When I got up this morning and served Fourth Master Ding to go to the office, Bai Lan sat on the kang in a daze. Half a day later, the little girl reminded me in a low voice: "Auntie, why don't you go and say hello to grandma today?"
Bai Lan shook her head: "No, I'm going on a long trip today."
The little girl was stunned: "Going on a far journey? Where is my aunt going?"
Bai Lan said: "Fourth Master agreed last night and asked me to go to Ping'an Prefecture to buy a household registration as a good citizen. I'm afraid I have a long night and a lot of dreams, so I want to leave today."
The little girl said: "Can't we just ask the fourth master to send someone to buy it for my aunt? Why bother to come to my aunt and go there in person?"
Bai Lan said: "I have decided to go in person, and the fourth master has agreed. Let's pack our bags and set off." He stood up.
The little girl was anxious and grabbed her: "Auntie, please don't be rash! Such a big thing must be considered in the long term. Wait until the Fourth Master comes back to discuss it carefully and arrange an escort for the convoy before leaving! Otherwise, what should I do if I meet a bad person on the road?"
Bai Lan smiled and said, "Didn't you go to the Taiping Escort Bureau with me two days ago? It's very safe to ask them to deliver escorts."
The little girl stumbled and said: "But their family is very expensive! Their bodyguard told me yesterday that their bodyguard agency is the most expensive in the whole country. Obviously they have such a big property, wouldn't it be good for the family to arrange manpower? Besides,
, what if they, a group of reckless men who have never seen a woman, have any evil thoughts?......"
The little girl kept persuading, but Bai Lan could no longer hear her. It felt like a thunderbolt hit her head, her ears were buzzing, and her brain hurt. The pain immediately spread throughout her body, like needles pricking her from head to toe. I don’t know how long it took,
Her ears gradually became able to hear the sound, and the little girl started to cry, still trying to persuade her not to go. Bai Lan closed her eyes and calmed down, fell down on the kang, and stopped moving. With tears in her eyes, the little girl tried to persuade Huizi again, for
She covered herself with quilt.
Suddenly a daughter-in-law came in and said, "It's time for my aunt to go pay her respects to grandma." The little girl waved her hand and said, "My aunt is really sick, let her rest for a while."
After lying down for a long time, Bai Lan turned over. The little girl hurriedly came forward to serve her. Bai Lan's eyes were reddish and smooth, and it was obvious that she had cried for a while. Then she wiped her tears, called the little girl forward and said, "My case.
There is a letter written to Sister Huang of Jixiang Embroidery Shop. Don’t tell anyone. Go out quietly, hire a carriage, and deliver it to Xianyang. Don’t let anyone notice it. After delivering it, ask her to write a letter to me.
Reply to the letter and come back immediately." He took out five taels of silver and gave it to her.
The little girl took the money and said, "Don't worry, auntie, no one knows about the safekeeping!"
Bai Lan nodded: "Go back quickly."
The little girl put on the clothes for going out, hid the letter in her arms, and left quietly. Bai Lan clenched her hands into fists, and her nails hurt her palms.
After calming down for a while, Bai Lan sat at the desk and wrote a letter to Fourth Master Ding. After thinking about it, she took the envelope and sealed it. She looked around the room a few more times. She had deposited all the valuable and important things into HSBC yesterday, so she only briefly
I packed up the rest of my ideas and hid them on my body, packed two changes of clothes with my bag, and sat in a daze. Yesterday, the people from the escort agency said they would arrive two-quarters of an hour earlier than the agreed time, even if the two-quarters of an hour earlier was included.
For half an hour, Bai Lan was sitting on pins and needles. Then she took a piece of paper and wrote down a rhyme. After she finished writing, she considered the words and slightly revised them. As she continued to revise, the small Western alarm clock on the shelf suddenly rang -
—The time to decide with the escort is coming soon.
Two maids ran in: "Auntie, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Bailand said, "It's the alarm clock."
