The lucky girl in the village has a good way of making money.

Chapter 501 Jealousy (Two chapters in one)

The recruitment has been completed. About fifty people are needed to make the puppet faces and forty to fill the cotton. That should be enough. If the goods cannot be delivered in time, it will not be too late to recruit more people.

Shi Liu then said to Fan: "Aunt Zutang, go back and get those drawings. We will go across the street to have a small meeting with my aunt to discuss starting the work tomorrow."

Fan nodded, "Hey, I'll go get it now!"

Shi Liu also asked Huang Chunni to go back and get the pile of drawings she had.

They both went, and Shi Liu went to the Qinghe workshop to walk around and look around.

In the leading slaughterhouse, Sun Da and his son were slaughtering pigs. The white knife went in and the red knife came out. All that could be heard was the pig's screams, and the hot smell of blood seemed to be in the air.

As she passed the toilet, a worker just happened to come out of the toilet. He saw Shi Liu and greeted her with a smile. Shi Liu nodded and called her "Auntie". After the worker left, she also went into the toilet to relieve herself.

The floor of the toilet was paved with bluestone slabs, which were swept clean. The toilet was flushed clean after use. Incense was often lit inside, so there was no smell at all.

After going to the toilet, Shi Liu continued to go to the meat floss workshop. From a distance, he could feel the heat and smell the meaty aroma...

Just as they saw the preserved egg workshop, Huang Chunni came up with the blueprint. Shi Liu stopped reading and the two of them went to the village entrance to wait for Fan to meet up.

But before he reached the village entrance, he saw Fan running towards him in a hurry, sweating profusely.

"Aunt Ancestor, what's going on?" Shi Liu asked hurriedly.

Mrs. Fan was in a panic. "Shi Liu, what the hell! The pattern is gone! I looked at it last night and put it away in the cabinet in my room. But when I went back to get it, I couldn't find the pattern in the cabinet!"

"It's gone? How could it be gone? Did you lose it or misplace it?"

Shi Liu was also puzzled. In the past two years, the average life in their village has been well-off. Even Chen Qicai's family is the most difficult and financially constrained. Because his wife Mao and daughter-in-law both work in the workshop, and his son also gets a job in the milk slice workshop of the Sheep Workshop, he receives three wages every month. Not only does he not have to worry about getting medicine for his mother, but the family's life is also gradually getting better.

Not to mention other families.

Moreover, because of their joint fight against bandits, they were commended by the emperor and received an imperial decree to build a village ancestral hall. Every household in their village was as close as a family, and the reunion dinner they had together during the New Year was not in vain. I'm not exaggerating, even if someone forgot to lock the door at night, no one from the village would sneak out to steal things.

Their Xiahe Village is a rare village where there is not even a single bad guy!

Therefore, there is no possibility of a thief.

Besides, if a thief doesn't steal money, why would he steal for such a long time?

Shi Liu felt that it must be Fan who let it go.

After hearing what she said, Fan couldn't help but doubt herself, "Then I'll go back and look for it carefully?"

She had just opened the cupboard and didn't see the picture, so she ran over in a hurry without even searching anywhere else in the house.

Shi Liu nodded, "Let's go back with our aunt and take a look."

The three of them went to Patriarch Li's house together.

Before entering the courtyard, Clan Leader Li was standing at the door with a cane, and Li Yishan was also there, "Step-grandmother's wife, why are you running so fast? What did you lose?"

Seeing that Shi Liu had also come along, Patriarch Li's brows jumped.

"This is the picture that Shi Liu gave me. Maybe I remembered it in the wrong place. I'll look for it again!" Fan responded, walked quickly into the courtyard, and went to the first room in the east wing.

When Patriarch Li heard that it was drawings, he frowned. He knew that Shiliu's new workshop was going to make toy puppets, the same puppets that step-grandmother's wife brought back for Zhuo Ge'er and Taohua. Step-grandmother's wife also brought back a stack of drawings, and he had been making them at home according to the drawings in the past few days.

He knew that this was something that Shiliu wanted to sell for money, so he didn't allow Zhuoge'er and Taohua to take the doll out of the house to play with it, and told them to keep it at home to avoid being seen by many people. It hadn't been sold yet, but everyone knew about it.

But how could this picture disappear?
He also hurriedly followed into the yard and waited at the door of the east wing, but did not go in.

Inside the house, Fan searched everywhere she could, and when she came out she shook her head, "No! I've searched everywhere, but I can't find it!"

"How can you not find it? Have you looked carefully?" Patriarch Li was also anxious and asked his wife to go in and help look.

At this moment, he didn't care about his son and daughter-in-law's room. What was important was to find something quickly, so he hurriedly followed them in.

Shi Liu, Huang Chunni and Li Yishan also entered the house shortly afterwards, but did not rummage around. They just looked around to see where the thing might be.

