Chapter 150 Arson
"We're here! This is the place. There are fewer people here, so let's make milk tea and grill meat in the pavilion!" Zhou Chengzhu said to Song Yushu and the others after choosing the location.
"Alright, put your things down, lay out the mat and the blanket," Song Yushu said, finally able to use the bundle he had been carrying for so long.
After a while, the four of them finally finished packing everything up.
Xiong Erni lit the charcoal and took out all the bottles and jars.
The fresh milk I prepared yesterday was frozen. I put it in a jar with tea leaves and dried flower petals, and it quickly boiled and formed a layer of milk skin.
Song Yushu, who rarely gets a break, drank a cup of hot tea and felt much warmer.
Zhou Chengzhu is currently grilling meat on a rack, unfazed by the smoke, and frequently flips the rack over.
"Unfortunately, there were no fresh lettuce leaves, and I couldn't buy any perilla leaves either, so I'll have to make do with this," Zhou Chengzhu sighed, before swallowing the grilled meat in one bite.
"Alright, you're lucky to have anything to eat. I haven't seen you eat less meat," Zhou Chengyu retorted, seeing that she was picking and choosing even though she was eating a lot.
"If it weren't for me, you'd still be inside reciting your lessons!"
Neither sibling was willing to be at a disadvantage, and they kept arguing back and forth, just like when they were little.
Song Yushu was too lazy to pay attention to them. Let them argue, at least it's lively.
Before they could eat more than a few pieces of meat, an acquaintance arrived.
"I wondered where the aroma was coming from. It turns out you're grilling meat here. You certainly know how to enjoy life," Madam Liu said, somewhat surprised to run into Song Yushu here.
"I'm so sorry to disturb Madam's enjoyment of the plum blossoms," Song Yushu said hastily, not expecting to run into Madam Liu.
"It's hardly an intrusion. I wonder if adding me would spoil your fun?"
"No, it's just adding a couple more bowls and chopsticks."
Madam Liu brought two maids with her, and after sitting down, she took over the task of grilling the meat.
"This milk tea is sweet? I've had milk tea in other places, but they were always salty," Madam Liu said after taking a sip of hot tea.
"Madam, the black tea you brewed, with brown sugar and flower petals added, is it to your liking?"
"The taste is quite good. You guys have some interesting ideas. It seems like everyone here is here to admire plum blossoms and have fun, but you guys are enjoying the food," Madam Liu said, finding it amusing that Song Yushu and the others had a different style of painting than the others.
Song Yushu chatted with her casually while they ate tea and snacks, but Zhou Chengzhu and Zhou Chengyu couldn't sit still and had already slipped out to play.
They used up all the ingredients they had brought, and snowflakes began to fall outside.
"We should hurry back, the snow is getting heavy and it will be difficult to travel," Madam Liu advised.
“Yes, Madam, please take your time. I need to go and call Chengzhu and the others back first,” Song Yushu said goodbye to Madam Liu and then took Xiong Erni to find them.
Fortunately, the two of them hadn't gone too far, and seeing that it was snowing, they were on their way back when they ran into each other.
"Let's go, it's snowing. I'll bring you back another time when I have time," Song Yushu said, leading the group who hadn't had enough fun back home.
When they got back to their lodgings, the snow was falling even harder outside, but thankfully they returned in time.
"No need to go to the restaurant tomorrow. Drink some ginger tea and get a good night's sleep," Song Yushu reminded Xiong Erni. She had been exposed to a lot of wind on her way back by carriage, and Song Yushu was worried that she might get a fever in the middle of the night, so she called her over to sleep in the same room.
"It's alright, I'm in good health and rarely get headaches or fevers," Xiong Erni said without concern. She knew her own body well and rarely got sick.
In the middle of the night, for some reason, Song Yushu was suddenly awakened by a nightmare. He felt a bit tight in his chest and short of breath. When he got up, he found that he was being pressed down by Xiong Erni's arm. No wonder he had a nightmare.
He gently placed Xiong Erni's arm in a stable position, and seeing that she was alright, he fell asleep again.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
"Fire! Help!"
The person who was startled awake quickly got up and ran outside, only to be choked by smoke.
Fortunately, he ran fast; otherwise, if the fire had spread to his side, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The person who was woken up from the dream said with relief.
When officials arrived at his door early in the morning, Song Yushu was a little surprised, but when he heard that his restaurant had been burned down, he immediately became clear-headed.
Moreover, the fire spread from the restaurant to other shops. Fortunately, someone noticed it and alerted others in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Song Yushu's restaurant was rented. The fire came suddenly, and it will be known who will bear the loss after the cause of the fire is investigated.
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness they were able to go back, otherwise those people in the restaurant would probably have perished in the fire," Xiong Erni said, her expression clear.
Seeing the relief on her face, the officers knew they were not suspected of arson. After questioning them briefly, they left with their men.
"This matter is not that simple. Someone must have deliberately set the fire. I heard that a night watchman saw a suspicious person at night, but it was dark and he couldn't see the face clearly. This matter is probably related to the Xu family!"
When Grandpa Liu and Doctor Wu heard that Song Yushu's restaurant was on fire, they rushed over in a hurry. They were relieved to see that they were alright.
"It seems we've really pushed the Xu family to the brink, that they'd do something like this! We haven't found any evidence yet, so you'd better be careful."
“Your place might not be safe. Why don’t you move in with me and keep my wife company?” Old Master Liu said worriedly.
“That’s feasible. Old Man Liu is Xu Mingchuan’s father-in-law, after all. He wouldn’t burn down the Liu family’s house,” Doctor Wu agreed.
“I appreciate your kindness, but with so many people in my family, it wouldn’t be convenient to move. Don’t worry, the Xu family has only just made their move, so they probably won’t dare to strike again so soon. After all, the Prefect is investigating very closely right now.” Song Yushu had no intention of moving. After all, one can hide for a while but not forever. It would be best if the Prefect could find out the real culprit.
Seeing that Song Yushu was determined to do so, the two had no choice but to leave.
Song Yushu took some time to check on the restaurant. Seeing that it had been burned to the ground, she couldn't help but feel sad. After all, she had worked hard for a long time to run the restaurant well, and now that it had been burned to the ground, it was truly unbearable.
Before Song Yushu could step forward, several people rushed out and surrounded the officers handling the case, questioning them.
"Sir! Has the arsonist been found? My shop is half burned down! He must pay compensation!"
"That's right, you absolutely must catch the murderer! Damn it! If my husband hadn't gotten up to pee yesterday, my whole family would be dead here!"
"This is absolutely outrageous! What kind of person could come up with such an idea!"
"Alright! Don't disturb the officials!"
"We'll let you know once the killer is found. For now, get away from here!"
Seeing that even they hadn't gotten any information, Song Yushu gave up the idea of going over to inquire about the situation.
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