Multiple crushes
Because of the sudden heavy rain in the morning, the streets were no longer as crowded and lively as usual. Shao Hansu and his subordinate Yi Yun, who had just finished dealing with something, were walking on the street.
"How's the investigation into the merchant ship fire at the dock going?"
Shao Hansu asked seemingly casually.
Yi Yun hurriedly replied,
"The Maritime Customs Office didn't find any records of the vessel. I just heard that Liu Xinda directly arranged for a ship to sail two days ago."
Shao Hansu's face darkened as he was walking. Liu Xinda was the person Xu Zhizhou trusted the most, which meant he represented the Zhizhou himself.
It seems that this is not an ordinary merchant ship.
No wonder when this happened, Xu Zhizhou only sent Liu Xinda to investigate the matter and did not let himself intervene.
Suddenly, a little boy stopped them at the corner of the street and said that someone asked him to give something in his hand to Mr. Shao.
Upon hearing this, Shao Hansu and Yi Yun looked at each other for a second, and then Yi Yun took the note from the boy.
It only said on it: If you want to know about merchant ships, just follow this map for instructions. There was a map attached under the line of words.
Without much delay, the two of them hurried to the place depicted in the picture.
Shao Hansu knew that this piece of paper might not be real, but he didn't want to miss any possible clues.
They came to a ruin in the suburbs, and Yi Yun used the sharp knife in his hand to dig up the soil under a big tree in the center of the ruins indicated in the picture.
Soon a wooden box appeared in front of them. When they opened the box, they found it was filled with black and gray residue from burning items.
Shao Hansu looked down at the box.
"Take some back."
Yi Yun took out a square handkerchief, squatted on the ground and put the residue into the handkerchief bit by bit.
"Look at this."
Yi Yun raised his hand and handed over a piece of smoked black porcelain fragment mixed in with the debris. It was written on it: Liang.
Shao Hansu was not surprised at all to see this, as he knew very well the friendship between Liang Ye and Xu Zhizhou.
Liang Ye has always wanted to expand the Liang family's business, and he is unwilling to be inferior to the Shen family.
So he tried every possible way to make friends with Xu Zhizhou, hoping that he could help him.
It was obvious that the Liang family was a part of this merchant ship, but he was very curious about what kind of goods were carried on the ship that made them keep it so secret!
As soon as the sky was slightly bright, Fuyao got up, put on her clothes and went into the kitchen.
Because today is A Niang's birthday, she wants to cook a bowl of longevity noodles for her personally.
I have never been in the kitchen before, so I asked Qingning to teach me.
Finally, after the efforts of the two, a bowl of steaming noodles was ready.
"Mother, please try the longevity noodles I made."
Fuyao happily took the noodles and went to find A Niang.
Mrs. Tong, who had just finished washing up, looked at her daughter with satisfaction. At this moment, she felt that her daughter had really grown up.
Seeing that A Niang was looking at him, Fuyao put the noodles on the table, put his arms around her and led her to the table.
"Try it now, I'll make it for you every year from now on."
Madam Tong chuckled.
"good".
"How about it?"
Madam Tong had just taken a bite when Fuyao leaned over and couldn't help asking.
Mrs. Tong wiped the corners of her mouth with her handkerchief.
“Not bad, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.”
Fuyao straightened his back,
"I know that next year, I will make you fall in love with the noodles I make. This is my birthday gift to you."
She took out a heart-shaped purple eggplant bag from her waist, which was embroidered with a picture of pine and crane for longevity.
Mrs. Tong took the gift from her daughter and looked at the stitches and threads on it, her eyes suddenly became wet.
"It's really hard for you."
She knew that Fuyao was not like other girls in seclusion. She had loved wielding swords since she was young and was not very interested in needlework.
The needle hole looks pretty good, it must have taken a lot of thought.
"Why do you say that, mother? This is all from my heart."
Fuyao stepped forward and gently embraced Madam Tong's waist, burying her face in her chest.
She knew that her mother had raised her alone since she was a child and also had to run the shop.
