definitely one of them. Why didn't we think of investigating her?"
Upon hearing this, Jiuli hurriedly threw off the covers and got out of bed. "Hey, Brother Zhang, I don't agree with what you're saying. Why does Sister Rouge have to be included? Just because she's dating Guan Zhan? Is it wrong for her to like him?"
She shuffled along in her slippers, making a clattering sound. When she reached the bedside, Yu Qi glanced down and saw a patch of white, smooth instep peeking out from the embroidered shoes. Suddenly, he felt a dull ache in his head.
He lifted her skirt slightly to cover her feet, glanced at her sideways, and said, "You're all better now? Go back to sleep!" Seeing that she didn't leave, he added, "Then let's go outside and talk."
She had no choice but to turn back, get into bed, wrap herself in the blanket, and sit there, still seemingly unconvinced. "If being intimate with Guan Zhan makes one a suspect, then there are many others in the garden who could be suspects, like that Lu family daughter-in-law?"
Zhang Dali stood up and walked under the screen, turning back to look at Yu Qi, "But other people aren't as domineering and unreasonable as Rouge. Wasn't she the one who pretended to be a ghost to scare people because she was jealous last time?" He then turned to look at Jiuli, "Didn't you witness that yourself, Miss?"
“Even if you’re right, she might have had a motive to kill him, but she didn’t have the time. We went to Guan Zhan’s room together that night, and he was already dead when we entered. Du Zhong and I can both testify to that.”
Du Zhong nodded hurriedly, holding a pair of chopsticks. He heard a hissing sound as the medicine was released. He quickly brought out the jar and placed the medicine on the kang table.
Zhang Da chased after you to the bedside again, "Although you all discovered the body together that night, Rouge arrived at the bamboo grove before you. How do you know that she didn't kill the person before you arrived and then ambush you in the bamboo grove?"
According to the time, it would be enough, but Jiuli still didn't believe it. "How could Rouge, a woman, easily kill a grown man? There wasn't even a trace of a fight in that room."
"Well, perhaps Guan Zhan didn't expect her to attack from behind so unexpectedly, so there was no fight at all."
The two argued, each with their own reasons, but to no avail. If they continued arguing, neither of them would get any sleep. Yu Qi picked up the medicine bowl and walked inside, subtly signaling that they should leave, "It's getting late, you should go to sleep after taking your medicine."
Zhang Da naturally couldn't stay any longer, so he had to take his leave. Before leaving, he added, "By the way, Mr. Yu, Miss Guan said she's going back to prepare a coffin and will come back in a couple of days to carry her brother home."
Yu Qi nodded calmly, watching as Jiu Li finished every last drop of the medicine before telling Du Zhong to clean up the stove and go back to his room to sleep.
The next day, Jiuli's stomach was indeed better, but because she kicked off the covers during the night, she developed a fever from typhoid fever. Yu Qi prescribed another medicine and strictly ordered her not to go out again. He also told Du Zhong not to go on the rounds anymore and to keep an eye on her in the house. He then heard her blowing her nose all day long in the house.
Another day passed, and thankfully the typhoid fever didn't escalate too much. I stopped coughing, felt better, and had less runny nose. However, I had blown my nose a lot yesterday, and the area under my nose was red and burning.
After Du Zhong finished his breakfast, he cleared away the dishes and took them to the kitchen. He brought back two or three feet of fine, soft cloth. Jiu Li, wrapped in a quilt on the couch, watched him cut the cloth and asked curiously, "Are you making clothes? What are you going to do with this cloth?"
She reached out and touched it; the fabric wasn't as good as the ones they usually wore. "What's wrong? Have you become frugal?"
He tore the cloth in two with a ripping sound and said lazily, "This is what Master asked me to ask Aunt Wu to buy. He told me to cut it into pieces for you to wipe your nose. That coarse paper is too rough and will rub your philtrum sore."
When Jiuli saw that it was Yu Qi who had given the order, she couldn't help but feel a surge of joy and pride. In the morning, when Yu Qi left, he had scolded her for not eating breakfast and said, "I can't be bothered with you," yet he remembered these trivial matters. She wrapped the quilt tightly around herself, crossed her legs on the couch, tilted her body a couple of times, picked up the medicine on the kang table, and drank it all in one gulp.
Not long after, Xu Bai came to visit. He saw that she hadn't combed her hair, and her long hair was disheveled. Her face did indeed look a bit sickly, and her delicate nose was pinched red, making her even more charming. Fortunately, she seemed to be in good spirits, so he relaxed a little and placed a two-tiered basket box on the kang table.
"What's this?"
“When my mother heard that you were sick, she specially sent someone to bring you some congee and side dishes from home.”
