Chapter 12 Yaoer 12 Bubble Oil Cake
Wang Fuwan came yesterday?! Why didn't anyone in the Zhao residence mention it?
Xun Shu and He Xuan exchanged a glance, suppressing the surprise in their eyes. Xun Shu continued to ask, "Brother, do you still remember when Su Mei and Miss Wang left?"
"I didn't notice when they left. The main gate of the Zhao residence is locked at 12:00 p.m. and won't be opened unless it's important. If anyone in the house needs to go out, they can go in and out through the side door, but that door is usually not guarded, so it's unlikely that anyone saw Aunt Sumei and Miss Wang leave."
"Does Miss Wang often come to the mansion to see the eldest young master?" Xun Shu asked.
"Yes. Every few days, Miss Wang would come to the mansion to look for the eldest young master. She usually came in the morning and left in the afternoon, never staying overnight. Yesterday was the first time she came in the evening."
"Did she come with Sumei?"
"No, Aunt Sumei arrived first. Miss Wang hurried over half a cup of tea later. The two of them didn't come together."
"I see, thank you." Xun Shu took note of the information he had mentioned, then smiled shyly, revealing the dimples on her cheeks. "By the way, I observed the sky a few nights ago, and it seems like heavy rain is coming soon. Remember to bring an umbrella when you go out."
This reminder came so suddenly that the guard was a little confused. He could only nod dazedly and thank Xun Shu for his kindness.
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As the sky gradually darkens, the setting sun softens the features of all things in the world, and gives them a layer of gold, as if outlining their contours.
After a busy day, the people relaxed as they headed home, their smiles drifting through the streets and alleys on the evening breeze. Xun Shu and He Xuan walked side by side toward the coffin shop, their steps lightened by the atmosphere.
A roadside stall was frying bubble cakes, and the aroma lingered for miles. The freshly fried cakes were golden, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Xun Shu walked past without looking, but his stomach growled uncontrollably.
He Xuan grabbed her arm and said, "Wait here, I'll go buy one."
Xun Shu did not refuse, he smiled with pursed lips and curved eyebrows: "Okay."
The evening breeze was gentle, and Xun Shu stood there, enveloped in warmth. She watched He Xuan walk to the end of the group, slowly moving forward with the crowd, sometimes waving at her, sometimes making faces at her, his ponytail swaying with his movements, lively and sincere, making her heart feel warm as if it had been basked in the sun.
A moment later, He Xuan came back with two oil-paper wrapped oil cakes and handed one to Xun Shu: "Eat it while it's hot."
Xun Shu took it and was about to take a bite when he saw him put another oil cake into his bag. He couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you eat it?"
"I don't like sweet things. This is for Uncle Jiang."
Xun Shu thought for a moment, then tore the oil cake in half and handed one half to He Xuan: "If you eat the whole oil cake, you won't have enough for dinner. Half each is just right."
He Xuan was startled, seeing her fingertips redden from the heat of the fried cake she was holding, and he quickly took it. The fried cake was fragrant and soft, and he couldn't resist taking a bite, hissing and gasping at the heat. Xun Shu looked at him and smiled, and heard him mumble, "You're right, half and half, just right."
The two walked side by side, stepping on the afterglow of the setting sun, eating sweet and soft oil cakes. At this moment, time seemed to be stretched infinitely, as if it would never end.
He Xuan's dislike of sweet things wasn't an excuse. He couldn't bear to reject Xun Shu's kindness, so after finishing the oil cake in a few bites, he casually asked, "What did you mean by advising that guard to bring an umbrella just now?"
Xun Shu took small nibbles, his cheeks puffing up like a little goldfish blowing bubbles: "It means you need to hold an umbrella when you go out on a rainy day."
He Xuan snorted: "I don't believe it."
"Well, there are other reasons." Xun Shu licked his lips stained with sugar. "I think he's going to have a minor illness soon. It's not serious, like typhoid fever. He'll be fine after two days of rest. A few days ago, I observed the sky at night and it said it would rain heavily in the next few days. I thought his cold might be related to the rain, so I reminded him."