Mrs. Fan and Mrs. Chen rummaged through all the drawers and cabinets, even looking under the bed. The room was in a mess, and they even opened the boxes containing silver and money.

After a while, still nothing was found.

"It's really like seeing a ghost in broad daylight—" Fan murmured.

He quickly looked at Shi Liu and said, "I saw it last night and I really put it in the cabinet. I can't have remembered it wrongly! How come it disappeared? Even if a mouse gnawed it, there would be some paper scraps left, right?"

Mrs. Fan was about to cry. If they were not so close, she would have suspected that she had hidden the pattern for her own use! Just like when Mrs. Wu learned the recipe for pomegranate candy and sold it.

But she really didn't!

Shi Liu must have believed her, but she felt ashamed. Shi Liu trusted her so much, but she didn't check the picture carefully and lost it!

Shi Liu's eyes darkened. It was impossible for a thief to sneak in. The money and jewelry were all there, but the painting was missing.

"Grandpa Clan Leader, Grandma Clan Leader, Aunt Ancestor, has anyone come to our house in the past few days?"

After hearing the pomegranate words, Fan came to her senses. It was impossible for her to see a ghost. It was broad daylight, so how could a ghost come from?

Old Chen hurriedly recalled: "I was at home every day. Your eldest uncle's grandmother came to chat with me, and your sixth uncle's grandmother and seventh uncle's grandmother came to sit with me, but they talked to me in the main hall. Oh, and your aunt's niece from her mother's side came to stay at home. She was staying at home yesterday, and she went back early this morning!"

"It must be her, it must be her." Fan said repeatedly. "Last night, when I was looking at the pictures in the room, she came in and talked to me. She said she had cooked glutinous rice balls and asked me if I wanted to eat some. She brought me a bowl.

She hadn't said she was going home when I left this morning, so how come she suddenly went home as soon as I left? It must be her!"

There were no outsiders here, so Old Chen didn't need to be shy and said, "Your aunt's sister-in-law also works at the sheep workshop. Her home is not far away. Xiu Miao often comes to our house. Sometimes she stays overnight, and sometimes she plays until the evening and waits for her mother to get off work before going home together. Xiu Miao is diligent and often helps with this and that when she comes. She is also sweet-mouthed. I like her very much..."

I heard from your aunt Zong that her sister-in-law wants to marry Xiu Miao to Rong Quan to strengthen the relationship. Your aunt Zong is still hesitating, but Xiu Miao is obviously very willing. She comes to our house whenever she has nothing to do, and the two cousins ​​can’t help but meet each other.

I thought Xiu Miao was diligent and sweet-talking, so it wouldn't be impossible to get close to her, but could it really be that Xiu Miao took it?"

If that's true, then you shouldn't marry a daughter-in-law like that!

"Whether it's true or not, just go ask her and you'll know." Shi Liu was not familiar with Xiu Miao and didn't know what kind of person she was, but just from listening to her, she was highly suspicious.

After all, it's impossible for the picture to disappear on its own, nor could it be stolen by a thief.

"We have to ask her." Patriarch Li nodded and said, "Ask Ji Zong's wife to take a leave, and ask her sister-in-law to go to her parents' home to look for Xiu Miao."

This is her niece from her mother's side. If she wants to go to her mother's house to look for someone, she can't be avoided.

Patriarch Li asked Li Rongshan, who happened to be at home today, to go to Xianggupo and bring back Lu.

Here, Li Yishan also asked Li Ronghuai to harness the mule cart and get it ready. Although Lu's parents' home was just diagonally opposite and only a few miles away, taking a car was still faster than walking.

Since Li Jizhong and his son and Li Rongbai were responsible for purchasing for the workshop, Shi Liu gave them each a mule cart to facilitate transporting goods.

Not long after, Lu came back with Li Rongshan, sweating profusely, "Father-in-law, what happened?"

Li Rongshan didn't know the details and didn't say much. Lu thought something had happened to the two elders in the family, so she rushed back in a hurry.

Qian, who was following behind, didn't show it on her face, but she was actually muttering to herself. She didn't understand why her sister-in-law had to be called back when something happened at her in-laws' home. The woolen sweater she was knitting was almost finished, and although her wages would not be deducted for taking leave, she would lose money because the work was delayed.

Patriarch Li immediately explained the matter, "Take your sister-in-law to your mother's house and ask Xiu Miao for clarification. If she really took it, ask her to return it. Our family can't just let it go. We need an explanation!"

We are relatives, that's why we are so close and unguarded. But if Xiu Miao really stole the picture, we can't tolerate it!

Before Lu could react, Qian exploded first.

"Uncle-in-law, is this a mistake? Why would my Xiu Miao steal such a picture?"