Jiuli lifted the lid and saw a bowl of mustard green and minced meat porridge and a dish of fresh bamboo shoots pickled in rice vinegar, along with some hawthorn preserves. The Qi family's cook really knows how to cook! He hadn't had an appetite before, but now the sour taste and hawthorn wafted it in, making him feel quite hungry.
Xu Bai smiled and said, "This is the method my mother taught me."
No wonder, with such exquisite and refined dishes, his mother must be a gentle and virtuous woman. "How did your mother know I was ill?"
“I came to see you yesterday afternoon, and coincidentally, someone from my family sent me some things. Since they didn’t see me in the house, they asked the servants and found out.” He smiled, lifted his robe, and sat on the stool in front of the couch. “These servants at home will tell you anything when they get back.”
Regardless, she was grateful for their thoughtfulness. Although they hadn't met before, she had already eaten at their house twice. Jiuli didn't know how to repay them, so she rummaged through her chest and found a sachet she had made in her spare time and handed it to him. "Take this back to your mother and thank her for the meal. I'm not good at needlework, so it's not very pretty, but I put a lot of thought into the spices inside. It's best for repelling mosquitoes in this hot weather. It's not suitable to wear on your body, so just hang it in your mosquito net."
"You said you came yesterday? How come I don't know?" she said, looking at Du Zhong.
Du Zhong simply shook his head. "What time? I don't know either."
Xu Bai smiled nonchalantly, "Du Zhong wasn't here when I arrived. I only bumped into Mr. Yu outside the courtyard. He said you were asleep, so I didn't come in to disturb you."
Jiuli recalled that he hadn't taken a nap yesterday; Yu Qi must have used this as an excuse to keep him out. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What else did your uncle say to you?"
He lowered his smiling eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head, "I didn't say anything. Whatever Mr. Yu says, I'm sure it's for your own good."
He must have said something unpleasant, otherwise he wouldn't have seemed so embarrassed. He came so early this morning, probably because Yu Qi had to go on his rounds this morning and he was deliberately avoiding me.
She snorted inwardly and said with a crooked mouth, "Don't listen to your uncle. He didn't care much about me when I was a child, but now that I'm older, he's become very controlling. That's what you call being unable to manage someone properly."
He started eating by setting out the bowls and plates, and then talked about the case, saying, "I've been sick for the past two days, so don't let it interfere with important matters."
"It won't be delayed, don't worry."
The constables sent out to inquire about potential buyers of the lychee orchard two days ago returned yesterday with news that indeed, quite a few families had inquired about its price. Among them were families surnamed Meng, Yu, Huang, and Xiao, all local celebrities and wealthy gentlemen. In addition to these families, there was also a family surnamed Chu, who was from out of town.
However, it was rumored that Master Li was asking for an exorbitant price of 15,000 taels of silver. Everyone said that Master Li's house was haunted, and he dared to ask for such a price, which was overestimating his abilities. Master Li argued that the haunting was just a rumor and insisted on that price. Later, everyone couldn't reach an agreement and seemed to give up. Only the outsider surnamed Chu still seemed interested in buying, but Master Li wouldn't agree to his offer.
Jiuli had never heard of these families, and she was also unaware of the property prices in Nanjing. However, judging from Xu Bai's tone, 15,000 taels was clearly higher than the market price.
"Isn't this garden supposed to be haunted? Instead of offering a discount, Master Li dares to ask for 15,000 taels?"
Xu Bai smiled and said, "According to the usual market price, 15,000 taels is indeed a bit high, but the location of this garden is excellent. It is right next to a bustling market, where everything from firewood and rice to oil and salt, cloth and medicine is cheap. It is a quiet oasis in the midst of the hustle and bustle."
"Although this garden is the ancestral property of the Li family, it was renovated by Master Li. The timber used for the renovation was all from Yunnan, and the bricks and stones were all top-quality. It's just that it hasn't been lived in for a long time and therefore doesn't look as splendid. If someone buys it, they won't need to spend much money on renovations. They just need to hire someone to sweep and clean it, tidy up the flowers and plants, and add some furniture. You walk around the garden every day, and you'll see that many of the flowers, plants, and trees are rare treasures."
No wonder Jiu Li didn't recognize many of the flowers, plants, and trees in the garden, and had never seen them before. She shook her head and clicked her tongue, "If you calculate it this way, 15,000 taels isn't expensive. Why haven't those people bought them yet?"
“If all business people were as straightforward as you, wouldn’t they lose a fortune? There are plenty of business people who fight tooth and nail for a pittance.” Xu Bai shook his head with a smile. “But that was the price we offered before. Now that two lives have been lost at Liyuan, I don’t think Master Li would dare to offer that price again.”
Could it really be murder to drive down the price of this garden?
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Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Starting tomorrow, updates will be at 10:30 PM.
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