It rained heavily for more than ten days.
The ground in the courtyard should have accumulated rainwater, but now there are only a few small puddles.
On the bare wet ground, there are traces left by sweeping with a broom visible to the naked eye.
Ye Qing whispered: "The only people who know about this courtyard are Wang Liu, Yan San, Qi Dangguo, He Wen, and Zhang Xiuran."
"Mo Wanqing said before that Zhang Xiuran is not in Huaiyang, so who could have entered my yard?"
Thinking about it, Ye Qing felt that there was no movement in the room, so he walked in slowly.
He looked around the house carefully.
The windows are bright and clean. Not only are there no moldy areas, but there is also no dampness that would accumulate in the house if the windows are not opened due to heavy rain for many days.
The mattress on the bed is soft and dry, and the quilt is folded neatly and placed at the end of the bed.
But Ye Qing remembered clearly that on the day he went to Chaoyang Palace with Yan San and He Wen, the quilt was stacked in the center of the bed.
Someone had obviously slept on the bed.
A chill appeared on Ye Qing's back, and he ran to the kitchen again.
The feeling of hotness appears instantly.
There was still a little residual warmth in the stove, and the firewood had been burnt to coke.
There was no rust on the iron pot that had not been used for many days. Instead, it was very clean. There was still a clear puddle of water at the bottom of the pot.
Ye Qing rubbed his teeth and said, "You entered my yard, slept on my bed, and made a fire for cooking here."
"The dove is taking over the magpie's nest too much!"
Suddenly, Ye Qing thought of the Nanyang Cabbage hidden in the side yard, and quickly ran to the side room, moved the piled firewood away, and raised a floor tile.
The small wooden box containing Nanyang Franc is revealed in front of you.
Ye Qing breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled: "Fortunately, nothing was lost."
As he said that, he picked it up and opened the wooden box, and when he took a look, his face darkened immediately.
It’s too early to speak, and it’s too early to laugh!
Previously, he asked a colleague to go to Zuixianglou to pawn a South Sea Franc, but Dandan paid for it and the money was not spent, so he put the remaining five Francs and silver notes into the wooden box.
Now, the banknotes are gone, and there are only four Nanyang François left.
Ye Qing, who was used to being poor, was a bit greedy for money.
With trembling hands, he picked up the note inside and opened it.
Ye Qing's expression immediately returned to normal, his voice was slightly louder and he said seriously:
"Hey, I only took one. Isn't it a little small?"
"You are serious, just tell me if you need money."
"Also, you can live in this courtyard as you like. If it doesn't work, I'll give you a key."
I saw the note clearly written:
I have no money. I'll lend you thirty-seven taels of silver and a cabbage - Ying.
Putting the box back, Ye Qing left with a gentle smile on his face.
But he kept cursing in his heart.
"He made a fuss, and taking it without asking is a thief."
"It's so shameless to live in my yard, lie on my bed, and spend my money."
"Ci'ao, your uncle, you even know where I hide my money."
"I don't believe you if you didn't peek at me sleeping or taking a shower!"
"Such a powerful master is always sneaky."
"How fucking shameless!"
While cursing, Ye Qing took the only two clothes he had and the black clothes of a minor official, then left the yard and just walked to the alley.
A familiar figure suddenly jumped down from the ridge of the nearby roof.
Zhang Xiuran's waiter, Xiao San, had an unattractive face full of vigilance.
He quickly came to Ye Qing's side and said quickly:
"Young Master is in trouble, come with me quickly."
After saying that, the mistress led the way.
Ye Qing, who was trembling in his heart, said nothing and ran quickly behind Xiao San.
After scrambling all the way, climbing walls and walking through alleys, the two came to Zhengde Square, in front of a tributary of the Ying River.
The narrow awning boat floats with the rippling river water.
An old boatman wearing a raincoat was sitting on the bow of the boat. When he saw the mistress approaching, he smiled kindly, revealing the few big yellow teeth he had left.
