Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 198: The Vast Clouds
Xiangling didn't ask why she had to go to Suzhou. She was just very happy in her heart because she could see Zhen Fengshi earlier.

After some fun, Chen Siyuan turned his back and let Xiangling clean him. Xiangling then said with a smile, "Master, since you are going to Suzhou, why don't you stay at my old house?"

First, her daughter was kidnapped and disappeared with her husband. Then she was mistreated by her own father for more than ten years. After the mother and daughter were reunited, Zhen Feng wanted to return to Gusu to at least take a look at the old house near Lumen.

When they said goodbye that day, in addition to the money Chen Siyuan had given her, Xiangling also gave most of her own money to Zhen Fengshi. Then in August, Xiangling received a letter saying that her mother Zhen Fengshi had finally bought half of the old house after many twists and turns.

Xiangling's family lived in Jianxia Lane, with a river in front and a lane in the back. It had been burned down in the past, so they had to pawn the land. The buyer then built two small courtyards next to each other on the land. Zhen Feng only bought the east one, but that was half of it, wasn't it?

Chen Siyuan asked, "There are quite a few of us. Can your home accommodate us?"

"Of course I can," Xiangling said with a smile. "Suzhou is not like the capital. It's called a two-courtyard house, but the houses together may be thirty or forty rooms."

Yes, Chen Siyuan had certainly visited Suzhou during his time as a charlatan. Here, houses are built along the river, surrounded by numerous bridges. There wasn't much open space for large mansions, so since there wasn't much space available for expansion, they had to find a way to expand upwards. So, regardless of whether it was the main house or the side rooms, they all built pavilions, which resulted in a large number of houses.

Chen Siyuan smiled and agreed: "Okay, then I'll stay at your house."

Xiangling smiled and said nothing. After bathing, Chen Siyuan went to the next room to see Qingwen. The little girl had calmed down a little and was eating sour plum powder spoonful by spoonful.

Chen Siyuan felt his teeth ache after just one look, but Qingwen kept eating spoonful after spoonful.

Seeing Chen Siyuan frown, Qingwen smiled and said, "Eat this and you won't feel dizzy anymore."

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm afraid we'll have to take a boat tomorrow. Jia Fantai has been promoted to Governor of Jiangsu. I'm afraid we'll have to go to Suzhou."

There's a canal running between Songjiang and Suzhou. Taking a boat is naturally more convenient than driving. If you follow the crowds and take one of the numerous passenger ships that stop at various points, the 200-li journey will take just two or three days; chartering a fast boat will allow you to reach the destination in a day.

Qingwen, thinking of her mother, immediately dropped her sour plum powder, straightened herself up, and said, "I'm fine now. Besides, a river boat isn't an ocean boat, so I definitely won't faint tomorrow."

Chen Siyuan reached out and rubbed Qingwen's head, then said with a smile, "Okay, I'll send Qingyu to book a boat later."

As expected, Chen Siyuan went to look for Qingyu. Unexpectedly, the maidservant, Yunxiang, couldn't stand the excitement and begged to go too. Chen Siyuan ordered a maidservant to accompany him, and after giving them a long list of instructions, he sent them off. At dusk, Qingyu and Yunxiang returned. Yunxiang chattered that they had booked a five-cabin express boat to Wuxi, departing at noon the next day and arriving in Suzhou early the next morning. The boatman wanted twenty-five taels, and Yunxiang haggled with him for half a day before finally agreeing to twenty-two taels.

After Yunxiang finished speaking, she saw Chen Siyuan was silent and pondering, so she quickly complained, "Master, I didn't take any silver. It was really twenty-two taels. If you don't believe me, ask Qingyu!"

Qing Yu testified, "Master, this is the price outside. I heard it has gone up in the past six months."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "The price is about the same. I was just thinking about something else. It has nothing to do with you. Go down now. You can order a pot of wine for yourselves tonight."

Qingyu and Yunxiang were immediately overjoyed and left with many thanks.

Chen Siyuan had been to Suzhou before, so he was naturally familiar with shipping fees. Three years ago, a five-cabin Wuxi express ship cost only 15 taels of silver for a 200-mile journey, but now it had risen to 22 taels.

