Chapter 35 Double Mystery (Fifteen) In the pitch black, there's no need to face that filth...
Yu Qi went back to his room to find some ointment, then came to the east room. He ordered Jiu Li to take off her shoes and socks and get onto the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed, lifted her left foot and placed it on his lap. He pinched her foot and looked at her ankle. The joint was red and swollen, which looked terrifying against her fair skin.
"Don't move." He scooped out a dollop of ointment, spread it evenly in his palm, and gently pressed it onto her ankle.
Jiuli let out a soft "hiss" one moment and a "hiss" the next, her brows furrowing and relaxing. Her eyes followed his hand upwards, but unfortunately, his face was down, and she couldn't see his eyes. She could only mutter, "It tickles."
He kept his head down, his eyes fixed on her ankles, afraid that if he raised them even slightly, he would meet her gaze. Even if he couldn't see her, he knew there must be a strange light in her eyes, perhaps she herself never realized it, but she often looked at him with a weak, clingy affection.
That gaze seemed to have a touch, often making him feel as if a kitten was rubbing against his arm, softening his heart and giving him a tingling sensation.
But there was nowhere to escape. Looking at her feet, he felt the same way, as if ants were crawling on his heart, an itchy, restless desire. He involuntarily swallowed, "Is it itchy or painful?"
"It's itchy and swollen." She felt something swelling up inside her, nameless, making her uneasy and anxious, yet also tense and stimulating. This feeling seemed to have grown imperceptibly day by day with age, and by the time she realized it, she could no longer find its source.
After massaging her for a while, Yu Qi took two short wooden boards and clamped them between her ankles, then tied them with cloth straps. "Try not to walk or jump around too much these two days. I'll go outside and buy you a pair of crutches."
Upon hearing that she couldn't move around much, her face immediately fell, and she collapsed onto the pillow, sighing softly. Seeing him rise to leave, the hem of his lake-green outer garment fluttering slightly in the dim light, like water that couldn't be held back. A panic gripped her heart, and she quickly got up again. Unable to find anything to say to stop him, her eyes darted around, and she spoke of Du Zhong, "Uncle, when should we arrange a marriage for Du Zhong?"
It was practically making conversation for the sake of it, but he lingered there anyway. He went and opened the window, even though no one was outside, just to make it seem like no one was there. Perhaps it was because he had a guilty conscience; the more he feared something, the more he wanted to prove it.
"Zhong'er is still young. It's not too late for a man to get married after he turns twenty."
He sat down on the couch, speaking to her from a distance. There was a lamp on the kang table, covered with a pale yellow gauze shade, and the light shining through made his features clearer, revealing a cold and forbidden quality in his eyes, which only made him more alluring.
She looked down and fiddled with the pattern on the mattress, wanting to say that she was actually still young, but she was afraid that if she said it, it would be a pretext for him to discipline her in the future.
In short, growing up has its advantages and disadvantages, she sighed deeply.
Yu Qi felt that she was pretending to be a sad and melancholy woman with a heavy heart. He wanted to go over and coax her, but he was afraid that coaxing her would go on forever, so he propped himself up on his knees and said, "Go to sleep. I will come to see you again tomorrow morning."
Strangely, she didn't try to stop him this time. Instead, she flopped onto the pillow, pulled the blanket over her face, and mumbled a reply. He closed the window to blow out the lamp, but she quickly pulled back the blanket, saying, "Don't blow it out! I still need the lamp."
Not knowing what else was going to happen, he returned to his room with a puzzled look. He took off his outer robe and found what looked like a stain on the white background under the green gauze, right on his back. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a small bloodstain.
No wonder she didn't call for the lights to be turned off; so that's what happened. He chuckled, furrowing his brow, inwardly blaming her for being careless in such a trivial way, forgetting even the date. He casually draped his clothes over the back of the chair, took a step towards the bed, and couldn't help but look back at the red stain. His heart couldn't help but think of her soft, white feet again, the red and white hues filling his heart, leaving no room for any light.
He turned off the tall lamp that stood by his bedside, finally burying himself in darkness and not being able to see anything. With that darkness, he no longer had to face that filth.
The next day, Jiuli woke up a little late, and Du Zhong brought her a pair of crutches. "Your master went out of the garden before dawn to buy one for you. Luckily, the shop had one ready-made. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to use it even if someone else made it."
He laughed at her, calling her "Iron-Crutch Li," as she leaned on her crutch. Jiu Li glared at him several times, asking, "Where's the food?"
