I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

It was Xiangxi's first time riding a horse, and she couldn't find the rhythm at first.

They are not as adaptable as Olaf.

The baby giggled in his arms, while Xiangxi was jostled backward.

Yang Tongchuan belatedly realized his mistake; he should have taught Xiangxi to ride a horse earlier.

How could I, with my blockhead, not have thought of that?

Fortunately, the family wasn't in a hurry. On the way, Yang Tongchuan slowly taught Xiangxi how to maintain her balance, keep her center of gravity steady, and not to hunch over.

Once you step onto the official road outside the city, the number of people on the road suddenly decreases.

"The most important thing about riding a horse is not to be afraid of it. Horses are very clever; if they know you're afraid of them, they'll deliberately bully you," Yang Tongchuan said, seemingly giving a serious lecture.

"You're not going to bully me?" Xiangxi sensed something was wrong behind her.

There seems to be something extra on the saddle.

As the horse moved.

Xiangxi was quite certain that she had been teased.

"I'm acting legally, it's not bullying. It's a gift from my husband, is that alright?" Seeing that no one was around, Yang Tongchuan stole a kiss on Xiangxi's cheek.

"Ouch~ Eek~" Xuebao, who was in Xiangxi's arms, was protesting strongly because her father's big face blocked her view of the scenery.

"I've forgotten about you, do you want a kiss too?" Yang Tongchuan took the opportunity to kiss his precious baby again.

In the cramped space on horseback, Xiangxi had nowhere to hide and could only let Yang Tongchuan do as he pleased.

"Stop trying to entice me, or I'll be too embarrassed to dismount when we get there," Yang Tongchuan said, getting more and more excited.

"I didn't do anything." Xiangxi was wronged; he had simply been sitting obediently in front of Yang Tongchuan, holding the child.

The family of three finally arrived at the lotus pond.

This year, the lotus leaves have grown exceptionally lush, with layers upon layers of leaves almost covering the water's surface, and the lotus flowers of all colors are blooming in full glory.

There were many tourists who had arrived earlier than them, and some shrewd vendors had already come over with their carrying poles to sell tea and snacks.

A tea vendor recognized Yang Tongchuan.

"Officer Yang also brought his husband and children to admire the lotus flowers."

"Yes, the weather is nice, so I brought my family here for a while." Yang Tongchuan tied up the horse, gave the vendor three coins, and asked him to look after the horse.

It was the first time Olaf had seen so many people, and he was so excited that he craned his neck to look very tall.

Xiangxi was worried that he would get tired, so she tried to press him down, but he was still unwilling and insisted on craning his neck to look at the scenery.

"Let him be." Yang Tongchuan found a quiet spot and spread his cloak on the ground.

Let Xiangxi and the child sit on it. Xuebao has just learned to sit and is not yet able to sit steadily. She can't sit for long and is wobbling from side to side, so she needs someone to hold her up.

Children have a strong desire to explore, and Olaf quickly discovered that the texture of the grass was different from the ground at home, so he kicked and stomped his legs wildly.

Seeing that he was having fun, Yang Tongchuan picked him up, held him under his armpits, and let him stand and jump.

Xiangxi sat to one side, leisurely admiring the delicate pink lotus flowers.

It seems like that young man selling sesame cakes in his old clothes is a thing of the past.

"Lotus pods, fresh and tender lotus pods, picked this morning, with plump, sweet and juicy seeds, three coins each, five coins for two."

The vendors' cries grew louder as they approached.

"Do you eat lotus pods? I'll buy some for you." Yang Tongchuan handed Xuebao to Xiangxi and got up to buy lotus pods.

Xuebao suddenly couldn't jump high anymore, and was very unhappy. She refused to stay in Xiangxi's arms and made a fuss about finding Yang Tongchuan.

Xiangxi had no choice but to take the child and go with them.

"How are the lotus pods today?"