Apart from the fact that Qingyu and Yunxiang spoke northern Mandarin to deceive the strangers, it was probably because Songjiang was opened as a port, and the people and things between Suzhou and Songjiang became increasingly close.

Because of the fatigue from more than ten days of travel, everyone took a bath and went back to their rooms to rest after dinner. No further details will be given.

The next day, Qingwen had indeed recovered somewhat. Although she still couldn't stand the smell of fish, she at least had an extra bowl of rice. At noon that day, Chen Siyuan and his party chartered a five-cabin Wuxi express boat and headed straight for Suzhou along the canal.

Strangely enough, Qingwen never got seasick again. Not only that, in the afternoon, she pulled Xiangling over and stood at the bow, chattering and pointing, chattering endlessly.

Only when they arrived in Kunshan near nightfall did Qingwen calm down. She looked out the window toward the northeast, frowning as if she was thinking about something.

The light was dim as Xiangling carefully spread out the quilt. Chen Siyuan, noticing Qingwen's distress, came over and patted her shoulder, saying, "If you want to see her, why don't we find a dock and stay there for a day?"

Qingwen shook her head and said, "Even if I saw the scene eight hundred generations ago, I can't remember it very well. I only remember that when I was a child, my parents took me to the lake to fish in a boat."

In Kunshan, floods occur nine out of ten years, and local people have to live away from home for half a year every year.

Xiangling, who was standing by, said, "If you have the energy to think about this, why not make the bed quickly so that you can reach Suzhou early tomorrow morning?"

"Come here."

Qingwen responded and went over to help Xiangling spread the bedding. The three of them then went to bed in their clothes - this passenger ship was not like an inn. It was winter and the water was covered with cold fog. Even with the brazier for heating, it was not very warm.

The three of them chatted for a while. Qingwen was young after all, so she couldn't help yawning and fell asleep in a moment.

Chen Siyuan, however, teased Xiangling, keeping her awake. As the saying goes, when you're well fed and warm, you're tempted by lust. After more than ten days on a ship, any noise in the cabin couldn't be concealed, and the cramped conditions made it difficult to indulge in sexual pleasure. She'd slept soundly the previous night, so how could Chen Siyuan hold back any longer?
Xiangling was teased so much that she twisted her body back and forth. After a moment, she couldn't bear it any longer and opened her eyes and said angrily, "Master...will you let me sleep?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and whispered, "It's been more than ten days... Besides, I'm afraid my period will come in two days."

Whenever her period was approaching, Xiangling's belly would feel heavy and her mood would be high. But when Qingwen was there, how could she afford to lose face?

"Qingwen is still here."

"She's asleep," Chen Siyuan said, "I'll be gentle so I don't wake her up."

Xiangling had no choice but to let him do what he wanted, and soon the two of them became obsessed with each other.

Qingwen had been sleeping in the outer room, half asleep and half awake, when she was suddenly awakened by a rustling noise. She opened her eyes, a little dazed, and then heard panting behind her.

Qingwen had been in the new house for over a month, and she had heard things behind her, so how could she not know what was going on behind her?
The little girl immediately clutched the quilt, frowning, yet she held back her movements. She secretly resented her uncle, saying he was a good person in every way, but why was he so obsessed with that matter... It was as if he felt uncomfortable if he didn't get to do that for a day!
She had occasionally flipped through the booklet given by Aunt Lai in private, and although she had a general understanding of human affairs, she only knew the results but not the reasons. The sound behind her was so enchanting that it made Qingwen bite her lower lip in shyness, but also filled with curiosity.

After a long while, Qingwen finally couldn't hold back any longer. She slowly turned over, squinted her eyes and glanced around. She vaguely saw Xiangling facing her, holding the deck with both hands, and biting the corner of the quilt with her red lips.

Just one glance and Qingwen was terrified! Unfortunately, she didn't know what the master said at this time, and Xiangling rustled up, frightening Qingwen so much that she quickly closed her eyes.

A moment later, Qingwen was about to take another peek when a large hand reached out to play tricks on her. Qingwen tried to hold back for a moment, but how could she? She grabbed the wandering hand and, in anger, bit down on her wrist.

