Meng Tianchu: "Old man Xi is so relieved to let us investigate, because he knows that our investigation of this case is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we have spent a lot of effort to still stand still, and he is probably smiling now." ”

Jian Ning: "Don't be discouraged, my lord, three years have passed in this case, and the bones of the three victims have not been found, and the murder weapon cannot be found, and they have cut off all the clues that can be started for us, so we can't be in a hurry, we are in a hurry and fall for them." ”

Meng Tianchu nodded and said, "I understand this, thank you, Miss Jane." ”

Jian Ning smiled lightly: "Adults don't have to be so polite to Jian Ning, they should share your worries, but now they can't help anything." ”

Meng Tianchu: "How can you say that, you have helped me a lot, really." ”

Jian Ning: "Don't worry, adults, things will always progress, as long as we don't give up, what do you say?" ”

Meng Tianchu smiled and nodded yes.

After Jian Ning left, Meng Tianchu took the two of them to find a tavern to drink, thinking that no one would go out in the cold weather, who wanted to enter the tavern, it was overcrowded, this was a tavern, so no one knew Meng Tianchu, the two of them found a place to sit down, casually asked for two side dishes, asked for two catties of rice wine and began to drink.

After a few glasses of rice wine, Meng Tianchu called Xiao Er and said, "Do you have any good wine in your store?" ”

Xiao Er smiled and said, "Guest officer, if you want to drink good wine, you should go to the tavern opposite, we only have rice wine in this small shop." ”

Slaying the dragon was about to get up and get angry, Meng Tianchu pressed the slaying dragon down, smiled and said to Xiao Er: "What's the difference between this rice wine and water?" ”

Xiao Er was unhappy and said, "Others can still drink." Why do you say you can't drink it? Did you deliberately pick a thorn? ”

Slaying the dragon stood up, pointed at Xiao Er's nose and scolded, "Do you know who you're talking to? ”

Xiao Er sneered: "I don't care who this guest officer is, but you didn't force you to come in, did you?" You can throw a few copper coins and leave, and don't delay our business. ”

Meng Tianchu got up and said with a smile: "What Xiao Er said makes sense, let's go after slaying the dragon." ”

"Slow down!"

Meng Tianchu turned his head and saw a short and fat man walking in front of a table not far away, with a fat face and a cute smile.

The fat man walked up to Xiao Er and whispered a few times. Xiao Er smiled and left.

Meng Tianchu: "This guest officer, I don't seem to know you. ”

The fat man stepped forward and bowed his hand, and said in a low voice, "Although you have not seen me. But I've seen you, and last month I went to your house to make clothes for some of your ladies. ”

Meng Tianchu suddenly realized, and hurriedly said with a smile: "It turned out to be Shopkeeper Li, who has been looking up for a long time." ”

Li Defu pointed to a private room and said, "Why don't you sit down and have a few drinks?" Meng Tianchu was also refreshed and said, "Okay, let's go." ”

When I arrived at the private room, I found that Li Defu was the only one. Meng Tianchu was about to ask, Li Defu smiled and welcomed Meng Tianchu to the upper seat and sat down, and then said: "I came to eat something with a few business friends just now, and they just left, and the grass people were about to leave when they saw you, so I dared to invite the adults to come in and sit down." ”

Meng Tianchu smiled, and at this time, a few little people who came in cleaned up the table neatly and re-served some side dishes.

Tu Long sat down next to Meng Tianchu and said, "I also remember, this is not the shopkeeper Li of Defu Silk Village." Look at the look in my eyes. ”

Li Defu gave a salute to the dragon slayer and said, "I have already asked Xiao Er to go and get the wine." ”

Dragon Slayer: "Isn't there no other wine?" ”

Li Defu: "I often come to this tavern, so I am naturally familiar with it, but it is said to be a good wine, but it is just rice wine that is not mixed with water." ”

Meng Tianchu: "That's fine, that's fine." ”

The wine was served quickly. Li Defu poured Meng Tianchu a full cup. Meng Tianchu drank it all, and then said with a smile: "This taste is right!" ”

Li Defu smiled and said, "How did the adults think of such a tavern?" ”

Meng Tianchu: "As long as there is wine to drink." It's not all the same everywhere. ”

Li Defu: "My lord is really approachable, where are there still officials who are willing to enter such a tavern." ”

Meng Tianchu motioned for Li Defu to sit down, Li Defu didn't dare, Meng Tianchu said: "Since it's drinking, what's the difference between where on the wine table, if you stand and how can we drink, then I might as well drink in another place." ”

Li Defu sat down at this time, carefully poured another cup for Meng Tianchu, and said, "I'm afraid that the grass people would never even dream of sitting with adults and drinking with you." ”

Meng Tianchu smiled and said, "Come, don't talk about this, what kind of drinking." ”

The three of them sat together drinking and chatting, and before they knew it, a jar of wine had already seen the bottom, Meng Tianchu found that Li Defu still had some alcohol, although the degree of rice wine was not high, but at least Li Defu had drunk nearly a catty, and he could still sit here, and it seemed that he had to drink some more.

