Chapter 57: Fragrance of a Daughter in the Dark Night

The window in the room was pushed open, and a slender figure flipped into the room, graceful and beautiful like jade. It was Qu Qu Hongxiu.

Jia Cong's face was happy, and he asked: "Did you get the thing?"

Qu Qu Hongxiu took out a small booklet bound in yellow paper and asked in disbelief:

"How did you know that there was a Seven-Star Lamp hanging in the empty room behind her kang, and that there were straw dolls, paper dolls, and this small account book hidden in the cabinet under the lamp?"

"Could it be that you have been to her house?"

Jia Cong smiled: "How could I have been to her house?"

Qu Qu Hongxiu frowned her beautiful eyebrows: "Don't try to fool me. If you haven't been there, how could you know so clearly?"

"A Mr. Cao told me."

"What kind of person is this Mr. Cao?"

"Mr. Cao is a scholar who can write articles that pass down through the ages."

Qu Qu Hongxiu glared at him: "You are just lying to ghosts. Scholars are just mysterious and strange."

She poured some tea into the new inkstone and ground out ink with a coarse ink stick.

Finally, she took a piece of gauze, dipped it in light tea, roasted it over the candlelight to produce smoke, and lightly smoked the newly written page in the small account book with the smoke, finally leaving it to dry on the side.

Qu Qu Hongxiu asked in surprise: "You even know this?"

She said in surprise: "You are too divine. Sure enough, there is such a person as Pan Pan Sanbao. I caught him and used some means, and he confessed everything."

Jia Cong originally wanted to say that this was his maternal grandfather's family skill, which he had learned to play with at the age of ten, but he swallowed the words and just smiled.

This whole night, the two were busy. Taking advantage of the night, they went out and came in several times. It wasn't until midnight that things were settled, and Jia Cong finally lay down to sleep with peace of mind.

Qu Qu Hongxiu's beautiful eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at Jia Cong as he worked.

Qu Qu Hongxiu took out two straw dolls, several blank paper dolls, and several pieces of yellow paper that had been cut.

"It's just making the ink color the same."

She tossed and turned for a long time before concentrating and picking up the brush, adding a few lines to the small account book, and then baking the place where she wrote over the candlelight.

Jia Cong smiled: "This time it wasn't Mr. Cao who said it; it was another teacher who said it. I tried it, and didn't expect it to be true, but the time was much earlier."

She actually wondered herself why she followed him in this nonsense. Ever since the Hidden Sect in Dezhou was wiped out, only she had escaped with a few orphans of the sect.

"What are you busy with?"

Finally, she repeated the above steps two or three times.

"It's exactly as you said. How did you know about these obscure things? Could it be that Mr. Cao said it again?"

Jia Cong took the new tea brewed by Qingwen, poured a cup for Qu Qu Hongxiu, and handed it to her with a smile.

He took the small account book and flipped through it carefully, then took out Qiu Xuan paper, wrote something repeatedly on it, and compared it with the content in the account book.

Then he wrote on the straw dolls and paper dolls, and finally asked: "When you send the things back, won't you be discovered by the other party?"

The next night, Qu Qu Hongxiu entered Jia Cong's room again.

"Rest assured, that person is the same as your two maids; they will sleep for three hours before waking up."

She killed Jinrong in the Shuyun Villa to avenge herself, and after that, she seemed not to know what to do. Every time she thought of the bloody scenes in Dezhou, she felt physically and mentally exhausted and weary.

She even intentionally distanced herself from Uncle Qin, who was strange in the bookstore on Wenhan Street.

Only when she was with Jia Cong did she feel a sense of peace and stability. Even this inexplicable following of his nonsense made her feel joy.

Qu Qu Hongxiu said: "I followed your idea and gave the confession signed by Pan Pan Sanbao to the victim. That person will definitely go to the Zhen'an Prefecture to report it."

Jia Cong looked at the dark night sky outside the window and muttered to himself: "Just wait. The debts that should be collected will not be missed by one. If you were still alive, that would be great."

……

Early in the morning, Wu'er began to tidy up Jia Cong's things because Third Brother was moving to the new courtyard in the north today. Qingwen entered the room to help Jia Cong wash.

As soon as Qingwen entered the room, she frowned and sniffed.

She asked suspiciously: "Third Brother, you have been closing the door to study every night for the past two days, and you don't let me and Wu'er enter the room to serve. Are you really studying?"

Jia Cong smiled: "Can studying be fake?"

Qingwen narrowed her eyes and giggled: "But I smelled it when I entered the room yesterday morning, and I smelled it again today. It's a woman's fragrance, the same one I smelled a few days ago."

Jia Cong forced a smile: "Little girl, you are suspicious every day. Besides you and Wu'er, is there any other woman in my room?"

Outside, Wu'er called: "Qingwen, hurry up and tidy up your own things, and let the servants transport them to the new courtyard together."

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said: "You go do your work, I'll do this myself."

This girl really has a dog's nose. This nose is sharper than her brain.

They didn't have much luggage. Jia Cong had grown up in the East Road Courtyard in dire straits, and he had very few things by his side.

The most important things were the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones sent by Seeing Tan Chun and Prince Prince Jia Shun, as well as the set of *Four Books* with red ink sent by Xiao Xiao Jindong.

Three or four servants moved everything in one trip.

Walking through the courtyards and corridors of the mansion for a long time, they finally arrived at that courtyard. Jia Cong looked at the "Green Branch Study" plaque on the door, his gaze somewhat gentle.

To have such a name—he suddenly felt a trace of intimacy for this lonely courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded by snow-white, undulating powder walls. The eaves had blue-gray flower-patterned tiles, and the ground was paved with dense blue bricks, with a winding path made of pebbles in the middle.

Although it was named "Green Branch," it only planted some fragrant herbs for the meaning. Because the courtyard had been vacant for many years, many had withered. The most planted in the courtyard were the straight and towering green bamboos.

Although Jia Cong was not liked by Jia Mu, Wang Wang Xifeng had chosen this remote courtyard, which had already met the Old Lady's intentions, so the rest didn't matter much.

Moreover, it was clear to everyone that Jia Cong was highly valued by Jia Zheng, and Jia Cong and Jia Lady Lian were biological brothers, so this relationship could be considered close.

Since Lady Wang had asked Wang Wang Xifeng to arrange it, she was a person who was good at handling all sides, so she naturally had to take care of both the inside and the outside.

Although she had a ruthless side, in these places, she disdained the stingy and mean nature of her mother-in-law and wouldn't let the name of her Wang family fall.

Therefore, the furniture and utensils in this courtyard were all well-prepared, and the three of them put down their luggage and everything was settled.

Outside, two rough third-class maids were assigned, named Juan'er and Si'er. They were also chosen by the maid Ping'er from Wang Wang Xifeng's side. They were not old and were full of childishness.

At noon, the three of them had lunch in the Green Branch Study. This place was far from the kitchen, which was more inconvenient than the original place.

Wu'er was tidying up the bowls and chopsticks with the little maid Si'er when she heard someone knocking at the courtyard gate.

Qingwen went to greet them, only to hear many footsteps outside, and also heard Qingwen's clear and beautiful voice.

"Miss Lin, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Second Brother Jia Baoyu, why have you all come!"

Jia Cong only heard Seeing Tan Chun's crisp voice: "Today Third Brother Cong is moving to a new home, so we naturally have to come and congratulate him."

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(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 58 =====