"hiss--"

Chen Siyuan gasped, and Xiangling immediately turned her head and asked in a low voice, "Master?"

"Ah, nothing's wrong. There's a burr on the bulkhead... Hurry up."

Qingwen was about to turn around slowly, but Chen Siyuan reached out again, this time put his arms around her neck, and without waiting for her to react, he pulled her into his arms.

With a cry of surprise, Qingwen immediately made eye contact with Xiangling, who had turned to look. For a moment, both girls' faces looked as if covered with red cloth...

............................................................

In the blink of an eye, it was dawn, and Qingwen had not been happy with Chen Siyuan since she got up.

Chen Siyuan was so careless that he didn't think anything of it, but Xiangling was too embarrassed to face anyone. When Qingwen went to find the two maids next door, Xiangling naturally complained to Chen Siyuan.

Chen Siyuan smiled and apologized, and after some effort he managed to appease Xiangling, and then hurried off to look for Qingwen. By the time he had appeased both of them, the ship had already reached Suzhou City.

Qing Yu was well-trained, and without waiting for instructions, he jumped down to find a porter to carry down all the luggage. He also hired a carriage, and the group of people rode in three carriages and headed straight for Jianxia Lane.

In just two minutes, the carriage arrived at Jianxia Lane. Xiangling lifted the curtain and looked out eagerly, but because she was too young when she was kidnapped, she really couldn't remember where the old house was.

The driver stopped in front of a house. Xiangling looked at the osmanthus tree not far away and then remembered something. She pointed at it and said, "That's it! I remember that osmanthus tree!"

Without anyone telling her, Xiangling got off the carriage and knocked on the door herself.

Chen Siyuan and Qingwen followed. Before Xiangling could open the door, a man from the next room came out, pointing inside and cursing, "It's just a few coins. I'll ask my relatives for it someday. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

After saying that, he spat, turned around and saw Chen Siyuan and his group, then hurried away with his head down.

After a while, the courtyard door opened. The maid spoke a few words to Xiangling, then returned happily: "Madam, the young lady is back, the young lady is back!"

Xiangling hurried in first, then remembered Chen Siyuan and hurried back to pull him back in. Qingwen, envious, followed with a smile.

Just as they arrived in front of the hanging flower gate, they saw a little maid staggering towards them, supporting Zhen Fengshi. Xiangling no longer cared about Chen Siyuan, and left him behind to go meet them.

"mom!"

"Yinglian, why didn't you send me a letter before you came back?"

The mother and daughter held each other's arms and looked at each other with smiles on their faces, but tears welled up in their eyes in a moment.

The maid beside her couldn't bear to watch and whispered hurriedly, "Madam, the son-in-law is here too—"

Zhen Feng hurriedly wiped away her tears, left Xiangling and Chen Siyuan and bowed, "Brother, are you doing well on your journey?"

Chen Siyuan smiled and offered a hand to support her, saying, "It's all fine. Aunt Zhen, there's no need to be so polite."

Xiangling said, "Mom, Master needs to stay at home for a while."

"Okay, okay," Zhen Feng said without hesitation, "This house is very empty. I live in the backyard now. Since my brother is here, I will..."

Chen Siyuan quickly interrupted, "Don't bother, Auntie. I'll live in the front."

Zhen Fengshi refused for a while, but seeing that she couldn't win the argument, she had no choice but to accept. She immediately sent a maid to help with the arrangements while leading Chen Siyuan and others to the main room in the back.

After entering the hall and taking a seat, a maid brought tea. Chen Siyuan observed Zhen Feng's expression and couldn't help but smile, "It's true that the local environment shapes the local people. Since returning to Suzhou, the lady has looked much better than when she was in the capital."

Her daughter was found and she also found a suitable husband. Although the only drawback was that her husband was still missing, Zhen Fengshi felt a hundred times better than when she was in Fengjia Village!
With a good mood and proper care, he returned here and had maids and old women to serve him every day, so his body naturally became healthier.

Zhen Feng couldn't help but say some TOEFL words.

