Chapter 47 Mother-of-Pearl Incense (Ox) It's over!
As Zhang Da emerged from the Tang family courtyard, his face full of doubt, he said, "I thought Yue Hong was about to break down and tell the truth after I tricked her a few more times, so why did she leave so suddenly?"
Although Xu Bai didn't know the reason, he figured that Yu Qi must have found something in that house, so he smiled calmly and said, "Mr. Yu must have a reason for asking you to leave. Perhaps you've found some other clues?"
Yu Qi glanced at him, then twisted his hands behind his back, a hint of disdain on his face, before continuing to walk forward on his own.
He thought to himself that Xu Bai, being intelligent, would not have failed to see that Yue Hong and Shi Qi were not the murderers. He was just too lazy to bother with such trivial matters. He didn't know the truth, and it couldn't be said that Xu Bai was bad. It could only be said that he probably had his own sense of morality, but this morality was definitely not based on these ordinary people.
Xu Bai felt awkward when he didn't respond, so he deliberately lagged behind and walked beside Jiu Li, asking in a low voice, "Sir, is there something you're not comfortable saying?"
“If your uncle doesn’t say, it’s because it’s not the right time yet. Perhaps he’s waiting for the yamen runner you sent to investigate the Shi family to return. He’ll only dare to make a judgment when he has news from that side.” Jiuli smiled and watched Yu Qi’s back.
Xu Bai nodded, "They went on horseback and should be back by noon."
She added, "But in my opinion, the Tang family is not a place for murder."
How do you know?
"Tang Chengguan drank a lot of wine before he died, but the two yamen runners just searched the house and found that the Tang family didn't have any wine. Even though they had two wine jars, they were empty. Moreover, Yue Hong is not only shrewish but also very stingy. Even if Tang Chengguan had money to drink, she wouldn't be willing to give him any. You heard her say there was none. Even when Shi Qi stayed for dinner, there was no wine for him."
After hearing this, Xu Bai only smiled and remained silent.
Jiuli glanced at him. "What, you disagree?"
He quickly shook his head. "No, I was just thinking, what if Tang Chengguan had been drinking outside that day and was killed by Yue Hong afterward?"
Jiuli pursed her lips, unable to refute. Xu Bai, as if afraid of displeasing her, deliberately added, "Perhaps you are right, what I said is just one possibility."
“Since that’s the case, what I’m saying might not be right.” Jiuli finished speaking, then squinted and fluttered her eyelashes. “Why do you have to agree with me? If you’re just trying to please me, there’s no need for that. Right is right, and wrong is wrong.”
He smiled, feeling that he had made a mistake, and then suddenly sighed, "If everything in the world were as you say, right is right and wrong is wrong, there wouldn't be so much trouble and confusion."
Jiuli nudged him with her elbow and said, "What's wrong with you? Why are you suddenly feeling sentimental? It seems like you've encountered some troubles. You can tell me. Even if I can't help you, it's good to have someone listen to your troubles."
He smiled at her and suddenly realized that regardless of whether she was related to Aunt Quan or not, meeting her and liking her was perhaps inevitable.
As they walked, they unknowingly arrived at the pharmacy. Zhang Da, remembering Du Zhong's leg injury, asked about Jiu Li. Xu Bai then learned of this and wanted to go in to visit Du Zhong, but not wanting to go empty-handed, he and Zhang Da went to the pastry shop ahead to buy tea, fruit, and snacks.
Jiuli and Yuqi went inside first and saw that there were not many patients getting medicine in the shop, probably because lunchtime was approaching. She then hurried to the back to tell Yuqing that Xubai and Zhangda would be coming soon and that they would most likely have to stay for lunch, so she asked them to cook a few more dishes.
Upon hearing this, the old lady quickly grabbed her and asked, "Will Xu Bai be home soon? Did you see him? Did he say anything to you about our visit to his house last time?"
"What are you saying?"
"Tsk, of course it's about what his two wives said about you, and what they said about our family!"
Jiuli chuckled, "Don't you think that even if the two ladies say bad things about our family, he won't tell me the truth when we ask him? He'll only say the good things."