She has to take care of the food and clothing expenses of the whole family by herself, so she feels very distressed.
Since Madam Tong didn't want to celebrate her birthday in a grand manner, Fuyao only asked people to book a place in the theater for the whole family to go there to watch a variety show.
The group got off the carriage in a lively manner, and everyone's face was filled with joy.
Madam Tong, Fuyao and two maids rode in a carriage.
Madam Xu, the chief steward, Uncle Yu and the maid rode in another car.
It's been a long time since we went out together like this.
When they arrived, the waiter hurriedly arranged for them to sit.
The seats are located on a high platform opposite the center of the stage, which provides a better visual experience and is less likely to be disturbed.
Everyone was chatting and laughing while cracking melon seeds, waiting for the show to begin.
"Isn't that Brother Chen?"
Before he could spit out the melon seed shells in his mouth, the pipe-loader hurriedly stood up, lifted the bamboo curtain on the left and walked out.
Fuyao looked up and saw that sitting in the shed diagonally opposite was Feng Chenyu, Shen Lingze, Cao Cang and his sister Cao Wei.
In a row of people, Feng Chenyu and Cao Wei sat in the middle, with Shen Lingze and Cao Cang sitting on both sides.
At this time, I don’t know what Cao Wei turned around and said to Feng Chenyu, but I saw that both of them had smiles on their faces.
He continued to nod his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the ground.
It has been a while since I last saw him, and Fuyao sometimes thought that he had finished his business and left Ganzhou.
Thinking of this, she angrily threw away the melon seeds in her hand, lowered her head and fiddled with her clothes absentmindedly, feeling a sudden sense of annoyance in her heart.
Just as she was in a daze, she heard footsteps coming from outside the curtain.
Then the curtain was lifted and Shen Lingze and others walked in.
"Aunt, happy birthday."
Shen Lingze greeted politely, then saluted to the others.
Madam Tong turned around and looked at him and smiled.
"Lingze, there's no need to be like this. When you get back, please thank Mr. Shen for the gift he sent yesterday. I like it very much."
"good."
Shen Lingze knew that it was Madam Tong's birthday today, but he didn't know that they would also come here to watch the show today.
The others also congratulated her, and Mrs. Tong thanked them one by one.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing Fuyao sitting weakly in her seat, Shen Lingze walked towards her.
"Maybe I got up early today and I'm a little tired."
Fuyao stood up and replied listlessly, yawning after she finished speaking.
"Ha ha."
Looking at her naughty look, Shen Lingze couldn't help but smile.
"Would you like to come over and sit with us?"
"I want to go too."
Before Fuyao could answer, the upper tube device raised his hand and shouted.
Madam Xu scolded with a sullen face,
"What are you going to do?"
"Go ahead. You're all young people, so it's okay to sit together. You might get bored if you stay with us."
Mrs. Tong raised her hand and motioned for them to go together.
Cao Cang ordered people to add more chairs. Today, Fuyao and Feng Chenyu tacitly did not speak to each other.
"Sister Fuyao, long time no see."
Cao Wei, who was next to Fu Yao, was jumping for joy. It was obvious that she was in a good mood today.
Fuyao turned her head with a faint smile on her face.
"It's been a while."
She and Cao Wei had met each other a few times because of Shen Lingze, but they were not very familiar with each other.
The two girls sat next to each other in the middle, Shen Lingze on Fuyao's side and Feng Chenyu on Cao Wei's side.
Cao Cang sat next to Feng Chenyu, with his upper tube next to Shen Lingze.
As Fu Yao spoke, she glanced at Feng Chenyu who was drinking tea with his head down, and felt a little uncomfortable.
Shen Lingze asked the waiter to add some more tea and snacks, and reached out to push the plate on the table towards Fuyao.
"These are all your favorite foods. Eat more so you have the energy to watch the show."
"Cousin, you're so partial. Do you know what I like to eat?"
Cao Wei knew what her cousin was thinking, so she deliberately joked.
