Chapter 7: You Wait
“Master, the scarred man who appeared at the yamen is named Xu Zhi. He lives alone at No. 14 Yongfu Alley, is forty-five years old this year, and runs a brokerage at the dock. He makes a living by hiring people to unload cargo ships. When he was young, he worked as a peddler, traveling all over the country selling goods. He only returned to Futai County fifteen years ago to open the brokerage. His family…” Songbai spoke unhurriedly and in detail about the information he had found.
Chu Tiankuo was writing on the paper unhurriedly, holding the brush in a proper posture with a straight back. The light from the window shone on his handsome features, making him even more strikingly handsome.
After Songbai finished his report, he subconsciously glanced at him.
He saw that Chu Tiankuo had written words like “fifteen years ago,” “dock,” “brokerage,” “cursed,” “father unknown,” “died in battle,” “went to the capital with no news,” “thirteen years,” “winery”… on the paper.
His master had a habit of writing down keywords when he was thinking about a problem.
Chu Tiankuo put down his brush and turned to look out the window.
Outside the window, clouds were churning and mist was surging. The continuous mountain range was hidden by a sea of clouds, with only a section of the peak exposed, resembling a fairyland.
His eyes were unreadable.
He returned fifteen years ago, the timing matched.
Chu Tiankuo withdrew his gaze and turned a silver bead in his hand: “Arrange for people to keep an eye on Xu Zhi’s every move secretly…”
“Yes!” Songbai responded respectfully. His eyes subconsciously fell on his master’s hand. Why was his master only playing with a silver bead? Where was the gold bead? “Only paying attention to the eldest branch of the Shen family? What about that girl?”
“No need.”
“Yes. Where is your gold bead, Master?” Songbai asked curiously.
Chu Tiankuo said lightly: “It’s gone. You may leave.”
Hearing this, Songbai automatically translated “gone” as “lost.” His expression changed. The gold bead was gone? Why didn’t his master say so earlier?!
That was a treasure of heaven and earth!
“I’ll go arrange it right away.” Songbai hurriedly went out.
He was so busy, with so many things to investigate, he also had to help his master find the gold bead. He didn’t know where it had gone!
Chu Tiankuo held the remaining silver bead, his expression unreadable.
He knew that the gold bead had gone to that girl.
The bead recognized its owner by blood, but he had clearly already dripped his blood on it, so why could it still react to her blood?
~
Inside the Creation Spirit Orb,
Shen Xingnong climbed onto the towering antique display shelf that reached the clouds, turning each flower pot one by one, searching for the mechanism to leave.
This towering shelf seemed endless. She had been climbing for half a day, but still couldn’t see the end.
But there was no other way, she had tried everything, but couldn’t find a way to leave.
At this moment, the door outside was pulled open. Shen Xingnong saw a beam of light enter the golden bead, and then the room returned to its original darkness.
Shen Xinghui and Shen Xingqing gently pushed the door open and walked in.
Shen Xingqing walked in covered in sweat and dirt. Seeing Shen Xingnong sitting on the kang awake, she said in surprise: “Sister, you’re awake? Does your butt still hurt?”
Shen Xingnong breathed a sigh of relief, she finally got out!
She nodded calmly: “Yes, I’m awake. What time is it?”
She almost said “what time is it” in modern terms.
“It’s a quarter past Youshi, almost dark.” Shen Xinghui replied.
A quarter past Youshi was about six o’clock. She had been inside for two hours. It seemed that time inside was the same as in reality.
Shen Xingqing then said, “Sister, I made a herbal soup to get rid of head lice. My head is so itchy, I have head lice. My brother and aunt are also going to wash their hair, do you want to wash yours too?”
When someone had head lice, the whole family had to get rid of them together to completely eradicate them.
Shen Xingnong: Head lice?!?!?!?!?!
Shen Xingnong felt terrible!
Just the thought of bugs crawling around on her head made her scalp tingle.
No wonder her head had been so itchy, it was because of head lice?!
Right, in the original owner’s memory, they only washed their hair once a month because it was so long.
The same was true for most people in the village. In this dynasty, hair couldn’t be cut unless there was a death in the family. So most people had very long hair, and many people got head lice every summer.
“Wash!” She jumped down from the bed at once.
In the narrow space next to the kitchen, four wooden basins were placed, filled with a dark medicinal soup, emitting steaming hot air.
Shen Ruoxi sat beside one of the basins and said to the three of them: “Wash your hair while the soup is still hot, to scald the head lice to death.”
After saying that, she let down her long hair that reached her buttocks and submerged her head in the water.
✿✿✿
The scalp under her hair roots immediately turned red!