He Xuan was stunned, a bit incredulous: "You can tell so much just by looking at his face? You can even guess that he got caught in the rain and caught a cold?"
Xun Shu glanced at him, her eyes filled with naked disdain. "Of course I can't tell. Physiognomy isn't just about seeing; it's about thinking and connecting everything around you. We're not gods, so how can we tell cause and effect at a glance?" She paused, as if thinking of a few people, and added, "However, legend has it that a thousand years ago there was a man who lived for hundreds of years. Anyone in the world could tell his past and present lives with just one look. If that person were still alive, he would be able to see what you're talking about at a glance."
He Xuan didn't care about what happened a thousand years ago. He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: "So these two things are not related. You are just guessing."
"Of course I guessed." Xun Shu took another bite of the fried cake in his hand and said slowly, "We just wanted to repay him for helping us out of kindness. Protecting him from getting wet in the rain is enough. If we can also prevent him from catching a cold, it will be a good deed."
"So that's how it is." He Xuan showed a few big white teeth, "Ah Shu is really kind-hearted! Tomorrow I will ask Uncle Jiang if he can pass on this art of astronomy and face reading to me, so that I can also be like Ah Shu and know many things that ordinary people cannot know."
Xun Shu stuffed the last bite of the oil cake into his mouth, then crumpled the oil paper into a ball and held it in his palm without saying anything.
-
The coffin shop was the same as when they left that morning, with only a crack left open for a person to pass through. Xun Shu and He Xuan slipped through the gap, carefully closing the door panel beside them, and then walked to the backyard.
The wood brought back to the city had been unloaded from the cart and piled up in a corner. Not far away, there was a coffin that had taken shape. It must have been made by Jiang Zheng that day.
After she and He Xuan left the yamen, they sent someone back to the coffin shop to report that they were safe. Therefore, Jiang Zheng was not worried about them. He was busy with his work as usual, waiting for them to return home in the evening.
Hot steam rose continuously from the open kitchen window; Jiang Zheng was preparing dinner. He Xuan placed the bubble cake on the table and shouted at the top of his voice, "Uncle Jiang, what are we having for dinner today?"
"Today, the funeral clothing shop next door sent over some mutton, so I made some mutton soup noodles." Jiang Zheng's voice, amidst the clatter of pots and pans, was particularly earthy. "The chill of early spring hasn't faded yet, so hot soup noodles are perfect for it."
Xun Shu and He Xuan washed their hands and went to help Jiang Zheng with laughter. After a while, they sat at the stone table in the yard, eating soup noodles and sharing their experiences of the day.
The moon climbed up to the treetops, and the laughter in the courtyard climbed up along the eaves until the immortals were awakened in the Moon Palace.
Jiang Zheng listened to He Xuan and Xun Shu talking back and forth, smiling and not saying much. Only when they mentioned Zheng Shi did he ask, "Is Zheng Shi's name Zheng Shu?"
Xun Shu shook his head: "I don't know her name. Does Uncle Jiang know her?"
"I can't say I know her, I just happen to know someone whose experience is quite similar to hers." Jiang Zheng put down his empty bowl of soup and talked about something that happened a few years ago. "Five years ago, Chaozhou suffered a flood, and the court sent two imperial envoys to Chaozhou with disaster relief funds. However, they didn't expect that one day after the envoys arrived, one of them was found dead in the post station, and the relief funds disappeared. The emperor was furious and sent the Supreme Court Minister and inspectors to investigate the case. They investigated for more than a month and finally found out that the mastermind behind the incident was Zheng County Magistrate, the county magistrate at that time. All the male members of Zheng County Magistrate's family, young and old, were killed, and the women were enslaved and prostituted.