Shen Lingze looked up at his cousin, the corners of his mouth slightly raised,
"Then give you some too."
"Madam Cao, try this. It's pretty good."
Feng Chenyu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke and handed over a piece of pastry.
Shen Lingze looked at Feng Chenyu with gratitude, and the latter just smiled slightly.
Fu Yao also turned her head to look. When their eyes met, Feng Chenyu nodded slightly as a greeting. For a moment, she felt mixed emotions.
As the performers came on stage, the drama officially began.
Fuyao looked at the people on the stage with a dazed look, and seemed unable to hear what they were saying.
The scene in her mind was still of Feng Chenyu handing snacks to Cao Wei.
Cao Wei beside her looked at the stage from time to time, then turned around and chatted with Feng Chenyu beside her. Fu Yao's mood fell to the bottom.
As time passed, the play came to an end.
Mrs. Tong felt a little uncomfortable because she had been sitting for a long time, so several people left.
Before leaving, Yu Shuyou came over to tell Shen Lingze that he was waiting in the carriage outside, and that he would invite his young lady and young master to take the carriage back after the event.
The morning performance ended and Fuyao stood up slowly.
As soon as they walked down the stairs, they saw Shao Hansu coming out from the other side.
"Brother Shao."
Fuyao, who had been listless just now, immediately became energetic and shouted quickly.
In fact, Shao Hansu also saw her, so he walked towards her.
Looking at the two people chatting happily, the others really had their own thoughts.
Cao Cang and Cao Wei looked at each other. They both understood that Shao Hansu was their cousin's strongest competitor.
Seeing that the scene seemed to be a two-way rush, they were really worried for their cousin.
Feng Chenyu, who was standing aside, looked at the two of them quietly, with an unfathomable expression on his face.
Although Shangguanqi was a child, he could see that his sister seemed to have gotten rid of her previous listlessness when she saw Shao Hansu.
"Uncle Yu said he's waiting outside."
Shen Lingze stepped forward and seemed to remind Fuyao unintentionally.
"Brother Shao, why are you going back? Why don't you take a ride with me?"
Fuyao suggested.
Shao Hansu did not refuse, but just smiled and nodded.
"Uncle Yu, let's drive Brother Shao back first." Fuyao instructed when they came to the carriage, and Uncle Yu nodded with a smile.
Watching the carriage go farther and farther away, Feng Chenyu said goodbye to the others.
That winter, Mrs. Tong's shop was involved in a lawsuit because of a competitor's troubles, and Shao Hansu happened to be in charge of the trial.
After a few interactions, Fuyao discovered that they both had a love for martial arts.
He would not treat her with worldly standards, but would instead tell her some key points of martial arts.
If he was free, he would tell her about interesting cases, and they became familiar with each other from then on.
Later, because he worked in the government office and was well-informed, she asked him to help find out about Xian Ning's brother.
Shao Hansu and Shen Lingze are of the same age, and they both had their coming-of-age ceremony last year.
"Have you seen Miss Xian Ning recently?"
Shao Hansu asked in the carriage.
"We haven't met recently."
Fuyao raised his head,
"Is there any news?"
Shao Hansu pondered for a moment.
"A few days ago, I saw an old man in prison who had been performing arts on Ganzhou Street. Thinking back to what Miss Xianning had described, I felt that this man might be the one who sold her to Liufeng Pavilion."
"Really?"
Fuyao said excitedly,
"Would it be convenient for you to meet him and find out more about the situation?"
"He's busy with a case right now and can't go out. I remember you said you'd seen him before. Do you still remember him?"
Shao Hansu asked.
"I'll remember even if I turn to ash."
Fuyao gritted her teeth.
Because whenever she thought about how he sold Xian Ning to Liufeng Pavilion and separated her and her brother, she wanted to cut him into pieces.
"How about I find a time to take you to see him first, and you can confirm whether it is him."
Shao Hansu expressed his thoughts.
"That's good, so that if it's not the case, Sister Xian Ning won't be happy for nothing."
Fuyao nodded.
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