Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 57: Night Black Daughter Fragrance

The window in the room was opened, and a slender figure turned over and entered the room. She had a graceful figure and was as beautiful as jade. It was Qu Hongxiu.

Jia Cong's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "Did you get the things?"

Qu Hongxiu took out a booklet bound in yellow paper and asked in disbelief:
"How do you know that there is a seven-star lamp hanging in the empty room behind her kang, with a straw man under the lamp, and a paper man and this small account book hidden in the cabinet?"

"Have you been to her house?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "How could I have been to her house?"

Qu Hongxiu frowned and said, "Don't try to fool me. How can you know so much if you haven't been there?"

"It was a Mr. Cao who told me."

"Who is this Mr. Cao?"

"Mr. Cao is a scholar who can write articles that will be passed down from generation to generation."

Qu Hongxiu took out two straw figures, several blank paper figures, and several pieces of cut yellow paper.

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

He poured some more tea into the new inkstone and used a coarse ink stick to grind out ink.

He took the small account book and looked through it carefully, then took out the rice paper and repeated writing something on it, comparing it with the contents in the small account book.

After doing this for a long time, he finally concentrated and picked up the pen, added a few lines to the account book, and then heated the place where he wrote over the candlelight.

Finally, he took a piece of gauze, dipped it in light tea, and burned it over candlelight to produce smoke. He then lightly smoked the newly written page on the account book with the smoke and finally put it aside to dry.

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

Qu Hongxiu opened her beautiful eyes wide and watched Jia Cong busying himself.

"What are you busy doing?"

“It’s just that the ink color is made the same.”

Qu Hongxiu asked curiously: "You also know this?"

Jia Cong wanted to say that this was a family skill passed down from my grandfather, and he started learning it when he was ten years old, but he swallowed the words back and just smiled.

Then he wrote on the straw man and paper man, and finally asked, "Will the other party find out when you return the things later?"

"Don't worry, that person will sleep for three hours just like your two maids."

The two men were busy that night, going in and out several times under the cover of darkness. It was not until midnight when everything was settled that Jia Cong lay down to sleep with peace of mind.

On the second night, Qu Hongxiu entered Jia Cong's room again.

He said with a look of surprise: "You are amazing, there really is a person named Pan Sanbao, I caught him, used some tricks on him, and he told me everything.

It's exactly the same as what you said. How did you know all these details? Could it be that Mr. Cao told you again?"

Jia Cong smiled and said, "This time it wasn't Mr. Cao who said it, it was another gentleman who said it. I also tried it, but I didn't expect it to be true, it's just that the time was much earlier."

Qu Hongxiu glanced at him and said, "You are just kidding. Scholars are always talking nonsense."

In fact, she herself was wondering why she would follow him in making trouble. Ever since the Hidden Sect in Texas was strangled to death, she was the only one who escaped with a few of the orphans of the sect.

She killed Wu Jinrong in Shuyun Villa for revenge, and then seemed to have no idea what to do. Every time she thought of the bloody scenes in Texas, she felt physically and mentally exhausted and tired.

She even tried to distance herself from the weird Uncle Qin on Wenhan Street.

Only when she was with Jia Cong could she feel peaceful and stable. Even if she followed him in such an inexplicable way, she felt it was fun. Qu Hongxiu said, "I followed your idea and gave the confession and signature of Pan Sanbao to the victim. That person will definitely go to Zhen'an Prefecture to file a complaint."

Jia Cong looked out the window at the dark night and said to himself, "Just wait, all the debts that should be collected will be collected without fail. It would be great if you were still alive."

……

Early in the morning, Wu'er began to put Jia Cong's things in order, because the third master was going to move to the new courtyard in the north today. Qingwen went into the room to help Jia Cong wash and dress.

As soon as Qingwen entered the room, she frowned and sniffed with her little nose.

With a suspicious look on his face, he asked, "Third Master, these past two nights, you've been reading behind closed doors, and you wouldn't let me and Wu'er come in to serve you. Are you really reading?"

Jia Cong laughed and said, "Can you lie about studying?"

Qingwen squinted her eyes and laughed, "But I smelled it when I entered the room yesterday morning, and I smelled it again today. It's a feminine scent, the same as the one I smelled a few days ago."

Jia Cong forced a smile and said, "Little girl, you are suspicious every day. In my room, besides you and Wu'er, there are other women there. It is probably the smell you left behind."

Wu Er called out from outside, "Qing Wen, go and pack your things and have the servants carry them to the new courtyard."

Jia Cong breathed a sigh of relief and said quickly, "You go and do your thing. I'll handle this myself."

This girl is really like a puppy. Her nose is smarter than her brain.

The three of them actually didn't have much luggage. Jia Cong grew up in the East Courtyard, and he had even fewer things with him.

The most important things to him were the writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstone given by Tanchun and Prince Jiashun, as well as the set of Four Books in Red Pine Ink by Yu Wenxuan given by Xiao Jindong.

Three or four servants took it all away in one trip.

After walking through the courtyards and corridors of the mansion for a long time, they finally arrived at the courtyard. Jia Cong looked at the plaque "Qingzhizhai" on the lintel of the door with a gentle look in his eyes.

I actually called it by such a name, and suddenly I felt a sense of familiarity with this lonely courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded by snow-white undulating walls, the eaves were covered with blue-gray stained tiles, the ground was paved with fine blue bricks, and a winding path in the middle was paved with pebbles.

Although it is named Qingzhi, only some fragrant herbs are planted there for show. As the yard has been vacant for many years, many of them have withered. The most common plant in the yard is the tall and straight green bamboo.

Although Jia Cong was not liked by Lady Jia, Wang Xifeng's choice of this lonely courtyard had already met Lady Jia's wishes, so nothing else mattered.

Besides, Jia Cong is highly valued by Jia Zheng, which everyone can see. Moreover, Jia Cong and Jia Lian are brothers, so their relationship is quite close.

Since Mrs. Wang asked Wang Xifeng to settle the place, she was a very versatile person so naturally she would take both the inside and the outside into consideration.

Although she was ruthless, she disdained her mother-in-law's stinginess and meanness in these areas, so as not to bring shame to her Wang family's reputation.

Therefore, all the furniture and utensils in the courtyard were neatly prepared, and Jia Cong and the other two were all set once they put their luggage away.

There were also two third-class maids who did rough work outside, named Juan'er and Si'er, who were also selected by Miss Ping'er, who was close to Wang Xifeng. They were young and looked very childish.

At noon, the three of them had lunch at Qingzhizhai, which was far from the kitchen and a little more inconvenient than the original place.

Wu'er and the little maid Si'er were cleaning up the dishes when they heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.

Qingwen went out to greet them, and heard many footsteps outside, as well as Qingwen and Cuili's voices.

"Miss Lin, Second Miss, Third Miss, Fourth Miss, Master Bao, why are you all here?"

Jia Cong only heard Tanchun's cheerful voice: "Today Third Brother Cong has moved into a new house, so naturally we have to come and visit to congratulate him."

　In this new book stage, please follow me and collect it. Thank you very much!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)