Shen Xingnong’s mouth twitched: “Isn’t it hot?”
“It is, but it’s not hot enough to kill the lice eggs.” Shen Xingqing also let down her thick but dry and yellow hair and started washing it.
Seeing the two of them washing their hair skillfully, Shen Xingnong thought about the head lice crawling all over her head and subconsciously shuddered. She quickly untied her hair and plunged her head into the water with a look of resignation!
“Hiss~”
It must have been like this when they scalded pig hair before slaughtering them!
She had to find a way to cut off this dry and lifeless hair!
~
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” Someone’s rooster crowed first, and then the sound of roosters crowing could be heard one after another throughout the village.
It was still before dawn, and people in every household started getting up. Soon, smoke began to rise from their chimneys.
Last night before going to bed, Madam Gu said she wanted to sell their old hen to exchange for some silver, and then buy a few jin of brown rice and salt.
They had run out of rice and salt at home.
It was still a few days before the end of the month, and Shen Xinghui and Madam Gu hadn’t received their wages yet, so they could only sell the old hen to buy rice.
Shen Xingnong finally persuaded Madam Gu to let her go to the city to sell the chicken.
So after having some wild vegetable porridge, the family went about their own business.
Madam Gu went to work in the town. The town and the county city were in two different directions, not on the same road, so she set off first.
Shen Xingnong carried a basket on her back, and Shen Xinghui carried the chicken cage as they walked out of the alley together.
At the gate of the eldest branch of the Shen family, Shen Zhiyuan was about to get into the carriage when he saw Shen Xingnong and her brother. He immediately snorted coldly, not even glancing at Shen Xingnong. He only looked Shen Xinghui up and down and said disdainfully: “Going to the academy to sweep the floor? Don’t think that by sweeping the floor and secretly learning a few words, you can pass the Xiucai exam and become an official. It’s impossible!”
Shen Zhiyuan was Shen Mingzhu’s older brother and a prominent figure at the White Deer Academy. He had passed the Xiucai exam at the age of sixteen, and ranked among the top scorers!
“Mind your own business!” Shen Xinghui’s face flushed red, and he pulled Shen Xingnong away quickly.
Shen Zhiyuan said to the two people passing by him: “I’m giving you a chance. As the saying goes, even a gatekeeper at a Prime Minister’s house is a third-rank official. If your family gives up the house, I can condescend to let you be my book boy. When I pass the Jinshi exam and reach a high position, you can be my gatekeeper and even get to be a third-rank official.”
“Thank you, I don’t want it! I can make it on my own.” Shen Xinghui pulled Shen Xingnong away even faster.
Shen Xingnong looked at Shen Zhiyuan: “I don’t believe that fortune teller. Tell me, what is the reason your family is so eager to seize our house? Then we’ll consider giving it up.”
The Shen family had a large winery and was considered a wealthy family in Futai County. There was no need for them to suddenly make a fuss about taking back their ancestral home, unless there was a hidden secret.
Shen Zhiyuan’s eyes flickered, then he said loudly: “What else could it be other than the fortune teller’s words? I’ll give you one day to think about it. After that, don’t even mention being a watchdog, I wouldn’t even bother if you licked my shoes. It’s good to be confident, but I’ve never heard of anyone sweeping their way to becoming a Zhuangyuan. Think carefully. If you refuse me, you’ll only be a floor-sweeping dog for the rest of your life! Don’t doubt me, if you can pass the Xiucai exam in the future, I’ll lick your shoes!”
His flickering eyes and raised voice were signs of a guilty conscience.
Her guess was confirmed. Shen Xingnong smiled faintly: “Then you wait.”
Shen Zhiyuan sneered and looked at Shen Xingnong with disgust: “Wait for what? Wait for him to be a floor-sweeping dog? Wait for you to become an old maid? Wait for him to be unable to find a wife? Or wait for your entire family to really have no descendants and become a Jue Menhu?”
“Wait for Xinghui to pass the Xiucai exam, and you lick his shoes! Don’t forget!”
“Hahaha…” Shen Zhiyuan burst into laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.
After Shen Zhiyuan finished laughing, he said loudly: “Alright, I’ll wait. If he can pass the Xiucai exam, no, no need to pass the Xiucai exam, there’s an assessment at the academy next month. If he can beat me, I’ll not only lick his shoes, I’ll lick yours too. If he loses, you get out of Plum Blossom Village. Do you dare to agree?”
Shen Xinghui was so scared that he quickly pulled Shen Xingnong away, afraid that she would agree.
Shen Xingnong looked back and smiled: “It seems you’re really eager to drive us away. I won’t!”
Shen Zhiyuan: “…”
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