Chapter 2
Qiu Chiyan had one leg propped up on the stool, his hands on his crutch, leaning against the counter.
Everyone who sees this will say that he is physically disabled but has a strong will.
Shen Yu suggested that they forget about it, since their accounting skills weren't that bad, but Qiu Chiyan insisted on doing something.
Let him be.
Shen Yu thought that people need to make themselves appear useful.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Chiyan was very efficient. In just two days, he sorted out the mess of accounts from the past two months and made everything clear.
"You mean, I've lost three qian of silver in the past two months?"
Shen Yu stared at the final amount, paused for a moment, blinked slightly, and silently scrolled forward.
How come this is different from her calculation?
Qiu Chiyan noticed her confusion and simply turned the page to last month for her.
"Buying new dishes... thirty pieces? A new table and chairs? That much! Did I buy it?"
"...It seems there was a fight at the inn." Qiu Chiyan pulled a piece of paper from another thin book and handed it over, his expression slightly complicated. "This is...from the guests, isn't it?"
A letter of repentance.
The note was signed by an unfamiliar name and essentially said that I had provoked the guests at Chang Le Inn by overturning the table and smashing the food, and I was truly sorry to everyone at the inn.
The handwriting is messy and contains typos.
But how could a江湖客 (jianghu kè, a person from the martial arts world) truly apologize properly? The letter of repentance seemed to be written under duress.
However, it is clear that the perpetrator has not yet paid any compensation; the inn itself has paid for it.
"I remember now, Liu Liu was talking about that." Shen Yu suddenly realized, putting away the letter of repentance. "She said that a fight suddenly broke out in the lobby, and we weren't there to stop it. That person was just a down-on-his-luck wanderer who had no money to pay compensation, so Liu Liu made him write an apology letter as a token gesture."
Qiu Chiyan had been standing at this counter for two days, so he naturally saw the wooden sign hanging in the most conspicuous position in the lobby—
If you're going to fight, please leave outside. Don't smash my pots and pans.
It seems that although Sanhe Town is not large, it is a thoroughfare with waterways and land routes. People coming and going include traveling merchants,镖客 (bodyguards),江湖游侠 (wandering knights), and of course, drunkards, gamblers, and debt collectors.
A place where all sorts of people mingle, where information flows freely, but also where troubles abound.
It wasn't easy for the three of them to run an inn here.
However, they are easygoing people. When people said they couldn't afford to pay, they really didn't want the money.
"Then what about this debt..."
"That's all for now, thanks!"
Shen Yu didn't seem to care much about losing money, as long as she could figure out where the money came from and how it disappeared.
In Qiu Chiyan's view, not only the shopkeeper, but also the two employees were just getting by. Although they worked hard, they lacked organization.
Even a constable like him knows that in business, accounts must be clear for a good reputation to last; one must be kind to others, but also know one's limits.
But he was a newcomer who had only been there for two days, so he couldn't say these things directly.
Moreover, when chatting with them, they themselves said that Shen Yu only wanted to find something interesting to do because her parents were traveling far away. As for Gong Er and Yao Liuliu, their words were vague, only saying that they were idle anyway, so they came out to do some work.
Poor, but self-sufficient.
Qiu Chiyan felt that this description of them was most appropriate.
Chang Le Inn wasn't very busy; only a handful of people came to eat and stay. He, acting as the temporary accountant, didn't have many accounts to keep track of on a daily basis.
He sat at the counter, mostly idly observing the customers and pedestrians coming and going.
Because of the Hundred Gates Sacrifice Blade, more and more martial arts practitioners are carrying weapons with them.
Qiu Chiyan has always had excellent hearing, and he could occasionally hear the hushed conversations of several tables of patrons.
Slightly different from previous years, this year more than a dozen sects gathered in Sanhe Town. They will first send their elite young disciples to spar and compete, and then the sect leader will personally take action.
Ultimately, this is essentially a triennial martial arts alliance leader selection conference, merely using the pretext of commemorating ancestors and sages.
