Chapter 198

Before leaving, Xu Qing looked at the village behind him and shook his head.

Human hearts are hard to fathom. If he wanted to find the parents for the baby who fell into the water, it wouldn't be difficult, but doing so might not necessarily be a good thing for the child.

Not long after Xu Qing and Xuanyu left, beside the riverbank earlier, a woman with an anxious and uneasy expression searched all the way from the upper reaches to the lower reaches of the riverbank.

The woman couldn't find what she expected, but instead caught a glimpse of a laundry pestle beside the river beach.

"My family is just short of this item for laundry, it's really an unexpected joy."

The woman picked up the laundry pestle left by the village woman on the river beach, her anxious expression disappeared, replaced by an extremely happy smile.

Linjiang County, Funeral Street.

Xu Qing returned to the familiar territory, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Think of him, a zombie doing business with the dead, now he has become a living Bodhisattva who saves the suffering and sends children and blessings.

This death and life, life and death, have actually cycled.

I don't know if it's because of the addition of a temple-based practice, but Xu Qing felt that he was a bit different from usual when walking on the street.

If there were a peerless master who was proficient in Xuanmen Feng Shui and could see through the concealment of heavenly secrets looking down from the sky at the Feng Shui aura of Jingxia Street, they would find that on the originally lifeless Jingxia Street, a faint vitality was quietly sprouting, and that line of vitality appeared on Xu Qing, who had the heaviest death aura and was the least likely to be a living person.

After walking a few steps along the street, Xu Qing, who noticed something was wrong, suddenly stopped.

There seemed to be a bit too much living aura on Jingxia Street today.

This is very inconsistent with common sense.

Xu Qing walked toward his shop like a street loafer, with a black cat peeking and poking beside him. I don't know if it was because it had been with Xu Qing for a long time, but this cat also had a "Xu Qing flavor" when walking.

"So many big horses!" Xuanyu exclaimed.

Xu Qing looked sideways and saw four carriages parked in front of the paper-craft shop. The carriage bodies were all wrapped in silk, and even the windows were covered with crepe gauze.

Carriages of this shape can only be ridden by the rich or noble.

"It's a pity, I thought it was a big client."

Xu Qing felt the aura remaining on the carriage and already knew who had come.

Xuanyu didn't care about humans; its attention was always on those horses.

One of the horses was particularly excited. Seeing Xu Qing, it shook its head and tail, stepped on its four hooves restlessly, and made a hissing sound.

Xu Qing didn't care, until he heard the horse's neighing, did he come to his senses.

Before breaking through to the "Fushi" realm, Xu Qing had learned the language of birds and beasts. After becoming a "Fushi," he opened his "Ear Consciousness," and not only was his ability to understand bird and beast language enhanced, but he could also understand ghost talk and divine sounds.

Listening to the horse calling "Master" one after another, looking excited as if it had been separated for a long time, Xu Qing suddenly recalled the origin of this horse.

When he went to the capital's imperial mausoleum, he had once picked a thousand-mile treasure horse to travel.

On the way, he fed the horse a lot of Grain Bigu pills and strength pills. Fortunately, the horse didn't get a stomachache and sent him all the way to the imperial mausoleum.

Arriving at the imperial mausoleum, Xu Qing let the horse leave on its own. After that, he forgot about it. Now, nearly a year later, he didn't expect to meet this thousand-mile horse at his doorstep.

Long time no see, this horse was even more spirited than before. At the very least, it looked like a good horse.

Xu Qing walked up and happily stroked the horse's mane.

Hearing the sound of the horse neighing and snorting outside, someone came out of the paper-craft shop to investigate the situation.

The moment he saw Xu Qing, the man wearing a brocade official uniform immediately shouted:

"Brother Xu!"

Hearing this, Xu Qing stopped soothing the horse and looked at the overjoyed young man at the shop entrance.

After more than a year of separation, Wu Zhiyuan's appearance was quite different from before, and he even had an inch-long short beard under his chin.

"Brother Zhiyuan, all is well."

In the paper-craft shop, Wu Wencai, who heard the movement, and several unfamiliar people also welcomed them out.

Seeing that the Wu family seemed to be more bustling than before, Xu Qing couldn't help but show a relieved smile.

Old Man Hu from the coffin shop, Shopkeeper Yao from the burial clothes shop, and the Wu brothers who had now dragged their families back from the capital.

These people came and went, and there were changes almost every day, but only he, the funeral master of the mortuary shop, had always been here. Even if the Wu brothers put on official uniforms and became high-ranking big shots, he still hadn't changed.

"It's been a few days, but Wencai looks more mature than before."

Wu Wencai shook his head with a bitter smile: "It's not a few days. This year or so has been longer than the past ten years."

On the side, Wu Wencai's godfather, Yin Shan, the Yin official, gestured and said: "I often hear Wencai mention his nephew. Seeing him today, he is indeed extraordinary..."

Xu Qing said in surprise: "Who is this?"