Meng Tianchu said with a smile: "Why is it gone so soon?" ”

Li Defu was also happy to drink, it was rare to have the opportunity to drink at the same table with the prefect, he was simply honored, listening to what Meng Tianchu said, he naturally called Xiao Er and asked for another altar to send it.

After drinking for a while, Meng Tianchu pretended to be drunk and said, "Shopkeeper Li is a big business, how can he come to such a tavern to drink?" ”

Li Defu: "Let the adults laugh, Defu is not under the care of the adults and a few ladies, what is the family... The family is big, and the business is big, and it's all ... Nothing, only if you can afford to eat meat and drink wine, that is true... Really, sir, what do you say? ”

Meng Tianchu saw that Li Defu's tongue was starting to grow bigger, and he couldn't stop talking, so he patted Li Defu on the shoulder and said, "Shopkeeper Li is right!" That's how life is, wife and children are hot on the kang, isn't it? ”

Li Defu smiled bitterly and said: "Men, just let women give... It's harmful, and I'm tired like a grandson all day long. When you go home, you have to look at the woman's face. Hmph, you said there was... What's the point? ”

Meng Tianchu laughed and said, "I heard from the cheap man that Mrs. Li can't help but be beautiful and capable." ”

Li Defu said: "Didn't I value her at the time, so I didn't dislike her as a widow, and the eight sedan chairs were married into my Li family, and now... I'm seen through and literate. Poetry and painting are all things done by rich people, and I Li Defu don't have such blessings, too... I can't follow her all day long. My lord, you say... Is that the truth? ”

Meng Tianchu pretended to be casual and said, "Widow? I thought..."

Li Defu sighed and said: "Don't tell the adult, the woman in my family is good at everything, but she is too pampered, and I am suspicious when I have a place, she said that her father is a private school teacher, so she can read and write." This is not surprising, but how to be so particular about food and clothing? Eat chicken without chicken skin, drink porridge and don't drink white porridge. ”

Meng Tianchu listened and wrote them down one by one, and said, "Maybe it's because Madame's family has spoiled her since she was a child, that's why..."

Li Defu was drunk and forgot that the person in front of him was a prefect, and spat on the ground, "Phew! said that within a few years of marrying into her husband's family, her father and mother died one after another, and she was the only one left, and then her husband also died, and I really didn't want it at first. I think she is hard, with whom to restrain whom, the matchmaker blew her to the sky and the earth, I couldn't help but see it, you said it would be good if I didn't see her. ”

Meng Tianchu asked knowingly, "Why?" ”

Li Defu: "She was only twenty-three years old at that time. The first time I saw her, I was really fascinated by her. That look, that figure, tsk. Especially when he couldn't stop laughing at me, he made me laugh silly, and the next day I agreed. ”

Meng Tianchu smiled and said, "Where is Madame's maiden home?" ”

Li Defu shook his head and said, "I asked, and she was sad when I said it, and then I didn't mention it, but I heard a guy in the store say that her accent is a bit like what is the name of Qiantang... What the... Village, I can't remember. ”

Meng Tianchu said tentatively: "Siege village? ”

Li Defu nodded hurriedly and said, "It seems to be called that." ”

Meng Tianchu stepped forward and asked, "How many years has your wife been married to you?" ”

Li Defu stretched out his fingers and calculated, and said, "After the New Year, it will be thirteen years." ”

When Meng Tianchu heard this, he felt that it was wrong, and said, "Think about it again, is it three years or thirteen years?" ”

Li Defu smiled and said, "My lord, our sons are eleven years old, do you think I will forget?" ”

Meng Tianchu couldn't understand, this woman knew Wu Min, and she was really from the walled village, Wu Min said that everyone thought you were dead, but you were alive, what does this mean, isn't this woman the person she is looking for, since she is in the walled village and can write, it shouldn't be a person from the villagers' family.

Meng Tianchu suddenly had a strange thought in his mind, did the person who let him check Wu Min have ulterior motives?

Meng Tianchu seems to have woken up as soon as he was drunk, this woman has lived incognito in Hangzhou Mansion for more than ten years, and she and Li Defu even gave birth to children, who is she?

