Hong Xiaoduo and her group hurried along and finally arrived in Tongling City on the tenth day. After finding an inn and settling the children in, she planned to go to Nie Qing's house.
When leaving the inn, she tried to ask the innkeeper where Nie Qing's house was, but to her surprise, the innkeeper looked at Hong Xiaoduo as soon as he heard the answer.
Upon seeing this, Hong Xiaoduo's heart skipped a beat. Was she too late?
"May I ask what your relationship is with the Nie family, young lady?" the shopkeeper asked.
Hong Xiaoduo said, "I am a distant relative of his from the same town. When he learned that we were passing through, he asked us to check on his family to see if they were doing well."
The shopkeeper looked around and whispered, "His family used to be doing quite well. Nie Qing is filial and obedient. His mother has been widowed for many years but has never remarried, and there have never been any unpleasant rumors about her. Nie Qing also has a younger sister, who is said to be a well-behaved girl."
However, fate is unpredictable. A few months ago, Nie Qing got into a fight with someone over a prostitute, and killed someone. He confessed to the crime and was sentenced to military service.
It's said that in an attempt to pull strings to get Nie Qing released, his mother sold their house and possessions, but despite spending a lot of money, she couldn't overturn the case. She ended up losing both her money and her husband. I heard a few days ago that the mother and daughter left and went to stay with relatives.
"Going to stay with relatives? Does the shopkeeper know which relatives they've gone to?" Hong Xiaoduo asked, but she felt that the shopkeeper was holding back something.
The innkeeper looked around again, almost leaning on the table, and lowered his voice: "This is what came from the eldest branch of the Nie family. Who knows if it's true or not?"
The eldest branch of the Nie family sent people to Nie Qing's house yesterday to pack, supposedly to move in. Young lady, think about it carefully!
Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo frowned. It was obvious that the innkeeper was telling her far less than he actually knew. But she couldn't force him to ask.
After leaving the inn, she slowly made her way there, following the directions given by the innkeeper.
Tongling City is the largest place Hong Xiaoduo has visited since arriving here. It is much larger and more lively than any of the towns she has passed through before.
But at that moment, she was in no mood to think about anything else.
Right now, regardless of what happened to the eldest branch of the Nie family, the most important thing is to confirm that the mother and daughter are alive.
Therefore, it's necessary to find out which relatives they went to stay with. Since I promised Nie Qing, I should help them find out, instead of just relaying what I heard to him in general terms.
Arriving at a courtyard on the back street, looking at the old elm tree diagonally opposite the gate, Hong Xiaoduo confirmed that this was Nie Qing's home.
Sure enough, servants were busy cleaning and moving furniture inside.
To find out the whereabouts of the mother and daughter, she definitely couldn't ask the Nie family's eldest branch. Hong Xiaoduo looked at the neighboring houses on both sides and saw a woman sweeping the floor in front of the house on the left, so she quickly went over.
"Auntie, I'd like to ask you, where did this mother and daughter go to stay with relatives?" Hong Xiaoduo asked softly.
After listening, the woman stared blankly at Hong Xiaoduo for a moment, then suddenly turned around and went into the courtyard, slamming the gate shut with a bang. Hong Xiaoduo could still clearly hear the sound of the bolt being bolted from inside.
Now it was Hong Xiaoduo's turn to be stunned. Was it really necessary to ask about this?
Unwilling to give up, she went to the house on the right and gently knocked on the door. A young woman came out, and Hong Xiaoduo repeated what she had just asked. Halfway through her sentence, an old woman came out and said repeatedly that she didn't know. Then, she went forward and closed the courtyard gate.
After being turned away twice in a row, Hong Xiaoduo had a vague feeling that something was wrong. She asked where he was going, but was it really necessary to make such a big fuss?
Asking the neighbors for directions to this road proves impossible. What should we do next?
When Hong Xiaoduo was worrying, she saw something move in a corner not far away. When she went over to take a look, she found a beggar sleeping in a pile of straw.
Hong Xiaoduo stood there and looked back. From this position, she could see the entrances of several houses over there.
"Wake up, wake up." She crouched down and called softly to the dirty beggar.
The beggar was very unhappy to be woken up while he was sleeping soundly, but he didn't dare to say anything unpleasant. He looked at Hong Xiaoduo with suspicion, wondering what she meant by calling him. He had been here for quite a while and had never seen this young lady before. Judging from her expression, she didn't seem to be there to chase him away.
"I'm just asking you something. I won't ask you for nothing; I'll treat you to meat buns later," Hong Xiaoduo quickly said.
Meat buns? The beggar's eyes lit up, and he immediately sat up straight: "Young lady, please ask."
"How long have you been here?" Hong Xiaoduo asked first.
The beggar thought about it very seriously and replied, "It should have been more than a year."
Hearing him say that, Hong Xiaoduo was secretly delighted: "Then do you know where that mother and daughter in the middle went?"
When the beggar heard her ask this, he shook his head: "I went to stay in the west of the city a few days ago, and I haven't seen anyone from that family since I came back yesterday."
Well, I asked for nothing again.
Hong Xiaoduo was somewhat disappointed. She took out a handful of copper coins and gave them to the other party. Although she didn't hear the clue she wanted, seeing them reminded her of Tian Shu and the others.
The beggar was surprised that Hong Xiaoduo was so generous, giving him money even though he hadn't given her the information she wanted.
"Young lady, I can ask for you, but there's no guarantee I'll get any information. Also, if I do find out, could you give me a few more coins?" the beggar asked.
"That's great, then I'll trouble you. Whether you find out or not, I'll give you this much more." Hong Xiaoduo immediately agreed.
She saw several beggars when she entered the city; perhaps she could get some clues from them.
"Should I go with you? Or should I wait for you on the main street?" Hong Xiaoduo asked again.
The beggar thought for a moment and said, "Wait for me at the tea stall on the main street."
Hong Xiaoduo agreed and walked towards the main street to find the tea stall the beggar had mentioned.
Sitting idly wasn't good, so I ordered a pot of tea. I was thinking about what Nie Qing had said—that he had been framed by his closest relative. Was this relative the eldest son of the Nie family? I'd seen similar scenes in historical dramas and novels before, where brothers would disregard kinship in the fight for inheritance.
If that's the case, then the eldest branch of the Nie family is truly wicked.
I just saw Nie Qing's house. The location, the storefront, and the assets—they must have been quite wealthy. It's a pity; because of their wealth, they became targets and suffered this misfortune!
But being rich isn't a bad thing!
If you're so capable, go out and make money. Why extend your evil hand to your own family?
As Hong Xiaoduo was pondering this, the beggar came looking for her.
"How did it go? Did you get any information?" Hong Xiaoduo was a little anxious and couldn't calmly wait for the other party to speak first.
The beggar hesitated, "It's not that I didn't ask, it's just that my eldest son said that if you want to know where the Nie family mother and daughter are, you have to go ask him yourself, and he wants you to bring a hundred meat buns..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
