Chapter 25 Brothers and Sisters
"I heard that Su Yunzhong has a younger sister?"
"Yes, but his family was poor when he was young, and it was difficult to raise him. Therefore, they were unable to raise his sister, so they gave her up for adoption after she was born."
Qian Deng remembered and asked, "How is my sister now? Is she married and has children?"
"Ever since he got a decent job, his family has been getting better off. When I visited, they were discussing bringing his sister back home." Cui Fufeng's memory of the trivial events from a year ago was a bit hazy. "I remember that his sister was adopted by a bamboo craftsman named He."
"A bamboo craftsman?" Qiandeng's eyes tightened as he looked up at him. "Can you make the bamboo mats like those in the warehouse?"
Her eyes were clear, with a glimpse of a glimpse into the secrets of heaven.
Cui Fufeng looked at her, his heart pounding slightly, but he spoke without hesitation, "It's definitely the bamboo craftsman. Su Yunzhong pointed to the bamboo lantern hanging in our house and told me that it was a gift from his sister. The lantern was indeed exquisitely crafted, and judging by his expression, he seems to have a good relationship with his adopted sister."
"But, his sister didn't come back?"
Cui Fufeng lowered his voice and asked, "Do you suspect Su Yunzhong?"
"Yes, but I don't know if it has anything to do with my mother's death. I'm sure he's hiding something." Qian Deng raised his hand and gently pressed the scar on his right eyebrow, muttering, "He has broad shoulders and a broad back, stable elbows and heavy wrists, which is very conducive to learning archery."
"But during his training, he fired three arrows, two of which missed the target, and one was shot sideways and weakly," Cui Fufeng pondered. "Given his background, his candidacy was a hard-earned opportunity. If he's truly skilled in horseback archery, why did he behave so erratically?"
Qiandeng was thinking silently when Cui Fufeng's breathing suddenly became heavier.
It turned out that his wound was throbbing with pain, his face turned pale, and he covered his chest and tried his best to suppress the pain.
But he suppressed his anger and continued, "Speaking of bows and arrows, the King of Linhuai has already sent soldiers to take charge of security, and something has happened in the manor. The bows and arrows previously assigned to them should no longer remain with you gentlemen."
Qian Deng saw that his face was getting paler and gestured for him to rest. "Mr. Cui, you shouldn't sit for long after your injury. Rest for a while. I'll have someone collect the bows and arrows."
Cui Fufeng really couldn't hold on any longer. He nodded, stood up and slowly leaned back on the couch.
Qiandeng went out and ordered his men to collect all the bows and arrows. To prevent any omissions, he asked them to put their names on the bows and arrows.
When everyone heard they were going to take back their bows and arrows, they handed them over readily. After all, the county lord's mother had died from an arrow, and now that the Prince of Linhuai had sent people to maintain security here, they no longer needed them for self-defense, so taking back the bows and arrows was only natural.
Nine bows and arrows were quickly delivered to Cui Fufeng's room and placed in front of them.
As Qiandeng ordered, a name was attached to each bow to indicate who had used it.
Qiandeng picked up the bow marked with Su Yunzhong and took a look. It was an ordinary military bow, no different from the others.
These were new bows from the same batch taken out from the East Palace warehouse, delivered together with the horses, and randomly distributed to him. The nine bows were almost identical.
Qian Deng was thinking about comparing the bows and arrows, and when his eyes fell on Shi Jingning's, he felt something was wrong.
She picked up Shi Jingning's bow and turned her eyes to the bowstring. She saw two tiny marks where the silk string was connected to the upper and lower bow tips. It seemed that something had rubbed there, leaving slight marks.
The bows that had just been taken out of the warehouse were all painted with a bright and even black paint, so the slightest scratches could be quickly detected, while other people's bows did not have such marks.
"Why do these marks look so strange?" Qian Deng pointed out the two spots to Cui Fufeng. "What did he do with the bow in the past couple of days to leave such marks?"
Cui Fufeng leaned on the couch, took the bow and looked at it carefully.
But he was a civil servant. Although he was young and intelligent, and was able to handle affairs from the Hanlin Academy to the Ministry of Rites with ease, he had little knowledge of bows, crossbows, swords, and knives, and there was no sign of his knowledge.
He put down his bow and thought, "Shi Jingning... I remember he likes carving?"