“That’s true.” The old lady nodded to herself, then smiled. “I don’t think they can find anything wrong with us. Last time we went, there was nothing to complain about. And look at our girl’s looks. Let alone a small county magistrate from a declining family, we’re good enough for even the highest-ranking official. They wouldn’t necessarily look down on us, would they? It’s just that these past two days, they haven’t properly invited a matchmaker, which makes me a little uneasy.”
Jiuli thought it was better not to send a matchmaker. This was a time when the enemy and friend were unclear. She hadn't yet figured out Xu Bai's intentions. Getting engaged to him in a muddle would only make her feel uncertain.
Yuqing laughed at the old lady, "Oh dear, it's only been a few days. Even if they want to invite a matchmaker, it will take some time to prepare. You're too impatient, old lady. Do you think our girl won't be able to get married?"
The old lady thought it made sense; sending just anyone would be too disrespectful to the Yu family, so they should be treated with great respect, and a good matchmaker should be chosen. Therefore, she waved her hand, ceasing her argument, and Yuqing hurried off to the kitchen to prepare the lunch feast.
Jiuli walked to the front of the shop, where Fengqiao was leading a new shop assistant to greet Yuqi in the inner room. As she approached the door, Fengqiao called the shop assistant over to greet her, "This is our young lady. Xiaoyuer, this is the new shop assistant, Hu Axiang."
This Hu Axiang was in his early twenties, so Jiuli called him "Brother Axiang." After exchanging a few words with him, he came in and asked Yu Qi, "Is this the person that Uncle Bao recommended?"
Yu Qi sipped his tea and nodded. "He has been studying medicine since childhood, but like Zhong'er, he is slightly less gifted. However, he can diagnose common minor illnesses without making mistakes."
Jiuli nodded and sat down, brushing off her skirt. He glanced at her, placed his hand on his lap, holding the teacup, and asked casually, "Did you go to the back just now to tell the old lady that Qi Xubai would be coming later?"
"I think it's not good to leave people without a meal at this time, so I'll ask Aunt Qing to prepare more food and wine."
He stopped talking, and Jiuli found it strange, so she turned her head to stare at him.
Why are you staring at me like that?
"You're not angry?"
Why are you angry?
Jiuli was a little confused. "You just scolded me last night for getting too close to Xubai, so I'll invite him to dinner today."
Yu Qi smiled at her, his tone feigning ease but sounding more like a sigh, "They came to visit Zhong'er, and as the host, it's only proper etiquette to offer them a meal. Besides, you're a grown woman now, and I believe you'll understand the implications. I was a bit too hasty last night."
Jiuli actually liked his impetuous temper. He was usually too calm and reserved, always making people guess what he was thinking, and she had never been right about him over the years. At least last night she truly knew that he didn't want her to be too close to Xubai, and he had no intention of giving himself to the Qi family.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But I'm also afraid that if not Qi's family, then other families might come along.
Thinking about it calmly now, perhaps this is one of the reasons why she is willing to continue associating with Xu Bai. There are advantages to being with Xu Bai, as it avoids making mistakes with others in the future.
Thinking of this, she was suddenly startled. Why did she always feel that being with other people would be a mistake? How could she be so sure that being with other people would not be a good match?
She frowned slightly, pondering to herself. Before she could even think of anything, Xu Bai and Zhang Da came in. Both of them were carrying several packets of dried fruit and pastries. Xu Bai had been thoughtful, buying braised goose and roast chicken as well. Yu Qi immediately understood his intention: he was determined to have her stay for lunch. Buying these things made it impossible for her not to invite him.
No sooner had they entered than two constables who had gone to Shi Qi’s house arrived, saying that they had originally gone to the yamen to report, but when they arrived there they could not find Xu Bai and Zhang Da, so they came here.
Xu Bai asked, "Can the stolen items be found at Shi Qi's house?"
The constable said, "We searched the Shi family's house from top to bottom but couldn't find it. We even carefully checked the ground in front of and behind the house, but there was no sign of the soil being turned over. It seems that it is not buried underground."
Xu Bai dismissed the two men and then understood the purpose of Yu Qi's request to find something. He thought that if Shi Qi and Yue Hong had killed Tang Chengguan, it was either something Tang Chengguan had stolen or the silver he had exchanged for. One of these two things would have been hidden by the two men. Since neither the Tang family nor the Shi family had found it, it was clear that no one had been killed.