The mistress smiled kindly and said, "Shipman, let's go."
The boatman smiled and nodded, uttered the hoarse word "Aba", and then untied the reins tied to the stone pillars on the shore.
"He's a mute!" Ye Qing thought, and immediately followed Mistress into the cabin.
Wow!
The bamboo pole stirred the river water and made a pleasant sound.
The awning boat swayed from side to side and headed into the distance.
Until the awning boat came to the Ying River, where the current was still a bit fast.
The mistress said solemnly: "My young master is seriously injured."
"His life is in danger and he needs you to heal him."
Ye Qing clenched his fists, suppressing the worry and panic in his heart, took a deep breath, and said quickly without hiding it:
"I can only treat external injuries, not internal injuries and detoxification."
"Are the medicines complete? If not, I have to go back to Zai's Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic to get some medicinal materials."
The mistress, who was originally worried that the young master would seek medical attention due to his illness, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ye Qing's calm reply.
"The medicines are only simple trauma medicines. Tell me what medicines are needed, and I will find them."
Then, the mistress looked sad and said:
"The young master suffered external injuries. He had knife wounds on his left arm, back and right leg. The bones were visible deep and he lost a lot of blood."
"We just dealt with it briefly, but the heavy rain for days has worsened the wound. There are still people watching the young master in the dark, so we can only hide it."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, and you finally showed up."
Ye Qing understood instantly, pursed his lips and said:
"People from Yuanhetang?"
The mistress looked at Ye Qing in surprise and nodded.
Ye Qing continued: "There are too many people in the medical center and the government office. You can't show up, so you can only wait for me near the courtyard."
The mistress nodded again.
…
The awning boat sailed down the river and easily passed the checkpoint where the Inspection Department was stationed at the Yinghe Port.
An hour later.
The awning boat stopped.
Ye Qing, who was out of the city for the second time in more than ten years, raised his head and carefully looked at the surrounding scene.
The river is straight, and on both sides of the steep cliffs half a foot high are lush green forests.
Whenever a ship passes by the river, you will definitely have a clear view.
If someone were passing through a dense forest, it would be difficult to cover up the sound of the swaying vegetation while running.
It's an excellent place to hide and keep a lookout.
The mistress grabbed Ye Qing's waist and jerked him upwards.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Qing stepped onto the cliff and easily climbed up the dangerous cliff.
He looked at Xiaosan and followed what he said, heading east alone in the dense forest.
After running for more than a quarter of an hour.
A ruined temple full of waist-high weeds appeared in front of me.
Don't wait for him to get close.
With a face full of joy, Qi Heng jumped down from a tall tree next to the ruined temple.
He said excitedly:
"You're here."
Ye Qing stopped in his tracks and frowned: "Take me there quickly!"
Qi Heng nodded.
He led Ye Qing around the ruined temple and entered the temple through the collapsed walls.
As soon as he entered the ruined temple, the damp and cold smell mixed with the dignified musty smell of wood made Ye Qing frown.
After walking around the altar, the strong smell of blood hit my nostrils.
In front of the altar, where only half of the statue of the god was left, Zhang Xiuran, with a pale complexion, lay on a straw mat, as if he were offering a sacrifice to the gods.
He was wrapped in a blood-soaked brocade silk cloth, and his energy was like gossamer. If Ye Qing hadn't had sharp eyes and saw his chest rising and falling slightly, he would have thought that Zhang Xiuran had returned to the underworld!
Click!
A small wooden branch was broken by Ye Qing's step.
Zhang Xiuran opened his eyes suddenly, his bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent.
When you see someone coming.
In Ye Qing's eyes, this young man who was always dressed in rich clothes and shining in the crowd showed a faint smile and said calmly:
"You're here, don't look sad, you will make me laugh...ahem..."
Before he finished speaking, Zhang Xiuran coughed rapidly and weakly with pain on his face, and then closed his newly opened eyes again.
