Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

"But I also have a secret to tell you..."

Zheng Tu was in the tavern, waiting to hear the fat man talk about some secret murder case, when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the door.

A handsome young servant with rosy lips and white teeth came running into the shop. This servant was none other than Dai An'er, the steward of Ximen Qing's mansion.

This young servant was fifteen or sixteen years old. He was handsome, clever, and quick-witted, and he was very good at reading people's expressions.

Dai An'er looked around at the entrance of the tavern, her eyes sweeping over the diners inside. When she saw Zheng Tu, her eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Zheng Tu knew that Dai An had come specifically to see him and must have something important to discuss, so he put down his wine bowl, got up and went out to greet him.

The group of people chatting and laughing in the tavern didn't seem to care when someone left, and continued their idle gossip.

The man lowered his voice: "It's about that short guy and the bark tree, hehe... I heard..."

Zheng Tu, however, did not hear these words and had already reached the street outside the tavern.

"May Second Uncle Zheng be well!"

Dai'an stepped forward and bowed to Zheng Tu, panting as he respectfully said, "Uncle Ximen sent me to invite you to his residence for a gathering, saying that he has important matters to discuss."

Zheng Tu nodded. Seeing that Dai An'er was panting heavily, covered in sweat, and with her pretty little face flushed, looking very endearing, he took out a small piece of silver weighing about half a qian from his pocket and handed it to her.

"It must have been hard for you to make this trip. Here, have some tea and rest your feet. Go back and tell Brother Ximen that I'll pack up and be there soon."

Dai'an accepted the silver with both hands, beaming with joy, and bowed again: "Thank you for the reward, Second Uncle! I'll go back and give you my report now. Please come as soon as possible, Eldest Uncle is waiting!"

After saying that, he turned around and disappeared in a flash.

Zheng Tu returned to the back room of Wang Po's teahouse, changed into a presentable outfit, and then headed to Ximen's residence.

Just as they left the teahouse and were heading towards the West Gate, they suddenly heard a suppressed cough coming from the direction of Wu Dalang's residence next door.

The sound was intermittent and muffled, as if it were coming from under the covers.

In the past, Zheng Tu would never have heard such a faint sound.

But his martial arts skills had greatly improved last night, and his hearing and eyesight were now far superior to what they used to be. Even though there were two courtyard walls between them, he could hear everything clearly.

He paused, a suspicion forming in his mind: "At this time of day, Brother Wu would have already been out selling steamed buns, why is he still at home? Judging from his cough, he seems quite ill."

Thinking of this, Zheng Tu, who was originally heading towards Ximen Mansion, changed direction and walked straight towards the two-story building of Wu Da.

The small building was quiet with its doors and windows tightly closed, except for the faint sound of coughing coming from the second floor.

Upon reaching the building, Zheng Tu raised his hand to knock on the door, only to find that the two wooden doors were ajar. He gently pushed one open.

He was startled. Wu Da was bedridden, so why wasn't the front door bolted?

Forget about etiquette, he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The courtyard was quiet. Zheng Tu strode into the main room and then went up the stairs to the second floor.

The bedroom door was half open. Peeking inside, one could see Wu Dalang lying on the bed, covered haphazardly with a thin quilt. His face was sallow, his lips were cracked, and he was coughing in a daze.

"Brother Wu!"

Zheng Tu rushed forward and reached out to touch Wu Da's forehead, only to feel a burning sensation.

Wu Da vaguely saw Zheng Tu, his lips moved, but he couldn't say a word.

Zheng Tu looked around the room, his brows furrowed.

There was only Wu Da in the room. Where was Pan Jinlian at this moment?

Human life is of paramount importance; it is not a game.

He was anxious, seeing that Wu Dalang's lips were chapped and there was no water to drink in the house. He didn't care about anything else for the time being and prepared to go and boil some hot water for Wu Dalang.

He turned around and went downstairs, found a clay pot in the kitchen, and then went to the water vat in the yard to scoop water.

As I bent down, I caught a glimpse of something hanging on the clothesline.

It was a small, purplish-red bib, made of very thin material, embroidered with mandarin ducks with their necks intertwined, and very small in size, swaying slightly in the wind.

This bodice was made extremely small and exquisite, quite incongruous with Pan Jinlian's voluptuous and graceful figure, instead highlighting a certain...

Zheng Tu shook his head, shaking off these inappropriate thoughts, and focused on boiling the water.

The fire in the stove was burning very brightly, and the water boiled in no time.

He found two bowls, poured the contents back and forth to cool it down, tested the temperature, and then took it upstairs.

After drinking half a bowl of warm water, Wu Dalang finally regained some consciousness.

He opened his eyes, saw that it was Zheng Tu, and said weakly, "Brother Zheng... what brings you here? What happened to me..."

"Brother Wu is very ill. I heard him coughing next door, so I came to check on him."

Zheng Tu helped him sit up, frowned, and asked, "Where did your sister-in-law go? Why are you left alone at home sick?"

Wu Dalang caught his breath and said, "Your sister-in-law... said she went to fetch a doctor for me. I was in a deep sleep and don't know when she left... She should have been back by now, so why... why hasn't she returned yet?"

Zheng Tu's suspicions deepened.

There are only a few pharmacies in Qinghe County, and even the furthest one is only a half-hour round trip. Could something have happened along the way?

Although he had doubts in his heart, he did not show them on his face and comforted Wu Dadao:

"Perhaps the pharmacy was crowded, or the doctor was out on a house call and not at the shop, so we had to wait a little longer. Brother Wu, please finish this bowl of water and lie down to rest. I'll go look for my sister-in-law and be right back."

Wu Dalang reluctantly agreed, drank the remaining half bowl of water, lay back on the bed, and soon drifted off to sleep again, though the cough still flared up from time to time.

Zheng Tu tucked the blanket around Wu Da, already having a plan in mind.

He couldn't care less about Ximen Qing's invitation at the moment. After all, Ximen Qing was just looking for him to drink and have fun. What important business could he possibly have? It wouldn't matter if he went later.

Wu Da looks quite ill, and it can't be delayed. How can we manage without someone taking care of him?

We need to find Pan Jinlian as soon as possible and get to the bottom of this.

Even if we can't find her, we should at least ask a doctor or a servant to come and take care of her.

After hurrying downstairs, Zheng Tu left the courtyard gate slightly ajar, quickly walked out of the alley, and looked around at the street corner.

Qinghe County is neither too big nor too small, but finding someone here is not easy. Where should we look?

Just as I was hesitating, I suddenly saw an old man selling fruit pushing his cart past at the end of the alley.

Zheng Tu stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Old man, have you seen a young woman in her early twenties passing by? She is quite beautiful." He then briefly described Pan Jinlian's appearance to the old man.

The old man stopped the car, thought for a moment, nodded and then shook his head, looking at Zheng Tu without saying a word.

Zheng Tu immediately understood, took out a few copper coins and handed them to the old man. The old man accepted them and then slowly said:

"About half an hour ago, when the old man set up his stall here, a young woman went west in a hurry."