Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 255 Where are the missing persons?
Lin Zhiqing's focus was not on the beggar. After entering the farm, she immediately asked the tenants, wanting to find the farm manager.

The tenant farmers assumed she wanted to discuss buying geese with the head of the estate, and readily agreed to their request to find the head of the estate.

The two were invited to wait in the reception room inside the estate.

The head of the village was a middle-aged man with a beard, and he arrived very quickly.

However, when he saw the two "boys," the smile on his face faded a little.

Lin Zhiqing saw him raise his chin, lift the corners of his eyes, and head straight for the head of the table. He knew that the man in front of him thought he was doing business with a young person and was trying to act superior.

As expected, the first thing the head of the estate said was to subtly inquire about the two men's backgrounds:
"You two young masters look unfamiliar. What brings you to Yongqing County to buy geese? Do you perhaps run a restaurant?"

It's clear that people who run restaurants make up the majority of the goose buyers.

"We came from Bianliang and happened to pass by. We tasted the goose meat at the manor, and it was quite good."

"In addition, my family does have the intention of starting a restaurant business, so I came to take a look."

As she spoke, she subtly revealed the jade pendant hanging from her waist.

Zhuang Tou caught a glimpse of the jade pendant, lowered his chin, met Lin Zhiqing's gaze, and a bright smile appeared on his lips.

Clearly, they mistook Lin Zhiqing and his companion for spoiled rich kids who just wanted to travel and have fun.

He chatted with Lin Zhiqing about the restaurant.

Lin Zhiqing chatted with him at length, her words subtly hinting at Zheng Kuo's whereabouts.

But the head of the village seemed to have no reaction to this.

Lin Zhiqing observed for a long time before finally confirming that the village head only cared about the big white goose and didn't know much about Zheng Kuo.

Could it be that I've come to the wrong person, and the white goose isn't referring to this Wang Yuanwai's estate?
That shouldn't be the case. According to the information revealed by Zheng Kuo's son, white geese and willow trees should be quite representative of Yongqing County.

The white geese belonging to the Wang family seem to hold a high status in Yongqing County. Could it be that only the Wang family himself knows about Zheng Kuo?

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing changed the subject and asked to see Master Wang.

The village head was having a pleasant conversation when he heard Lin Zhiqing make this request, and he fell silent for a moment.

Seeing the suspicion in the head of the village, Lin Zhiqing gave Lin Yangyang a wink.

Lin Yangyang blinked and immediately stood up:
"Although Bianliang is a prosperous place, the food there is really boring. My father told me that if I see anything delicious outside, I must bring it back for him to try."

“Your estate looks ordinary, but it’s quite interesting inside. I’d like to have a detailed discussion with your master. If we can cooperate, I’ll never lack goose meat again.”

"Cousin!" Lin Zhiqing called out to Lin Yangyang, feigning displeasure.
“Yongqing County is a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the villages there are quite charming rural life. How can you say it’s nothing special?”

Lin Yangyang's words were a linguistic implication that elevated the two of them's status.

Lin Zhiqing's apparent rebuttal actually reinforced their public image and impression of being "from a large and powerful family".

This tactic doesn't work on people in high positions, but it's incredibly effective on those who seem shrewd but actually know very little.

Upon hearing this, the head of the village rolled his eyes and asked a few more questions, mostly related to Bianliang.

This is clearly a test.

Because of her previous experience in Bianliang, Lin Yangyang spoke with considerable expertise about eating, drinking, and having fun, and her tone was quite boastful.

After weighing the options in his mind, the head of the estate agreed to let the steward take them to visit the wealthy man's home.

In the blink of an eye, the steward met the two men and led them outside.

As she was leaving, the group of beggars came up to her again. The little beggar who had led the way at the beginning huddled in a corner, looking at Lin Yangyang with a mixture of timidity and hope.

When Lin Yangyang saw the bruises on the little beggar's face, her anger flared up instantly, and she immediately wanted to curse.

Lin Zhiqing calmly pulled Lin Yangyang aside, grabbed a handful of copper coins, and distributed them to the older children. Then, he beckoned the little beggar to follow behind them.

This action earned him a hint of disdain from the steward, who felt that the two men before him were indeed the kind of rich young men who were out of touch with reality and acted like heroes.

The group soon arrived at the Wang family mansion. Lin Zhiqing had been carefully observing along the way, but he did not see any clues such as willow trees.

After talking with the portly Mr. Wang for a long time, Lin Zhiqing realized that Mr. Wang seemed to know nothing about Zheng Kuo.

She knew in her heart that she must have misunderstood Zheng Kuo's son's words, or that there was some problem in the process.

Lin Yangyang also sensed something was wrong and pretended to be uninterested.

Although the wealthy man was dissatisfied, he ultimately hesitated to interfere because of the mystery surrounding the two men's identities.

After leaving the Wang family, Lin Zhiqing frowned slightly and carefully recalled what Zheng Kuo's son had said.

Lin Yangyang's attention was on the little beggar.

The two couldn't discuss Zheng Kuo's affairs while outside, and Lin Yangyang, who couldn't keep her mouth shut, asked about the little beggar's background and the affairs of Yongqing County.

The little beggar looked small and thin, dressed in rags, but he spoke clearly and explained his situation in just a few words.

My father was conscripted into the army, and my mother starved to death. I wandered around from a young age, begging for a living.

All these things piled up, and even the usually easygoing Lin Yangyang felt a little sad.

Lin Zhiqing listened for a while and sighed inwardly.

In Dasheng, there are definitely more than just one or two such children.

Even in Shengjing and Bianliang, this was a common occurrence.

After returning to the inn where she was staying, Lin Yangyang took out a few taels of silver to give to the little beggar.

The little beggar's eyes were bright, but he seemed to remember something and was a little scared, so he didn't reach out for a moment.

After thinking for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage to look up: "I only need one copper coin."

"A copper coin?" Lin Yangyang was clearly stunned. "You silly boy, how can you be so dense? That's silver!"

The little beggar's face turned bright red after being called stupid, and he was too embarrassed to speak again.

Lin Zhiqing pulled Lin Yangyang aside and whispered in her ear:
“If you take so much silver, it will most likely be snatched away by those older kids. They will see that there is profit to be made, and this child will only be exploited more and more. We will not have any peace either.”

"He only asked for a copper coin, which was also a way for him to avoid risks for us."

"Is there any justice in this world?" Lin Yangyang was speechless for a moment.

Justice?

The surname of Dasheng is Sheng.

Lin Zhiqing beckoned to the little beggar: "Do you know how to sew?"

The little beggar nodded: "Yes, but I don't have a needle and thread."

Lin Zhiqing nodded, took out a small denomination banknote, and handed it to Lin Yangyang:
"Take him to a skilled embroiderer and have her embroider this banknote inside his clothes. It can be used in case of emergency."

Lin Yangyang's expression changed from gloomy to cheerful as she accepted the silver note: "Be careful, I'll be right back."

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "This banknote is a loan from you, and you have to pay it back to me in the future."

"I know, I know." Lin Yangyang knew perfectly well that Lin Zhiqing was leaving this goodwill to her.

Lin Zhiqing watched the two people, one big and one small, disappear into the distance before returning to his room to rethink his actions.