Jurong, Hezhuang.
Gu Zhengchen stood at the entrance of the locust tree, looked at the east and southeast roads, and asked Yang Liang sideways: "Doctor Guo Ning's home is on this street to the east, right?"
Yang Liang nodded: "That's right."
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the road to the southeast: "So, the Wang's Pharmacy is right in front?"
Yang Liang nodded.
Gu Zhengchen turned back to look at the road, and then told Yang Liang and Luo Shao: "You two go and ask Dr. Guo Ning to come to Cihou. I will go to Wang's Pharmacy to grab some medicine and take it."
Yang Liang and Luo Shao agreed and walked into the east street.
Gu Zhengchen looked at Zhang Pei and walked slowly on the southeast road. He could not walk more than fifty steps before he arrived at someone's house. After not walking far, he started to feel like a market. The houses on both sides of the street , there are many shops, but they are just food, cloth, incense, candle shops, grocery stores, etc.
"This is?"
Gu Zhengchen stopped and looked at a hidden shop. The plaque above the shop read "Zhou's Pharmacy". He couldn't help but look at Zhang Pei and said, "Go and have a look."
Zhang Pei took two steps forward and patted the door. An old voice came from inside: "The medicine shop is closed. Go get medicine elsewhere."
Gu Zhengchen stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Old man, we are not here to buy medicine, but a drug dealer from other places. I would like to ask you why this medicine shop is closed. If you still have medicine, can you resell it and reduce the loss?"
There were footsteps inside, and the door panel moved slightly.
A fifteen or sixteen year old boy looked at Gu Zhengchen and Zhang Pei and asked, "Are you really a drug dealer from other places?"
Gu Zhengchen smiled: "Of course, we are from Jinling."
"Grandpa, there is a drug dealer from out of town."
The boy ran over.
Gu Zhengchen stepped in and saw an elderly man with a white beard sitting behind the counter not far away. He was not wearing a hat and had only a few sparse white hairs on his head. His skin was wrinkled like dead tree bark. , but his eyes are still bright.
"Gu Er, what do you call the elder?"
Gu Zhengchen handed over his hand.
The old man stood up and returned the salute: "People from Zhou Yuan."
Gu Zhengchen smiled calmly: "Confucius said that the Tao is not far away from others. People should not be Tao if they are far away from others. The elders are famous for being far away from others. Is it to remind themselves that if they practice for the Tao, there is no need not to exclude others?"
Zhou Yuanren was a little surprised. He looked at Gu Zhengchen and smiled: "I admire the businessman from Jinling for being so knowledgeable. Ke'er, go prepare some tea."
Zhou Ke heard this and ran to the back hall.
Gu Zhengchen sat down, looked at the old Zhou Yuanren, and asked, "This drug store is good, why should it be closed?"
Zhou Yuanren sighed: "It's nothing. I'm old and can't do anything anymore."
Gu Zhengchen looked at the old man's expression and said, "I see that there are not many people coming and going in Hezhuang. If you want to get into the pharmacy business, you still have to go there. Since the old man doesn't plan to do this business, should he also transfer the pharmacy?"
Zhou Yuanren looked at Gu Zhengchen and saw that no one was outside the door. He shook his head: "I don't dare to transfer the drug store to you. It's not that we don't want to sell it, but that we don't dare to sell it. Whoever takes over will be harmed. I'm old and don't want to do anything wrong. , if you buy medicine, I can give you a sincere favor."
"Whoever takes over will harm whom?"
Gu Zhengchen stared, looked at Zhang Pei, and then said to Zhou Yuanren: "To buy and sell a store, you only need to find a middleman, the head of the village, or an old man. The buyer and seller sign the house deed and pay the tax and report it to the tax department. Why harm anyone?" One, could it be that the business in Hezhuang is different from other places?"
Zhou Yuanren shook his head helplessly.