Wu Wencai coughed and said: "Father Yin is my rebirth parent and also my foster father."

"."

Before Xu Qing could think too much, Wu Zhiyuan next to him came to an old couple at the door and also introduced: "This is my godfather and godmother. If it weren't for them, I definitely wouldn't have lived to this day, and I wouldn't have reunited with Brother Xu today."

"."

Even though Xu Qing was a zombie without life, he couldn't help but gasp at this moment.

These two brothers are really capable. It's one thing to take the scholar exam together, but how come they even recognize foster relatives together?

Does Old Wu know about this? Did you get his consent?

At this time, Wu Yaoxing's wife was all smiles.

Looking at this big family, Xu Qing's desire to eat melons was completely ignited.

The Wu brothers looked at each other. Although there were smiles on their faces, they were also mixed with visible helplessness.

The two of them hadn't told people less about what happened these days, from foster father and foster mother, to the old lady of the Wu family, and Zhang Wan who had been waiting for Wu Zhiyuan.

Now that the two had told it countless times, seeing that Xu Qing had the intention to explore, they had no choice but to welcome him into the shop and start from the beginning.

When hearing that the two were plotted against by the accompanying official, the boatman, and Yuan Hu when they boarded the boat, Xu Qing didn't feel surprised.

He already knew these things when he performed the funeral rites for the boatman, and the inside story he knew was even more detailed than the Wu brothers.

"I don't know the background of that official, but I have already learned the identities of the other two murderers who accompanied us."

"This matter is thanks to the government office in the county. If it weren't for them posting the arrest warrant and drawing the thief's portrait, Wencai and I probably wouldn't know who the murderer who harmed us was even now."

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows.

Speaking of which, Yuan Hu and the boatman Zhang Da were revealed by him to Wang Lingyuan, asking the government office to arrest them. However, at that time, Xu Qing wasn't doing it for the Wu brothers, but because these two water bandits often harmed others on the water, and he wanted to bring some performance to Senior Brother Wang, so he poked their matter to the government office.

The Wu brothers obviously didn't know the inside story. Even now, they hadn't found evidence that could directly point to the mastermind behind the scenes.

However, things have come to this, finding evidence is just a matter of time.

Besides not seeing as clearly as Xu Qing, the Wu brothers hadn't missed anything they should have done.

"Boatman Zhang Da is dead, but Yuan Hu and that official are still alive. I asked someone to draw a portrait of the official a few days ago and offered a reward for people in the Jianghu to track their whereabouts. Someone reported the day before yesterday that they had already found Yuan Hu's tracks, but that person had good skills and escaped by luck."

Wu Wencai pondered: "Yuan Hu was injured and fled, he can't run far. Now besides him, there are some witnesses who are very critical. One is the official who colluded with Yuan Hu, and as for the rest..."

"Those who framed my uncle for colluding with the Tianxin Sect were beheaded, and two accomplices were sentenced to exile. My father and I have secretly notified Qianzhou, and I think in a few days, they will be able to be interrogated in this county."

Xu Qing listened with relish, and the black cat beside him also listened attentively.

The drama before his eyes was like a poor boy passing the scholar exam, returning home in glory to fight the bully, which completely satisfied Xu Qing's melon-eating psychology.

To make this drama even more exciting, Xu Qing hinted: "I heard Wencai say that you two were thrown into the river in the Jinmen Prefecture area. It's possible that the official who claimed to be a government official was a government office runner from the Jinmen Prefecture."

Hearing Xu Qing say this, Wu Wencai narrowed his eyes and said: "When my uncle was framed, it was because the Prefect of Jinmen was confused in judging the case. If this matter really involves the Prefecture..."

On the side, Yin Shan said: "Although my official position is not high, I have many colleagues with whom I have good personal relationships. If my son's injustice is true, let alone the Prefect, even if the Circuit Censor comes, I will definitely put down my face and invite my former colleagues to impeach and report together."

Wu Wencai was silent for a moment and said faintly: "In those years, the Circuit Censor came to Jinmen to patrol on behalf of the Son of Heaven. Even if I drifted to Yuzhou, I still hoped that when the Censor investigated the case files, he would be able to perceive the injustice suffered by my uncle..."

"But later I found out that the Circuit Censor arrived at Jinmen Prefecture, saying he was inspecting the people's feelings, but in fact, he played with the Prefect for several days. During this period, I'm afraid he didn't even flip through half a volume of case files."

Yin Shan coughed and interrupted: "Although the Circuit Censor is patrolling on behalf of the Son of Heaven, it is inevitable that there will be omissions. My son doesn't need to take it to heart. Let's talk about the problem of the Prefect of Jinmen."

Xu Qing looked at this pair of father and son and couldn't help but find it funny.

This Wu Wencai didn't even frown when he pitted his father.

The Circuit Censor is an existence that even first-rank officials give three points of courtesy. Placed in the village, he is no different from the bully goose at the entrance of the village. Even if Yin Shan were given a few guts, he wouldn't dare to touch the mold of the other party.