So he asked Yu Qi about this, and Yu Qi laughed and said, "See, as long as Lord Qi is willing to put his mind to it, what is there that he can't understand?"
Jiuli still had one question: "Uncle, why did you examine the body again?"
Yu Qi said, "This time I'm inspecting Tang Chengguan's hair."
Jiuli rolled her eyes and smiled, "I understand now! If Tang Chengguan drowned in that vat, then whether Shi Qi or Yue Hong killed him, they must have forced his head into the vat. When Tang Chengguan struggled, he would have torn out a lot of hair!"
“That’s right, but I examined the deceased’s scalp and found no such signs.”
"So the person really wasn't killed by these two." Zhang Da gradually realized this, and patted the armrest of his chair. "Hey, another wasted effort. That damned Shi Qi! He's always spouting nonsense, even daring to admit to murder!"
Xu Bai laughed and said, "Locking him up for two days is not unfair to him. It will teach him a lesson. He can eat whatever he wants in the future, but he can't say whatever he wants."
After discussing the matter, someone came to see a doctor, so Jiuli led the two of them inside to see Du Zhong. Just after passing through the cave entrance, they pointed out Du Zhong's room. Zhang Daxing walked ahead in a hurry, while Xubai and Jiuli walked slowly under the corridor. Taking this opportunity, Xubai took out a silver hairpin carved from blue amber and handed it to her.
Under the sunlight, the translucent butterfly shimmered, shifting between yellow and blue. Jiuli hesitated for a moment, then asked, "It must be very expensive, right?"
He noticed her hesitation and felt that she seemed a little distant from him after not seeing him for two or three days. She didn't show it on her face; she still smiled and spoke as before, but now her eyes were fixed on the blue amber, their gleam seeming to evade him.
Perhaps because of Yu Qi, who dislikes her, it's difficult for her to remain unaffected by his influence, given how obedient she is to him.
He said dejectedly, "It's not that expensive, at least neither you nor I would think it's expensive. You don't need to worry about not being able to afford it."
Jiuli took it and muttered, "Why are you suddenly saying such formal things?"
"It seems like you were the one who started this awkwardness with me," he said with a smile.
Jiuli, afraid that he would notice something, blamed everything on Yu Qi, saying, "My uncle doesn't allow me to accept things from other people casually, I'm afraid he'll scold me."
Am I really "someone else"?
She walked half a step ahead, tilted her head back, and gave him a charming smile. "No, but in Uncle's eyes, everyone except him is 'someone else'."
Xu Bai suddenly felt a strange sensation in his heart, and upon closer examination, he realized it was somewhat sour.
Then she thought again, even if Jiuli was not a biological daughter of the Yu family, she was raised by Yu Qi. Regardless of the age difference, just considering the difference in seniority, this jealousy was unreasonable.
When they arrived at Du Zhong's house, he was in no hurry to go in. He said he wanted to pay his respects to the old lady first. Jiu Li had no choice but to invite the old lady from the back kitchen. After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, he led him into Du Zhong's room.
Du Zhong had already sat up in bed, and Zhang Da was joking with him, "I don't know what's wrong with you two siblings, you always seem to get injured on your legs."
He put his hands behind his head and sighed, "Ah, this is what they call being in the same boat."
“Who wants to pity you? I think we should hate each other!” Jiuli chimed in as she entered the screen.
Xu Bai followed him in and saw that Du Zhong looked quite well. With a pharmacy at home and a renowned doctor nearby, this injury wouldn't be a problem. However, he couldn't move around much. Since yesterday, Xiu Zhi had been serving him in this room, showing him meticulous care and concern. Xiu Zhi recognized Xu Bai as Zhang Da, so she wasn't reserved. She quickly brought a stool to the bedside for Xu Bai to sit on, served him tea, exchanged pleasantries, and then left.
Zhang Da couldn't help but sigh, "Sister Guo has found a good job. Not only has her monthly salary increased a lot since she came to your Yu family, but she has also met such a kind and generous employer."
Jiuli laughed, "Brother Zhang's words don't make sense. If someone is bad, then don't use them. Since someone is good, why treat them harshly?"
"How can you tell whether something is good or bad at a glance?"
Du Zhong chimed in, "I think Sister Guo is very good; she's diligent, clean, and doesn't cause trouble."