The maid asked in surprise: "What alarm clock?"
Bai Lan had already pressed the bell and said, "It's just a small Western product." She put down the alarm clock and pointed to the maid, "Help me carry my clothes and follow me."
The two maids looked at each other for a few moments, and the one being pointed agreed to step forward and pick up the bundle. Bai Lan turned around and left, with the maid following closely behind.
The two of them walked all the way to the west corner gate. On the way, they passed the guest house that Kong Biaotou mentioned. Bai Lan looked sideways and said, "I heard something in a daze yesterday. Someone was burning paper in this yard?"
The maid asked curiously: "Burning paper here?" She also turned around and looked at it, "I have never heard of it. Who dares to come here to burn paper? But a woman disappeared yesterday."
Bai Lan frowned: "Gone? What did you do?"
This maid was also a talkative. When she saw her master looking for her to ask for news, she said happily: "She didn't go to work during the day yesterday. The lady in charge sent someone to look for her, but she found that the quilt on her bed was in a mess and was not folded.
I'm at home. I'm looking everywhere, but no one is there."
Bai Lan said: "Maybe you went to see your son?"
The maid shook her head: "Her husband has long since disappeared, and she has not left a man or a woman. She has lived alone for the past twenty or thirty years. She has not been seen through any door in the house. Yesterday afternoon, for fear of something unexpected happening
, the stewards led the people to check all the wells everywhere. Now there are no living people or dead bodies, so I am really afraid of people."
Bai Lan thought: "Since I haven't seen anyone since it was early, I must have gone out of the house. I have only been here for less than three months, and I heard that the night watchers have gradually given birth. My mother-in-law has gone out, and those who are busy eating, drinking and gambling
Even if you think about it, you won't notice it. It's not like she doesn't have a badge."
The maid couldn't help but praise: "My aunt is so thoughtful! It makes sense." Bai Lan smiled softly. Then she put the matter aside and chatted with her about some household matters.
While they were talking, the two of them had already left the West Corner Gate. Outside the door was a small street, and a medium-sized four-wheeled carriage was parked not far from the street. There were four big characters on the carriage: Taiping Escort Bureau. The address of the Escort Bureau was also written on the side.
Bai Lan suddenly felt relaxed and staggered on her feet. The maid was so frightened that she hurriedly supported her. As she walked closer, she saw a driver jumping out of the car. It was the same man who pulled the rattan box to the bank yesterday. Bai Lan
Seeing that they were acquaintances made me feel more at ease.
She then turned around and took the bundle from the maid's hand and said: "Go back and tell grandma that I have to go to Ping'an Prefecture for something urgent. The fourth master ordered me last night. If she wants to know what I am going to do,
Just ask the fourth master. I'll be back after I finish the work." The maid asked intently, but she didn't dare to ask after hearing that the fourth master asked her to handle the matter. Bai Lan said again, "Tell her again, there is no room for two tigers in a mountain. She is powerful.
I have wealth, so I could have been evenly matched. But now I am on the top of her mountain, and I am at a disadvantage. It would be better if we each occupied the mountain."
The maid was stunned: "What did aunt say?"
But just then the coachman came over and said, "Is this what you think of your luggage, sir?"
Bai Lan smiled and said: "I have been working in your escort agency and the bank these past two days, and after listening to Sister Mei's advice yesterday, I already understand. What kind of luggage do you need? Just bring money. With the bank, you don't even need to bring money.
"
The coachman laughed loudly, took Bai Lan's baggage and threw it gently into the car: "Your Majesty, please."
Bai Lan glanced at him with a smile: "Wait a minute." Then she took two taels of silver from her arms and gave it to the maid, "If you weren't my grandma's wife, I would actually like you very much." After saying that, she turned around and got into the car.
The maid took the silver and took two steps back. The driver raised his whip and urged the horse, and the wheels covered with rubber tires began to rotate slightly. The maid stood in a daze, watching the carriage drive out of the small street and disappear.