It's not that she, as a mother, only defends her daughter, regardless of whether she is good or bad. Doesn't she know what her daughter is like? How could such a diligent, obedient and sensible child steal things from someone else's house? Not to mention that it was her own aunt's in-laws' house!

She wanted to marry Xiu Miao to her nephew to strengthen the relationship, and Xiu Miao was happy. How could she steal things from her future husband's family? She was not crazy!
It’s no wonder that Qian was so excited that she wanted to jump up. This girl’s reputation is very important. If the reputation of Xiu Miao’s dishonest behavior really spreads, who would dare to marry her?
"But it seems that the picture cannot be found. From last night to today, Xiu Miao is the most likely candidate--" said Fan.

"What's so strange about the pattern? Xiu Miao can't embroider, so what does she need the pattern for?" Qian didn't believe it.

Mrs. Lu hurriedly pulled Mrs. Qian's hand. She knew what it was. "It's a pattern of a pomegranate. We need it for the new workshop."

Upon hearing this, Qian was also shocked. She asked why Shi Liu was here too. She also knew that Shi Liu was going to open a new workshop. Originally, she wanted to let her sister-in-law from her natal family try out the recruitment, but when she heard that it required needlework, her sister-in-law was not up to the task.

What does this picture look like? Is this a picture of a pomegranate?
Qian panicked and said hurriedly, "Xiumiao couldn't have taken it. Let's go to my house and ask Xiumiao and we'll know!"

Ask clearly so that Shi Liu knows that Xiu Miao didn't take it, so that Shi Liu won't be angry. What if she is not allowed to work in the sheep workshop? Sometimes she can earn one and a half taels of silver a month by being quick! She can't be fired.

Qian was afraid of this, so she quickly climbed onto the mule cart, calling out to Lu and Fan to hurry up.

After the two Fan family members got on the mule cart driven by Li Ronghuai, Shi Liu also got on the horse-drawn carriage brought by Zuo Cheng, who had received a message from Bai Cui. Behind him, there were people who knew that Shi Liu was going out and followed to protect Geng Zhong and others.

Seeing that, Qian, who was sitting in the mule cart in front, was also startled. She subconsciously grabbed her sister-in-law's hand and said, "Xiumiao can't possibly take any pictures. You know her best, right?"

Mrs. Lu pulled the corner of her mouth, not knowing what to say. She knew her niece, Xiu Miao, was diligent and sweet-spoken. She always rushed to do work when she came home. She was a good child. The reason why she had been hesitant and did not agree to her sister-in-law's proposal to make the marriage closer was that she felt that although Xiu Miao was good, she only had one son, Rong Quan, and Xiu Miao was not suitable to be a daughter-in-law. She wanted to wait and see. After all, it was not difficult for their family to arrange marriage now.

But Tuyang had disappeared and no one else had come to the house. In this situation, she couldn't say that she absolutely believed Xiu Miao's words.

He just said, "You'll know after asking Xiu Miao. If it really wasn't her who took it, this matter wouldn't have spread. Don't worry, sister-in-law."

Qian's heart was pounding and she kept nodding her head.

Fan just wanted to get the pattern back as soon as possible, so she didn't care about saying anything polite at the moment.

There was a moment of extreme silence in the mule cart.

Fortunately, it was only a few miles away. After crossing the official road and entering a small road, it didn't take long to reach Yinzi Village, Lu's hometown.

Everyone was idle in the winter, and when the sound of wheels was heard, someone stuck his head out to look, and saw Li Ronghuai driving the cart in front. Some people knew him and thought he was here to collect chicken and duck eggs, so they hurriedly called the woman to take out the stored eggs.

The woman went there immediately, but when she came out after picking up the eggs, she found that the mule cart did not stop but went straight to the back of the village. Only then did she see a horse-drawn carriage and several people on horseback following behind.

"You're not here to collect eggs. Looking at the direction, are you heading to the Lu family?"

"That looks like Li Shiliu's carriage. She's the only one in the surrounding villages who rides in a carriage. She must be going to the Lu family for some reason."

They were not here to collect eggs. After everyone looked at them, they dispersed. No one followed them. One reason was that it was cold, and the other was that they might be visiting relatives. Why would they get together?

When they arrived at the Lu family's gate, as soon as the mule cart stopped, Qian jumped off the cart first, opened the door and went straight into the yard, shouting inside: "Xiumiao, Xiumiao!"

In the main hall, Mrs. Wang, Lu's mother, heard the noise and came outside. When she saw Mrs. Qian, she was also puzzled, "Why are you back? Did you get off work so early today?"

"Mom, where is Xiumiao?" Qian asked hurriedly when she didn't see Xiumiao.

"Xiumiao isn't home. Maybe she went out to play with Xianghua! What do you want her to do?" Mrs. Wang said. She was also startled when she saw Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Fan coming in from behind. "Fen'er? Why are you here too?"