Two days later, Xu Lixue successfully arrived in the capital and found a place to stay under the care of Wen Qingsheng.
Wen Qingsheng now runs a literary magazine. He has to do everything by himself and is very busy. After briefly serving as a mentor to Xu Lixue, he found his idle cousin to be Xu Lixue's guide.
"Brother Xu, look at where you want to go for a tour tomorrow, so I can make arrangements first."
On the way to send Xu Lixue back to the hotel, Zheng Hua enthusiastically asked Xu Lixue for his opinion.
Zheng Hua was Wen Qingsheng's cousin, and Wen Qingsheng was someone Yun Mo trusted, so Xu Lixue told the other party his purpose of coming to the capital without concealing anything.
Knowing that Xu Lixue was looking for someone, Zheng Hua immediately said: "It's too easy to find someone. My brother-in-law is from the Public Security Bureau. Give me your name and I'll ask him to help you check."
He was really dozing off when he picked up the pillow. Xu Lixue was somewhat delighted and gave his name to Zheng Hua.
"Your surname is Shao?"
Hearing Xu Lixue's name, Zheng Hua became a little cautious, "What is your relationship with him?"
"I run a detective agency, and someone paid me to come find this person. By the way, his wife's name should be Yuan Jia."
"Yuan Jia? I've never heard of this person."
It was not convenient to talk on the street, so Zheng Hua found a quiet teahouse, ordered two cups of tureen tea, and then took Xu Lixue to talk.
"Brother Xu, although I was not born here, I can still be considered a native of the old capital. As far as I know, there is only one family with the surname Shao in the capital."
As he spoke, he pointed his hand to the sky, keeping a secret.
"That's a big family that no one dares to offend. Although I don't know who your client is, we are destined to meet each other thousands of miles away. That's fate. I have to advise Brother Xu, the water in this wealthy mansion can be...
It’s so deep that you’ll drown if you’re not careful.”
Xu Lixue hugged his fist gratefully and said, "Thank you, Brother Zheng, for reminding me, but I'm just here to deliver a message, so I shouldn't get into trouble."
Zheng Hua picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "Okay, as long as you have an idea, I will try my best to help you find out, but I can't guarantee that there will be results."
"Of course, Brother Zheng, please accept this little thought."
Looking at the envelope that Xu Lixue pushed, Zheng Hua's eyes lit up, but he waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, you are my brother's friend, how can I accept your favors?"
"Brother Zheng, it's my first time to come to the capital. I'm blinded and can't find the direction. I will have to trouble you in the future. Besides, you help me find someone and everything needs to be taken care of. How can I let you pay for it out of your own pocket?"
When it came to this, Zheng Hua stopped being polite and happily accepted the money.
"Brother Xu, don't worry, I will definitely give you the news as soon as possible."
"Thank you very much."
"It's easy to talk about."
Although Zheng Hua helped with the search, Xu Lixue had nothing to do on his own.
When you have nothing to do, go for a walk in some market places, appreciate the local customs, taste the street food, and do your business while finding every opportunity.
A week passed in the blink of an eye, and when Zheng Hua saw Xu Lixue again, he no longer had the confidence he had at the beginning.
"Brother Xu, I'm really sorry. I've looked for everyone I can, but I can't find the two people you're looking for. I spent some of the money, and I'll give you the rest.
"
Zheng Hua handed the half-thin envelope to Xu Lixue.
After Xu Lixue took the envelope, he added 200 yuan to the envelope, and then pushed the envelope back to Zheng Hua.
Zheng Hua looked at him in surprise, "Brother Xu, what are you..."
"Brother Zheng, I have caused you trouble during this period, so I won't give you any false gifts. The money is not much, so I hope you won't be too little."
"how come!"
Zheng Hua looked at the envelope on the table, his face changed several times, and finally he made up his mind and spoke.
"Brother Xu, there is actually another way..."