Zhou Ke brought two cups of tea, put them on the table, and interjected: "The Guo family wants our pharmacy. If we give it to you, they will try their best to drive you away, and then take the pharmacy away. Grandpa is kind-hearted and doesn't want to harm you." people."
"Ke'er, don't talk too much."
Zhou Yuanren glanced at his grandson.
Gu Zhengchen picked up the tea bowl and said softly, "This Guo family, could it be Mr. Guo Liu?"
"Who else but him."
Zhou Ke muttered something in a low voice. Seeing that his grandfather was a little angry, he quickly stepped aside.
Zhou Yuanren chuckled and said apologetically to Gu Zhengchen, "Don't worry about your child being ignorant. The medicine here can still be sold to you."
Gu Zhengchen thought for a while and asked, "Is there any licorice in the store?"
"Zhigancao?"
Zhou Yuanren looked at Gu Zhengchen with some doubts: "You are not a real pharmacist, are you?"
Gu Zhengchen was a little confused.
Zhou Yuanren stood up and sighed: "Although Zhigancao is mostly produced in Sichuan and Sichuan, it is distributed in various places, including Jinling and Jurong. If you are really a pharmacist from Jinling, you shouldn't ask about Zhigancao first. , but should ask about Jurong’s most famous medicinal herbs such as Atractylodes atractylodes and Pueraria lobata.”
Gu Zhengchen didn't expect to be exposed with just one sentence, so he had to stand up and salute: "To be honest, elders, we are indeed not Jinling medicine merchants, but just travelers from other places. We originally wanted to go to Wucheng Mountain to see the beautiful mountain scenery, and passed by Hezhuang. Seeing that all other shops were open, only Zhou’s Pharmacy was open, so I came to visit out of curiosity.”
"There are ferocious beasts and ghosts in Wucheng Mountain, so don't go there. Since you don't want to buy medicine, you two can leave."
Zhou Yuanren did not intend to entertain guests.
Gu Zhengchen had no choice but to stand up, go to the door, and suddenly ask: "Why didn't Zhou's Pharmacy open in March this year?"
Zhou Yuanren frowned: "Zhou's pharmacy has been open until it closed last month. What do you mean?"
Gu Zhengchen smiled: "It's nothing. Don't be in a hurry to sell the medicines in the pharmacy. They might still be able to be prescribed."
Zhou Yuanren was stunned for a moment and asked Zhou Ke to keep the door ajar again.
Standing outside the door of Zhou's drug store, Gu Zhengchen looked at the tree nearby and saw that the bottom of the tree seemed to be entangled with something, leaving traces. He walked closer and smelled it. There was a smell of urine. He reached out and picked it from the bark. He took off two pieces of black hair and handed them to Zhang Pei: "Take a look."
Zhang Pei took it, looked at it, smelled it again, and frowned: "Master, this is dog hair."
Gu Zhengchen smiled: "This is not dog hair, it is physical evidence. Sun Er's medicine must be taken nearby. The Zhou's Pharmacy is obviously not far from the corner of the street, and the Wang's Pharmacy is still deeper. Why did Sun Er Do you want to be far away if you want to stay close?"
"Could it be that no one heard the news at Zhou's Pharmacy? After all, it was already dark that day."
Zhang Pei asked.
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "You should have seen that there is a bed, a wardrobe, and two pairs of shoes inside the medicine shop. People from Mingzhouyuan lived outside all year round. If someone knocks on the door, it is impossible not to hear it."
"Then why?"
Zhang Pei was confused.
Gu Zhengchen pointed to the dog hair in Zhang Pei's hand, and then looked back at the drug store: "Who would tie a dog at the door of the drug store? There are probably not a few people who are afraid of dogs. With dogs around, who would dare to come to the door to get medicine? ? It doesn’t sound like a smart person to quit business like this. Although Zhou Yuanren is old, he is not stupid at all. One sentence can reveal that we are not drug dealers. "
Zhang Pei was a little shocked: "What do you mean, master, that someone tied up a vicious dog here, so Sun Er's family had to go to Wang's Pharmacy to get medicine?"