Fearing the inconvenience of her getting up to ask for tea or water, Du Zhong came to this room after washing up, without having time to bring breakfast.
Just as she was about to leave, she ran into Aunt Wu, who was smiling as she brought breakfast and placed it on the kang table. Turning around, she saw Jiuli hopping over on one leg with crutches. She laughed, "I was wondering why Du Zhong didn't bring breakfast this morning. It turns out the young lady hurt her foot. Oh, is it badly injured?"
"It's nothing serious, just a sprain. It hurts, but it'll be fine in a few days."
Aunt Wu helped her sit on the couch, her eyes catching sight of a knife on the windowsill. "Why is there a knife in the young lady's room? It would be terrible if it hurt someone."
Jiuli took it down from the windowsill and said with a smile, "It's nothing, I just keep it for self-defense."
"Why carry a butcher's knife instead of a dagger for self-defense?" Aunt Wu smiled as she took the knife to look at it. As she looked at it, she frowned. "Oh, why does this knife look familiar?"
"Familiar?" Jiu Li's expression changed, and she quickly pulled her down to sit. "Take a closer look."
Aunt Wu examined it closely, nodding to herself, "I knew it. This was originally a tool in our kitchen. Look at this wooden handle. It fell off after only two days of use. This handle was made by Aunt Qin herself from another piece of wood, which she ground and stuck on. It's not very round."
"You mean, this knife originally came from your kitchen?"
Aunt Wu nodded, "Yes, but how come it's with the young lady?"
Jiuli gave a perfunctory smile, "I found it in the garden."
"The kitchen is a mess. You can't find this or that. I don't use this knife much, so I don't even know when I lost it. Oh well, there are plenty of knives in the kitchen anyway. If you need them, young lady, keep them." Aunt Wu didn't take it seriously and went as usual.
Jiuli examined the knife again, while Du Zhong, holding a bowl, said, "Could it be that Aunt Zhou, who was on night duty, didn't tell us the truth?"
Jiuli frowned. "Maybe her neighbor Meng Ran is giving false testimony for her. Think about it, they are neighbors, they have been friends for many years. Meng Ran often takes care of her family's children, and she often brings food to Meng Ran. It's not impossible that Meng Ran is helping her lie to us."
Du Zhong hesitated slightly, "Really? Meng Ran is only fourteen or fifteen years old, would she dare to lie to the yamen?"
She put down the knife and glanced at him. "Don't you know what kind of person you were when you were fourteen or fifteen?"
Du Zhong was still puzzled, "But how did this knife end up in Wan San's hands? Could it be that Wan San and Aunt Zhou have some kind of relationship that they haven't told us?"
Jiuli didn't know the key to it either, so after quickly eating a few bites of rice, he ordered Du Zhong to bring Xu Bai over and tell him what Wu Sao had just said.
Xu Bai remained silent for a long time after hearing this, but his eyes then turned to the foot that was dangling outside the couch. "What's wrong with your foot?"
"I sprained it last night." Jiuli said impatiently. "We're talking about the case, why are you bothering with my foot? I think we should go to Aunt Zhou and the Meng family again. Even if we can't get anything out of Aunt Zhou, we can try to get some information out of Meng Ran. Maybe she's young and we can get a few truths out of her."
Xu Bai frowned deeply. "Going now? Your foot—"
"Hey, stop bothering my feet! How long are we going to drag this out? If we keep dragging this out, Aunt Zhou will run away, and then we'll see how you close this case!" Jiu Li said, standing up with her cane.
Xu Bai remained seated on the stool, and Du Zhong sighed, "You should just go along with her. Otherwise, she'll be pacing around the room in a panic, and her feet won't get any rest either. If you want to leave, hurry up while Master is on his rounds, or you won't be able to leave when he comes back."
So Xu Bai had no choice but to order a carriage to be prepared and take Jiu Li out.
Upon reaching Ping'an Lane, they found the Meng family's door locked, so they went straight to the Zhou family's house. Only Zhou's mother-in-law was home. She told them that Zhou and her husband had taken their child to a relative's wedding banquet.
When the old woman asked about the three people's identities, Jiuli winked at Xubai. Xubai understood, looked around the courtyard, and saw some fine furniture boards against the wall, freshly painted, presumably drying there. He then smiled and said, "We heard that your son makes fine furniture, so we came specifically to ask him to make a bed. Unfortunately, he's not home."
Upon hearing that business had come to her door, the old woman hurriedly brewed a pot of hot tea, glancing at Xu Bai and Jiu Li with a smile, "Could it be the bed you two young lovers sleep in?"