Jiuli leaned against the screen at the foot of the bed, crossed her arms, and mocked him, "You're good-looking, aren't you?"
This caused everyone to burst into laughter, making Du Zhong blush with embarrassment. When Xiu Zhi brought in the snacks, he looked up and down, left and right, but avoided looking at her.
Zhang Da noticed this and deliberately struck up a conversation with Xiuzhi, saying, "If you look closely, Sister Guo is indeed a beauty. It's just that she doesn't dress up, which hides her beauty. No one noticed her when she was in the yamen. It seems that the Yu family has really come to the right place. You are a thoroughbred horse, and the Yu family has its own discerning eye."
Xiuzhi was completely confused. She then slapped him and said, "Stop making fun of me!" Then she went out again.
After lunch, Zhang Da left, but the old lady specially invited Xu Bai to stay for tea. She talked about many everyday things and asked several times what the two ladies of the Qi family were busy with at home. Xu Bai gradually understood what she meant. She wanted to know when his family would ask a matchmaker to come and propose marriage.
The two ladies also had the same idea, but the Qi family was unsure of Yu Qi's attitude. They were afraid that if they invited someone rashly, Yu Qi would politely decline, which would make their scholarly family lose face.
Just as the old lady asked, Xu Bai was about to tell her about the family's plans when Yu Qi slammed down his teacup and said, "Lord Qi is busy with official duties and cannot stay long. Old lady, please let Lord Qi go first. We can talk later. Yu'er, see Lord Qi out."
As soon as the person left, the old lady glanced at Yu Qi's expression several times before finally bowing down and asking, "What exactly do you mean?"
"This marriage with the Qi family is not something to be taken lightly."
The old lady suddenly frowned. "Can't we do it? But when you wrote back to your hometown, wasn't it precisely to arrange this marriage?"
"Times have changed. Qi Xubai doesn't seem like someone you can entrust your life to."
The old lady pondered for a moment and muttered, "I think Xu Bai is a good boy. Although his official position is a bit low, he is still young and has a long future ahead of him. Besides, this boy's appearance is rare. He is a perfect match for our girl. If we miss this opportunity, we will never find another like him."
Yu Qi was too lazy to say anything more. Seeing that his expression was calm yet resolute, she sighed, "I'm just afraid that if we keep dragging this out, it'll drag on until we—"
She didn't say the rest, but Yu Qi could guess that she was afraid Jiu Li would waste her time and end up like him, ruining her life.
"Don't worry, there are plenty of good families out there. I'll spread the word soon so people know that we didn't dare to try and get involved with the Qi family."
He always kept his word, and the old lady didn't dare argue with him. Besides, he was knowledgeable and worldly-wise; if he said something was wrong, there must be a reason. Oh well, Jiuli was the one he brought home. He raised her with good food and drink, so he wouldn't harm her.
So after thinking about it, the old lady had no choice but to nod. She was afraid that since there was already an old bachelor in the family, adding another old maid would make people say that the feng shui of the Yu family's ancestral graves was bad.
Meanwhile, Jiuli had escorted Xubai to the shop entrance and was about to turn back inside when Xubai deliberately stopped her from saying more. He pointed to the shaded area under the trees on the right and asked, "What's in those buckets?"
"Hmm?" Jiuli stepped out of the threshold again, looked over there, and smiled, "That's herbal tea that's been brewed. My uncle said that it's hot, so he put it there for passersby to cool off."
Xu Bai walked under the cloth shed and lifted the lid of the wooden bucket to look inside. The herbal tea was brewed strong, indicating that the ingredients were quite generous. He hadn't known that Yu Qi had this benevolent and compassionate side. Beneath that indifferent face, there seemed to be a thousand faces that he didn't understand, yet he felt as if Yu Qi had seen right through him. Was this what they meant by "old ginger is spicier"?
Jiuli also walked into the shed, "Would you like a bowl to try?"
He shook his head with a smile, "I just had some tea."
"I think you should put up a few buckets of herbal tea at the entrance of your yamen to help people cool off in the summer. Actually, it's not expensive, and it can benefit the people and show the benevolence of the government. Why not do it? If you think it's an expense, I'll tell you a clever trick: call on all the major pharmacies to donate those medicinal residues in the name of the government. Anyway, the pharmacies can't sell them, so why not give them to the government as a favor? The people won't mind."