Qiu Chiyan thought that the fact that he was attacked must have forced someone to take such a desperate measure, because he must have inadvertently touched on a truth that some people did not want to be revealed.
He might as well lie low here. With the grand event imminent, experts from all factions will gather, and the mixed crowd will make it a good time to gather information.
On the fourth day of keeping the accounts, someone finally came to see him.
"When Manager Shen delivered the message to the rice shop, I couldn't quite believe it. I observed outside for a few days before coming in." The customer leisurely rummaged through his purse, gathering change, while whispering, "What happened? Do you know who did it?"
Qiu Chiyan remained calm, slowly working on the abacus: "I don't know yet. Are you familiar with this inn?"
"Don't worry, Manager Shen has been doing his job well for the past two years. But how long do you plan to stay here?"
"I'll find a suitable time to explain the truth to the shopkeeper first." Qiu Chiyan wasn't sure how long it would take, but he didn't want to trouble others for his own convenience. "You guys go and check on the itinerant doctor who gives public lectures in town. If you hear anything, report it immediately."
“I’ve heard about that.” The man deliberately threw a copper coin on the ground and bent down to pick it up. “That doctor chose a deserted, dilapidated temple, and a dozen or so people went there every day. He lectured in public, using these temporary apprentices as examples to analyze and treat patients.”
"So you're asked to find out things you don't know, such as where the doctor goes after class, who he meets, and whether there are any problems with his medicines."
"What, you doubt him?"
Qiu Chiyan counted the copper coins, pushed a few pieces of silver back into the money box, and looked up with a gentle smile: "Check first. I'll investigate the people who want to kill me myself."
He suddenly raised his voice, adopting the demeanor of a friendly innkeeper, and said loudly, "Take care!"
After seeing his colleagues off, he lowered his head to write down an account, and suddenly felt as if a scorching gaze was being cast down from above.
He suddenly looked up.
On the handrail at the corner of the stairs, Shen Yu was holding a rag, leaning casually against it, a faint smile curving her eyebrows.
Their eyes met, and Qiu Chiyan's mind raced.
Given the distance and the volume of his voice, was Shen Yu able to hear him?
But that look in his eyes…
She heard it.
I just don't know how much I heard.
However, Shen Yu did not have an attack during the day.
For some reason, Qiu Chiyan felt very guilty, anxious and unsure of how to speak.
After preparing until the last guest left that evening, Qiu Chiyan steeled himself, gripping his cane to encourage himself, but it was Shen Yu who spoke first:
"Is Qiu Chiyan...his real name?"
"...Yes, I didn't mean to hide it a few days ago, but..."
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Shen Yu seemed to have guessed what he was going to say. She was already satisfied with the confirmation that he knew her real name. "Which government department are you from?"
Qiu Chiyan stood up straight and told the truth: "I am Qiu Chiyan, the head constable of the Six Doors in the capital. I came here to handle a case, but something unexpected happened."
Shen Yu gave an "Oh," her expression a half-smile: "I understand, I understand. I knew it, why do those rice shop assistants have the same wary look in their eyes as you? Is that Zhao Ze also their real name?"
"They are my colleagues. I hope the shopkeeper will not reveal our identities to others."
"Of course I won't tell, but I think you'd better also let Gong Erliu know. They're very reliable, and if they don't know what you're doing, it might cause problems."
Qiu Chiyan was taken aback: "Does the shopkeeper mean I can stay here?"
“Of course!” Shen Yu said firmly. “How interesting! Tell me, what are you investigating?”
"…this…"
“Then let’s talk about it when you need it.” Shen Yu made a quick decision. Seeing his hesitation, she didn’t want to put him in a difficult position. “I know quite a lot of things. I just overheard them from casual conversations or by eavesdropping. I have pretty good ears, hehe.”
It's obvious.
Qiu Chiyan secretly grumbled to himself.
Moreover, the shopkeeper's footsteps were very light, and neither he nor Zhao Ze noticed him at all, which suggests that he must also be skilled in martial arts.
With his secrets no longer hidden, he felt relieved and could now focus wholeheartedly on investigating the case.
