Chapter 25

Chapter 25

So, it seemed the Jiang Clan had offended someone.

“Who currently holds the Jiang Clan’s assets?”

“After the Jiang family met with disaster, their properties were sold to the Jia Clan by other members of the Jiang lineage. That Jia Clan is the very family recently selected as Imperial Merchants.”

“The ‘bandits’ who killed the Jiang family moved swiftly, and most of their victims were killed with a single strike. Among the evidence was a short crossbow bolt; that’s not something a merchant family could manufacture.”

“Those men aren’t the kind of people a merchant could train, either. Furthermore, the Jia Clan was merely an ordinary tea merchant family in the past with nothing notable about them. They only rose to prominence suddenly in the last two years.”

Nanshu handed over a crossbow bolt.

Ji Yan’an held it in his hand and examined it for a moment. There were no markings on the bolt.

It made sense. When committing robbery and murder, using items with identifying marks for an assassination would be incredibly foolish.

“The technology required to manufacture this kind of crossbow bolt isn’t something an ordinary craftsman can achieve.”

But the investigation had only reached this point for now.

To find out more, they would have to dig deeper.

Ji Yan’an dismissed Nanshu to wash up and rest, telling him to report the rest later.

Nanshu left with a look of confusion. “Uncle Li, why did the Young Master have me investigate news about Jiang Yunsui?”

Uncle Li smiled and said, “You’ll understand in the future.”

Not long after Nanshu left, Heiwa returned.

He didn’t walk into the room immediately, but instead raised a paw and scratched at the door.

“Woof, woo…”

Soon, a servant came over with a towel and wiped the mud off his paws. Only then did Heiwa walk inside.

“Did she eat the things you brought?”

Heiwa looked at him with his big, dark eyes.

“Heh… you’re certainly good to her!”

If he hadn’t raised the dog himself, Ji Yan’an would have suspected his dog had been swapped for another.

When had he ever seen the dog act so fawning and attentive toward someone?

“Ji Si.”

Ji Si, dressed in black night-traveler’s attire, quickly appeared in Ji Yan’an’s room.

“What is Jiang Yunsui doing? Tell me everything that happened after this stupid dog went over there.”

Ji Si’s voice was devoid of emotion, recounting what he had seen in a flat, direct manner.

“Ha, she really thinks she’s a mushroom?”

“Yes.”

“So stupid.”

“Fine, you may go.”

But thinking about it, Ji Yan’an felt a hint of envy. He also wanted to play so lightheartedly.

“Wait, come back.”

Ji Si turned around.

“How is that silly girl’s foot?”

“This subordinate observed that her foot seems much better. She isn’t walking with as much difficulty as yesterday.”

Ji Yan’an held a brush in his hand, asking with feigned indifference.

“Will her foot be healed by tomorrow?”

Ji Si replied, “This subordinate does not know.”

Ji Yan’an shot him a glare. Could the man not be a bit more flexible?

“Forget it, leave.”

“Yes.”

This time Ji Si truly left, leaving Ji Yan’an and Heiwa staring at each other.

He suddenly smiled, having thought of a good idea.

“Heiwa, this Young Master will accompany you for a walk tomorrow.”

Heiwa: ???

It had rained today, and a light drizzle persisted into the night. The moon was hidden behind thick layers of clouds.

Therefore, the Little Mushroom couldn’t absorb any moonlight tonight.

She rolled up her sleeves and sat on a small stool, huffing and puffing as she learned how to use a washboard from Cook Chen.

However, her strength was truly meager.

Still, she managed to turn the water quite murky.

Cook Chen’s movements were very brisk. After washing her own dirty clothes, she took Jiang Yunsui’s items over.

“You can’t just scrub these clothes haphazardly. You have to focus on cleaning the spots that are actually dirty.”

“Also, our socks and undergarments cannot be washed together.”

“It’s best not to wash dark-colored clothes with light-colored ones, either. Some dark clothes bleed dye, and if you put them together, it’s easy to stain the white ones. If the color stained evenly, it might be okay, but if it’s splotchy and uneven, it looks hideous.”
Jiang Yunsui sat to one side, listening intently and nodding from time to time to show she understood.

But once she actually started washing, she forgot everything again.

The Little Mushroom looked at Cook Chen with wide, anxious eyes. Would the older woman think she was stupid?

Cook Chen patted her head gently.

“It’s alright. We’ll take it slow.”

“Okay.”

After the clothes were washed and hung to dry under the eaves, Jiang Yunsui stared at the pomegranate tree.

“Tomorrow is my day off. Do you want to go to the market?”

Jiang Yunsui’s eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously. “I do!”

A market in the human world! There would surely be lots of delicious food and fun things to see.

“Good. Then let’s get to bed early.”

She slept soundly through the night without a single dream, waking up the next morning feeling refreshed. It had rained all day yesterday, and a light mist still hung over the sky this morning, but the air was exceptionally crisp.

She stood at the doorway, raising her arms for a long stretch.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that if she wanted to go to the market, she needed money.

But the Little Mushroom didn’t have a single copper on her.

She had only been on duty for a few days; even if she was due a monthly salary, it wouldn’t be paid out yet.

The Little Mushroom realized belatedly that she hadn’t even asked how much her salary was.

Surely she wasn’t working for nothing? The Young Master wouldn’t be that stingy, would he?

“Achoo!”

Ji Yan’an sneezed, prompting Nanshu to cry out in alarm.

“Young Master, you mustn’t catch a cold! Quick, go fetch the Young Master’s fox-fur cloak!”

Ji Yan’an’s face darkened. “Shut up!”

Was he trying to boil him alive, suggesting a fur cloak in this weather?

Nanshu fell silent immediately.

Ji Yan’an crossed his arms, his gaze cold as he watched Heiwa taking a dump in the grass.

Heiwa turned its head away under his stare. It was so intense the dog could barely finish its business.

Ji Yan’an: “…”

“Are you done yet?”

“Woof!”

*Done, done. What’s the rush for a little poop?*

Heiwa ran over, and Ji Yan’an took two steps back in disgust.

Heiwa gave him a resentful look.

Ji Yan’an said, “Keep moving.”

Heiwa wagged its tail and continued running toward the courtyard where Jiang Yunsui lived. It pushed open the small courtyard gate with practiced ease.

“Woof, woof, woof!”

Jiang Yunsui, who was currently sticking her little bottom in the air while digging for mushrooms, immediately looked up toward the gate at the sound.

“Heiwa!”

When she saw Ji Yan’an following behind the dog, Jiang Yunsui blinked in surprise.

Was she seeing things?

She rubbed her eyes and realized that the person strolling in was indeed her current master.

“What are you doing?”

Ji Yan’an frowned as he looked at her dirt-smudged face.

Jiang Yunsui held up a large mushroom to shield her face.

“I’m digging for mushrooms.”

Looking at the large mushroom in her hands, Ji Yan’an recalled the events of the day before yesterday.

“The mushrooms from the other day-did you dig them up here as well?”

Jiang Yunsui nodded. Seeing him approach, she pointed to several other spots.

“Look, there are more over there. It rained yesterday, so there are even more today than yesterday. There are seven in total!”

Following the direction of her finger, he indeed spotted small mounds of earth being pushed up by Delicious Mushrooms.

He felt a spark of interest.

“Give me that hoe.”

He had gone hunting before, but he had never gathered mushrooms. These days, he lacked the time and the peace of mind to go looking for such things, and he could no longer go out to hunt prey.

The Capital City was vast, but he was trapped in a place that seemed large yet was actually very small. Even now that he was out, he didn’t dare let down his guard.