female catcher

Chapter 99 Quiet Summer

In the courtyard, Su Zhen and Xia Chu had finished their meal, and Xia Chu refilled the tea to clear their mouths. After the two chatted casually for a while, the topic turned to the Yongpingfang case unknowingly.

"Does Mr. Huang know the Yu family of Baicaozhuang?" Xia Chu asked.

Su Zhen shook his head, "I've just heard of it."

"I thought there would be some connection between the merchants in Xijing." Xia Chu didn't show any disappointment, but just shrugged his shoulders, "It's okay, I just asked casually."

"Already started an investigation?"

"Well. If it wasn't for the foot injury, I should have gone to Baicaozhuang today. I thought our lord would go, but I heard that he went to the palace. What a delay!"

Su Zhen was slightly embarrassed, "I didn't know your foot was hurt."

"Huh?" Xia Chu blinked in confusion when he heard him say such a sentence without thinking.

"I mean, I have good medicine for wounds, I should have brought it to you." Su Zhen concealed his words, and after a moment of silence, he asked softly, "Does it hurt?"

Xia Chu's face felt inexplicably hot, he lowered his head and fiddled with the chopsticks, "Mmmm, it doesn't hurt much."

In the courtyard, the silent wind swayed the new grape leaves.The atmosphere seemed to be changed by something in an instant. In the coolness of the early summer evening, it was wrapped in a warm and sweet smell.

She quietly raised her head and glanced at Su Zhen who was sitting opposite, a poem she had heard somewhere suddenly popped up in her mind:
The grass is bearing its seeds, the wind is shaking its leaves, we stand without talking, it is very beautiful.

Here there is no dew on the grass tip, no door warmed by the sun, and they do not stand.In this small courtyard in the market, facing a table of leftover vegetable soup, they sat opposite each other, feeling drowsy in the twilight.

At the beginning of summer, I also felt very beautiful.

Su Zhen looked up at the indigo blue sky above the small courtyard, suddenly thought of something, and asked Xia Chu: "I remember you said that you were born in Chu Xia, so you are called Xia Chu, so is your birthday coming soon?"

Xia Chu pursed his lips and nodded, "Soon, it's my birthday on the tenth day of April. Two days ago, our adults also asked me, and said that they would invite me to Shidelou for a meal. Hmm..., Huang If you don't mind, son, let's come together?"

"Jiang Xiyuan?" Su Zhen smiled secretly and shook his head, "Since Mr. Jiang is the host, why should I come here without invitation? That would be too rude."

"No, no. It's my fault that I didn't make it clear." Xia Chu hurriedly explained, "There's no reason to invite others to treat my birthday. I must be the host. Originally, I was still thinking about how to invite you, but it just so happens that you are here today. Here we come." She smiled a little shyly: "This is really..., what a coincidence."

But Su Zhen still shook his head, "I'm not familiar with Mr. Jiang, I'm afraid that meeting you will be awkward, and it will make you feel uncomfortable."

"No, we adults are very nice and easy to talk to. I mentioned you to him, and he said that there is a chance for me to introduce you. Mr. Huang is in business. There are many friends and many paths." Xia Chu Seeing that Su Zhen listened noncommittally, he also felt that his words were a little silly, and he was not sincere after talking so much.

Thinking of this, her words paused, touched her nose, and said a little embarrassedly: "Actually... these are not important."

"Oh? The important thing is...?"

"Importantly, I'd love for you to come."

Su Zhen looked at her quietly, turned his head to think for a while, then bent his lips into a smile, and said yes softly.

The next morning, Xia Chu went to the government office to Yingmao, and wanted to ask Jiang Xiyuan if he wanted to go to Baicao Village together.Jiang Xiyuan took over the matter of raising money and food, so he couldn't care less about the case. When he raised his head from the desk, he couldn't even draw his brows.

Xia Chu smirked twice, "Your Excellency, please be busy, I went to Baicao Village by myself."

"How's your foot?"

"It's much better. The medicine given by the lord is really good. Not only does it take effect quickly, but also the feet are fragrant." Xia Chu raised one foot and shook it.In exchange for Jiang Xiyuan's disgusted face, Xia Chu laughed and left.

Xu Lu was driving, and Xia Chu was also sitting outside the car, with his feet hanging down, his head raised, his eyes half-closed, humming softly.Xu Lu glanced at her quietly, and couldn't help but say, "Boss, what are you humming about?"

Xia Chu slightly increased her voice: "It's a quiet summer, the sky is full of stars, and I miss you, your face..." She smiled and turned to ask Xu Lu, "Does it sound good?"

Xu Lu opened his face a little, and nodded perfunctorily.

"Not nice?"

Xu Lu didn't dare to answer directly, and said eagerly, "Boss, are you in a good mood today?"

"Well. The weather is good today!" Xia Chu closed his eyes, feeling the breeze on his face, half cold and half warm, a little damp and refreshing.

Xu Lu looked up at the lead-ash clouds in the sky, and decided to just shut up.

Baicaozhuang is [-] miles outside Xijing City, and it will take a while to walk past Yuanping Mountain. It started to rain when they got near Yuanping Mountain in early summer, and it was already raining heavily when they arrived at Baicaozhuang.