Jiuli's face flushed, and she was about to deny it when Xubai asked with a smile, "How did Mom know we were a couple?"
"Hey, look at this grandma, she's still out making furniture even with an injured foot. Would she be so dedicated if it weren't for her own use? Tsk tsk tsk, and look at you, grandpa, you and grandma are such a perfect match, you're like a golden couple from a painting. I guessed it right away, didn't I?"
Xu Bai nodded with a smile, "Mom has a good eye."
"The bed that young couples sleep in must be beautiful. My son can carve many trendy patterns and has made wedding beds for several families. However, both of them had sons within two years!"
"So, for the TOEFL, do you have a sample to show us?"
The old woman went inside and took out several finely carved panels, some with bat patterns, some with longevity characters, some with double happiness characters, and others with simple ice crack patterns and diamond patterns. Xu Baizhen examined them closely on the stool and even showed them to Jiuli, asking, "What do you think?"
Jiuli's face was still flushed. She glanced at him, and her face turned even redder. She nodded shyly.
The old woman laughed and said, "Don't underestimate my son just because he's young among carpenters. He's been learning the craft from his father since he was a child and has been a master craftsman for thirty years. If you want any other designs, just bring them to my son, and he'll be able to carve them all."
Jiuli felt her face burning up and quickly changed the subject, "Is your son the only one earning money in the family? I imagine there are quite a few people in the family, and it must be quite hard work."
“My wife does some odd jobs outside, but my daughter-in-law is better off than me. She works for the government and is a servant in the yamen.”
Jiuli feigned curiosity, "Can women work for the government?"
The old woman chuckled twice. "But even government officials need to eat. My daughter-in-law works in the kitchen at Liyuan Garden. Does Grandma Liyuan know that?"
"Who doesn't know Nanjing? It's like working for the government." Jiuli nodded and smiled. "Hey, is working at Liyuan tough? I heard it's full of sick people."
"It wasn't hard work, just exhausting. She worked night shifts in the kitchen, going out in the evening and returning the next morning. Her grandchildren were still young, so she couldn't leave during the day. I said working night shifts was easier, since there were officials guarding the garden, so she wasn't afraid. Most of the time, she would just sleep in the kitchen until she returned the next day, so it didn't cause any problems. Sometimes, if she was sick or had something important to do, she could just tell the official in charge of the garden, and maybe get a sick leave."
Jiuli was eager to ask something, but after thinking for a moment, her eyes darted around, and she smiled slowly, "Does she often ask for leave? I'm afraid it's not allowed to ask for leave all the time."
"My wife is a diligent person. She worked for a month or so, but she didn't go on the fifth day of the new year because she caught a cold."
The three of them immediately changed their expressions and exchanged glances. A moment later, Jiu Li laughed again, "Didn't she go to work at the lychee orchard on the fifth day of this month?"
The old woman smiled and said, "Although I didn't go, the yamen still calculated the money for that day. Everyone says that the yamen only takes in money and never spends it, but I don't think that's the case. They are still very considerate."
As she spoke, she brought out a plate of snacks from the kitchen. Jiu Li followed her with her eyes and noticed a faded yellow talisman pasted above the kitchen door. It was common to see talismans pasted in houses, and she only asked casually, "You still have talismans pasted in your house? Are they for protection?"
The old woman glanced back and said, "It's been up for almost two years. It was given to us by the neighbor's sister-in-law when she was alive. Since she passed away, no one has given us any. We've been too lazy to go to the market to buy more, so we've just left it up."
Jiu Li's heart skipped a beat. "Is the neighbor a Daoist priestess?"
"Alas, when my sister-in-law was alive, she was a skilled female Taoist priest, capable of divination. She even had some real abilities. When the young lady of the Li family in Liyuan fell to her death, they asked her to perform the rituals. On the anniversary of the young lady's death, the Li family always invited her to set up ceremonies. She was very capable in previous years and made a lot of money. But since the autumn before last, when the couple went back to their hometown to visit relatives, they were caught in a rainstorm and rolled down the mountain. My sister-in-law was summoned by the gods, and my brother was paralyzed. It cost a lot of money to treat him before he survived. For the past two years, he's been suffering from one illness after another, constantly taking medicine, which has bankrupted the family. And there's a girl who's only fourteen or fifteen years old this year; she's practically useless."
