Dong Liang stepped forward and knocked on the courtyard door, and after a while, a small door on the left side of the courtyard door opened, and a little maid of about twelve or thirteen years old came out, holding a green cloth oil umbrella, combing her bun, and her eyes were as black as water grapes. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

"Manager Dong is here, is someone here?" the little maid bowed slightly, and glanced behind Dong Liang again.

Dong Liang still looked faint, and briefly replied "yes".

The little maid opened the corner door and let Dong Liang in, Qin Wang didn't dare to look more, lowered his head and stepped into the courtyard behind Dong Liang.

The courtyard inside the gate is even quieter than the outside.

The pine trees and cypresses rise quietly in the twilight, and the road is paved with white stones, staggered into a cross shape in the middle of the courtyard. The hand-copying corridors on both sides are oily with black lacquer, blue bricks and tiles, plain silk curtains, and the whole courtyard is not gorgeous, solemn as a temple.

There were also people in the courtyard, and the maids and servants walked by from time to time, and no one spoke as they went, except for the slight sound of the skirt rubbing against each other, mixed with the fine sound of falling snow drops, so quiet that one did not dare to breathe loudly.

Qin Wang heard his footsteps, kicking and stomping, out of order, like an uninvited guest who broke into the silence of this courtyard, abrupt and disgusting. And the more he tried to walk through the corridor faster, the more chaotic the sound of the feet became, and at last he really wanted to carry his feet on his shoulders.

When a curtain finally appeared in front of him, Qin Wang no longer felt cold.

He raised his sleeve and wiped the sweat on his forehead, and followed Dong Liang step by step, not even daring to raise his head, let alone look at what furnishings were laid out, only to bow his head and turn the bamboo screen, and then pass a cloth curtain, only to hear an old woman's voice say, "Come in." ”

Dong Liang was in front, Qin Wang was in the back, and both of them entered the house.

Only then did Qin Wang realize that the clogs on Dong Liang's feet were gone, and he was wearing a pair of black cloth round-mouth cotton shoes, standing on a huge green felt, and he did not move at all.

"Qin Zhuangtou is here. Dong Liang's voice was also steady, and after speaking, he staggered a step to the side and let Qin Wang out.

Qin Wang hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down: "Meet Mrs. Tai, Mrs. Tai is healthy." ”

"Get up and speak. Mrs. Tai's voice was still gentle, and after a pause, she ordered: "Go and get a pair of cotton shoes and change them for Qin Zhuangtou." ”

Qin Wang shrank his feet uneasily.

The muddy water on his boots had already faded away from the green felt, and it was black and conspicuous.

"I ...... That one...... Mrs. Tai forgives her sins. He bowed, blushing like a boiled shrimp.

Mrs. Tai laughed: "Not guilty, Qin Zhuangtou has been on the road for several days, it's hard work, sit down." ”

The two maids carried a couch, put a small several, and someone brought new shoes, Qin Wang repeatedly pushed, Fang went outside the house to change into clean cotton shoes, and then returned to the house to kneel on the couch.

Dong Liang had already left first, and at this time, only Qin Wang and Mrs. Tai were standing in the house, and there were a few other maids standing.

Mrs. Tai asked someone to serve him tea, and Fang Cisheng asked, "Steward Dong said that Qin Zhuangtou has something important to return, what is the matter?"

Qin Wang put his hands on the couch, touched his head with a few things, and said uneasily: "Mrs. Tai, there have been several incidents in Zhuangzi recently, I want to think about it, I should apologize to Mrs. Tai, and then I went back to the house." ”

opened his mouth to apologize, and did not find a reason to excuse it, and Mrs. Tai had a smile on her face.

Qin Wang is still a little smart.

She slowed down her voice and said in a harmonious voice: "Where did you come from? Qin Zhuangtou has managed Lianyun Tianzhuang very well, and the harvest has been good over the years, what is the crime? You are still sitting and talking, kneeling on the ground like this, I am tired to watch." ”

Seeing that Mrs. Tai was so kind, Qin Wang's heart was slightly settled, so he kowtowed to the ground again, and bowed his head straight and said, "Mrs. Xie is not guilty." ”

Mrs. Tai laughed again, and Fang asked, "What happened to Zhuangzi?" and her tone was very kind.

Qin Wang thought for a while, and then said: "Mrs. Hui's words, if you think about it, the first thing happened a few days before the girl returned home, and there was a maid named Ah Dou next to the girl, and she suddenly disappeared......"

He slowly told the story of Ah Dou's disappearance, Uncle Fu's report to the official, and his daughter Ah Li being selected as a maid, and told it in a very orderly manner, and he did not hide his omissions and selfishness in this matter, and his attitude can be described as frank.

Mrs. Tai listened quietly, and when Qin Wang finally finished speaking, she asked in a deep voice, "Why did you report the fugitive slave as soon as you came?"

Qin Wang replied: "The girl went to the town to look for someone that day, but she didn't find it, but ......" He said here and looked to both sides, a little eager to say something.

Mrs. Tai understood, and waved her hand to order the maids to retreat.

There was no third person in the room, and Qin Wang continued: "Mrs. Tai's forgiveness, it's not that I'm making a fuss, it's just that this matter is a little difficult to say." He seemed to be thinking about how to describe it, frowned and thought for a while, and said: "I heard that after Ah Dou ran away, someone saw her in the town, saying that she was dressed very decently, and she carried a scroll into the town's book and ink shop, and when she came out, the scroll was gone, and what she was holding in her hand also became a book case, as if she bought it in that shop." ”

"Book and ink shop?" Mrs. Tai muttered and repeated, as if she was a little puzzled: "Is Ah Dou literate, what are you going to do there?"

Qin Wang hung his head and said: "Ah Dou is literate, what did she do in the book and ink shop, I also inquired, but I didn't find anything." It was only later that I heard Mrs. Dongyuan say what rare books she was looking for, and I understood a little. After a pause, he lowered his voice and said, "I heard that behind the shop...... It's the Cheng family. ”

Cheng family?

Mrs. Tai's breathing paused for a moment.

Nan'an Cheng's family is also a county sergeant. Cheng Tingzhen, the head of the Cheng family, was promoted to Lang Zhongling only a few days ago, and it was Qin Shizhang's original position that was filled. According to rumors, the Cheng family is now seeking the road of the Han'an Township. There are also rumors that in order to get in touch with He Duwei, the Cheng family and the Zuo family have had a very unpleasant quarrel recently.

If those three rare books actually fell into the hands of the Cheng family, then maybe she should ...... what Mrs. Wu begged her a few days ago

Mrs. Tai was silent for a long time.

Qin Wang held his breath and didn't dare to look up, and in the afterglow of his gaze, he could only see a corner of Mrs. Tai's sleeve hanging on the side of the desk.

After being silent for a while, Mrs. Tai's voice sounded again: "Since this is the case, there is no need to check again." There was an unconcealable tiredness in her tone: "It's just a slave, and if you report to the official, the official will track it down." ”

Qin Wang replied yes, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "There is one more thing to tell Mrs. Tai." In addition to Ah Dou, Zheng Da is also gone. A tenant said that Ah Dou and Zheng Da were like ......" He wrinkled his brows and thought for a while, and it took a long time to find a suitable word: "...... Like ...... Some of the correspondence. The day after Ah Dou disappeared, Zheng Da's family came to report that he was also missing. I didn't dare to report this matter to the official first, and I had to ask Mrs. Tai to decide. ”