Song Si went out of the restaurant and told the three Song Shu to go back first.
Gu Yi sat back in his chair, shaking his legs with his head down – he was not happy that the little girl had not seen his eyes, very unhappy.
“You’ve finished that jelly and pudding, haven’t you?”
Gu Yi jerked her head up, her dulled eyes instantly lighting up again, “Finished, long ago.”
“I’ll go and make you some more this afternoon if there’s nothing else.”
“Sure, sure.”
Gu Yi instantly forgot about his earlier displeasure and stood up, “You have to make more, you made less last time and I couldn’t even be bothered to eat it.”
Xiao Si was guarding the doorway and when he heard Gu Yi’s words, he looked up towards the house and lowered his head again. The young master was getting better and better at telling lies with his eyes open now, there were obviously still so many puddings and jellies in the house, how could he have run out long ago? Besides, where was he not able to eat them? Whenever he came home, the puddings and jellies never left his hand.
Upstairs, after hearing Zhang Zhuan’s words, the shopkeeper’s brow was furrowed, this was the only thing that proved Song Si’s innocence, if he couldn’t find it, Song Si was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to clear his name.
Zhang Zhuan looked at him apprehensively, the matter had not been completed, he naturally did not want to ask for silver, “Or, I will go down again and ask those two boys.”
“They have ……”
The shopkeeper didn’t finish his sentence, but Zhang Zhuan understood: I’m afraid those two boys have already gone.
He sat down paralyzed on the stool.
“Mr. Zhang ……”
The shopkeeper subconsciously stretched out his hand to help him, Zhang Zhuan waved his hand feebly, “I’m fine, I just couldn’t help you, I’m sorry.”
“How can you say that, Sir Zhang, if it wasn’t for you, how would I have known there was evidence? I’ll have the fellows bring you two dishes, you can go back and wait after you’ve eaten, I’ll have someone bring you a message when I’m done here.”
The shopkeeper insisted on pushing him back into his chair and ordered his staff to go back downstairs to the backyard, where he told the three people in the house what Zhang Zhuan had said.
“Who would normally pick up something like this?”
Song Wangyue asked.
“It could be someone who happens to be passing by, or it could be the poor people around, or it could be a beggar on the side of the road, who can say.”
Beggars on the side of the road?
Song Wangyue’s mind wandered.
“Shopkeeper, prepare twenty taels of broken silver for me, I’ll make a trip to the Weiyuan Dart Office and ask Sister Qi for a favor.”
Gu Yi stood up in a misty voice, “I’ll go with you!”
“You stay with big brother, I’ll be back soon.”
Song Si’s lips twitched, but in the end, she didn’t say the words to follow along.
……
Hearing that Song Wan Yue was looking for her, Qi Ying darted out of the dartboard, all smiles, “Little girl, why did you have time to come over and find me?”
That day when she went to the Song family, not only did Song Si never showed up, even Grandma Song and Xu seemed to not see what she had in mind, which made Qi Ying both anxious and helpless.
When she returned, she was sullen and thought about what opportunity she could find to go to the house later. She had no idea that Song Wangyue would come to her so soon.
“There’s something I want to ask Sister Qi for help.”
Song Wangyue did not exchange pleasantries with her and went straight to the point, the longer she delayed, the harder it would be to get her things back.
“Go ahead.”
Song Wangyue put the matter of the key mould succinctly, “I want to ask Uncle Qi to take me over again.”
The smile on Qi Ying’s face did not diminish, but his mind turned in several circles.
No wonder the Song family didn’t need his help, so they had already found someone who could help. A relative? Or maybe someone who also liked Song Si?
Thinking of the latter, Qi Ying couldn’t keep the smile on her face, she wanted to ask but felt it was inappropriate, “My father happens to be at the dartboard, wait a moment, I’ll call him out.”
“Many thanks sister Qi.”
“You’re still polite to me.”
Qi Ying turned around and went to find her father.
Knowing his daughter’s mind, Qi Wu naturally agreed, and without saying a word, he mounted his horse and took Song Wan Yue to the head beggar.
Still in that mansion, the head beggar was being served his meal by two beautiful women. Hearing that Qi Wu had come again, he pushed away the dish that was fed to his mouth, “Did he say anything about what happened?”
“Said he had something to ask for your help.”
A favour?
What kind of help could a beggar like him give to the dart board?
With this in mind, the beggar leader got up and came outside, “What does the Great Master Qi need from us beggars?”
Qi Wu automatically ignored his mocking tone, “It’s like this, today the Zhang family threw out some dead things, I want you to help inquire, who picked them up?”
Have a request with me! The head beggar picked up his pie and walked over to sit down comfortably, “In theory, I should help with this small matter, but you also know that it is lunch time, those people under me are counting on this time to earn a living, if I let them go to ask for information, hungry …… ”
The last thing he said was a long note, the meaning of which was self-evident.
It is not just to give some silver? Qi Wu was about to reach into his pocket and take out the silver tickets when Song Wan Yue already took out her purse and poured the broken silver inside onto the table with a clatter, “Naturally, I won’t ask for your help for nothing, as long as you have inquired, you can take this silver to buy steamed buns.”
The head beggar squinted and estimated that there were at least twenty taels, he immediately changed into a smiling face and stood up, “It’s good to have silver, wait a moment, I’ll change my clothes and take you there.”
The head beggar went to change his clothes, and Song Wan Yue put all the broken silver back in.
“Little girl, where did you get so much broken silver?”
Qi Ying couldn’t help but ask.
If the Song family had been rich, Song Si would not have helped people copy books and would not have been falsely accused.
“Our family earns it from selling cold skin.”
Song Wan Yue had thought at the beginning that the Qi family’s father and daughter might get suspicious when they saw her take out the silver ticket, which was why she had the shopkeeper bring him the broken silver.
“You’re talking about the new cold skin that has recently come out for sale in the county?”
“Yes, that’s our family’s, all this silver is earned from selling the cold skin, so it’s all scraps of silver.”
“My goodness!”
Qi Ying exclaimed, “That’s actually your family’s, you know? I went there several times with a few of my brothers, and every time you guys closed your stall early, I was thinking, who’s family is so bad at doing business that they don’t sell more at this time of the year, I didn’t expect it to be your family’s.”
“If sister Qi wants to eat, I’ll have my family make some more tomorrow and send them to the dartboard for you.”
“Good.”
Qi Ying happily agreed.
Qi Wu covered his mouth and coughed twice, “Ahem ……”
Qi Ying immediately understood what he meant.
The Song family was not rich, which was why they came up to the county to sell cold skin, how could they eat theirs for nothing?
Qi Ying immediately changed her tone, “I happen to be free tomorrow morning, let’s go over and eat.”