Chapter 306: You Want to Kill Me, Right?

She jumped down from the small stool instantly, ran to Zhou Ping and Zhou An, face full of excitement: "I want to go too!"

Zhou Ping and Zhou An exchanged a glance, both somewhat amused and exasperated, "Miss? What are you going to do there? That place isn't somewhere to play."

Zhou Ping said carefully: "Miss, those places are dirty and messy, I'm afraid……"

Xiao Er smiled faintly: "Which place's trash is cleaner? I'll accompany the miss and go with you."

Zhou Ping and Zhou An both widened their eyes at the same time.

Zhou An exclaimed in shock: "Miss, are you really going to pick up trash?"

Xiao Er said nothing more, helplessly nodding: "You don't know, my miss loves picking up trash the most."

Zhou Ping looked at Xiao Er's indisputable expression, then at the delighted Tuan Tuan, swallowed, and nodded: "Then…… okay."

Xiao Ningxun rubbed his forehead: "Once it gets dark, you set out."

"Afterwards, Lu Qi will go with Zhou Ping and Zhou An to block the drainage ditch. When finished, we'll meet at Kong An's shop."

"Wait and watch tonight's good show."

"Yes!"

Time was approaching evening.

In the rear courtyard of Zui Jiangyue there was a ready-made cart; Zhou An, being thoughtful, also asked the attendant for a few burlap sacks and placed them on the cart.

Xiao Er harnessed the cart to that old brown horse, then lifted Tuan Tuan and brought her close to it.

Tuan Tuan stretched out her small hand, gently stroking the warm fur on the old horse's neck, and whispered: "Horse, horse, could you help pull the cart once more? This time it won't sink, they're all treasures!"

The old horse seemed to understand, flicked its tail, and lowered its head obediently.

Xiao Er sat on the cart's shaft holding Tuan Tuan.

Zhou Ping and Zhou An led the horse ahead, showing the way.

They went straight to the side of the city's eastern largest freight dock.

There, by day, ships and cargo bustled noisily, but now the sky was completely dark and all was silent.

On the open ground near the riverbank lay piles of waste like small hills.

Torn fishing nets, wooden buckets with broken bottoms, shattered oars, assorted shards of tiles and pottery—under the moonlight they glimmered with a disordered light.

"This is the place." Zhou Ping whispered, "The miscellaneous items cleared from the dock during the day are usually piled here, only hauled away every few days."

Tuan Tuan widened her eyes, looking at the "treasure mountain" before her, and exclaimed: "Wow!"

Just as Xiao Er set her down from the cart, she ran to the edge of the trash heap, pattering her feet, squatted down, picked up a shard of blue-patterned porcelain, turned back and happily said to Xiao Er:

"Uncle Er, look! This blue flower pattern, how beautiful it is!"

Xiao Er walked over, took it, examined it, and nodded solemnly: "Hmm, the color is refined and elegant; it's indeed a fine thing."

Zhou Ping and Zhou An stood aside, eyes wide open, "Miss, she really is picking up trash?"

Xiao Er tried not to laugh: "Get to work, pick things that can block the water and pack them."

The two brothers then came to their senses and hurried into action.

They were quick and nimble, selecting items not easily washed away by water—thick torn burlap, tangled fishing nets… one by one they stuffed them into the sacks.

Xiao Er accompanied Tuan Tuan, "treasure hunting" beside the trash heap.

Every time Tuan Tuan picked something up, she handed it to Xiao Er to look at.

Xiao Er's face full of indulgence, he gave a serious appraisal.

"This pottery shard is smooth and round, a good find!"

"This burlap is really sturdy, good eye!"

"This wood grain is peculiar, worth collecting."

While Zhou An packed the sacks, he couldn't help whispering: "Brother, does Master Xiao Er also like picking up trash?"

Zhou Ping: "... Don't talk nonsense, get to work!"

Soon, several large sacks of trash were loaded onto the cart.

Xiao Er also held in his arms a bounty of the treasures Tuan Tuan had picked up.