Qiandeng knew what he meant. After all, the knife that scratched Uncle Fu's neck was the sharp carving knife made by Qingyan Residence.
But she said firmly, "It's impossible. Jingning has been respectful to my mother since he was young, and he is also familiar with Uncle Fu. He... can't do such a thing."
Cui Fufeng raised his hand and gently touched the wound on his chest. Even in the pain, he looked at her with a calm and clear gaze: "Do you still understand Shi Jingning?"
Qian Deng had no intention of hiding anything and simply said, "After his father passed away, my grandfather took pity on him and arranged for him to live in the village for a while. I often played with him back then. He liked carving back then, and I even asked him to carve a little rabbit for me. But I was a spoiled child and disliked his carving, so I played with it for a few seconds and then threw it away..."
At this point, long-lost memories flooded into her mind. She remembered something and suddenly became stunned.
Seeing her in a daze, Cui Fufeng thought to himself, if that's the case, they can be considered childhood sweethearts.
But he lowered his eyelashes and said nothing more. He simply handed her the bow and said, "Perhaps you can show the marks on this bow to the Shuofang soldiers guarding Zhuangzi. They may know."
But to Qiandeng's disappointment, the guards of the Shuofang Army were all infantrymen, and were not familiar with bows and crossbows. They all shook their heads in confusion.
She got nothing, and turned back with her bow and arrow, feeling heavy-hearted.
When she reached the wing where her fiancés lived, she hesitated for a moment, then asked a maid to call out Shi Jingning for her.
Except for Nan Yu who was imprisoned, the nine candidates for husband now lived in the wing room. When the maid called out to Shi Jingning, everyone, either at the window or at the door, looked at Shi Jingning with different eyes.
Shi Jingning no longer cared about these things. He quickened his pace and walked towards the county lord with mixed emotions. After bowing to her, he used his body to block the view from behind.
He lowered his head, handed her the food box, and said shyly, "I was just about to go find the county lady."
Qiandeng glanced at the person inside and motioned him to go to the corner with him. Then he took the food box and opened it. Inside were four golden and crispy almond cakes, made into the shape of a reclining raccoon, with sesame seeds as eyes and ears and tails, which were very cute.
She knew at first glance that this was definitely not made by the farm cook. She picked it up and looked at it, then asked Shi Jingning, "Did you make this yourself?"
Shi Jingning nodded and said sincerely, "The county lady has been having trouble sleeping and eating lately, so I borrowed the kitchen at the manor to make these snacks for you to try. I hope the county lady will take good care of herself and not neglect her health."
Qiandeng took one and took a bite slowly.
After her mother's death, she had lost her appetite, only eating a little under Aunt Xuanji's coercion. Shi Jingning's cooking skills were truly remarkable. The small cakes were baked to a crispy and fluffy texture. The rich aroma of wheat and the sweet aftertaste of almonds blended between her lips and teeth, and the fragrance of sesame and the sweetness of crispy candy created a rich and layered taste that made her savor it for a long time, and even the sadness of reality seemed to dispel some of it.
"It's delicious, thank you for your trouble."
Shi Jingning said hurriedly: "If the county magistrate likes it, I will make more next time."
"No need. These are extraordinary times, after all. It's better for you to stay indoors and not be alone." Qian Deng handed the bow and arrow to him and asked directly, "I came to you to ask, is this yours?"
Shi Jingning was a little confused: "That should be the case, aren't everyone's bows the same?"
Qian Deng tilted his bow and pointed out the two marks to him: "Then, what is this?"
He looked bewildered. "Where did it get rubbed against? I don't remember... Will I be punished for wearing out the East Palace's bows?"
Seeing that he was completely clueless, Qian Deng asked again, "You, Shangluo, and Su Yunzhong lived in the same room, right? Who collected the bows and arrows?"
"After I pasted the name, Su Yunzhong handed it to Aunt Xuanji. The paste was still wet at the time."
The glue is still wet, so it's easy to change the name tag.
She remained calm, while Shi Jingning looked at the marks on the bow with concern and asked, "I really can't remember when I wore out the East Palace's bow. Can I compensate it according to the price when I return?"
"Don't worry, it's just a small matter." Qian Deng knew that he was a meticulous and considerate person, so she comforted him, "Just treat it as nothing. Go back and carry on as usual. Remember to go out as little as possible."
He responded with a gentle expression: "Yes, I will listen to the county lady."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com