At this moment, the faint sound of a woman crying could be heard from next door. Xiangling looked surprised, and Zhen Feng frowned and said, "Having a neighbor like this is really worrying."

At that moment, he started to talk about the neighbor next door. It was said that Zhen Feng had returned to Suzhou along the canal and bought this house. After moving in, he found out that the neighbor to the west was renting this place.

This household was simple enough, consisting of a couple and a girl of sixteen or seventeen. The woman washed clothes every day, while the girl copied scriptures for Panxiang Temple. The man, the head of the household, idled away his time, never returning home until he was completely drunk.

After living there for a while, Zhen Fengshi grew tired of it. The neighbors to the west quarreled every three days, then every five days, causing a major row. It was usually because the man took the money and went out to drink, leaving the mother and daughter with only thin gruel to survive.

Chen Siyuan listened with a smile, and was about to go and settle down after listening to Zhen Fengshi's ramblings. But at this moment, the little maid Yunxiang came in with a sobbing face. She was used to being unruly, and she immediately shouted, "Master, master, it turns out that the girl next door has taken in a little nun, and her mother is scolding her."

Chen Siyuan was at a loss for words, thinking to himself that it was okay for you to be a nosy person in Rongguo Mansion, but why are you like this in Suzhou too?
So he said with a stern face: "Nonsense, who told you to interrupt me? Get off now!"

Yunxiang blinked, expressed her grievance, and then turned and left.

After a while, Chen Siyuan got up and went to settle down, then took Qingwen to the front, leaving Xiangling and her daughter alone to talk privately.

Unexpectedly, Yunxiang came again stealthily. Fearing that she would displease Chen Siyuan, she whispered to the maid through the door.

"Oh my! That girl next door is truly kindhearted. She's barely making ends meet, yet she's taken in a little nun... Yes, that little nun. I heard she escaped from that Panxiang Temple... Ma'am, how much money can you make copying scriptures?"

Seeing Yunxiang glance inside after she spoke, Qingwen couldn't help but sneer and said, "Master, go and listen to Yunxiang's words, otherwise she will get annoyed to no end!"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily, reached out his hand and beckoned the maid Yunxiang over, and patiently listened to the whole story from beginning to end. Although he felt that this little maid might be useless, he also encouraged her, "Please continue to investigate and report back. If you do find something useful, I'll give you an extra two strings of money next month."

The maidservant Yunxiang breathed a sigh of relief and then happily agreed: "Don't worry, sir. My surname is Ma, and I'm not a man. The Beijing camp will definitely invite me to be a scout!"

After she staggered away, Qingwen said, "This Yunxiang is obsessed with money. It's just two strings of coins, why is she jumping up and down like that?"

Chen Siyuan laughed and said, "She has a large family, and every month when she gets her monthly allowance, most of it goes to her parents, leaving her with only a few small amounts that aren't even enough for cosmetics."

He leaned back on the bed and said casually, "She's hoping for two more hundred taels of silver a month, and she's hoping to reach adulthood soon so she doesn't have to pay the monthly allowance." Qingwen was startled for a moment, then smiled and said, "I misunderstood her... She doesn't steal or rob, but she earns tips by listening to people gossip about her wife. It's hard for her to do that."

Chen Siyuan smiled but said nothing. Yunxiang, that little girl, was full of tricks! Not only had she hidden the extra two hundred yuan from her family, but she was also acting like a Pixiu, counting the half-full money box whenever she had a chance.

Qingwen spread out her bundle, then went out to find an iron and carefully ironed a set of blue blouses. A moment later, a maid brought hot water. Chen Siyuan washed up, changed into a blue blouse and a net towel, and then told Qingwen, "I'll take Qingyu to the governor's office to deliver the letter. Once this matter is finalized, I'll find someone to inquire about your parents."

"Well, I'm not in a hurry." Qingwen pursed her lips and twisted her handkerchief while speaking. How could she not be anxious with this look on her face?

Chen Siyuan left his room, took his servant, hired a carriage, and headed for the governor's office. Suzhou has many rivers and bridges, and sometimes walking through one street would require crossing two bridges. Because sedan chairs are the most common in the city, carriages are rare.

