Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 265 Return to the Bookstore
"What kind of person is Hua Daizhao?" Xin You asked.

Although the Jinlin Guards supervised all officials, they were not all-pervasive in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Especially the small officials like Hua Daizhao, who had been given a gift, were not noticed at all.It was only after he started investigating the person named "Dongsheng" that he came into Jinlinwei's sight.

After just a few days of investigation, He Qingxiao didn't get much information: "Hua Daizhao's name is Hua Anfu. He is 36 years old this year. He once had a wife, a concubine, a son and a daughter. His wife died of illness ten years ago, and his concubine five years ago. He ran away with his daughter, and now only one son is left to depend on each other.”

"The concubine ran away with her daughter?"

He Qingxiao nodded: "Although Hua Anfu entered the Hanlin Academy to await the imperial edict, he had almost no chance to meet the emperor. He only relied on a meager salary to support his family and provide for his son to study. My concubine couldn't bear the long-term poverty, so she took her daughter away."

Xin You couldn't help but sigh: "Many officials seem to be very poor."

He Qingxiao paused and said: "There is a big difference. Those officials whose families have a lot of fertile land live a very comfortable life, while those from ordinary backgrounds who only rely on salary to support their families are relatively poor, and some even rely on loans to make ends meet..."

The difference between rich and poor officials mentioned by He Qingxiao made Xin You thoughtful.

My mother has also mentioned this before, especially when she saw some farmers who had lost their fields due to accidents.

"Does Hua Daizhao have any other relatives?"

"No more. He was born into a wealthy family in Hua Daizhao. He studied painting since he was a child and showed amazing talent. His family hired famous teachers to teach him. When he was a teenager, his family fell into decline and his relatives died of illness one after another..." He Qingxiao said what he knew about the situation, "He I’m not from the capital, these are all based on inquiries, and whether there are any discrepancies remains to be verified.”

"Who is the third person named Dongsheng?"

"It's a doctor from the Ministry of Finance named Zhao Qingyun. Do you remember Yaxin Bookstore?"

"Of course I remember." Xin You thought of something, "Could it be that Doctor Zhao is the father-in-law of the owner of Yaxin Bookstore?"

Yaxin Bookstore has always been in tit-for-tat with Qingsong Bookstore. Because of the personal grudges of its owner, Wu Dongjia disappeared after the bookstore was closed down.

Xin You remembered that He Qingxiao mentioned that Wu Dongjia was the son-in-law of a doctor from the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"Exactly. Xin Daizhao has a good memory." A smile appeared on He Qingxiao's lips.

Talking to smart people saves a lot of effort.

"Based on this, the three people named 'Dongsheng' have more or less crossed paths with me. It's a coincidence." Xin You murmured.

After hearing what He Qingxiao said about Doctor Zhao, Xin You decided to go to Qingsong Bookstore first.

"Be careful." He Qingxiao reminded.

After the two separated, Xin You left Ji Feo Street and turned into an alley.

Over the past year, she has used her spare money to buy many private houses, mostly ordinary and inconspicuous ones, which made it easier to change her identity.

After regaining her identity as a daughter, Xin You went straight to Qingsong Bookstore, but instead of entering through the front door of the bookstore, she entered the east courtyard and sent someone to call shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou.

"My boss, you haven't been here for a while!" Liu Zhou was a little excited when he saw Xin You.

Xin You smiled: "Now that the bookstore is in good condition and the business is booming, I don't need to guard it all day long. If anything happens, I will send someone to Shaoqing's Mansion to deliver a message to Xiaolian."

"There's nothing wrong with the bookstore, but people always ask about the owner."

"Who asked me?"

Liu Zhou raised his fingers and said, "Some students from the Imperial College, Lord Jijiu, and by the way, His Royal Highness King Xiu..."

After listening to Liu Zhou's words, Xin You asked shopkeeper Hu: "Shopkeeper, has Mr. He come to read the travel notes recently?"

She naturally asked this not to ask He Qingxiao, but to draw out He Yushi.

Shopkeeper Hu didn't know Xin You's true thoughts, so he misunderstood.

The old shopkeeper sighed secretly and replied: "Master He hasn't been here recently."

This young man looks calm and reserved, but that's actually not the case. His boss is no longer in the bookstore, so he won't come!
"It seems that our travel notes are going to gather dust." Xin You sighed.

Liu Zhou answered with a smile: "That's not true. My boss, you don't know that although Mr. He has stopped reading travel notes recently, there is an adult who also likes to read travel notes." "Oh, which adult is it?" Xin You looked curious.

"It's Mr. He Yushi He who helps Miss Zhu redress her grievances. He comes here on a donkey every time."

"I didn't expect He Yushi to also like to read travel notes."

Shopkeeper Hu chuckled after hearing this.

Xin You looked over: "Shopkeeper, what's wrong?"

Shopkeeper Hu stroked his beard and said in a long voice, "I'm afraid this Mr. He is not interested in drinking."

Judging from the rich experience he has accumulated over the past year, Master He is clearly here for Miss Zhu.

Shopkeeper Hu is becoming more and more satisfied with Zhu Xiaoyue who comes to help him.

This girl is really capable.

Shopkeeper Hu was satisfied with Zhu Xiaoyue, but he was not very optimistic about Yushi He.

He Yushi is indeed a respected and good official, Lord Qingtian, but he is too old and not a good match.

Asking shopkeeper Hu what he meant by this, Xin You laughed and said, "How old does the shopkeeper think He Yushi is?"

"More than 30 years old."

Seeing Xin You's strange expression, shopkeeper Hu asked: "Did you guess wrong?"

Xin You curled her lips: "I heard that this Yushi He is only in his 20s."

"More than 20 years old?" Shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou were both shocked.

The two looked at each other in disbelief.

"What about Miss Zhu?"

Shopkeeper Hu couldn't laugh or cry: "Miss Zhu thought He Yushi was almost forty."

Xin You didn't know how to comment for a while, so she told the two of them: "Miss Zhu no longer has any relatives. Now that she works in the bookstore, we can count her as half relatives. Since He Yushi is probably here for Miss Zhu, shopkeepers, please pay more attention For a moment, a good official is not necessarily a woman’s husband..."

In this case, if there is anything unusual about Yu Shi He, he may be discovered by Shopkeeper Hu and others.

Of course, this is just a multi-faceted approach, and it is not all expected to find out through Shopkeeper Hu and others whether He Yushi is the Dongsheng who corresponded with Zhou Tong.

"Don't worry, Master, I will keep an eye out for you from now on." Liu Zhou pointed to the direction of the library, "Master He is in the lobby of the library."

"I gonna go see."

Xin You raised her foot and went to the front.

Several calligraphers came to the lobby. Zhu Xiaoyue and Shitou were one to collect money and the other to greet the guests. They were not in a hurry because of the departure of shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou.

Xin You glanced at the two busy people, said nothing, and walked lightly towards the bookshelf.

The rows of bookshelves are long and deep, and it is very hot in this June weather.Right where He Qingxiao usually stood, He Yushi was holding a book as thick as a brick, and the clothes on his back were wet with sweat.

Xin You thought of the neat and smooth small characters on the letter left by Zhou Tong.

Maybe you can take a look at He Yushi's handwriting first.

She looked up, got an idea, and turned towards the counter.

Just as several book buyers finished their shopping and left, Zhu Xiaoyue saw Xin You's face beaming with joy: "My boss!"

(End of this chapter)