The two white paper lamps under the porch at the entrance of Baicaozhuang were swayed by the wind and rain, and the black and white words "forgive me for not paying attention" outside the courtyard wall were wet by the rain and had already faded.

The sound of rain was like a waterfall, and the rain curtain filled the sky, creating a foggy chaos.The gate of Baicao Village is open because of the reception of condolences for the funeral. Inside the gate, the servants who receive the funeral are all in plain clothes, and they are standing under the eaves to avoid the rain, watching the carriage coming through the rain with a dull expression. .

Xia Chu looked through the curtain and felt that the scene in front of him was a little scary.

White lights were also hung in the courtyard of Baicaozhuang to receive guests. The main house was used as a mourning hall, and there was only a memorial tablet in it, and the body should have been buried.A smell of medicinal herbs and paper ashes lingered in the air, and such a heavy rain could not wash away the strong smell.

Xia Chu and Xu Lu walked along the veranda to the mourning hall first and put incense sticks on Cao Xuelian, which was regarded as a basic etiquette.Yu Shiji wore a heavy filial piety and bowed in return. He raised his head with a weary look on his face.There was a young man standing next to him, also wearing filial piety, but his expression was impatient, his shoulders were slanted, and when the family members returned the salute, they just nodded perfunctorily.

Xia Chu came in front of Yu Shiji and said a word of condolences, but he didn't know if he was 'sorry'.

Yu Shiji cupped his hands, "It's raining so much and you have to come to investigate the case. Xia Botou has worked hard. I don't know if there is any progress in the case?"

Xia Chu said vaguely that he was still investigating, glanced sideways at the man next to him, and when Yu Shiji saw it, he hurriedly stepped forward and introduced, "This is Yu Shirong, my brother-in-law. Shirong, this is the government office." Xia Butou."

Yu Shirong also doesn't look very similar to his brother, and his temperament is also completely different. There is no shrewd calculation in his brows, but there is a faint hostility.Hearing Yu Shiji's introduction to Xia Chu, he just took a look at him, said "Oh", and then turned his head to look at the rain outside the door.

"Second Master Yu is in a hurry to go out?" Xia Chu asked him.

Only then did Yu Shirong turn his head, looked at Xia Chu in surprise, and then frowned, "Who said I want to go out!"

Xia Chu smiled lightly, shook his head, and said nothing more.Yu Shiji accompanied them to the gate of the mourning hall, and said, "What do you two officials want to ask today? I have to guard the mourning hall now, and I'm afraid I won't be able to leave..."

"Oh, it's really a bit abrupt for us to come here to ask about the case during the funeral ceremony of your mansion."

Yu Shiji waved his hands in panic, "Don't say that, Xia Butou. Our mistress of the Yu family died, and we have to rely on the government to seek justice for her. Xia Butou came here in the rain, so dedicated to his responsibilities, how can it be abrupt?" Li, we can’t thank you enough for coming.”

Xia Chu laughed twice, "Yes, you are right, as long as you can understand."

"Understand, understand."

Just as I was talking, I saw a man in his sixties walking along the veranda. His hair was not much white, his skin was brown and black, and he was lean and thin. His slightly drooping eyelids and crow's feet showed a friendly smile, but The eyes hidden under the eyelids are unambiguously shrewd.

"Young master." The man came over and nodded to Yu Shiji, addressing him as young master, but he didn't show any caution.

Yu Shiji turned around, "Uncle Xiang, you are here, just in time, people from the government office came to ask about the case."

The Xiang Bo that Yu Shiji was talking about was the steward Wang, and he could actually be regarded as Yu Wenping's elder, a person from Yu Shiji's grandpa's generation.The so-called "bo" of Xiangbo is not a title of seniority, but a kind of respect.

Xia Chu has always been in awe of the elderly from the bottom of his heart, probably because of his young age.In front of young people, she can still rely on the advantage of modern knowledge intake to support her knowledge, but when facing the elderly, the accumulation of years on them exudes a thick, directly defeating her.

That is the time-honored patina that has been polished year after year!Her tender arms and legs are not enough to look at.

Xiangbo bowed his hands and greeted with a friendly smile, "You two officials have worked hard. This old man is the steward of this Baicao village. He has no other skills, but because of his old age, he is quite clear about the people and things in this village. If you have any questions you want to ask, I will definitely tell you everything. This way please."

"Thank you, Uncle Xiang." Xia Chu thanked him, and followed him to the east wing of the courtyard.When turning around the corridor, Xia Chu looked back again and saw that Yu Shirong was walking to the door to talk to Yu Shiji. Yu Shiji seemed very displeased, pointed at him, and walked into the mourning hall with his sleeves thrown.

Yu Shirong bowed his head and cursed, his face was also annoyed, when he raised his eyes, he saw Xia Chu was looking at him, and he also walked back to the mourning hall.

The distance is far, the rain is loud, and the beginning of Xia can't hear anything at all.The only thing that can be concluded is that the relationship between the two brothers is not very harmonious, just like she analyzed with Xu Lu before.

It can be seen that the drama of house fighting is not groundless.Art comes from life... well, maybe it is not necessarily higher than life.God is the most awesome novelist.

(End of this chapter)