"Officer Yang, what a coincidence! Here, have these two for you, just for fun." Anyone who has ever done business in the market knows Yang Tongchuan.

Of all the patrolling constables, only Yang Tongchuan was paid for his food and purchases.

The remaining people kept asking how much it cost, but never opened their wallets.

"I asked you if lotus pods are delicious. Just tell me if they are or not. What's with all the nonsense?"

"The lotus pods are tender this season, not as sweet as they are in the middle or late part of the month. People just want to enjoy them fresh." The vendor wouldn't dare to lie to Yang Tongchuan.

"Okay, got it."

Yang Tongchuan took the two lotus pods and casually put five coins from his purse into the vendor's basket.

"No, no, this is worthless, I can't accept your money."

"Go away, go sell your lotus pods somewhere else, and stop nagging me."

Isn't it annoying? This always happens every time I buy something.

"Thank you, Officer Yang! Thank you, Officer Yang!" The peddler carried his basket to another spot and called out his wares.

Yang Tongchuan peeled a plump, white lotus seed and put it in his mouth to taste it first, worried that it might be bitter.

"It's alright, not bitter. I'll peel it for you." Yang Tongchuan gave the whole lotus seedpod to Xuebao to play with, and then focused on peeling the remaining lotus seeds.

Xuebao tried to peel the lotus seeds like her father, but her fingers turned red from rubbing them and she couldn't get a single one out. She got so angry that her face scrunched up.

Xiangxi was afraid that he would get angry and cry again, so she helped him peel the skin.

Xiangxi was also eating lotus seeds for the first time. They were crunchy and slightly sweet, and delicious.

"Want some more? I'll go buy two more."

Yang Tongchuan searched everywhere for the vendor who sold lotus pods.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out at the lotus pond not far away, and the crowd began to retreat in a rush.

Yang Tongchuan immediately realized something was wrong. He first protected Xiangxi and Xuebao by his side and led his men to retreat to a safer high ground.

"What happened?" Yang Tongchuan asked, grabbing the fastest-running man.

"The boat that was picking lotus flowers has fished out a dead person." After saying that, the man ran away again.

The dead body at Lotus Pond?

Upon thinking about the lotus seeds she had just eaten, Xiangxi immediately vomited!

"Take the child and wait for me at the tea stall where the horses are tied up. I'll go down and check."

Yang Tongchuan frowned and walked against the flow of people toward the Lotus Pond.

Just then, a small boat carrying lotus flowers docked at the shore.

The boatman was a young man who was not yet twenty years old.

He only wanted to pick some lotus flowers and lotus pods to make some money, but he never expected to encounter a dead body. He was now pale with fright and had lost his mind.

"Where's the body?"

"Where?" He pointed in a direction, but unfortunately the lotus leaves were too thick, and he couldn't see anything.

"Did you see who it was?"

"I don't know, I don't know. I just wanted to cut a few lotus leaves to put in the lotus pods and flowers. I saw them as soon as I opened the leaves." The young man picking lotus flowers collapsed to the ground, his legs weak.

After that, no matter what Yang Tongchuan asked, he would only answer: "It's there," and "I don't know."

Yang Tongchuan was furious.

They could only detain the man first, then found a fast-moving merchant, gave him money to run errands, and sent him to the county government to report the case.

"Tell the county constable and the police that a murder has occurred here. Have them bring the coroner over. Also, remind them to go to the river god's temple and ask a few skilled swimmers to come and help retrieve the body. Got it?"

"Got it." The man took the reward and disappeared in a flash.

"What's so interesting? Stay away. Anyone who dares to come near and cause trouble, I'll arrest them and put them in jail." Yang Tongchuan was indeed frightening when he got angry.

A few bolder individuals initially tried to get closer to watch the excitement, but after being scolded by Yang Tongchuan, they dared not approach too closely.

However, there are too many people and footprints around the lotus pond, so any evidence would have been destroyed long ago.

This case is difficult to handle.