After walking through streets and alleys for a long time, they arrived at Yaqian Street. Chen Siyuan lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked around. He saw that the area around the governor's office was full of academies.

To the east stood the Xianhe Academy, and to the south the Ziyang Academy, a testament to the flourishing literary culture of Jiangnan. Chen Siyuan sighed inwardly, thinking that if he had remained in Jiangnan, he might have wasted more than a decade even on the examination for the title of Scholar.

The carriage stopped beside the governor's office. Chen Siyuan left the servant Qing Yu to look after it and walked forward himself.

There were yamen officials who greeted and escorted people. They took a look at Chen Siyuan, who was dressed in a tattered shirt. When he approached, they didn't dare to be careless. They smiled and bowed, saying, "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"

Chen Siyuan returned the greeting with a bow, saying, "Excuse me, I am Chen Siyuan, a Filial Inspector of Shuntian Prefecture. I have an appointment with the Governor-General, so I have come to visit you."

The sergeant's smile widened, and he bowed, saying, "It's Master Chen! Unfortunately, the Governor left for Yangzhou early yesterday morning. I'm afraid it will take ten days or half a month for him to return."

Chen Siyuan frowned slightly, then handed over the visiting card and said, "Please pass on the visiting card. I will come to visit you again when the governor returns."

"Okay, okay, Master Chen, take your time!"

Jia Yucun went to Yangzhou? How could he hide his secrets from others, let alone someone as cunning as Jia Yucun? Not to mention that he had already made some assumptions, even if he had doubts, he could have sent someone to investigate. Why would he have gone to Yangzhou in person?

Chen Siyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized—yes! His father-in-law, Lin Ruhai, and his family had died in mysterious circumstances. As a close minister to the emperor, how could the emperor let this go so easily? Besides, the eight major salt merchants were now so bloated and fat that it was time to put them to the sword.

Chen Siyuan thought carefully and was scratching his head. If Jia Yucun turned into a major case, he wouldn't be able to return to Suzhou for a while... He had the emperor's order, and it was difficult for him to go to Yangzhou to look for him. This time, he would probably have to wait a little longer.

He was thinking about taking a carriage back all the way. After a while, the carriage stopped in Jianxia Lane. When Chen Siyuan got off the carriage, he saw two people coming out of the house to the west.

The first one was a small one, dressed in a monk's robe and a monk's hat. He was not tall and looked to be no more than eight or nine years old. His face was quite handsome, and two inches of hair showed at his temples from under his monk's hat.

Following behind was a woman with a plain, oval face, bare of makeup. Her eyebrows were as pale as the mist on distant mountains, making her eyes appear even brighter. She wore a lavender, cross-collared cotton jacket, washed to a pale bleached color, the cuffs frayed, over which she wore a half-worn blue satin vest with lacework. She wore a moon-white cotton skirt, and a plum blossom-shaped gilded hairpin slanted diagonally into her temples.

Although her clothes were worn, they were clean and crisp, and her hair was neatly combed. She glanced at Chen Siyuan and quickly turned her head away, raising her hand to touch her temples. Chen Siyuan saw that the girl's right hand was stained with ink that had not faded.

The girl urged the little girl to hurry, and soon they were out of the alley. Chen Siyuan observed for a moment before withdrawing his gaze. Turning around, he saw the servant Qingyu with a mocking look on his face.

Chen Siyuan was furious and snorted coldly: "I'll deduct one hundred yuan from you!"

"Eh? No, sir! I didn't say anything!"

"Once you tell me, I'll deduct two taels of silver!"

The servant Qingyu was so embarrassed that he wanted to cry but had no tears. He could only follow Chen Siyuan into the house with a downcast face.

It was almost noon, and Zhen Feng was preparing a banquet. Not only did she send her maid to buy wine, she also went to the kitchen herself to show off her cooking skills.

Soon the food and wine were ready and everyone was enjoying the meal when a maid came hurriedly and whispered in Zhen Feng's ear for a long time.

Zhen Feng frowned slightly, stood up and said, "My neighbor is busy. Brother, eat and use it first. I'll go take a look."

