Chapter 4 the Jinxiu Workshop
As Bai Suzhen, Xu Xian, and Xiaoqing entered the courtyard, they heard the cries of Yu Qijiang inside the house. "Wake up, mother of the child! You can't have any more accidents!"
Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian rushed into the house and saw Yu Qijiang sitting on the ground, holding his wife, who was pale and unconscious.
Seeing the two of them, Yu Qijiang's dim eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. He wiped his eyes and said, "Doctor Xu, Changsheng is gone. My wife is grieving too much. Please save her."
Xu Xian immediately stepped forward and checked the pulse of Yu's wife. After a moment, he comforted her, "Sister-in-law, this is a case of excessive internal heat. Let me give her some acupuncture."
Xu Xian sat down, rolled up his sleeves, and began to administer the needles. Bai Suzhen asked, "Brother Yu, what happened? How did Changsheng go missing? Take your time and tell us."
Yu Qijiang suddenly slapped himself hard and expressed his regret. "It's all my fault. I didn't take good care of my son. Last night at the lantern festival, a sudden gust of evil wind blew Changsheng away in front of me..."
After Xu Xian gave a few more needles, Yu's wife regained consciousness. She covered her mouth and cried out in a hoarse voice, "I heard that the evil villain specializes in targeting only children without siblings. I should have been more careful. Why did I let go of my son's hand? It's my fault for not protecting him. I deserve to die!"
Xiaoqing saw her painful expression and thought to herself, isn't the Lantern Festival supposed to be a day of reunion for families? Damn demon, you have to separate mother and son. Young master...madam, I will definitely kill you and bring the child back!
Because of her excitement, Yu's wife almost couldn't catch her breath again. Xu Xian quickly stepped forward and gave her another needle.
Xu Xian advised her, "Sister-in-law, you have just recovered from a serious illness. Please take care of yourself. Changsheng will be fine!"
Bai Suzhen couldn't bear it and comforted her, "Yes, if Changsheng sees you like this when he comes back, he will definitely feel heartbroken."
Yu's wife gasped and sobbed weakly, "Changsheng...can he come back?"
Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian both said in unison, "He will definitely come back!"
The two of them looked at each other and then averted their gazes. After a moment, they said in unison again, "We will find a way to bring Changsheng back!"
They looked at each other again, each with a strange feeling in their hearts.
Yu's wife struggled to sit up and bowed to Bai Suzhen, "Miss Bai, Changsheng said you have divine powers. Please help us..."
Bai Suzhen immediately supported her and promised, "I will do my best and won't let you down."
Yu's wife put the collected Mermaid Beads into Bai Suzhen's palm, and suddenly remembered the past, she couldn't help but be overwhelmed with grief. Bai Suzhen held the bead and made up her mind to find Changsheng.
After learning the details of Changsheng's disappearance and comforting Yu's wife, Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing left Changsheng's house.
Xu Xian caught up with them quickly and called out, "Miss Bai, please wait."
Bai Suzhen stopped, and Xiaoqing looked at Xu Xian warily, asking, "Does Mr. Xu have any business with our Miss?"
Xu Xian replied slowly, "May I borrow a look at Changsheng's bead?"
Bai Suzhen nodded and handed the Mermaid Bead to Xu Xian. Xu Xian carefully examined it and felt a faint scent of medicine. He frowned slightly.
Xu Xian sniffed the bead, trying to identify the fragrance. "The smell on the bead is very special, like a subtle medicinal smell."
Bai Suzhen thought for a moment and said, "The bead was just collected in a sachet. Perhaps it picked up the scent from the sachet."
She reached into her pocket and took out the sachet, sniffing it and handing it to Xu Xian. At the moment their fingers touched, they both paused for a moment.
Xiaoqing, who was watching carefully, glared at Xu Xian disapprovingly.
Xu Xian held the sachet to his nose and indeed smelled the familiar medicinal fragrance. He nodded and said, "Indeed."
Xiaoqing saw the surprise in his eyes and sneered, "Doctor Xu is a tall and vigorous man, why are you so interested in these sachets and pouches? Could it be that you have a sweetheart at home?"
Bai Suzhen turned her head and helplessly said, "Xiaoqing, why are you so talkative?"
Xu Xian quickly explained, "I am just a poor scholar, always alone. How could I have a sweetheart? Xiaoqing, you are joking."