The old woman shook her head and waved her hands with a sigh, while the three of them secretly tried to unravel the mystery in their hearts. If Meng Ran's mother was a female Taoist priest when she was alive, wouldn't Meng Ran have learned some skills in drawing talismans and setting up rituals by being exposed to such things? If her mother often went to the Lychee Garden to perform rituals, she must have gone with her, so it's not surprising that she knows the way to the Lychee Garden.
Besides, Zhou Sao was clearly at home that night and didn't go to work the night shift, but the yamen still paid her wages for that day. This shows that she didn't ask for leave from the yamen at all, and someone else went in her place! When we asked Zhou Sao that day, her answers were full of loopholes. Not to mention that she was good at cooking vegetarian mixed noodles, she clearly told Lin Mo to go back to the kitchen after delivering the noodles, but who took away that bowl?
Jiuli felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Yes, yes, yes! No wonder she felt something was off about Meng Ran last time. It turned out that her eyes looked familiar! When she first went to Liyuan, the veiled woman she glimpsed in the kitchen was not Aunt Zhou at all, but Meng Ran!
But what connection does Meng Ran have with Wan San?
The three looked at each other and got up. The old woman asked in surprise, "You're leaving already?"
Jiuli, leaning on her crutches, said with a smile, "Since you're not home, we'll come again tomorrow. I'll bring one of my favorite patterns for your son to see."
The old woman readily agreed and saw the three of them to the door. After passing the Meng family's gate, which was still locked, Du Zhong suggested, "Why don't we go to a restaurant on the street to eat first? It's almost noon, and I'm hungry too."
"Are you hungry again?" Jiuli looked at him, shaking her head and clicking her tongue. "You ate breakfast late today, and you're still hungry at the appointed time. I hope you weren't a glutton in your past life."
Du Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "When we get back, I'll tell Master that you were the one who insisted on coming out today!"
It's one thing if he can't control her on ordinary days, but now that she has an injury on her foot, how can Yu Qi not be angry?
As expected, when Yu Qi returned to his room after his rounds, he found neither of them there, so he went to Xu Bai's room with a stern face. Unexpectedly, Xu Bai was not in the room either. Only Zhang Da was left in the room, racking his brains behind the desk to write the case file for Guan Zhan's case for Xu Bai.
Just as he was scratching his head in frustration, he saw Yu Qi come in and quickly put down his pen, smiling as he greeted him in the outer room. "What a coincidence that you've come, sir! There's a character I don't know how to write, and I was just looking for someone to teach me."
Yu Qi asked indifferently, "Your Lord Qi isn't here either?"
"Lord Qi and Miss Yu'er went out to investigate the case, sir, didn't you know?"
Yu Qi guessed it was coming, but he thought Xu Bai would refuse to take Jiu Li out because of her injured foot. Who knew he couldn't control her either? What a useless killer!
He glanced at Zhang Da with disgust. "Where did they go?"
"Taicang Street, Ping'an Lane, that's where Zhou Sao, who works the night shift in the kitchen, lives. They should go and question her. It seems Zhou Sao is the most suspicious in Lin Mo's case, so I said—"
Before he could finish speaking, Yu Qi had already turned and left, heading straight out of the Lychee Garden and towards Taicang Street.
The midday sun was blazing, and the restaurant was bustling with activity. The waiters carrying dishes shouted in a high-pitched voice, and the sounds of footsteps running up and down the stairs filled the air. The laughter and chatter from the private rooms next door made it impossible to find a moment of peace.
However, Youjun had interrupted the mournful gongs and drums at home these past two days, so hearing these sounds again now felt strangely familiar. It's not that difficult for a person to become another; as long as one changes day by day, one day, one won't even recognize oneself.
She put down her wine cup, stood up, but instead of leaving immediately, she went to the window and looked down at the street. The pot-bellied Master Xu, with whom she had just discussed business, was strutting out of the restaurant's main entrance. Immediately, his servants rushed over to help him up. He chuckled and laughed, and even his mother could tell that the deal was sure to be finalized.
“How could something that benefits both sides not work?” Youjun glanced at her with a smile. “He was just trying to force me to give him a share because I’m a woman. Humph, fine, I’ll give him a share now, but I’ll still make it back from him tomorrow.”
Niangzhuang nodded and said, "This Master Xu is a man who has been in business for decades, yet he only focuses on such petty profits. I don't think his business will last long."
“They’ve been doing this for decades, even if they don’t last long. They just can’t grow big.” Youjun turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and let the wind blow away the smell of alcohol on her body. “Tell the innkeeper to clear away this leftover food, and get some tea from our carriage. Let’s brew a couple of bowls and sit in this private room for a while before going back. The gong at home has been banging on my head these past two days and it’s giving me a headache.”