It turns out that there is a good friend of the Zheng family, and his family is in the flower and plant business. Many wealthy families in the capital like to order his flowers and plants to decorate their yards.
"The Shao family is the top customer of his business. Every time the Shao family asks for flowers and plants, his father personally delivers them to his door. Now his father is ready to hand over the business to him. Every time he goes to the Shao family, he will also bring my friend
Bring it with you, firstly, to increase your knowledge, and secondly, to look familiar in front of the Shao family."
Zheng Hua meant that Xu Lixue should go to the Shao family compound to inquire about this "Shao Mingzhi".
So, under the leadership of Zheng Hua, Xu Lixue disguised himself as a flower porter and successfully entered the Shao family compound in the name of delivering flowers and plants.
The reason why it is called the compound is not that the Shao family is a compound, but the outside world refers to the Shao family collectively.
In fact, the Shao family's house was a prince's palace from the previous dynasty. It is located on the East Street of Jingcheng, where land is scarce, and is far away from the Forbidden City.
Other palaces of the same size that have survived to this day have all become places of interest.
This shows the prestige and status of the Shao family.
The layout of the Shao Family Courtyard is divided into three roads: middle, east and west. Each of the three roads has a central axis, forming a symmetrical pattern.
In the middle is the main courtyard, which is the residence of Mrs. Shao and the current head of the Shao family. The east and west roads are the living areas of the other houses of the Shao family.
Although they are all in a large courtyard and connected to each other, they are clearly separated and do not interfere with each other.
Xu Xue came here this time to deliver newly planted flowers and plants to the East Road Courtyard, and to move away the last batch of withered flowers and plants.
It goes without saying that the interior of the Shao Family Courtyard is grand and gorgeous, but Xu Xiu Xiu couldn't care less about admiring it.
While following the instructions, he removed the old flowers and plants from the flower bed and replaced them with new ones. At the same time, he tried his best to find opportunities to get close to the nannies and servants in the Shao family compound and took the opportunity to get information.
After moving flowers and plants all morning, Xu Lixue was basically familiar with the nannies, servants, and gardeners in the entire East Road courtyard. He even heard the gossip that the landlords of the Xu family each raised several women outside.
Nothing was found about the person "Shao Mingzhi".
Xu Lixue couldn't help but suspect that there was no such person in the world, or that he was not from the Shao family.
Xu Lixue was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice a pebble on the ground. The wheel of the cart was hit, and the car suddenly shook violently. Several pots of flowers fell to the ground, leaving clay tiles and flower soil everywhere.
Xu Lixue quickly stopped the cart and packed it up.
"You can't get it clean like this. You have to sweep it with a broom. In order to prevent water from accumulating on the ground, the cracks in the bricks are made deeper. Even if you dig them with your fingers, you may not be able to get them clean."
The ground was paved with blue bricks, and there were finger-thick gaps between the bricks. Xu Lixian was half-kneeling on the ground, using his fingers to dig out the flower soil embedded in the gaps bit by bit. Suddenly, a low and thick sound came from above his head.
the sound of.
He looked up and found an old man with some gray hair. Judging from his attire, he should be in charge of things.
Xu Lixue smiled gratefully at the other party, "Excuse me, can you lend me a broom and dustpan?"
The old man nodded and quickly brought him a broom and dustpan.
"Are you new here?"
The old man was chatting casually while watching Xu Lixue cleaning the floor.
"Yes, I just came here a few days ago. Fortunately, all these flowers and plants have been eliminated. Otherwise, this month's work would have been in vain."
The old man smiled and nodded, "Yes, it's not easy to make some money when you're away from home. Where are you from?"
"I am from Province H."
"That's quite far away. Why do you want to come to the capital to work?"
"I heard from my fellow villagers that the wages here are high, so I wanted to give it a try."
"I see."
Xu Lixue, who was cleaning the floor with his head down, didn't notice that the old man looked at him with eyes full of inquiry.