"Zheng County Magistrate has an only daughter, Zheng Shu, known to everyone in Chaozhou. Because of this case, Zheng Shu became a prostitute, and there's been no news of her since. It's unknown if she's married to Zhao County Magistrate." Jiang Zheng seemed to remember something before adding, "Oh, right? The house where Zhao County Magistrate lives now is Zheng County Magistrate's old house in Chaozhou."
The Zhao residence was actually the former residence of County Magistrate Zheng? A flash of surprise crossed Xun Shu's eyes. "If Zheng is truly County Magistrate Zheng's only daughter, then wouldn't she be living right in her former home now?"
Jiang Zheng looked at her: "What did you think of?"
Xun Shu shook his head: "I just think it's a coincidence, it probably has nothing to do with this case."
Seeing her say this, Jiang Zheng stopped asking questions and instead He Xuan said, "There are still two days left before the deadline given by County Magistrate Zhao to solve the case. Have you thought of a plan?"
Xun Shu felt a little worried at the mention of this, and her appetite had vanished. She put down her spoon, fiddled with the crumbs on the table, and said sullenly, "No. These people in the Zhao residence all have ulterior motives. Judging from their faces, they are definitely not good people. I can't tell who is the murderer of Madam Zhao."
He Xuan placed his right hand on the table, his slender fingers tapping casually. "Since we can't tell from the face, let's start from other places. Well, do you think the pond where the body was found was where the murderer killed Madam Zhao, or where he dumped the body?"
Xun Shu pondered for a moment, a little hesitant. "I've searched carefully today, but I didn't find any signs of dragging in the weeds by the pond. Besides, although the Zhao residence has few servants, there are night watchmen. If the murderer had killed Madam Zhao somewhere else and brought the body to the pond, it would have been easy for others to detect. And you mentioned today that the stone next to the weeds was missing, so it might have been the murder weapon the murderer picked up. If Madam Zhao was killed while standing by the pond, then everything would make sense."
He Xuan looked at her with a smile, and unconsciously softened his voice, and said in a gentle and persuasive manner: "Then what do you think of the crime, Ah Shu?"
Xun Shu's thoughts followed He Xuan's question: "The coroner found no signs of a struggle on Zheng's body. Furthermore, there were signs of a blow to the back of her head. Perhaps Madam Zhao was standing by the pond, dazed, when the murderer hit her on the back of the head with a stone or some other object, knocking her unconscious and pushing her into the pond to drown."
"Mrs. Zhao's maid, Bai Xing, said that she hadn't left her room all day, but suddenly left her room at night and went to the back garden. Even her maid didn't know her whereabouts, so how could the murderer know that Mrs. Zhao would go to the garden at that time?" He Xuan pushed the dishes aside and poured some tea on the table. He dipped his finger in the water and drew the appearance of the Zhao residence in a few strokes. "This is what the Zhao residence looks like. Which road did Mrs. Zhao take yesterday?"
Without wetting his fingers, Xun Shu started from the southeast main gate of Madam Zhao's courtyard, walked through the east-west passage in front of the gate, and turned directly to the garden to the north. "If Madam Zhao went directly to the garden, passed County Magistrate Zhao's study, and went through the passage between Zhao Yuanming and Zhao Jingrong, she would have reached the back garden directly." Xun Shu bit his lip lightly and shook his head. "I don't think it's right. Madam Zhao rarely went to the back garden before, not to mention she had locked herself in her room for a whole day and night. I really can't understand why she suddenly went to the back garden to relax last night. I think she must have gone somewhere first, encountered something or met someone, and then went to the back garden."
Seeing her distressed face, He Xuan comforted her, "Don't worry, Ah Shu. Let's go to the Wang family tomorrow to meet this young lady, and then talk to Su Mei. Maybe we can find some new ideas. Ah Shu, don't worry, I will definitely help you as much as I can!"
The author has something to say:
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I originally thought that the girl from the Wang family would appear in this chapter, but a few foreshadowings were added temporarily~
ps: Bubble oil cake really looks delicious, but tastes a bit greasy...
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