"Huh? Isn't that Mr. Yu?" Niangzhuang suddenly said, propping herself up against the window.
Youjun turned and looked down, and sure enough, she spotted Yu Qi among the crowd of pedestrians. He was wearing a black gauze cloak over a jade-white round-necked robe, his brows slightly furrowed, and he seemed to be in a hurry. She thought of him as calm and composed when he was still, yet his movements were so dynamic and elegant.
I heard that Cai Jin turned himself in last night and was taken to the yamen, and then there was no further news. Could it be that they really aren't going to investigate anymore? She was a little worried, and with her eyelids half-closed, she said, "Go get the tea, and while you're at it, invite Mr. Yu up for a seat."
"Invite him? Don't be walking into a trap now."
"Don't worry, what's coming can't be avoided. I'm just going to test his tone."
Shortly after, Niangzhuang came downstairs. Youjun, with her eyes lowered, saw her leaving through the main entrance and stopped Yuqi, saying a few words. Yuqi looked up at the building, his earlier hurried expression turning cold. She smiled at him politely, and then saw him follow Niangzhuang into the restaurant. Hearing the heavy, slow footsteps, she felt a strange, gentle joy, as if a spring breeze had come for her.
The remaining seats in the private room had been cleared away, but Yu Qi could still smell the alcohol when he entered. He smiled politely and said, "I suppose Miss Guan has finished her business. My coming up here is not an intrusion."
He looked like he'd forgotten to shave that morning; there was a faint bluish tinge on his lips and chin, giving him an even more somber and unassuming air than before. Youjun stared at his face, feeling as if she were walking down a deserted, secluded alley.
She was still dressed in plain clothes and greeted him with a bow, saying, "Mr. Yu, how did you know I was here to meet someone for business? Please have a seat, sir."
Yu Qi lifted his robe and sat down. "Just now, I saw your carriage downstairs, with six or seven servants waiting around it. If you didn't have an appointment to discuss important matters, why would you make such a show of it?"
Youjun also sat down, brushing off her skirt. "Perhaps we're not meeting someone from the business world?"
"If they're not business people, then who are they? They couldn't possibly be here with a bunch of servants to meet their lover in secret."
Youjun was suddenly surprised, not so much for his words, as she knew they were a test. She was surprised that he would use the word "lover," as such frivolous language seemed so out of character for his composed and reserved demeanor.
She covered her mouth and laughed, "I never expected to hear such a joke from you, sir."
Hearing her say that, Yu Qi felt a little embarrassed, but he still maintained a slight smile on his face. "I almost forgot that if the young lady really had such a person by her side, she probably wouldn't have seen him since last night."
Judging from his tone, Cai Jin had indeed taken full responsibility for everything and hadn't implicated her. She felt relieved and a hint of smugness crept into her smile.
Yu Qiduan stared at her smiling face. She looked at him with his stern gaze for a little too long, and for a moment she felt flustered. "Mr. Yu, why are you staring at me like that? To put it bluntly, it's not good to stare at a woman like that."
He lowered his eyelids and looked away. "I remember yesterday at your residence, I said that even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman. Now, saying it again, I feel that the word 'charm' really has some meaning. It's a real 'charm'."
"What's real and what's virtual? I think it's just a single word."
"That's right, they're both just one character, you can't write two 'Guan' characters with one stroke. How can you be so heartless, young lady, that you won't even spare your own brother?"
Youjun's smile froze, and she lowered her eyes to the table. "Who says you can't write two separate passages in one stroke? Doesn't the teacher also have an elder brother? Didn't the family show favoritism when your brother was alive?"
Yu Qi's heart seemed to freeze.
She glanced at him sideways, then smiled and said softly, "Besides, I am a woman. When a woman is unmarried, she lives in her parents' home, and they only think that she will belong to someone else's family sooner or later. After she gets married and goes to her husband's family, she doesn't have the same surname, so people are still somewhat wary of her. In fact, what difference does it make whether a woman gets married or not? No matter how hard she works, it's all in vain. Ten years of hard work is just making wedding clothes for someone else."
Yu Qi glanced at her sideways and continued her words: "So you have no choice but to kill your brother, and then everything in the Guan family will be yours forever."
She remained silent, just as her maidservant brought in two bowls of tea. She gestured for them to drink, saying, "This is Pu'er tea that I brought myself. I wonder if you, sir, are used to it. Please try some."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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