The late spring breeze blew willow catkins across the west wing of the General's Mansion. Chen Weiwan squatted behind a rockery, staring at the gray-tiled, white-walled warehouses in the distance, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the moss in the cracks between the stones. Chuntao, cradling a basket of freshly picked roses, squatted beside her and muttered, "Miss, you've been squatting here for half an hour now. Didn't you say you were looking for Madam's belongings? Why are you squatting in the warehouse?"
"Shh!" Shen Weiwan suddenly covered her mouth, but her eyes did not leave the two old women whispering at the door of the storeroom, "Look at those two, they are Liu's companions, Madam Zhou and Madam Wang."
Chuntao narrowed her eyes and saw Madam Zhou standing on tiptoe to look through the crack of the warehouse door, while Mrs. Wang was rubbing her hands and whispering something, looking around from time to time.
"...The general left in a hurry, so the key is probably in that little bitch's hands..." Nanny Zhou's voice drifted over, tinged with greed. "Once Madam gets the key, won't all the silks and spices in this warehouse belong to us? Then we can make some new clothes for your grandson. That would be a real treat!"
Mrs. Wang smiled with wrinkles all over her face. "That's right! I heard there are a few boxes of South Pearls locked in the back of the storeroom. Madam said that after getting the key, we should take out two boxes first for the second young lady's dowry..."
A cold light flashed in Shen Weiwan's eyes. As expected, Liu's claws had already reached the storehouse. In her previous life, she was deceived by this master and servant and foolishly handed over the key, allowing Liu to empty the general's mansion.
"Miss, are they trying to steal the key?" Chuntao's voice trembled with fear.
"Steal?" Shen Weiwan sneered and patted the moss on her hands. "That old fox Liu is eager for me to hand the key to her." She stood up and straightened her half-worn plain skirt. "Let's go over and say hello."
Chuntao was so scared that she grabbed her and said, "Miss! If they find out we're eavesdropping..."
"It's good to find out." Shen Weiwan shook off her hand, and her face instantly changed into an "innocent" smile, and she skipped towards the warehouse, "Madame Zhou! Madame Wang! What are you doing here?"
Madam Zhou and Po Wang shuddered with fear, turned around and saw Shen Weiwan, the greed on their faces instantly changed into a flattering smile: "Oh, it's the young lady! The old slaves... the old slaves are basking in the sun here!"
"Sunbathing?" Shen Weiwan tilted her head and pointed to the closed warehouse door. "Is the sun at the warehouse door particularly warm?"
Nanny Zhou's eyes flickered as she quickly tried to smooth things over. "Hey, I've noticed the storeroom hasn't been cleaned for a while, so I wanted to help wipe the door!" She deliberately blocked the crack in the doorway as she spoke, "Why are you here, Miss? Didn't Madam ask you to stay in the room and practice needlework?"
"I'm here to look for my mother's belongings!" Shen Weiwan said, and suddenly squatted on the ground to pick at the grass. "My mother said that she buried a jade hairpin near the storehouse and asked me to look for it when I have time..."
Mrs. Wang rolled her eyes and said hypocritically, "Oh, Miss, why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll help you find it!"
"Really? That's great!" Shen Weiwan's eyes lit up, and she took Wang Po's hand and dragged her into the bushes. "My mother said it was buried under the third pomegranate tree. Let's dig it together!"
Nanny Zhou's face changed. The pomegranate tree was right next to the storehouse's side door. If they really dug it up, wouldn't they be exposed as having just been peeping through the crack in the door? She quickly grabbed Wang Pozi and said, "Don't meddle! How can we servants touch the young lady's belongings? Come on, come on, the lady is waiting for our reply!"
As they said that, the two of them almost fled. Shen Weiwan looked at their backs, a sneer on her lips.
"Miss, they ran away!" Chuntao breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's better if they run away." Shen Weiwan walked to the door of the warehouse and ran her fingertips across the cold door panel. "Otherwise, how do you know that they have something to hide?" She squatted down and pretended to continue looking for the hairpin, but her eyes quickly scanned the door lock and the surrounding environment.
The warehouse was a three-bay, dark brick building. Its door lock was a brass double-fish lock. It looked sturdy, but in reality, a few pieces of straw were stuck in the gaps between the lock cylinders—clearly the marks left by Madam Zhou's earlier attempt to pick the lock. The drain in the corner was a bit loose, and a half-man-high pile of firewood was stacked next to it, blocking the view.
"Chun Tao," Shen Weiwan whispered, "Go to the front yard and find the old housekeeper. Tell him that I can't find my mother's belongings and I'm crying in anxiety. Ask him to come and help."
"Ah? Looking for the old housekeeper?" Chuntao was stunned.
"Just go if you're told to go," Shen Weiwan stuffed a handful of melon seeds into her hand, "Eat slowly on the way, don't run too fast."
Although Chun Tao was puzzled, she nodded and left. Shen Weiwan waited until she was far away, then immediately ran to the drain and pushed hard. The blue brick was actually loose! She was delighted. Sure enough, there was a loophole! In her previous life, she never knew that there was such a secret door in the warehouse. It seemed that Liu's people had figured it out long ago.
Just as she was about to look inside, she heard footsteps behind her. Shen Weiwan's heart tightened, and she immediately lay down in the grass, hugging her knees and crying: "Wuwuwu... Mother, where is your jade hairpin..."
The person who came was the old housekeeper. He was leaning on a cane. Seeing Shen Weiwan lying on the ground crying, he hurried forward: “Miss, what’s the matter?”
Shen Weiwan raised her tearful eyes and pointed to the warehouse: "Old housekeeper, my mother said she buried the jade hairpin here, but I can't find it..."
The old housekeeper sighed, "When the Madam passed away, I was right beside her, but I didn't hear of any jade hairpin being buried with her..."
"Yes!" Shen Weiwan sat up suddenly, "My mother told me in a dream! It's under the third pomegranate tree!"
The old housekeeper had no choice but to ask someone to bring a hoe. Shen Weiwan took the opportunity to point to the drain: "Old housekeeper, do you see if there is anything there?"
The old housekeeper bent down to look, while Shen Weiwan pretended to help and secretly stuffed a small stone into the drain, blocking the latch inside. After the servants dug for a long time and found nothing, Shen Weiwan wiped her tears in "disappointment": "Maybe I remembered it wrong..."
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