Jiang Jiuniang was happy to be back so often, and was sincerely grateful to the villagers for helping her clean her house. She asked around the village and bought a mature pig to share with everyone.
This small amount of money is nothing to her now, but everyone is very grateful to her and says they will definitely take good care of the house in the future.
The family of three had dinner at Zhang's house that evening. Although they had been separated for many years, they were not at all estranged and chatted about everyday things, which made them very happy.
What Jiang Jiuniang admired most was that Zhang Saozi was a smart woman. The conversation always revolved around the children. She first talked about how excellent Gou'er was and told her two sons to learn from Gou'er and cherish the opportunity to study. Then she mentioned that Jiang Jiuniang was pregnant and shared some experiences during her pregnancy. She didn't mention Lu Baichuan's official position in the capital, nor did she ask what kind of business the Lu family was doing or how big their business was.
Brother Zhang was curious and wanted to ask them what they were doing back this time, but he was cut off by Sister-in-law Zhang before he could even get started.
"What's wrong with you? What other reason could they have for going back to their own homes? Of course they can come back whenever they want!"
After Zhang's wife finished speaking, she smiled and said to Lu Baichuan, "Don't mind him, eat more!"
Lu Baichuan said, "I have some things to take care of, so I'm coming back to stay for a while."
Zhang Youwei chuckled and said, "It's good to stay for a while. I won't go out to set up my stall tomorrow. I'll go up the mountain to see if there's anything good, and let your sister-in-law show you her skills again!"
Although they knew that the Lu family was now well-off and didn't lack such good things, they still wanted to express their gratitude by delivering pork to the village as soon as they returned. It was a token of their appreciation, no matter what.
Sister Zhang nodded and said, "Yes, let's go into the mountains to find some game or mushrooms or something..."
"No need, no need, Brother Zhang, you mustn't delay your business. There are many outsiders in the city these days, which is a good time to do business. We're not in a hurry."
Even if Jiang Jiuniang has a sweet tooth, she can't stop others from making money. It's a rare treat to have so many customers; it would be a real shame not to make some money from it.
"fine……"
Sister-in-law Zhang wanted to decline, but Jiang Jiuniang stopped her: "Sister-in-law, listen to my advice, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Alright, then you can stay a while longer. Once things calm down, I'll have your Brother Zhang hunt some wild game to help you recover!"
"Okay!"
Jiang Jiuniang readily agreed, and Zhang Youwei laughed from the side, "Did you hear about the treasure on your way back? So many people have suddenly come to Changzhou, all for the treasure!"
Lu Baichuan and Jiang Jiuniang exchanged a glance, and instead of answering, asked, "Brother Zhang, do you know the reason behind this?"
Zhang Youwei waved his hand and said, "I'm not really sure. I only know that it's a scam."
The two became even more interested: "How did you know?"
"Because I know that Taoist priest who's been talked about like a god! He's just a charlatan who sets up a fortune-telling stall right next to my pancake stall. Sometimes when he can't fool anyone and he's broke, he'll shamelessly ask me for pancakes."
Zhang Youwei took a sip of wine and continued, "Sigh, he was forced by life to do so, but at least he has a bottom line. He only cheats the rich, not us poor people."
That's why Zhang Youwei was willing to give the Taoist priest pancakes when the priest was starving.
Lu Baichuan and Jiang Jiuniang exchanged another glance, seeing the same expression in each other's eyes.
It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to you effortlessly!
"Then why did he suddenly bring up the treasure? And among those who have been lured here from afar are poor people, why would he still want to deceive them?"
Lu Baichuan's expression turned serious. Zhang Youwei had only intended to chat about it as gossip, but seeing Lu Baichuan's demeanor, he suddenly felt a little flustered and cautiously asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Baichuan sat up straight instantly, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "To be honest, Brother Zhang, we came back this time to investigate this matter. This matter involves a wide range of people and has already spread to several cities outside, causing a lot of turmoil. If it is not restrained, I'm afraid the world will be in chaos."
Zhang's family was stunned. They thought it was just a con artist playing a trick on them, but they didn't expect it to be so serious!
"Is it really that serious?"
Zhang Youwei was stuttering, and the meat in his bowl suddenly smelled delicious.
Lu Baichuan nodded seriously: "It is indeed very serious, so Brother Zhang, if you have any clues, you must tell me. It is of great importance."
"Okay, okay, I'll think about it carefully!"
Zhang Youwei stopped eating and just sat there thinking about the Taoist priest.
“I remember now! I remember the last time he came to buy pancakes from me, he looked very sad and said that it might be the last time he would eat pancakes from my family in his life. At the time, I thought he was joking with me, so I asked him if he was going to go somewhere else to make a living. He said no, someone was forcing him to do something against his conscience and threatening him with the lives of his family. He has never been one to tell the truth, so I just listened casually and didn't take it to heart. Now that I think about it, he really did look quite sad at the time.”
Zhang Youwei slapped his thigh, regretting that he should have asked a few more questions back then!
When was the last time he asked you to buy pancakes?
Zhang Youwei carefully calculated the time and cautiously said, "I estimate it was about two months ago, but I forgot the exact date."
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhang slapped him on the back: "What do you mean you forgot? Think carefully!"
Zhang Youwei looked at the others, who were also staring at him expectantly.
His two sons, in particular, said, "This is of great importance, Father!"
Zhang Youwei suddenly felt immense pressure and, holding his head, said, "Okay, okay, I'll think about it!"
So he started to look back day by day, carefully thinking about what he was doing at the time.
“I remember now, it was the afternoon of the 18th two months ago! The owner of the inn next door came to check the accounts that day and said that the inn’s income was not very good. He got very angry and scared me. I was setting up my stall outside. The owner’s cursing was really awful. I figured there were no customers and the weather was cold, so I might as well pack up and go home. That’s when the Taoist priest came.”
“In the past, he was always stingy when buying pancakes, often haggling with me, saying things like he couldn’t cheat a rich person in a few days and it was really not easy for him. But that day he was very generous and gave me a tael of silver directly, saying that he was paying back the food I had given him before.”
Zhang Youwei laughed heartily, feeling that he was incredibly clever.
Jiang Jiuniang asked, "Are you sure it's the 18th?"
He nodded vigorously: "I'm sure, because the innkeeper checks the accounts on the 18th of every month. That period happens to be during the Spring Festival, when many people from other places have gone back to their hometowns, so business is not good. That's why the innkeeper got so angry."
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