During a break, the soles of Shi Wuxiang’s feet began to itch, making him restless. After cleaning up the trash by his feet, he simply went out.
Watching his back, Zhang Xiang asked, “Where do you think he is going?”
Wen Hao chuckled. “Do we even need to guess?”
Naturally—
“A-Xiang!” Yuan Zhao exclaimed upon seeing him.
“Lower your voice—the cold wind will rush into your throat,” Shi Wuxiang said, nodding to those in line. He stepped into Madam Shi’s usual spot and began helping make the wraps.
Yuan Zhao turned, eyes wide. “Why are you doing this? Just sit to the side! Or collect money like A-Yuan!”
Shi Wuxiang said calmly, “Can I not work with you?”
“Of course you can, Boss Yuan! Your husband is so approachable—we even get to taste a scholar’s cooking today!”
“A scholar making pancakes… I am not doubting it, just never seen it before, haha…”
Customers came for the flavor and generous portions. If it did not taste good, that simply would not do.
Yuan Zhao beamed with pride. “Do not worry, everyone. I learned these skills from him.”
“You are being too modest, Boss Yuan! It is our fault for saying such things!”
“No matter.” Shi Wuxiang smiled, flipping pancakes in the cold wind.
With his good looks and his status as a well-known scholar, many stopped to watch. Their business only grew faster.
Seeing the time, Yuan Zhao turned to him. “A-Xiang, should you not be heading to Xiangxiang Restaurant?”
“Mm, I was just about to say.” Shi Wuxiang wiped his hands with a handkerchief. “If you cannot carry everything, leave the ox cart with me. Take the carriage back.”
“I know.” Yuan Zhao did not stand on ceremony.
Without a coachman, whether Shi Wuxiang drove the ox cart or the carriage made little difference.
It was his own oversight—he had bought a carriage, yet still had to drive it himself.
The market bustled with activity. Shi Qingyue and Shi Qingran weaved through the crowd with a list in hand, buying according to it. If something was unavailable, they would have to find another way.
They knew the town well. If stalls did not have what they needed, they could go directly to the vendors’ homes.
“Second Brother, are we not done yet?” Shi Qingran asked, uncomfortable. The cold wind stung her throat and nose.
“We still need red paper—for Eldest Brother to write couplets,” Shi Qingyue said. “And two large lanterns, which Sister-in-law wanted. After that, we are done.”
They continued walking and buying. Items too heavy to carry were arranged for delivery to the stall; the rest Shi Qingyue carried himself.
As they moved forward, the crowd grew increasingly dense. Not just them—others noticed too.
“What happened?”
“They pulled a corpse out from under the bridge! I heard it was violated. The officers had to hack through the ice to get it out!”
“What? The river is still frozen solid in this cold—how could someone end up trapped in the ice? Could it be a ghost?”
Shi Qingran immediately clutched Shi Qingyue’s arm, trembling. “Second Brother, I am scared…”
“The Master does not speak of strange forces or spirits,” Shi Qingyue said. With no free hand to comfort her, he could only reassure her with words. “The river flows beneath the bridge—there are always weak spots. If someone was killed and thrown in, it is not impossible. But that is the officials’ business, not ours.”
She was not entirely reassured—but at least it was not ghosts.
She tugged at him, wanting to leave. But he stood rooted in place, stretching his neck to look, taking advantage of his height.
“Are you leaving or not!” she protested, punching him lightly.
“I want to take a look. Why do you not bring the items back to the stall? You can also watch the vendors delivering goods, in case anything is missing,” Shi Qingyue said, sounding as though he were negotiating—but in truth, there was no room for discussion.
Shi Qingran had no way to deal with him, so she could only carry the two lanterns herself and head back.
When she returned to the stall, she saw that some vendors were already speaking with Yuan Zhao. She quickly squeezed in to help keep an eye on things, but fortunately nothing was missing.
Looking at the pile of goods behind the stall, Yuan Zhao smiled. “You bought quite a lot. Do you still have enough money? Mother took A-Yuan to buy snacks—if you bought too much, it is fine. We will finish it all anyway.”
Shi Qingran shook her head. “We followed the list, so it should all be complete. The red paper is with Second Brother—he is over there watching the commotion.”
“Watching the commotion? What happened?” Yuan Zhao asked.
“I am not too sure. I only know someone died. The officers just pulled a body out of the river,” Shi Qingran said awkwardly. Even mentioning it made her uneasy.
Yuan Zhao grew thoughtful. For something like this to happen so close to the New Year, the magistrate would surely have his hands full.
As for what exactly had happened, they would probably find out soon enough.
