Remembering that he hadn't eaten fish for a long time, Jian Shuqi decided to go around to the dock to buy a few fresh fish and go back to stew soup for his mother.

When he arrived at the wharf, he saw that it was still very lively, and a large number of able-bodied coolies could be seen everywhere helping the shippers unload or load the goods like ants moving.

In addition to the coolies who make a living by carrying them, there are also many people who set up stalls near the pier and sell all kinds of things, including fishermen who shout for fish and shrimp.

Just as Jian Shuqi was about to go over to pick fresh fish, he suddenly saw an ordinary-looking young man holding a piece of paper talking to a foreigner.

Due to the language barrier between the two parties, the man could only communicate with the foreigner hand by hand, but unfortunately it seemed that neither party could understand what the other party meant, so he could only be anxious.

Seeing this, Jian Shuqi, who was idle and had nothing to do, was kind for a while, and took the initiative to walk over to the man and said, "This brother, if you can't understand what the foreigner is saying, you can go to a nearby Chinese person who knows a little about foreign language to help you convey the meaning on your behalf." It's always better than if you were here for half a day. ”

The man glanced at him very vigilantly, and then bowed with a slightly stiff expression: "Thank you brother Tai for reminding me." ”

"You're welcome, it's just a gesture." Jian Shuqi said as he glanced at the piece of paper he showed to the foreigner with some curiosity.

There was nothing written on that piece of paper, just a printed drawing.

There are two strange things painted on it, and I don't know what they are.

But it is such a picture that makes people completely confused, but Jian Shuqi is stunned.

The unique and delicate brushstrokes and style of painting were so familiar and impressive that he couldn't believe that there was another person in the world who could paint like this, besides his friends.

"May I ask you, brother, who drew this picture in your hand? I mean the author of the original picture. Jian Shuqi asked subconsciously.

"It's none of your business, don't be nosy." The man glared at him viciously, his eyes full of warning.

Seeing the other party's strong reaction, Jian Shuqi couldn't help but have a bold idea in his heart: Could it be that this person is from the northwest?

Thinking of this, he deliberately lowered his voice and asked, "I just want to ask Brother Tai one question, is the original author of this picture surnamed Su?" ”

The man's face changed dramatically when he heard this, and after staring straight at him for a moment, he quickly turned and left.

Because the other party was walking too fast, it was too late for Jian Shuqi to chase even if he wanted to, so he could only helplessly watch the man disappear into the alley.

Because there was something on his mind, Jian Shuqi was still thinking about it after returning home.

His mother, Liao, saw that her son looked a little absent-minded, so she asked him what happened.

Jian Shuqi didn't want her to worry, so he casually found an excuse to deal with the past.

Liao believed it and didn't think much about it, and began to discuss with his son with great interest which local family was more suitable for being the in-laws of Jianshu and poetry.

Since returning to his hometown, Liao's whole person has been much happier, and he is no longer as depressed and uncomfortable as before.

When she was in the capital before, in addition to dealing with her incompetent husband and Aunt Ma, who often fanned the flames, the tragic experience of her best friend Cheng Enhou's wife Zhang's family made her feel extremely sad.

Since the second prince's father and brother forced the palace to take the throne, the Cheng Enhou family, who was the mother of the first queen, naturally did not end well.

After learning that the former Emperor Jing'an and the former Empress had passed away, and that the eldest prince was killed during the breakout, Cheng Enhou's family knew that the general trend had gone, and in order not to be humiliated, they chose to commit suicide with the whole family.

Before she died, the old lady of Chengenhou specially ordered her henchmen who fled last to burn down the entire Hou Mansion and leave nothing for those traitors.

The loyal old servant also did so, and after the Chengenhou family committed suicide by poisoning, they directly burned the entire Hou Mansion to ruins.

Before fleeing the capital, the old servant secretly told Liao what had happened, and handed her a suicide note written by Zhang before he died.

Liao was grieved by the tragic ending of his best friend Zhang's family, and was ill for more than a month before he slowly recovered, but he was still depressed.

It wasn't until he returned here from the capital that Liao gradually became cheerful and began to actively look for a marriage partner for his two children.

In order to see the man again, the next day, Jian Shuqi came to the dock to look for someone again, but he couldn't find anyone after several turns.

Just as he was about to return disappointed, someone suddenly slapped him on the back, and he turned his head to see that it was the man he was looking for.

"Follow me." The man walked away after leaving such a sentence behind.

Jian Shuqi hurriedly followed him with a look of surprise.

But when Jian Shuqi followed the other party to an uninhabited alley, the man suddenly turned around and pushed Jian Shuqi against the wall at great speed, and at the same time put a sharp short knife on his neck.

Although Jian Shuqi is quite bold, for the first time in his life, he was held to his neck with a knife, and he was so frightened that he didn't dare to move, so he could only say loudly: "Stop it, I'm not a villain." ”

The man said fiercely: "Let me ask you, why do you say that the surname of the person who painted that picture is Su?"

Don't say I didn't warn you, if you dare to lie to me, next year today will be your death day. ”

Jian Shuqi hurriedly replied: "I have a good friend surnamed Su, he is very good at drawing, and the painting style is almost exactly the same as that picture, so I asked like this." ”

The man didn't directly ask what the name of the friend in Jian Shuqi's mouth was, but instead asked another question: "Where is your friend surnamed Su now?" ”

"It could be in the northwest, or it could be in the northeast, I don't know the specifics."

Hearing Jian Shuqi's answer, the man obviously relaxed a lot, just looked at him in disbelief and said, "Are you really Mr. Su's friend?" ”

At this point, Jian Shuqi can already be sure that the other party is indeed from the northwest.

"I do have good friends with that man, my last name is Jane. If you don't believe me, you can write to him to confirm. ”

The man had already begun to believe that Jian Shuqi was indeed Mr. Su's friend, so he immediately let him go and took the initiative to apologize, saying: "I don't know that Mr. Jian and Mr. Su are friends, and I have offended a lot, please forgive Mr. Jian." ”

Jian Shuqi straightened his collar and said, "It doesn't matter, the so-called ignorant is not guilty, no wonder Brother Tai is so careful."

I would like to ask, how is that man doing now? ”

"Please rest assured Mr. Jian, Mr. Su is doing well now."

"Then I'll be relieved." Hearing that his friend was safe and sound, Jian Shuqi finally put his mind at ease.

Thinking of the picture he saw yesterday, Jian Shuqi couldn't help but ask: "The thing on the picture is what Mr. Su asked you to buy from foreigners?" ”

The man hesitated, then nodded.

Jian Shuqi couldn't help but say, "In that case, can you let me help you with this?"

This is my hometown, and I know a lot of people in the area, so I should be able to help a little bit. ”

The man thought for a moment before saying, "This matter is very important, please allow me to confirm with Mr. Su before deciding?" ”

"Okay, but can you help me get a letter to the man by the way, I have a lot to say to him."

"That's no problem, Mr. Jian can just hand over the letter below."

When Jian Shuqi heard this, his heart was excited.

He's finally able to get in touch with his friends.

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