After saying this, Zhen Feng left the table and did not return until a full moment later.

After sitting down again, Xiangling asked urgently, "Mom, is it the neighbor to the west?"

"Isn't it?" Zhen Feng frowned and said worriedly, "He's here to borrow money again. This isn't a solution."

Upon hearing this, Qingwen said, "They say you should help those in need, not those in need. Auntie is too kindhearted. If it were me, I would definitely not care."

Zhen Fengshi said, "That woman's surname is also Zhen, and she's a cousin of Yinglian's father. It's like breaking bones and connecting tendons, how can I just ignore it? Besides, the girl looks like a good person. It's just two taels of silver, and she will pay it back in ten days or half a month."

"So that's how it is," Qingwen said with a smile, "You are also kind and righteous."

They drank and ate, and when Chen Siyuan had eaten and drunk their fill, he took Qingwen away, leaving Xiangling and her daughter alone in the room to talk.

Unexpectedly, Xiangling chased out, pulled Chen Siyuan aside, and said hesitantly, "Master, I want to stay in Mom's room today."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "It's as it should be. Just spend the next few days with Auntie and don't worry about anything else."

Xiangling agreed with a smile, then glanced at Qingwen meaningfully. Qingwen immediately got angry and said, "Sister, you are so weird. Why are you looking at me for no reason?"

Xiangling covered her mouth and chuckled, "I see my sister is becoming more and more promising. Who knows, in two years she'll be completely captivated!"

Qingwen blushed with shame and anger, and she rolled up her sleeves and chased Xiangling. Xiangling laughed and walked around Chen Siyuan, taking the opportunity to slip away to the back.

Qingwen was about to give chase, but Chen Siyuan pulled her back and said, "Forget it, forget it. Just pack your things and I'll take you to find your parents... Oh, do you still remember where they lived before?"

"I remember," Qingwen said, unable to conceal her excitement, "it's near the Tianhou Palace, not far from the Grand Parade Ground."

Suzhou is a wealthy place, and there is a Beijing camp stationed there.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Okay, let's go now."

Qingwen pinched the corner of her clothes and suddenly said, "I, I'm going to change my clothes." She quickly went into the room and changed her clothes after a while.

After a long while, Qingwen finally emerged, wearing a long, lined jacket with a light gold satin collar and cuffs, a rose-red silk cross-collar, and a white, cross-collared jacket lining. She wore a white cotton skirt. This outfit had been made in the spring and had just been washed, so it looked brand new.

Not only that, Qingwen also wore a gold hairpin inlaid with pearls and orchids on her head. Even girls from ordinary families could not match her.

Qingwen pursed her lips, slightly opened her arms, twisted her body, and said, "What do you think, Master?"

Chen Siyuan nodded repeatedly. The two of them left the house, sent their servant Qing Yu to hire a carriage, and headed north of the city.

The carriage rumbled on, and Qingwen sat sideways inside, drawing aside the curtains to peer out. She was usually eloquent, but now she was speechless. She just pursed her lips and stared blankly out, her thoughts unknown.

Chen Siyuan knew that she was worried, so he took Roudi's hand and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

"Yeah." Qingwen responded, lowered the curtains, and leaned on Chen Siyuan's shoulder with a frown.

We walked through streets and alleys, crossing countless bridges, when suddenly Qingyu called out from outside, "Master, we've arrived."

The carriage stopped, and Chen Siyuan parted the curtains and stepped out. In the distance, he could see a tall pagoda. The sounds of Buddhist chanting and the tapping of wooden fish could be heard faintly. In the distance was Beita Temple, also known as Bao'en Temple. Behind it was Tianhou Temple. A narrow street led to the main training ground.

However, the narrow streets were lined with vendors on both sides, and ordinary carriages could not pass through.

Qingwen followed him down and pointed in the distance, saying, "Master, we must go inward. There is an alleyway beyond this section. My parents used to live here."

At that moment, Qingwen led the way as they walked through the streets. To the northwest was the large training ground, and to the northeast were clusters of cramped houses.

Qingwen led Chen Siyuan towards the residential area. After walking around for a while, Qingwen stopped in front of a house with three rooms.

