Throughout noon, she held the small Nanmu box that could not be opened, sat with her back against the wooden pillar of the corridor, and occasionally shook the small wooden box to listen to the sound inside.

The sound is crisp and the portion is not light. I don't know if it's gold or jade locked in the box?

The carpenter who had been hired at a high price was sweating profusely, and he continued to pour out those few precious rosewoods.

Day-time workers also came to the door.

The Ye family is a little lady who has not left the cabinet, and the hired short-term workers are also strong women in the town.

The excuse for asking someone to dig a pit is to "renovate the yard and eradicate the grass roots".

The real reason, of course, is not this.

There is no such thing as a home that has been abandoned for no reason. In a large mansion like this, which was suddenly deserted, there was not even a single old servant left, most of them were due to the owner's family having an accident and hurriedly leaving in order to avoid it.

People are in a hurry, and there is no time to pack things. Most of the hosts will bury the valuables that are too late to be transported to the ground, commonly known as "old gold".

For an expert like Ye Fuliu, who is in the house of the house, it is an unexpected joy if he can find the "old gold" left back then, and the jargon is commonly known as "touching the old gold".

This time the luck was not good, the front yard and the backyard carefully ploughed, digging three feet into the ground did not find the treasure chest buried in the ground, only dug out two jars of wine from under the pear blossom tree in the backyard.

It is also common to "touch the old gold" and touch the emptiness. Ye Fuliu instructed to carry the two jars of old wine to the kitchen, looked up at the sky, and calmly released the following work.

"I'm tired of all the aunts and sisters, after pulling out the grass roots, fill the potholes as they are, and the front yard will be clean and neat."

"The front yard is repaired, and then go to the back garden to dig a few lines of paths to come out. The back garden is so plain that I wanted to bury some bricks on the side of the road, and then pave some cobblestone paths and the like to spell out a lively and unique pattern. ”

Compared to the digging and filling of the pits in the front yard, the back garden is a small job, and the women of the day workers laughed.

"Where to dig the path? Straight or curved? ”

"The trails are free and natural." Ye Fuliu replied good-naturedly, "Of course, it has to be crooked, and nine bends and eighteen bends are the best." ”

Twenty or so sturdy women talked and laughed and worked until the evening, the front yard was clean and neat and magnificent, the potholed ground was filled in, and the back garden opened a new path of nine curves and eighteen bends, and stepped on it with their feet, the path was paved with a layer of pebbles, and the large and small stones spelled out all kinds of flowers, birds, fish and insects patterns.

Some women also took the initiative to move the large stack of bricks in the corner, "hurry up and put together the bricks on both sides of the path before leaving." Ye Fuliu stopped with a smile. Thank you aunt for your kindness, the hour is not early, today's work is done here, all the aunts have paid their wages, hurry home and cook. ”

Su Qiu came out with a whole basket of copper coins, and the women lined up one by one to settle their wages, laughed and went home, and said to the carpenter that they would come back tomorrow morning, and Ye Fuliu sent the outsiders away and closed the door.

There were only Su Qiu and herself left in the Ye house, Ye Fuliu walked to the courtyard wall, and looked up at the two hundred or so Han bricks stacked in a high pile.

The delicate fingers stroked the delicate pattern of one of the Han bricks, "Good thing." She sighed softly in admiration, picked up a piece with both hands, and moved it to the newly opened winding path.

Pushing aside the pebbles, the small shovel loosened the soil, and carefully buried most of the Han bricks into the soil, and the carved patterns were all hidden under the soil, revealing only a small sharp horn facing the sky, and covering it loosely with pebbles around it.

Su Qiu hurried over to help.

The two of them buried a dozen stone bricks in the soil, and the sharp corners of the stone bricks next to the sheep intestine path lined up, which looked like a common sight in the back garden of a wealthy family.

"It's a lot of work." Ye Fuliu rubbed his sore arm, "Okay." When Qin Long came back, he told him to continue to bury both sides of the path as he is now, and bury the rest in it. Let's eat first. ”

"Speaking of which," she remembered the chief steward who hadn't seen her all day, and listened to the movement outside the door, "why did it take so long to go to the county office to get a cat pot?" He should be back tonight. ”

Qin Long came back quite late.

The cat basin was not taken back, Lu Zhixian was stubborn and temperamental, and he wanted to offer the cat basin to the county office.

"The Ye family is rich, and the tree is very popular, so you will send one of the thieves who twisted the official mansion this month! How can this official rest assured that the palace nobles will be placed in the Ye family? ”

Well said and makes sense. Qin Long was speechless.