Gu Zhengchen looked at the tree and nodded slightly: "At least it can be proved that there are vicious dogs here, and they have been there for a long time. They should have left not long ago. You can go find someone to find out."
Zhang Pei took the order and left.
Gu Zhengchen continued to walk forward, and was a hundred and fifty steps away from Wang's Pharmacy. He had reached the end of the street. Compared to Zhou's Pharmacy, which was deserted, Wang's Pharmacy was doing pretty good business.
Think about it, within a radius of more than ten miles, there is only one pharmacy and one doctor in Hezhuang. If people feel uncomfortable, they still have to go to Hezhuang to see and take medicine according to the prescription.
Zhang Pei came over and whispered to Gu Zhengchen: "I have found out clearly that there are indeed vicious dogs in front of Zhou's drug store. However, there are only vicious dogs at night and not during the day. Last month, what are the specifics? It was after the Mid-Autumn Festival in August that Zhou’s Drug Store closed down, and there were no more vicious dogs after that.”
"night?"
Gu Zhengchen looked in the direction of Zhou's Pharmacy, and then looked at Wang's Pharmacy in front of him. He turned over a copper coin in his hand and said in a deep voice: "I understand, the story behind this pharmacy must be related to the disappearance of Sun Erkou. The vicious dog at night Block the door of Zhou’s Pharmacy, and no matter who takes medicine at night, they can only go to Wang’s Pharmacy!”
"And Wang's Pharmacy relies on this to keep an eye on anyone who comes to grab medicine at night. Let's check, Sun Er's mouth is definitely not the only missing medicine person within ten miles nearby!"
Zhang Pei looked at Wang's Pharmacy and asked, "Can we go in?"
Gu Zhengchen shook his head: "That's not necessary. Let's go see Guo Ning."
The two returned to Huaishukou, where Luo Shao and Yang Liang had invited Guo Ning.
When Guo Ning saw Gu Zhengchen coming, he quickly saluted. Gu Zhengchen waved his hand: "I am here incognito, so there is no need to salute. Guo Ning, you passed by in the hall, and you and Sun Erkou were separated here, right?" "
"Yes, Master."
Guo Ning hurriedly.
"Please tell me where you two are located."
"I was here at the time, and Sun Erkou was on my right side. He should be here."
Guo Ning pointed to the road.
Gu Zhengchen asked: "Where were the Geshan people standing at that time?"
Guo Ning pointed to the street in the southeast: "The Geshan people came from here and were standing less than five steps away from me."
"Where did the Geshan people go afterwards?"
"Going west."
"Okay, I know, you can go back."
Gu Zhengchen said.
Guo Ning was a little surprised. You came here and you asked such a simple thing?
These are already in court, so why bother to ask more questions.
Gu Zhengchen stood where Sun Erkou was, pondering the scene at that time. After a long time, he said: "The Qingzhen Temple is not to the west!"
Yang Liang shook his head: "Your Majesty, the mosque is to the east of Hezhuang."
"Ximian, Guo Liu and Guo Liang's family are all in the west, right?"
Gu Zhengchen asked.
Yang Liang replied: "That's right."
"Where is Guo Jie's home?"
Gu Zhengchen asked.
Yang Liang was a little confused and pointed to Southeast Street: "Guo Jie's house is opposite Wang's Pharmacy. We thought the county magistrate just went to Guo Jie's house to question him."
"Across from Wang's Pharmacy?"
Gu Zhengchen's eyes turned cold, he picked up a branch, bent down and drew on the ground, asked about the approximate distance, and listed Guo Liu's family, Guo Liang's family, Guo Jie's family, Wang's pharmacy, Guo Ning's family, and the Qingzhen Temple with six words. Click out.
Because the two were similar, Gu Zhengchen replaced it with a point. Looking at the simple spatial distribution map, he then connected the three points in series, and a nearly equilateral triangle emerged!