Everyone got onto the wagon, and Tuan Tuan hurried to thank the old horse: "Horse, horse, you've worked hard! Take us back to the granary!"

The old horse shook its head, turned the cart around, and headed toward the granary.

The wagon stopped beside Kong An's shop.

Lu Qi was already waiting there, and said to Xiao Er: "Take the miss inside; the Third Young Master and his group are in there, I'll take them to block the drainage ditch."

Xiao Er nodded, lifted Tuan Tuan with one hand, and went inside.

Kong An saw them arrive late at night pulling a cart of trash; though it was strange, he sensibly refrained from questioning, silently opened the back door, and let the cart drive into the rear courtyard.

Lu Qi led Zhou Ping and Zhou An, hoisted the several sacks, and made their way toward the southeast corner of the granary.

Several people sat by the shop's window, watching the granary's dark, lofty walls.

Xiao Ran looked at Tuan Tuan and couldn't help laughing: "Little squirt, did you dig up treasure?"

Tuan Tuan nodded vigorously, pointed at Xiao Er with her hand: "Ninth Brother, look! These are all I picked up!"

Xiao Ran glanced at Xiao Er's arms: "Hmm, it's rather… unique."

Xiao Er asked Kong An for a box and placed all of Tuan Tuan's picked-up treasures inside.

Soon after, Lu Qi, Zhou Ping, and Zhou An returned, nodding to Xiao Ningxun: "Third Young Master, it's done."

Xiao Ningxun replied: "Good job, you've worked hard; now rest, we'll just wait."

The night deepened, time passed slowly, and Tuan Tuan curled up in Xiao Ningxun's arms and fell asleep.

About two and a half hours later.

Deep inside the granary, a muffled stirring suddenly sounded.

Immediately after, the lights inside the granary blazed on!

What's going on? Where did all this dirty water come from?

Quick! Scoop it out with a bucket!

Inside the high wall, the lights flickered, casting vague human silhouettes.

You useless fool! Block the drain!

Is it blocked outside?

Go check it quickly!

Damn! All the medicine got soaked in dirty water!

Who can take responsibility for this! Report it to Boss Shen immediately! Hurry!

Soon, a man rode a swift horse out of the granary.

Inside, chaos erupted completely.

Shouts, splashing, crashing, and curses mingled together.

About another half an hour passed.

At the street's end, the rumble of wheels crushing stone slabs echoed.

A carriage sped toward them and slammed to a halt outside the granary's gate.

Before the carriage settled, a slightly plump figure in a silk robe hurriedly jumped down—it was Shen Wanjin.

Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran, who had been watching from the window, exchanged a glance: Here he comes!

Shen Wanjin's face turned ashen; he forced two words out between his teeth: "Open the door!"

The driver hurried forward and knocked open the granary's main door.

Flames surged from inside, illuminating Shen Wanjin's gloomily sullen face, as if it could drip water.

Shen Wanjin strode quickly into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the granary's steward: "Where is Qixiazi?"

The steward's legs went weak, and he stammered: "The Taoist Priest is underground; that's where the water first surged. He is leading people in emergency repairs…"

"Emergency repairs?" Shen Wanjin laughed suddenly. "Heh, go see how he does it."

He lifted his robe hem, stepped through the filthy water, and entered the granary's underground.

The underground was a mess.

The murky sewage had risen to the calves, submerging the piled herbs; dark‑blue toxin paste seeped slowly, tinting the surface a strange blue‑purple.

The pungent toxic fumes mixed with the sewage's stench, making people feel dizzy and nauseous.

Qixiazi's garment hems were completely soaked, and he was directing several pallid servants to frantically scoop water.

He was drenched in sweat, his complexion extremely grim.

Hearing footsteps, he whirled around and saw Shen Wanjin, his face ashen, descending the steps.

Qixiazi's pupils contracted, and he shouted hoarsely, "Shen Wanjin! It's you! It's you who had the drain blocked, trying to kill me, right?"