The news from Zhao Ze's side came quickly, but he still had to hide his identity and personally deliver the rice to the door carrying several bags of rice.
While waiting for Qiu Chiyan to settle the bill, he sized up the people in the store.
Shen Yu seemed to be distributing freshly made pastries to the guests, and the two waiters were not in the lobby.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, he quickly moved closer and whispered, "Our people went in and listened. The doctor's diagnosis and treatment were all routine. His prescriptions and treatments didn't reveal anything unusual. We couldn't find any problem."
Do you have the prescription?
"Yes." Zhao Ze carefully took it out from his pocket and placed it under the other party's ledger.
Would you like some cheese cherries?
Shen Yu's voice came from behind, startling Zhao Ze so much that he almost dropped the prescription.
"Shopkeeper, why do you walk so quietly..." He quickly straightened his clothes and turned to look at her.
"Would you like some cherry cheese? It's freshly made." Shen Yu insisted on holding up a small plate. "It's a new product, so it's free to try."
Qiu Chiyan, sitting down, tugged at Zhao Ze's sleeve: "Stop acting, Manager Shen knows who we are."
"Hey, you should have said so earlier." Zhao Ze was also a very outgoing person. He grinned at Shen Yu and picked up a pastry. "I've heard that Manager Shen is a good cook. We live so close by, but I've never had the chance to come and support her. I'm so ashamed."
"Then come more often in the future, I like cooking."
While the two ate, Qiu Chiyan lowered his head and flipped through the prescription.
Although he was not knowledgeable in medicine, he had seen a lot of cases and was familiar with many medicinal herbs.
These recipes, after a cursory glance, seemed to have no connection to the previous cases.
"Can you understand it?" Zhao Ze asked, watching his expression as he ate.
"So-so." Qiu Chiyan's eyes remained fixed on the prescription.
"...So what are you looking at?"
Shen Yu glanced at his hand, and through the ink on the back of the paper, she could barely make out a few words.
"Acorus calamus, turmeric, forsythia, talc, bamboo sap... Is this Acorus calamus and turmeric decoction?"
"...Does the shopkeeper recognize you?" Zhao Ze grabbed the prescription and handed it to Shen Yu.
Shen Yu glanced at it and confirmed: "It's a formula for febrile diseases. It resolves phlegm, clears the orifices, and eliminates heat and dampness. It can relieve mental confusion and chest tightness caused by the accumulation of phlegm and heat. It's a very common formula."
"Nothing unusual?"
"Hmm... I don't know the patient's condition, so I can't tell if the dosage is appropriate. However, if it's just a febrile disease, the dosage should be light, not so much. But the proportions in this prescription seem to deliberately amplify the effect of opening the mind and waking the spirit."
Those who can study medicine must be people with clear minds, so who is this medicine prescribed for?
Qiu Chiyan understood the key to it.
Actually, going to the scene is the easiest and quickest way; every word and action can reveal flaws. It's just that he's currently…
Qiu Chiyan had no choice but to ask Zhao Ze for help: "I'm not able to go there these days, so I'll have to trouble you to screen all the apprentices. Especially the ones who were prescribed this medicine... it would be best to also check their families."
"What are you saying?" Zhao Ze patted his shoulder, then glanced at Shen Yu.
"Manager Shen has been a great help today. There are many things that are inconvenient for us here, and if we encounter anything related to medicine, I don't currently have anyone I can trust to help. I wonder if Manager Shen... could..."
"Come to me if you need anything!" Shen Yu patted his chest and assured him, "I've studied medicine with my mother for a long time! I know how to prescribe medicine and perform acupuncture!"
"Alright! Thank you, Manager Shen!" His gaze shifted downwards again, fixed on the small plate in Shen Yu's hand.
Shen Yu also felt this warmth and hurriedly stuffed it all into his hands.
One of the happiest things in the world is having someone enjoy the food she makes.
After happily seeing Zhao Ze off, she realized that there was still one person at the table who hadn't eaten.
Just as she was about to go to the kitchen, a young man with a sword entered through the door.
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