Before long, Shi Qingyue came running back—but there was no excitement on his face from watching the spectacle. Instead, he looked grave.
The moment Yuan Zhao saw his expression, he sensed something was wrong. Could it be that the deceased was someone they knew?
“What is with that face? What happened? Do you know the person?” Yuan Zhao asked, though it was only a guess.
Shi Qingyue nodded, then shook his head, hesitating. “The one who died is Cui Xiuxiu’s maid. I have seen her before at her side. And… before she died, she was violated.”
“That is despicable…” Yuan Zhao murmured.
“Did the Cui family send someone to claim her? No matter what, they should take her back for burial,” Yuan Zhao said earnestly.
Shi Qingran spoke softly, “A woman who dies like that cannot be properly buried. At most, she will be wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave.”
The Cui family would be even less likely to claim her. After all, she was Cui Xiuxiu’s maid. If they did so openly, it might arouse suspicion—people might wonder whether Cui Xiuxiu herself had suffered the same fate.
Yuan Zhao had not expected such customs and could not help but sigh.
Still, since it involved the Cui family, he could not shake the feeling that it had something to do with the Li family. The two families had been at odds recently—but Li Qingwei had no reason to harm a mere maid, did he?
With A-Yuan absent, no one noticed the group of little beggars crouched in a corner. The market was crowded, and the constant flow of people obscured them completely.
It was only when more and more people gathered to watch the commotion that Yuan Zhao happened to notice them—huddled together, shivering, as if they had been waiting for a long time.
He immediately began working briskly.
Even with no customers in front of him, he quickly made several wraps. Shi Qingyue and Shi Qingran found it odd but, after a brief pause, instinctively stepped in to help.
Once five wraps were ready, Yuan Zhao gave them a few instructions and pushed through the crowd toward the little beggars.
Scratching his head awkwardly, he said, “There are too many people in town today. I did not notice you right away—I made you wait. I made five wraps; it should be enough for ten of you.”
“Thank you, Boss Yuan! We also have something to tell you!” The leading boy looked serious, carrying himself like a little leader. “Let us talk somewhere secluded.”
Yuan Zhao laughed. “Alright.”
Secrets, of course, required a hidden place—especially since he could already guess it involved the Cui and Li families. He could not risk others overhearing that he was gathering information about them.
Two of the boys stood watch at the alley entrance, while the leader spoke in a low voice. “The one who died is Cui Xiuxiu’s maid—but the one who was supposed to be harmed was Cui Xiuxiu herself. The maid took her place.”
“Who would target Cui Xiuxiu’s maid for no reason? Or Cui Xiuxiu?” Yuan Zhao frowned, then suddenly realized. “Could it be Li—”
“This is what we heard. Yesterday during the day, the Li family sent someone to deliver a message to the Cui residence. I recognized him as Li Qingwei’s servant. He was stopped at the front gate and climbed over the wall instead. That means he was definitely going to see Cui Xiuxiu.”
“The one who got into trouble was the maid, so Cui Xiuxiu must have sensed something wrong and sent the maid in her place!”
“And when the maid left, she was wearing Cui Xiuxiu’s clothes!”
The more Yuan Zhao listened, the more confused he became. Li Qingwei was supposed to marry Cui Xiuxiu—so why would he suddenly try to harm her?
Even if it was because of Cui Qi, it made no sense to act so brazenly.
He could not make sense of it. He would have to tell A-Xiang later—he would surely figure something out.
“Alright, I understand. You have worked hard,” Yuan Zhao said softly. “Do not keep digging into this. If you are discovered, neither the Cui nor Li family are good people.”
He feared that his carelessness might cost them their lives.
The boy nodded obediently, though in his heart he knew they would continue listening. Even if they did not report to Boss Yuan, they could tell Master Shi instead.
“Good. Go back and share the wraps. If they get cold, your stomachs will hurt,” Yuan Zhao said, patting his shoulder.
The boy’s shoulder was thin beneath tattered clothes. Yuan Zhao felt a pang of sorrow—but he knew he could not truly help them. Even the magistrate could not solve such problems. What could an ordinary man like him do?
At best, he could help them get a few more bites of food.
“Boss Yuan, my name is Da Gou. If you ever need us to gather information, come to the broken temple by the edge of town. All of us brothers stay there!” the boy said seriously. “People like us are easy to overlook—we are good at quiet work!”
Yuan Zhao could not help but smile. “I understand.”
Da Gou left with the other boys, gathering together in small groups, carefully smelling the wraps before eating—something they always did.
Yuan Zhao’s nose stung.
He really could not change their situation.