Perhaps because she was homesick, she hesitated and didn't dare to go forward.

Chen Siyuan asked, "Is this the place?"

"Yeah." Qingwen nodded.

Chen Siyuan glanced at the servant Qingyu, who understood what he meant and hurried forward to knock on the door.

clap clap-

"Is anyone at home?"

After a moment, a clear female voice replied, "I'm coming, who is it?"

With a creak, the door opened and a woman in her thirties walked out. She glanced at Qingyu in surprise, then glanced at Chen Siyuan and Qingwen, frowning and asking, "Who are you looking for?"

Chen Siyuan turned his head to look and saw Qingwen's face was pale. She kept shaking her head and said, "No, no—"

Seeing the impatience on the woman's face, Chen Siyuan hurried forward and bowed, saying, "Excuse me, may I ask if there has been a Bai family living here before?"

Seeing Chen Siyuan's impressive appearance and the elegant clothes he wore, the woman's impatience immediately faded. She smiled and said, "To answer your question, my family only moved here in the twelfth month of last year. I don't know who lived here before." She paused and continued, "The third house from the left has been here for nearly twenty years. Granny Jiang will definitely remember who lived here before."

Before Chen Siyuan could say anything, the woman said, "Never mind, I'll just take you there. Granny Jiang is deaf and blind, so it'll be hard for her to talk!"

After saying this, he turned around, closed the door, and turned to go east. Chen Siyuan took Qingwen by the hand and followed him. In a moment, they arrived at a house.

The woman knocked on the door, entered for a moment, then turned around and invited Chen Siyuan and others in.

When Chen Siyuan entered, he saw a skinny old lady sitting in the house picking vegetables.

Chen Siyuan stepped forward and asked, "Grandma, do you remember there was a family named Bai living in this alley?"

Qingwen hurriedly said, "The woman in that family is good at weaving. She had been working in a weaving mill before. She also had a daughter, but she was later sold." She spoke incoherently.

The old lady took a few looks and suddenly smiled. "The Bai family... I remember, they lived in this alley two years ago. The man had a back injury and couldn't do any hard labor, so they relied entirely on the women to weave and support the family.

Later, I don’t know how the girl from the Bai family was sold. When the woman found out, she made a fuss for a long time. Then, it seemed that something happened to the man in the Bai family, and the family held a funeral. Not long after, the woman moved out.

Qingwen asked anxiously, "Does mother-in-law know where they moved to?"

The old lady said, "I don't know about that. The Bai family's woman took the child and moved away quietly. I heard... I heard that she went to work in the weaving mill outside the city."

Qingwen was greatly disappointed.

Chen Siyuan thanked the old lady, turned around and came out to comfort Qingwen, saying, "Let's ask around later. If your mother is still in Suzhou, we'll find her sooner or later."

"Yeah." Qingwen frowned and responded, then kept her head down and said nothing.

At that moment, Chen Siyuan ordered Qing Yu to look around and got a lot of information. However, the reports were different. Some said that the person went outside the south city, while others said that he went west to the vicinity of Panxiang Temple, and so on.

Chen Siyuan thought that searching like this was like looking for a needle in a haystack; how could he possibly find the person? So he simply took a carriage to the Wu County government office. He didn't ask for the county magistrate, but only for the squad leader, gave him some money, and asked him to send his helpers to search around.

The head of the yamen runners was so grateful for getting a free ride that he ordered his four men to search around and tell them that he would come to inform them the next day if he got any news.

That day, Chen Siyuan and Qingwen returned empty-handed, and Qingwen was depressed and didn't say much.

The next morning, Chen Siyuan was exercising in the courtyard when he heard a voice from next door: "Amitabha, young lady, a page of this Buddhist scripture has been stained. You must deduct money, otherwise it will be difficult to explain to the believers."

Then a little girl's voice shouted, "Bah, do you think I don't know what you're up to, you thief? It was fine when I delivered it yesterday, but why is it so dirty now that we need to pay for it?"

　Thanks to the leader, Momo Bai is mine. I'm asking for a few monthly tickets, it's almost 2,000!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)