Chapter 346: The Gatekeeper Died Violently
Su Qianqian raised her eyebrows slightly, and an idea flashed in her mind. At this moment, a little boy ran out from the back hall: "Mom, I smell the scent of Chijiang. You haven't taken it out for a long time."
"Yueming, why don't you study hard? You're just greedy! Come on, I'll get you some fish cakes with red sauce."
A girl named Yi Qiao walked over and lovingly led a boy who was about the same age as Xue Ke into the room.
"Okay, Aunt Wu, lead the way." Su Qianqian nodded and stood up, following Aunt Wu to the back. Qin Hanzhang and Jiang Baipin followed behind, and went through the small door into the backyard.
The backyard was a small courtyard with two upper rooms, an ear room, and a wing room on each side. Aunt Wu took them into the upper room.
Although the furniture in the room was old, it was very clean. Aunt Wu asked them to sit down, pondered for a moment, and suddenly bowed solemnly to Su Qianqian, who hurriedly reached out to support her.
"What does Aunt Wu mean?"
"Sir, although I don't know who you are, but for the sake of my obsession for so many years, I still have to try again. Maybe this time, it will work..." Aunt Wu murmured as if talking to herself.
Sitting down next to Su Qianqian, Aunt Wu considered for a while before speaking again: "Sir, are you an official from Xijing?"
"Why does Aunt Wu ask this?" Su Qianqian asked instead of answering.
"The waiter at Fulai Inn is called Ergou, the son of the eldest brother of the Tong family. For so many years, the eldest brother of the Tong family has not allowed Ergou to approach my shop. How can he know what my fish soup tastes like? Unless he deliberately asked you to come here!"
Aunt Wu said word by word.
"Why did he do this?" Su Qianqian really didn't expect that Ergou, who looked like a husky, actually had such a smart brain.
"This is a long story, I will try to talk about the most important things..."
"My late husband was originally a gatekeeper in Jinning City. Although he was only a minor official, my husband and I lived a comfortable life without seeking wealth or fame.
We raised three daughters. That year I became pregnant again and met a Taoist priest who said that my baby would definitely be a boy. My late husband was very happy.
He happened to be on duty on the day I was due to give birth. By evening, I still hadn't given birth. He was worried, so he asked Brother Tong to take over the shift and he secretly came back to see me.
But before the child was born, someone came to say that there was an urgent order and that he needed to use his seal. My husband ran back in a panic.
The next day, my husband returned home worried. Even when he saw his long-awaited son, he showed no joy, but cried secretly.
That night my husband drank and talked to me a lot. Although I didn’t understand what he said, I knew that he couldn’t tell anyone else. I advised him not to dwell on it and just think of it as a dream, but he shook his head and said no…
On the second day, my late husband dressed neatly and left home. Before he left, he told me that if anything happened to him, I must raise our children well and tell them that he, as a father, was worthy of the word "man"..."
Aunt Wu burst into tears when she said this.
"When I received the letter, I had been in a state of panic for the entire day. My late husband had suddenly died of a serious illness in the county government office. When he died, blood was oozing from all his orifices, his eyes were wide open, and the nails on both of his hands were broken.
My son was three days old at that time. I rushed to the county government office with the child in my arms to collect the body. I asked the coroner to perform an autopsy, but the master scolded me, saying that I had buried my husband in such a hurry without considering his final dignity.
My late husband died in unclear circumstances, but I remembered what he said about raising our four children well, so I could only hide my tears and use the skills I learned at my mother's home to open this fish soup shop, and I have been able to survive day by day until now.
My late husband’s surname was Hu and his name was Qiao, so this fish soup was called Hu Qiao Fish Soup to remember the injustice he suffered. ”
Aunt Wu wiped her tears and said solemnly, "I know this matter is serious. It is difficult for a commoner to sue the officials. Telling this matter may even lead to a fatal disaster. However, I will never forget my late husband's eyes until I die. Whenever there are foreign guests, I will serve them a dish of red sauce and ask for help if there is a chance.
If you can bring this injustice to the Dali Temple on my behalf, even if that fails, I will burn eternal lamps every day and pray for you, Sir, to express my gratitude for your help in redressing my grievances. ”
It turned out to be the wife of the city gate officer. I didn't expect that she was still seeking justice for her husband after so many years. However, her strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
The reason why her family of orphans and widows are still here is that those who killed her husband didn't take her seriously at all.
"Why can you trust me?" Su Qianqian asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t trust you, but I trust Brother Tong. Brother Tong and his wife have refused to approach this shop for so many years, not because they are afraid of getting into trouble, but because they want to help us, an orphan and a widow.
At the beginning, I went to ask him many times, and I held a grudge against him for being rejected, and called him a coward. But later, rice and firewood often appeared in my yard, and when I asked the neighbors, they all said they didn't know.
I was determined to find this benefactor even if I stayed up all night, but I found out that it was Brother Tong and Ergou who sent me there. I put it down and left in a hurry.
At that time, I thought that Brother Tong must have done something wrong and felt guilty. As I grew older, I suddenly realized that if a person did not mean it, how could he feel guilty? He was simply powerless, and the only way he could comfort his late husband was to ensure that we, mother and son, lived in peace.
So Ergou praised my fish soup and brought you here. He must have known that the Lord was willing to listen to my grievances and that he was a good official worthy of trust and capable. That is why he ignored Brother Tong's intentions and helped me secretly. ”
Su Qianqian nodded. Even a husky-like dog had a smart mind. She really didn't know how those two guys in the Earl of Loyalty and Bravery were trained. They were not as good as Zhu Jiayi in the Duke of Xuan's Mansion. At least she ate a lot and slept a lot.
Thinking of Duke Xuan's Mansion, Su Qianqian remembered something and asked Aunt Wu: "The county magistrate at that time is the ancient county magistrate now?"
Aunt Wu shook her head: "No, it's the Zhu family's master. He has been retired for many years. I heard that he burns incense and chants scriptures in the mansion, and occasionally goes to Pingyu to worship Buddha."
Su Qianqian understood that the Zhu family was not as selfless as they seemed. There was a reason for the deception used by Duke Xuan. It was ultimately because they could not escape fame and fortune.
"Aunt Wu, do you still remember what your husband said to you when he was drunk? If you believe me, it would be best if you could tell me every word so that I can understand a little bit."
When Su Qianqian said these words, she observed Aunt Wu's expression. She was very embarrassed and conflicted. Those words must be contrary to common sense, and it was too risky to mention them to a stranger.
"It's okay, Aunt Wu, you can think about it for two more days. We will leave Jinning the day after tomorrow. Before that, you can go to Fulai Inn to find me."
Su Qianqian did not force Aunt Wu to speak out. What she wanted to hear was the truth, not a made-up story.
"Mom, there are guests coming up ahead. Haven't you measured the ingredients yet? The guests can't wait, so let's put down the ingredients first and make the fish soup!"
As the crisp and soft sound of Shuangqiao was heard, Aunt Wu suddenly stood up with a serious look on her face.
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