Meng Tianchu decided to see this woman with his own eyes, thinking of this, Meng Tianchu said to Li Defu: "Shopkeeper Li, you are drunk, let's send you back." ”

Li Defu said vaguely: "How dare Defu let the big... The adults sent it, or Defu went back by himself. ”

Meng Tianchu gave Tu Long a look, and Tu Long got up and put Li Defu up, walked out of the private room, Xiao Er hurriedly walked over and said, "What's the matter, Shopkeeper Li is drunk?" ”

Meng Tianchu was about to take out the money, Xiao Er hurriedly stopped him and said with a smile: "There was a lot of offense just now, and I asked the guest officer to forgive me, and when I met him in the future, the guest officer often came, and the shopkeeper Li had already explained, and he would settle the money next time." ”

Meng Tianchu still took out the money and put it in Xiao Erdi's hand, and said, "It doesn't matter, whoever I and him will give the same." ”

Xiao Er hurriedly thanked Meng Tianchu and sent them out of the door, saw the carriage at the door, hesitated, turned around and entered the store, and soon the boss came out with that Xiao Er, who thought that Meng Tianchu and their carriage had gone away.

Xiao Er: "Boss, do you think this carriage belongs to the prefect's yamen?" ”

The boss squinted his eyes and looked at it carefully, and said, "Elephant, I look at elephant!" ”

Xiao Er looked at the silver that was still in his hand, and said, "Could that be..."

The boss snatched the silver from the young second-hand master. He said, "You can rest assured that the prefect would come to a tavern like ours to drink." It's probably just some pawns under the prefect, go into the house and work. ”

Xiao Er patted his head and said to himself: "If it really is, then I am not dead, I dare to ask for the prefect's silver, my God..."

The carriage soon came to the door of Defu Silk Village, and the sharp-eyed man saw that it was the carriage of the prefect's yamen and quickly went out to greet him. Who thought that it was the shopkeeper of his own house, he was surprised at first, and then hurriedly asked someone to call his wife. He stepped forward to give Meng Tianchu a salute, and then helped the dragon slayer to help Li Defu into the door.

Meng Tianchu and Tu Long were invited to the inner room by the guys, and after a while, they heard a rush of footsteps, the door curtain was opened, and Meng Tianchu saw a woman in her thirties walking in with a boy about ten years old.

Meng Tianchu: "Get up quickly." There is no need to be formal, hurry up and help Shopkeeper Li to rest, and we also leave. ”

The woman hurriedly said: "Thank you Lord Prefect for sending back my man, since the Lord is here, is it okay for the woman to ask the Lord to take back the clothes of the Fourth Lady and Miss Liu'er?" ”

Meng Tianchu: "It's okay." ”

The child on the woman's side stared at Meng Tianchu, and Meng Tianchu said to the child, "What's your name?" ”

The child looks like Li Defu, white and fat, but his eyes are the same as the woman's, and he looks very smart.

Woman: "Why don't you speak?" ”

Meng Tianchu smiled: "You go get the clothes." I'm talking to this kid. ”

The woman went out in response, and the child walked up to Meng Tianchu with a pair of big eyes, and said with a big grin: "You are the prefect?" ”

Meng Tianchu smiled and nodded, and the child said, "My mother said that the prefect is an old man, and she lied to me." ”

Meng Tianchu: "Really? What did your mother tell you? ”

Child: "Two days ago, several wives of the prefect came to the house to choose fabrics and said that they were sewing clothes for the New Year. Later, I asked my mother what the prefect was. She told me that the prefect was an old man with a white beard

Meng Tianchu and Dragon Slayer laughed.

Child: "My name is Li Tianjiao. What about you, my lord? ”

It so happened that the woman came in with her clothes, and when she heard the child talking, she quickly reprimanded, "Don't be rude." ”

Meng Tianchu said with a smile: "This child is quite interesting, why is the name a little girly?" ”

The woman smiled and said, "He gave it to me, and I think it's a little feminine, but his father said that the name is just a title and doesn't get in the way." ”

Meng Tianchu saw that the woman skillfully wrapped her clothes and handed them to the dragon, so he got up and said, "Okay, let's go." ”

Woman: "I asked the guy to bring some pumpkin seeds that we fried ourselves for the fourth lady, and I saw her like to eat them last time, so so..."

