I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

Chapter 532: Ghosts and Gods Are Unpredictable

After calling three times in a row, until the guards got impatient and were about to order them to break in, the red lacquered door finally opened a tiny crack, and an old woman leaned out and asked cautiously:

"Is it true that the Madam has arrived?"

As she asked, her eyes looked behind them in panic, as if there was some terrifying beast hiding there that might jump out and bite people at any time.

No one paid attention to her question, and she was pushed aside by two guards. They entered the house and quickly checked it out, confirming that there was no danger, and then opened the door and invited Luo Qianhuai in.

When Xing Xuan helped Luo Qianhuai step over the high threshold and enter the hall, the old woman also saw Hou Zhong being dragged out of the carriage like a dead fish. She didn't care about anything else and rushed forward, threw herself in front of him, crying and laughing.

Luo Qianhuai entered the hall and saw that it had indeed been cleaned up. There were two women, one big and one small, inside, both wearing faded linen clothes, waiting by the side with their hands in their sleeves and their backs hunched, like two quails.

Luo Qianhuai sat down in front of the table at the head of the table. Xing Xuan stood beside her and asked for her:
"Are you all from Qinglu Garden? Madam is the new master here. Have you never learned the etiquette and rules? Don't you even know how to perform the greetings?"

Upon hearing that, the older woman frowned and glanced outside. When her eyes met the two indifferent guards standing at the door, she showed her fear first, pulled the girl beside her, and knelt down to Luo Qianhuai together.

"My dear lady, I meet you, Madam." She said to the girl together.

Luo Qianhuai looked at the two people and saw that both the woman and the child had a look of deep worry between their brows, which made him even more curious.

"Are you two mother and daughter? What's your relationship with Hou Zhong?" she asked with her red lips slightly opened.

"My dear madam," the woman replied, "Hou Zhong is my husband, and Li'er is our daughter."

Therefore, the old woman just now was most likely Hou Zhong’s mother.

Luo Qianhuai didn't want to dwell on these things, so he asked directly: "When His Majesty granted this garden, there were more than 20 families besides you. Where are they now?"

The woman obviously hesitated for a moment, and said hesitantly: "They had all followed their husband's arrangements and were waiting here to see the lady, but they didn't expect..."

There was a look of horror on her face, and her voice trembled: "Here they come again, Madam, they just won't let us go. Now no one can escape."

By the end of her speech, she was already incoherent and answering completely irrelevant questions.

On the contrary, the little girl next to her, although only eight or nine years old, had a clear and bright gaze. Not only did she not show any fear, she even reached out to support her mother's back and patted her mother to help her breathe more smoothly.

Luo Qianhuai found it quite interesting.

"Li'er," she said softly, "Do you know what happened?"

"Replying to Madam's question." The little girl's voice was crisp and fast, like millet beads falling on a plate: "Just like my mother said just now, when the people in the garden heard that Madam was coming today, they were all surprised and happy." "Oh?" Luo Qianhuai's lips curled up into a smile: "I don't know where the surprise comes from, how can I explain the joy?"

Although Li'er was young, she spoke very logically. She was not panicked when she heard the question, and it was obvious that she was well prepared:

"I am surprised that time is too short. I am afraid that I won't have enough time to clean up and tidy up, which will leave a bad impression on my wife. But I am happy that although it is late spring now, it is still not too late to decide what to plant. It is better than letting the fields go to waste for another year."

When Luo Qianhuai heard this, he felt that his previous guess might have been slightly biased.

"I remember that when Qinglu Garden was still in Han Min'er's hands, it was planted with rare and exotic plants. Are these all the things you farmers are good at?"

When she asked this question, her mind was racing. Although the ability to plant flowers and grass was rare in this era, what she wanted was a farmer who could take care of crops. She didn't know if they would be willing to change their careers now. If they really couldn't, she could only buy another batch of people to replace them. As for the farmers here, they couldn't be wasted. When the medicinal fields were opened in the future, they would still have a place to use their skills.
She was distracted thinking about this, but she heard the girl Li'er speak, but what she said was different from what she thought:
"Madam didn't know." She looked up at Luo Qianhuai in surprise, her black eyes wide open: "When Han Shu was here, my grandfather and the other farmers were all lowly servants. How could they have come into contact with precious flowers and plants? If she hadn't gotten into trouble later, those people..."

When Li'er said this, the woman next to her suddenly came to her senses and slapped her on the back of the head: "You have no right to talk nonsense in front of the lady!"

Seeing Luo Qianhuai's face darken, she explained again and again: "Madam, don't listen to my daughter's nonsense, she doesn't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is."

Xing Xuan felt a little bit uncomfortable when she saw the innocent look on the little girl Li'er's face, and she said coldly:

"Do you think Madam is so easily deceived? You can't explain it yourself, and you don't allow others to say it. You even dare to hit someone in front of Madam. It's simply lawless!"

"Let me do it." A voice came from outside the door.

When Luo Qianhuai and Xing Xuan looked over, they saw Hou Zhong supporting the old woman and walking in over the threshold.

Wei Ying stood behind them, nodded at her from a distance, then went out and stood guard outside the house.

The madness on Hou Zhong's face was gone, replaced by a look of despair and frustration.

The same thing went for the old woman. Although her son had woken up, there was no joy on her face. A look of worry flowed down her thin cheeks and was about to hit the beech floor.

Qian Duo followed the two of them into the room, quickly stepped forward and bowed to Luo Qianhuai, then stood aside and waited.

"Butler Hou, are you feeling better now? Don't let your mind go crazy again after just a few words and blame it on your wife." Xing Xuan asked coldly with her arms folded. She didn't have any good feelings towards this inexplicable butler.

Hou Zhong was obviously in no mood to argue with a little maid. He bowed to Luo Qianhuai and said, "I am sorry to disturb you, Madam."

"No problem." Luo Qianhuai said calmly: "Manager Hou should be able to tell us now what is going on with the lotus pond and who are 'they'."

"Of course I dare not hide anything from you, Madam." Hou Zhong said with a wry smile, "But this matter is so strange and unpredictable, and it involves matters of gods and ghosts. If Madam knew, I'm afraid it would only cause her more trouble."