Before the matter was done, he left the yamen and was targeted again.

"Shen Da sent someone to stop me outside the county yamen. Well, I have to show this wanted notice to the master's house. He said that the Lord's family knew the person on the arrest warrant. ”

Qin Long took out a yellow list notice and handed it to Ye Fuliu in confusion.

"The wanted one is said to have been bold enough to collude with foreign thieves to steal and steal the mansion of the prince of Xinguo outside the city of Jiangning Mansion. He, a reward of five hundred taels of silver! There is enough value. Does the master recognize this wanted fugitive? ”

"Well, I'll take a look......" Ye Fuliu answered vaguely, took the wanted warrant, turned around and walked away a few steps, and turned on in the light of the lantern.

At the top of the notice is written "Jiangnan Lianglu Urgent Arrest", and at the bottom is written "Heavy reward of 500 taels".

The appearance of the beautiful woman carefully outlined by Gongbi appears in the center of the text.

Delicate melon seed face, small nose, a pair of deliberately depicted pretty Danfeng eyes, the corners of the eyes are charming and uplifted, extremely conspicuous.

The small print next to it added: "The body is seven feet two inches, and the body length is like a slender bamboo." Inner double Dan phoenix eyes, Beijing accent people's name. ”

Ye Fuliu swept the portrait from head to toe. The arrest warrant looks like this......

That's fine.

A heart rested back in the center of the belly, and Ye Fuliu opened his mouth to come, "Déjà vu!" It does look like I've seen it before. I can't remember exactly when I saw it. ”

Qin Long also pointed to the portrait and said casually, "The contour of the face is five points like the master's family." But the eyes are not like it at all, not to mention the height. This woman is tall, born seven feet two inches, which is rare in the Jiangnan territory, and she is very eye-catching in the crowd. If I am an arrest officer, I will first focus on the height and arrest, and sooner or later I will be able to find out the person. ”

Ye Fuliu listened with a smile and was very satisfied. After listening to Qin Long, he said, "I saw Master Shen in the town another day, and I also helped me bring him a word." ”

"Lord, please speak."

"Thank him for sending the arrest notice, and don't care about his old accounts. The deal negotiated on the ship last time is still there, and the price he said is not moving, he prepares the ship to transport the goods by himself, and I wait for him for five days. I haven't heard from me for five days, so I'm looking for another buyer. ”

"Remembered."

"Don't rush to go." Ye Fuliu stopped Qin Long, who was just about to go back to the house, and raised his hand to the wall, "There is still something to do, you can help." These bricks need to be buried in the ground, Su Qiu and I buried some of them, and you buried the rest in the back garden as they were. ”

Qin Long followed her gesture and turned around, and saw at a glance more than two hundred stone bricks stacked high on the wall.

"......" Qin Long was silent.

Half a year ago, when he first came out of the rivers and lakes, he was shy in his pocket, and he happened to run into the Ye family's merchant ship and was hired by the master as a swordsman guard. Later, he served as the chief steward. Later, he became a bookkeeper, a gardener, and a thug.

ran all day in the name of the Ye family's chief steward, and went home as a gardener......

The Ye family has a big business, and the main family is not short of money, why don't they hire a few more people?

Fortunately, Ye Fuliu's soothing words in the next sentence calmed people down in time.

"In the kitchen, there is a whole lamb that has just been delivered in the morning, and it is making mutton soup with mushrooms and white radish. Su Qiu and I eat half a pot, leave you half a pot, is it enough? By the way, two jars of old wine have been dug up under the pear blossom tree, and one jar will be opened for you at night. ”

Qin Long's face recovered seven points, he rolled his sleeves on the spot, and went to work.

Ye Fuliu took two steps along the wall, and suddenly remembered something, and looked up at the small wooden building next door.

Of course no one will be there at such a late hour. Under the eaves were empty, and the half-rolled bamboo curtains were blowing in the night breeze, showing strange shadows.

Ye Fuliu stopped thinking for a while, and discussed with Su Qiu, "When the stewed mutton soup is ready, send a bowl to the next door." ”

"Okay."