.
The carriage drove for a while, and the coachman said casually: "If I had known that the guest officer didn't bring that girl of yours, we would have prepared a smaller carriage."
Bai Lan spat: "Your shopkeeper charges me so much money, and you can't even send a carriage. You're so stingy."
The coachman smiled and said: "Doing business is not easy, it just requires carefulness."
Bai Lan was silent for a moment and sighed: "There really is no one trustworthy in this world."
The driver's eyes moved: "The money is reliable."
"That's right." Bai Lan sighed again, "Only money is reliable."
The coachman smiled and said: "You women like to think too much. In my opinion, talk less and there will be more reliable brothers."
Bai Lan thought about it for a moment and said, "Defender, can you go to Chunfeng Tower first?"
"You can go wherever you want, sir."
On the other side, the maid from the Ding family returned to the house. She did not dare to delay and went straight to Grandma Dingsi to reply. Grandma Dingsi frowned and said, "You said that the fourth master sent Aunt Bai to Ping'an Prefecture to handle business?" Maid
Nodding. Grandma Dingsi thought for a long time, "She didn't leave with her girl who followed her from the brothel?"
The maid said: "The little fantou went out early, and asked us not to bring her lunch at noon. She ate outside. Aunt Li asked what she was doing, and she said she was doing things for her aunt. Aunt Bai never followed us.
Even if it’s something important, we don’t dare to ask.”
Grandma Ding Si thought for a long time: "How did you and your aunt get out of the house today? What did she say to you on the way? Tell it again from the beginning and I will listen."
The maid agreed and started from the beginning. When Bai Lan heard that someone was burning paper in the deserted guest courtyard, Grandma Ding Si quickly asked: "Why haven't I heard about this?"
The maid said: "I have never heard of it, either. I think it was the little fan who heard it from somewhere." Grandma Dingsi's heart was beating like thunder, and she immediately called someone over to check.
Not long after, the daughter-in-law came back and said: "There is indeed a pile of paper ashes and undissolved relics in the yard. There is also a hole under the big maple tree, and some more paper ashes are buried in the hole. Beside the hole is a pile of paper ashes.
A shovel." She held out an earring and said, "I found this."
Grandma Ding Si looked at it and saw that it was a white jade pendant inlaid with gold the size of a fingernail. She thought for a moment and said, "I seem to have seen someone wearing such a thing, but I just can't remember it."
The daughter-in-law said: "This jade looks good in terms of water quality. Ordinary servants may not be able to afford it. It must have been rewarded by some lady or grandma."
Grandma Dingsi looked at it for a while: "It's weird. I have actually seen it. That's all, you take it out to find someone to identify who it is." The daughter-in-law left in response. Grandma Dingsi shouted, "Come back!"
The daughter-in-law hurriedly came back. "Let's show it to the eldest grandma," she said, "If you are not in your position, you will not seek to govern. These matters belong to the eldest sister-in-law. Is it possible that I should overstep her authority and do it for you? Even the matter of ashes.
Also tell her." The daughter-in-law followed the order and left.
Suddenly the woman came back and said: "Grandma said thank you to Grandma Fourth. She has already led people to check."
In the afternoon, Grandma Ding led her two important daughters-in-law to visit the Fourth Grandma. The Fourth Grandma hurriedly stood up to greet her. The Grandma sent everyone else out and whispered: "Fourth brother and sister, where did you hear about that yard? Someone burned paper?"
The Fourth Grandma said: "Aunt Bai heard it from her little girl in our yard. She casually said it to the girl next to her, and then it reached my ears. Is there something wrong?"
The eldest grandma frowned: "I don't know. That yard... The eldest girl from the third room cast a heavy curse before she got married. The earrings have been found and they belong to Mrs. Guan who suddenly disappeared yesterday." The fourth grandma took a breath. The eldest grandma looked at He glanced at her and said, "There's one more thing."