"Looking at Zhiyuan and Wencai's appearance, could it be that they have official status?"

"It can't be called official status. After my brother and I passed the exam in the capital and were ranked in the second class, we worked as Shujishi in the Hanlin Academy for a period of time. Now I am still a Shujishi, but my brother is highly valued and has now been sent out as the County Magistrate of Pingqiu County."

Wu Zhiyuan interrupted: "Don't listen to Wencai's nonsense. Scholars who can stay in the Hanlin Academy for potential cultivation have the most distant future. If I weren't inflexible and angered my superiors, I wouldn't have been sent out to a small county to take office in advance."

Wu Wencai laughed and said: "Doesn't that blame you? The lecturer took a fancy to your literary talent and wanted to form a father-in-law and son-in-law relationship with my brother, but my brother? He refused the lecturer's good intentions on the grounds that he already had a wife at home and didn't want to be a heartless person. If it weren't for that, I'm afraid my brother would have already become a regular editor of the Hanlin Academy!"

On the side, after hearing this, Zhang Wan looked at Wu Zhiyuan with eyes that seemed like a piece of honey just taken out, sweet and sticky, almost pulling out silk.

Wu Zhiyuan's old face turned red, and he didn't speak.

Xu Qing didn't expect that eating a melon would also eat dog food!

"Alright, you two are safe, and the old man can be at ease." Xu Qing looked at the smiling Wu family wife and said: "I'll go back to the shop first. If Old Wu comes to interrogate, don't forget to let me know when the court opens, so I can go outside the government office to watch the trial."

With the psychology of eating the whole melon, Xu Qing specifically explained. He had already planned that when the court opened to overturn the case and retry, he would take Xuanyu to catch a show and watch the whole drama!

Xu Qing walked out of the paper-craft shop, and the little sister of the Wang family who had been living with Zhang Wan also ran out.

"Master!"

Seeing the little girl, Xu Qing suddenly realized.

That's right, now that Wu Zhiyuan has returned, the couple will definitely live together. Maybe after this matter is over, Zhang Wan will follow Wu Zhiyuan to live in the capital.

This little girl has been waiting for her brother to return, so she definitely doesn't want to leave Jinmen to go to the capital.

"Like this, Yue'e, you go back to the burial clothes shop first, don't think too much. If you don't have enough food and clothing, just take the money from the shop, don't treat yourself badly."

Wang Yue'e rubbed the corner of her clothes, looking back three times for every step, afraid that the only Master Xu she trusted would disappear in the next moment!

Xu Qing waved his hand and watched the little girl enter the burial clothes shop. Only then did he start to ponder about finding a nanny for the little girl.

"Spending money to hire a nanny is a small matter, the key is the candidate..."

Xu Qing was thinking about things in his heart when he saw Shopkeeper Cheng, who had been cracking melon seeds and watching the excitement of the paper-craft shop across the street, forcefully gesturing to him.

Seeing this, Xu Qing was happy in his heart. What is called "sleepy and sending a pillow"?

Right in front of him, isn't this Shopkeeper Cheng that big pillow!

Just looking at this figure, she looks like someone who is good at raising children and suitable for raising children!

Arriving in front of the incense and candle shop, Cheng Caiyun hadn't had time to ask about the Wu family's affairs when she heard Xu Qing say straight to the point:

"Shopkeeper Cheng, I have a child, do you want it?"

"???"

One sentence made Cheng Caiyun feel bad all over.

"Scholar Xu, don't mess around! Auntie is almost thirty. If you see that I'm easy to bully and come to tease me, do you believe I will hang myself at your door tomorrow..."

Xu Qing looked at Cheng Caiyun, who was shy and annoyed, and said irritably: "What good things are you thinking about? In the past, when you asked me if I wanted a wife, why didn't I see you hanging yourself at your door? Now that I ask you if you want a child, you want to hang yourself at my door..."

Shopkeeper Cheng dragged Xu Qing into the shop and said almost through gritted teeth: "What are you shouting about? You are a scholar, I am a widow. If I say a word about you, it doesn't matter, but if you say a word about me, that's my life!"

"Shopkeeper Cheng is wronging people. I see that you are lonely, so I really want to give you a child."

Seeing Cheng Caiyun's face turning into a pig's liver color and looking for a broom everywhere, Xu Qing said happily: "What do you think of that girl in the burial clothes shop? If you are willing to be her nanny, you won't have to worry about no one to support you in your old age."

"Eh?" Cheng Caiyun was stunned. After reacting, she frowned and said: "The girl will get married sooner or later, how can I count on her? I'm afraid that in the end, I will raise her in vain and send her to another family."

Xu Qing smiled: "Shopkeeper Cheng doesn't have to worry about that. The girl has a brother who is making a living outside, and that child is a sensible person. Besides, there is my guarantee. At worst, I will handle your funeral for you."

(End of chapter)