Ye Fuliu told again, "Use a cauldron for stew." Don't cut the lamb into pieces, a whole leg of lamb is stewed and sent over. ”

Su Qiu: "? ”

"Wei Langjun's unwritten rule is to eat a maximum of five bites per meal, and put chopsticks when you finish eating." Ye Fuliu explained to her slowly,

"I'm a little curious and want to try it...... Give Wei Langjun a plate of uncut whole lamb legs, how do he bite these five bites, and how much is the weight of each bite. If Wei Langjun likes mutton, maybe five bites can eat half a catty. ”

Su Qiu couldn't help but smile, "I can't see it." ”

"Try it. Mutton is warm and nourishing, suitable for patients with body weakness and blood deficiency, and it is good for the body to use more. ”

——

That night, the smell of hot and fresh fragrance came to his nose, and Wei Da knocked on the door of the study and smiled rarely.

"Little Lady Ye is a cheerful person! How long has it been since I've seen a whole lamb stew? The food served in the capital is all sliced in the kitchen, and everyone takes chopsticks one by one, as if the chicken pecks rice; Not to mention Jiangnan, the bowl is as small as bird food! Lang Jun and look. ”

The huge celadon bowl in the arms of the eight-foot man was placed on the table with a bang. Wei Da opened the iron lid covering the porcelain bowl and placed it on the table, and the rich aroma of meat emitting fresh fragrance and hot air instantly filled the entire study.

In the wide-mouthed large porcelain plate, there is a whole stewed tender lamb hind leg, the meat is tender and red, and the portion is at least ten catties. Served with a little milky broth, a large green porcelain plate is surrounded by a circle of freshly stewed mushrooms and white radish. Color, flavor, and flavor.

Wei Da took the bowl and chopsticks, took a sharp knife, cut a large long strip of meat in Xingchong, and respectfully put it in the bowl.

"Lang Jun, please use! The servant cut the meat for Lang Jun. ”

Wei Langjun sat at the table, his gaze swept over.

He was staring in a strange direction. I didn't look at the stew in the bowl, nor did I pay attention to the rare huge celadon sea bowl in front of me, and the rich aroma of meat wafting through the room seemed to have no effect at all.

His gaze finally fell on the inconspicuous silver-encrusted flask in the corner, and he slowly opened his mouth.

"The Ye family sent wine? Where do you get the ageing? The aroma is intense. ”

Wei Da was stunned, "The wine was brought by the lady Suqiu next door." It is said that there are two jars of old wine buried under the pear tree in the yard, I don't know how many years have been buried, and I just got up today and opened an altar at night. Ye Xiaoniang doesn't drink, Qin Da can't finish drinking, and she puts it away, so Su Qiu Niangzi sent a small pot over......"

Before he could finish speaking, his slender hand took the empty cup and poured half a cup of amber aged wine from the small silver-encrusted jug. The aroma of the wine fills the room.

Wei Da was taken aback and hurriedly stopped, "Lang Jun, you can't drink." I've said it a few times before—"

Under Wei Da's staring gaze, the emaciated hand picked up the wine glass, put it to his lips, and took a sip. Pale lips with a pale flush.

Wei Langjun whispered to himself, "Twenty years of Chen's daughter Hong." Wine. ”

Chapter 8

It was getting dark, and twilight was enveloping the small town in Jiangnan.

A vague cry wafted in his ears.

Ye Fuliu thought that his ears were ringing at first, and after listening carefully for a while, his eyes probed down, staring at the courtyard floor suspiciously. It can't be from underground, right?

She had just buried eight pairs of vivid paper figures and paper horses, and put them into the ground......

It's a big night, a little panicked.

The cry was faint, and the more I listened to it, the less it sounded like it was from underground, but like a backyard. When she followed the voice to find the backyard, Qin Long was still busy.

People squatted on the side of the newly opened sheep intestine path, pressed the two stone bricks into the soil, and pulled a small pile of pebbles to pile beside them.

Ye Fuliu set the lantern on the branch and squatted on the side of the path to study together. How to look at the pebble half-cut fish pattern, the two of them tossed for a long time to correct the crooked fish.

Taking advantage of the breath, Ye Fuliu asked Qin Long, "Did you hear the cry?" Why are you still crying ethereally, if there is nothing? Is there really a ghost crying in our house? ”

"What is the Lord's house thinking?" Qin Long raised his hand and pointed to the courtyard wall, "It's from the other side." At first, he squatted by the wall and cried, and then he squatted outside the door and cried. ”

There are only two masters and servants in the Wei family, and it is obviously not Wei Langjun who squats and cries at night.

Ye Fuliu immediately remembered the whole stewed leg of lamb sent in the evening: "What's going on again, I'll take a look." ”

The long street of Jiangnan Town shrouded in night is full of shadows everywhere, all of which are the shadows of broad leaves swaying.