"Sister-in-law, please speak."
"That earring... Mrs. Guan told the two women she was friends with that you rewarded it for your fourth younger brother and sister."
The fourth grandma was shocked: "I have never admired those earrings! I have never had earrings of that style."
The eldest grandma said: "I just think this matter is suspicious, so I came to you to check. If you didn't give it to me, it's obvious that Mrs. Guan is lying. Why is she lying about such a trivial matter?"
The Fourth Grandma thought for a long time and suddenly said: "I remember who that Mrs. Guan is!"
It turned out that when Bai Lan first entered the house, the fourth grandmother was very unhappy and complained that her husband had brought Fentou to the house. One day, she went to greet her wife. When she was leaving the hospital, she saw a woman holding a broom and raising her head. Looking at the leaves, a maid who followed said: "Madam, what do you think it does?"
The woman said: "I'll look at how many leaves it has and figure out when they will all fall off. Then it will be a bare trunk."
The maid laughed and said: "What's so good about this? No matter how big it is, it will have to be completely shed in the winter."
The mother-in-law also smiled and said: "Isn't it? Sooner or later it will fall off, and sooner or later it will be cleaned by my old woman. If it is allowed to live happily on a high branch, it will be over in three months at most."
The fourth grandma thought about Bai Lan. She thought, the powder is just like the leaves on the tree, which will fall off sooner or later. I will wait and see how many tricks she has, and use them all first. When she is in a good mood, she So he rewarded the old lady with a pair of earrings. However, they were not the pair of white jade and gold earrings. Moreover, the old lady was wearing exactly this pair of earrings that day.
A maid next to Fourth Grandma said: "I was waiting in the house at that time. Grandma gave me a pair of earrings as a reward."
The eldest grandma said: "Go get one and let me see."
The maid hurriedly ran back to her room and got it. It was a sapphire pendant the size of a grain of rice. The Fourth Grandma nodded and said, "That's it."
The eldest grandma stretched out her palm and put the two pendants together. The maid said: "This is too different."
The grandma smiled and asked: "Look, what is the biggest difference?"
The maid said: "It's completely different."
The grandma said: "The price difference is the biggest. Hers is much more valuable than yours."
The Fourth Grandma said: "If it was given by another master, why did she say it was given by me? If it was not given by the master, where did she, a sweeper, get such expensive earrings?"
The two grandmothers were discussing, and someone came from outside to report: "The Li Cai family is here. They say they have something important to report back to the grandmother."
The eldest grandma hurriedly said to the fourth grandma: "I told her, but she will get back to me immediately if she has the earrings." Then she ordered her to come in.
The lady in charge then replied: "The people around the third wife recognized it. This earring originally belonged to the third wife. One day a few months ago, the third wife went to the garden alone for a walk, and when she came back, the earring was gone.
When the servant asked, she said it was a reward." She hesitated for a moment and whispered slightly, "The girl said that Mrs. Guan often went to pay her respects to the third wife. The day before yesterday, she and the third wife talked for a long time in the house. She
After leaving, the servants went in to take a look, and the third wife’s eyes were swollen from crying.”
The two grandmothers wondered: "Why is the third wife crying? If it's because of their eldest daughter, it's been a few days." The eldest grandmother asked, "But the eldest daughter in the third bedroom didn't write to the third wife?"
The member of the Li Cai family said: "I heard that I haven't come for a while."
The eldest grandma said: "Send someone to the family temple to ask. She is the only daughter of her mother. Even if she becomes a monk, she should always send letters to comfort her." Someone agreed and went.
The eldest grandma thought for a while: "I'll go see the third wife."
The fourth grandma said: "I will go with my sister-in-law."
The two then walked hand in hand to the third wife's courtyard. A pretty little maid came out to greet her with a smile on her face. The eldest grandma asked, "How is your wife doing?"
The little maid smiled and said: "I was not doing well these past few days, but I suddenly got better."