Chapter 22 Cranberry Soup
The person who opened the door was Gu Xixi herself.
She bowed gracefully and said, "I greet you, gentlemen."
"Hello, village chief uncle."
Lao Qian introduced the two parties and said with a smile, "I am just here to ask a few questions. You don't have to be too nervous."
Gu Xixi nodded slightly, took two steps back and invited them in.
"It's been very hot this morning. You've all been traveling a long way. Why don't you sit down and take a breath and have a bowl of cranberry soup?"
The five yamen runners were wearing official uniforms and had serious expressions.
One of them should be the leader, his surname was Ma, and he was called Master Ma. He was about to refuse when Aunt Zhang came over with two white porcelain bowls.
She greeted with a smile, "This sour plum soup is a recipe made by our daughter. The ingredients are all picked from the back mountain, wild hawthorns that were dried last year, fresh wild berries now, with rock sugar and dried osmanthus. It is cooked before dawn and hung in this well."
"It's sour, sweet, and icy. Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!"
After hearing what she said, the two yamen runners in front of them took the porcelain bowl involuntarily.
The other three couldn't help swallowing.
It was already noon, and they were a little thirsty after coming from the county town.
The appearance of two bowls of cranberry soup was a fatal blow to sanity.
Yamen Runner A held the bowl and said, "It's very refreshing."
Yamen Runner B tried hard to hold back his saliva. "The soup is red in color and smells like flowers and fruits. I have never seen such a drink before."
Old Qian nodded and praised, "My niece is really clever and skillful."
Aunt Zhang had already swiftly brought a few bowls and stuffed them into each guest's hands one by one.
"Everyone, please feel free to drink!"
Ma Ye was stared at expectantly by several of his men. After a moment's hesitation, he finally agreed, "It's just a bowl of water to quench your thirst. It's not a violation of discipline. Drink it."
Everyone had been waiting for this sentence for a long time, and immediately picked up their bowls and drank happily.
"Mmm!!! Delicious!"
“It’s so delicious that I can’t describe it!”
"The ice bean drink sold in the county town is far inferior to this!"
Sweets are hard to come by, and no one would be willing to drink such a delicious refreshing drink in one gulp.
Old Qian asked Aunt Zhang to move a few small stools, and they sat down, holding the bowl in their hands, and drank slowly, one sip at a time.
Ma Ye did not forget about his official duties. While drinking, he said to Gu Xixi, "Old Qian has already told me about the bandits who came to your house to rob you yesterday."
"When we leave, we will take the criminal away. Since we have caught him in the act, we have the evidence. When we go to court to sentence him, you, a girl, don't have to be there."
Gu Xixi bowed, "Thank you, Master Ma, for your consideration."
Master Ma nodded, glanced at Lao Qian, and started chatting casually, "The government register says you bought a husband, why don't you see him today?"
Gu Xixi's heart skipped a beat.
No matter how much you delay, the problem you don't want to face will still come.
Master Ma took another sip of cranberry soup, but his eyes seemed to be fixed on Gu Xixi's face.
Gu Xixi raised her head and smiled without any reservations, "Are you talking about Chen Fang? I am still in mourning and have not married him, so we are not considered husband and wife."
Master Ma nodded. "Whether they are married or not, he is yours now. Why don't you ask him to come out to meet you? Or is it that...he is not feeling well today and it is inconvenient for him to get up?"
As he spoke, he looked up at Gu Xixi, and the other four yamen runners also put down their bowls and looked over.
Gu Xixi naturally sensed the danger and immediately stood up and said, "How could it be."
"He worked with me on some wild tea trees last night and went to bed late."
Old Qian also winked quietly, "It's already so late, don't sleep anymore, wake him up quickly."
Seeing Gu Xixi turn around and walk towards the west room, Lao Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, he had some knowledge. The reason why the yamen sent so many runners at once might not be as simple as "rechecking the population".
As the village chief, he certainly doesn't want any problems to occur in his village.
So on the way to Gu Xixi's house just now, he spoke a lot of good words to help Gu Xixi.
For example, "At least five generations before her have never committed a crime", "Although her father is a landlord, he is an honest man", "Her father was not very old when he passed away, it is not easy for the little girl to be alone"...
When Gu Xixi turned her back to everyone, there was no smile on her face.
The government office really came here to look for someone.
No matter what their mission was, they were looking for Mu Nanzhao.
It would be a huge disaster if Mu Nanzhao was found to be seriously injured and unconscious.
What to do? What can I do now?
If Mu Nanzhao wakes up, maybe there is still a chance to fool him...
Just when Gu Xixi was feeling extremely upset, the door to the west room suddenly opened.
Hearing the door open, everyone in the yard looked over there.
The man was neatly dressed and looked sleepy, indicating that he had just gotten up.
He yawned. "What kind of guests are coming so early?"
Gu Xixi was as if she had been pardoned. She stepped forward with a smile and said, "A few officials from the county government have arrived."
"It's very rude of you to sleep at this time."
Afraid that Mu Nanzhao would not be able to stand steadily after waking up, she pretended to be intimate and put her arms around his.
Mu Nanzhao looked back at Gu Xixi meaningfully, pulled his arm free, and strode towards the center of the yard.
"I didn't know you were coming, so I woke up at this hour. Please forgive me."
Lao Qian was very happy, "I really overslept."
Master Ma stared at Mu Nanzhao, not knowing what he was looking at.
After a moment, he drank the remaining cranberry soup and handed the empty bowl directly to Mu Nanzhao.
"I'm still a little thirsty, could you give me another half bowl of water?"
Mu Nanzhao reached out to take it, but Master Ma held the bowl tightly.
After two breaths of stalemate, Master Ma finally let go of his hand and said with a smile, "You are in good shape and quite energetic."
Mu Nanzhao said calmly, "If a farmer doesn't have some strength, he will probably be despised by the master."
Gu Xixi recalled that when Mu Nanzhao was first sent here, he was obviously not in good health.
I also agreed with him, "When Chen Fang first came, he had a cough. I was worried that I would suffer a loss if I bought a sick person."
"In the end, I got better after taking herbs for a few days. I guess I was lucky."
The scrutiny in Ma Ye's eyes faded, and he smiled, "You two are both very humorous, which shows that you are a good match."
He stood up and waved his hand, "We still have to visit other families, so we won't drink the water."
Aunt Zhang saw the guest off warmly, and when she closed the door and looked back, there was no one in the yard.
In the west room, Gu Xixi helped Mu Nanzhao sit down on the bed and saw cold sweat on the back of his neck.
"It hurts? Could it be that the wound has opened up again?"
Mu Nanzhao had a blank expression on his face, "The wound was treated well, so that little movement wouldn't be necessary."
He had been forbearing just now, and his every move and gesture did not reveal any clues.
Gu Xixi looked at him and found something wrong. "When did you wake up?"
Mu Nanzhao said without hesitation, "It's just dawn."
Gu Xixi's expression turned cold, "You woke up so early, why didn't you tell me?"
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