Meng Tianchu: "Mrs. Li is polite. ”

The woman bowed and said, "Why, my lord, walk slowly." ”

Meng Tianchu and Tulong walked out of the inner room, the woman walked out with the child, Meng Tianchu suddenly stopped, turned to the woman and said, "Listening to Madame's accent, it looks like a person from Qiantang, isn't it?" ”

Woman: "Yes." ”

Meng Tianchu: "Where are the people in Qiantang?" ”

The woman hesitated for a moment and said, "Qiantang... People from Qiantang County. ”

Meng Tianchu didn't ask again, and walked out of the door, and the child shouted behind him: "Lord Prefect, go slowly." ”

Meng Tianchu turned around and waved to the child, and found that the woman's face was not good-looking, and found that Meng Tianchu was looking at him, so he quickly lowered his head.

Meng Tianchu sat in the car and said, "It seems that the Yue'er girl from Xi's Mansion really guessed, and we probably have to go to the walled village." ”

Dragon Slayer: "I also think this woman is weird. ”

Meng Tianchu: "We have to find out which family died in the walled village thirteen years ago." ”

Slaying the dragon: "Actually, the subordinates think that the scope of the search is actually quite small, this woman doesn't look like a village woman in words and deeds, it should be..."

Meng Tianchu smiled and said, "Xifu is really interesting, I think this woman should be related to Xifu." ”

Dragon Slayer: "My subordinates think so too. ”

Meng Tianchu: "It seems that the person who handed us the note should have appeared." ”

Dragon Slayer: "My lord, why?" ”

Meng Tianchu: "Because he knows that our clues are broken here with Wu Min." ”

I thought that there would be no rain in the winter of Jiangnan only when it snowed, who would have thought that after dinner, the rain would be sprinkled from the air to all corners, and the raindrops were very much like crystal clear pearls, which was very beautiful. Raindrops fall from the eaves, walls, and leaves of trees, like beads on the ground with broken threads, and finally join together to form a column of water.

The wind was blowing and the rain was falling. Looking closely, there is not even a single figure on the street, and the white flowers are all water, and it has become a flowing river.

The wind carried the rain stars, as if looking for something on the ground, and slammed into each other from one end to the east and the other from the west. As soon as some of the late returnees found a place to shelter from the rain, the rain began to crackle. The rain became heavier and heavier, and soon it was like a pouring down, and the rain in the air really looked like a big waterfall! A gust of wind blew, and the rain, which was as dense as a waterfall, was blown by the wind like smoke, mist, and dust.

Meng Tianchu was lying on the bed looking at the file that Xi picked up, trying to find out what he had missed, some sweet potatoes and potatoes were placed next to the brazier, and Meng Tianchu was the only one in the room, it was very quiet, except for the sound of rain hitting the window outside the window.

The door creaked open, Meng Tianchu didn't look up, the footsteps were near, Meng Tianchu felt that something was wrong, and when he looked up, he saw that it was Lin Ruofan looking at him with a smile, Meng Tianchu quickly got up, Lin Ruofan said: "Adults, just lie down, it's so cold outside, it's rain, and it actually falls down with some snow, so people don't know how to get by." ”

Since Xiao Nuo said such decisive words last time, Meng Tianchu has deliberately avoided Lin Ruofan, not because he was worried that Xiao Nuo would be angry, but because he was worried that Xiao Nuo's temper would bring trouble to Lin Ruofan.

Meng Tianchu put down the file in his hand and said, "I thought it was Feiyan, why did you come?" ”

Lin Ruofan: "It was the fourth lady who asked me to come over and ask the adults, tomorrow is the day of Chai Meng and Liu Er's great joy, is it the ladies in each room to prepare their own hearts, or will they send it together, if they are sent together, what is appropriate?" ”

Meng Tianchu looked outside the door, Lin Ruofan thought that Meng Tianchu was cold, and hurriedly stepped forward to close the door, Meng Tianchu wanted to stop it, but after thinking about it, he forgot it.

Meng Tianchu: "Why didn't Feiyan ask herself?" ”

Lin Ruofan: "The fourth lady is busy, the house is now relying on her and the third lady, the third lady is in the eldest lady's room at this time, saying that it is time to clear the eldest lady's body, the third lady is afraid that the eldest lady will be panicked alone, so she will accompany her, and now the third lady is also over there." ”

Meng Tianchu understood, thought about it, and said, "Just let Feiyan and Jiayin make up their minds, or discuss it with Fengyi, but I don't know this." ”

Lin Ruofan nodded, walked to the brazier, flipped the sweet potatoes and potatoes, got up and said, "By the way, the fourth lady made some Gaza meat for you like to eat in the afternoon, I just went to the kitchen to smell it, it's so fragrant, do you want to bring some to you at night?" ”

Meng Tianchu saw that Lin Ruofan talked a lot, so he naturally called back to the old "master", in fact, this is better, Meng Tianchu didn't say anything but nodded, Lin Ruofan opened the door and walked out, and the door closed in front of Meng Tianchu's eyes.