Xu Bai couldn't help but look at you with new eyes, saying, "I see you have a very good mind for the benefit and well-being of the people."
"That's nothing, anyone with a little brainpower could figure it out. You have no idea, heat can really kill you."
Xu Bai nodded. "It was our negligence as officials. Only you doctors truly understand how to govern and save lives."
He suddenly felt a surge of admiration for her, but at the same time, thinking of Yu Qi's attitude earlier, he felt quite disappointed. "Mr. Yu, did you say anything to me when you came back from my house last time?"
"He didn't say anything."
Xu Bai smiled and said, "Since you left, there has been a lot of discussion in my family. The two ladies are planning to send someone to your house after the summer, around the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Jiuli breathed a sigh of relief. There were still two months until the Mid-Autumn Festival. She didn't need to refuse or agree. In any case, she was just dealing with him. In two months, it was still uncertain who would reveal their true colors first.
She nodded gently, her face flushed just right, making it hard to tell if it was genuine or not.
Just then, Youjun, dressed in her mother's finery, walked over from across the street. From three steps away, she chuckled softly, "What are Lord Qi and Yu'er saying here? Aren't you feeling hot?"
Jiuli quickly turned around and bowed, "Greetings, Auntie."
Xu Bai was taken aback. Why was she addressed like that? Without asking any further questions, she exchanged a few words with You Jun and then took her leave.
Youjun turned around, her smile carrying a different meaning, but everything was unspoken. Jiuli was very uncomfortable with this elder-like concerned gaze, and in her heart she fiercely blamed Yuqi, because of him, she was inexplicably a generation lower than many others!
She forced a smile and asked, "Auntie, are you just passing by or did you come here specifically?"
"We came here specifically to inquire about something with Miss Tang, and we've made some progress." As they spoke, the group followed Jiu Li into the shop.
Turning her head to look into the cubicle, she saw Yu Qi seeing patients inside, with two or three people waiting on the chair. Youjun said, "I'll go inside and wait."
Jiuli then invited her into the main room. Youjun originally wanted to pay her respects to the old lady, but upon hearing that the old lady was taking a nap, she didn't want to disturb her. She also heard that Du Zhong was injured, so she went into Du Zhong's room to visit him. After sitting for a short while, she moved to Jiuli's room.
She noticed that although the house only had two rooms, it was very bright and spacious. She sat down on the couch in the outer room, and there happened to be something next to her: two copper bells tied to a red rope. She picked it up and shook it. "What is this?"
“That was tied to my window. It fell down yesterday, and I haven’t tied it back up yet.”
"Don't you find it noisy to hang it on the window?"
“My uncle used to tease me with this when I was little. I got used to it and didn’t find it noisy. On the contrary, I liked the tinkling sound.”
It turns out Yu Qi can even tease children. Youjun thought about that scene and found it both heartwarming and funny. "Has your uncle always doted on you since you were little?"
Jiuli pouted, "No, he's more often seen with a stern face."
Youjun smiled and said, "Mr. Yu seems to be a rather stern person."
Jiuli turned around and put away the copper bell. Youjun noticed that since entering the room, there was no one to serve tea or water, so she asked, "Why don't you even have a maid? I'm planning to buy someone, and I'll buy you a good one while I'm at it."
Jiuli returned and poured tea on the round table. "We hired someone, it's that Guo Sao from earlier. But Du Zhong has had trouble walking these past two days, so she's been taking care of him there."
The maidservant hurriedly went to help, scolding her, "How can one person manage? You can take care of one thing but not the other. Look, you, a young lady, have to do all these trivial things yourself. Our young lady has liked you from the bottom of her heart ever since she saw you, and she can't bear to see you suffer. Buying a maid only costs a few taels of silver, and you're being so distant with our young lady."
She gave an awkward smile. "It's not that I'm being distant, I really don't feel wronged at all. Although I have a maid in the countryside, she's just there to keep me company. Sometimes I even have to pour her tea. It's nothing."
Youjun smiled indulgently, "Alright, whatever you want."
Jiuli thought to herself, "Oh no! Why does she sound like she's not just an elder, but a relative? She's a businesswoman after all; with just a few words, no one has any reason not to be close to her."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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