Xing Xiuyan chuckled: "Chief, who would dare let you call me 'Big Brother'?"
Chenxi sighed, feigning concern: "I've been the eldest brother for so many years, but who would be willing to be my eldest brother?"
Indeed, in her previous life, many people called Shen Xi a strong woman and did not treat her as a woman at all. Especially her assistants and managers, when they saw her, they would ignore gender and wish they could call her "Big Brother" and ask for mercy.
Of course, I didn't dare to call her "elder brother" in real life, but rather "president," and later "chairman."
Seeing Shen Xi's expression, Xing Xiuyan chuckled and said, "Chief, you're a woman."
Chenxi glared at her. Of course I know I'm a woman, but who can mistake her for a woman?
From the moment she transmigrated, she had Li Si and Chief Wang's hands severed, killed Zheng Yang, killed the tiger, and then enacted a series of harsh punishments, so no one treated her like a woman anymore.
Seeing Shen Xi's slightly forlorn figure, Xing Xiuyan comforted her, "Sister Yingxue and I regard you as a woman."
Shenxi suddenly brightened up and smiled broadly: "Well, if you don't treat me like a woman, do you think you can treat me like a man? If I were a man, I would marry both you and Sister Yingxue. How wonderful it would be to have such a wonderful marriage!"
Xing Xiuyan felt much more relaxed. It would be a lie to say she wasn't upset when she was rejected by Zheng Hongfang. She finally confessed her feelings, but he just didn't seem to care.
This time, thanks to Chenxi's antics, she no longer felt uncomfortable at all. Since the leader was so optimistic, and she was a few years older, she couldn't let him worry.
Seeing that Xing Xiuyan had lost all her disappointment, Chen Xi took her hand and said, "Come sleep with me!"
Xing Xiuyan couldn't help but joke, "Chief, you should sleep by yourself. I'm afraid you'll fall out of bed in the middle of the night."
Shenxi never sleeps in it. The bed is big, but she is a restless sleeper and often rolls around.
In the county town, the bed is as wide as the entire room, similar to a large kang (heated brick bed), to prevent Chen Xi from falling down.
Although the bed here is large, it is far from meeting the required standards. If Xing Xiuyan were to sleep inside, Chen Xi, who was holding onto the outside, would have already fallen off once.
Shen Xi insisted that Xing Xiuyan stay with her, and Xing Xiuyan tentatively asked, "Why don't you sleep inside? In noble families, the head of the household usually sleeps inside."
"No, I'll sleep outside."
In Shen Xi's heart, girls like Xing Xiuyan all need to be protected.
Xing Xiuyan couldn't understand Shenxi's thoughts. She only knew that in noble families, the head of the household slept on the inside of the bed, while his partner slept on the outside.
Just like in her original home, her father slept on the inside of the bed, while her mother or her father's concubine slept on the outside.
She witnessed this scene when she was very young, and her mother scolded her for not trespassing. But she remembered that her mother slept outside the bed while her father slept inside.
She asked her mother, puzzled, "Why does Mother have to sleep outside? Shouldn't Father be the one protecting Mother outside?"
Her mother seemed a little dejected, but she didn't explain anything. Instead, she said, "You'll understand when you grow up."
When she grew up, she learned from books and the maids that the master of the house slept on the inside of the bed to show his status, and those who slept on the outside of the bed had to get up and serve him if he was thirsty or needed to use the toilet at night.
The book even records that when a high-ranking official was assassinated, the assassin was very skilled and had been in the mansion for a long time, familiar with the situation. When he made the move, the official pulled over his concubine who was sleeping outside the bed and took the blow.
The assassin had no chance to strike again, as he was surrounded and attacked by the guards and was eventually killed.
Therefore, the deeply ingrained mindset is that the leader should sleep inside.
Chen Xi smiled and pressed Xing Xiuyan down to sleep inside, then lay down outside: "Xiuyan, don't worry, I will send someone to find your Brother Zheng's childhood sweetheart."
Xing Xiuyan turned her head to face Chen Xi, and in the dim light, she almost burst into tears.
The leader's care for her reminded her of her former mother.
It's funny to think about it now. The commander was several years younger than her, but to her, he was the one who protected her, like a mother protecting her.
Xing Xiuyan agreed, "It should be easier for the leader to find someone, but the leader should not be too distracted. Xiuyan does not want the leader to be troubled."
“Don’t bother. It’s just a small matter. Send out more spies. Otherwise, given the current situation, we need to send more people out to investigate. We need to contact people from all walks of life. Besides, didn’t Hongfang already find out that she’s in Jianming Prefecture? Although Jianming Prefecture is quite large, it’s not that difficult to find out.”
According to Shenxi's understanding, Zheng Hongfang's childhood sweetheart is named Li Xiaoyu. Although she lives in the village exposed to the elements, she is a natural beauty. Apart from being a bit dark-skinned, her appearance is outstanding.
The person who bought her was a legitimate broker. It was said that she was sold to a noble family as a maid. However, no matter how Zheng Hongfang asked, the other party would not say which family it was. Finally, after Zheng Hongfang pleaded with him, they revealed that the family had moved away to Jianming Prefecture.
If you ask any further, you won't get any more information.
It's important to know that brokerage firms have rules, especially officially registered ones; they can't just reveal the buyer's name.
Moreover, Zheng Hongfang was a hunter, so he didn't offer much money. The fact that he told him that the other party was a prominent family and that they were moving to Jianming Prefecture was already the greatest show of sincerity.
Upon arriving in Jianming Prefecture, one finds numerous aristocratic families. Not only in the prefectural city, but also in various counties and districts, there are many aristocratic families, and each family has a considerable number of maids.
Besides, do you think it's so easy for aristocratic families to go in and inquire?
So much so that no matter how much they inquired, they couldn't find a maid named Li Xiaoyu.
Besides, so many years have passed, and the world is in such chaos. It's unknown whether Li Xiaoyu is alive or dead, or whether she's still working as a maid in that household.
Shenxi continued, "From what I understand, none of the prominent families in our county, whether they have been wiped out or still exist, have moved from the south to the north."
"We can only look outwards. We can inquire about the aristocratic families that moved from the south to the north, and then investigate those families first. That will be easier."
"I will also send spies to inquire in Hongfang's hometown of Qiqu Prefecture. If that brokerage firm is still there, give the brokers more money and use some connections. It would be best if we could find out which family it belongs to."
Xing Xiuyan was deeply moved and held Chen Xi's hand: "Commander, you are like my mother."
Chenxi: ......
Am I that old?
But I also know that Xing Xiuyan didn't mean it that way; she probably just felt safer.
"Qiqu Prefecture had previously fought to the death with Muyuan Prefecture and Liangzhou Prefecture, but Qiqu Prefecture suffered a major defeat and its territory was divided up by Liangzhou Prefecture and Muyuan Prefecture. These two families burned, killed, and looted a lot in Qiqu Prefecture, causing many people to be displaced."
"The Prefect and General of Qiqu Prefecture are men of the Prince of Qingjiang. The Prince of Qingjiang is nominally in league with the court, but in reality, he had already sent his men to seize territory, but they failed."
"If the Prince of Xiangnan hadn't rebelled directly, attacked Liangzhou Prefecture, and taken over Qiqu Prefecture which was divided between Liangzhou Prefecture and Muyuan Prefecture, the Prince of Qingjiang would definitely have made further moves. However, his power was not as great as that of the Prince of Xiangnan, so he didn't dare to confront the Prince of Xiangnan directly for the time being."
"Therefore, it's not easy to find the brokerage firm from back then; you can only rely on luck."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