Bai Suzhen looked away, smiling slightly, "Doctor Xu, you have been looking at the sachet for a long time, did you find anything unusual?"
Xu Xian looked up at the sky and said, "It's a long story. I have a guess in my heart. My humble abode is not far from here. May I ask the two ladies to come and discuss it with me?"
Xiaoqing was afraid that her sister would agree, and said, "I'm afraid... it's not very convenient..."
Unexpectedly, Bai Suzhen did not wait for her answer and said warmly, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Xu. I would like to hear more."
She walked forward with Xu Xian side by side.
Huh?... Oh, she didn't wait for her? Xiaoqing hurriedly caught up.
Due to the incident of the lost child during the lantern festival, Li Gongfu had just been scolded by the Liang County magistrate. In order to find his child as soon as possible and seek justice, he had been questioning witnesses on the Imperial Street with his constables for the past few days.
The madam of Junxin Tower, dressed provocatively and leaning against the doorway, threw a coquettish glance at Li Gongfu, as if she had no interest in talking to him about this.
In a sweet and charming voice, the madam said, "You ask me what the culprit looks like? How would I know? But I heard her voice..."
Li Gongfu, anxiously gripping the hilt of his scabbard, asked, "What kind of voice?"
The madam rubbed her arms as if she had goosebumps, "The voice was thin and sharp, tender and weak, making people feel uneasy."
Li Gongfu confirmed, "Tender and weak? So you mean the culprit who kidnapped the child was a woman?"
The madam shrugged, "Of course, it must be a woman! What line of work am I in? If I can't distinguish between a man's voice and a woman's voice, wouldn't that be a joke?"
After questioning the madam of Junxin Tower, he encountered a beggar playing the erhu against the wall on the street. Upon hearing Li Gongfu's inquiry, the blind beggar retorted, "It can't be a woman, it's clearly a man!"
Li Gongfu frowned, unsure, "A man? I heard it was a tender and weak woman!"
The beggar pointed to his ear, "Although my eyes are no good, my ears are sharp, I wouldn't have misheard it! Sir..." The blind man held out his bowl to Li Gongfu's chest, and Li Gongfu could only throw a copper coin in.
The completely opposite testimonies of the witnesses left them confused and disheartened, and they went to the next location.
In the living room of Liu's house, Mrs. Liu was holding a folding fan, crying miserably, looking like she had aged several years in just a few days. Mr. Liu was trying to deal with Li Gongfu and others, speaking weakly due to his excessive grief.
Li Gongfu looked at the fan and asked, "Madam, is this the young master's?"
Mrs. Liu cried, "Yes, I bought it for him at the night market last night. He loved this fan so much, but..."
Li Gongfu took the folding fan from Mrs. Liu, and an exquisitely embroidered sachet hung from it, emitting a faint fragrance.
Mr. Liu suddenly slammed the table angrily, "The person who took my son must be trying to extort money! No matter how much silver it takes, you must help me rescue my son!"
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Gongfu asked, "Have you seen what the culprit looks like? Is it a man or a woman?"
Mrs. Liu cried again, "At that time, there was sand and stones flying everywhere, I couldn't see his appearance clearly. How can I tell if it's a man or a woman?"
After hearing Mrs. Liu's words, Li Gongfu and his constables were somewhat discouraged. They had asked many people that day, but the testimonies were not consistent.
Leaving Liu's house, the constables complained, "Alas, we've been busy for a day for nothing..."
As it was already getting late, Li Gongfu said to everyone, "Let's stop here for now and continue to inquire tomorrow. I'll go around the nearby area. Even if I can't find any clues, I can't let the child have any more accidents!"
Just then, a handkerchief floated down from the window of the Jinxiu Workshop. Li Gongfu caught the embroidered handkerchief, which had a mermaid pearl wrapped in jade beads embroidered on it. He looked up, but there was no one in the workshop.
Mrs. Wu, hiding behind the window, looked out with a fierce gaze. Thinking of the embroidered mermaid pearl she had just thrown down, she was obsessed with grief.
Mrs. Wu murmured, "My child, why can't I feel the power of the mermaid pearl? Could it be that you haven't been reincarnated and are still in the cold underworld? Child, wait for mother, I'll be with you soon. Whoever dares to stop me, I'll kill them! When the time comes, anyone who blocks my path will be killed. That bitch Daji..."
Lost in thought, she seemed to recall her past life.
That year, she carried the child for ten months, just gave birth to a little princess, and King Zhou didn't even come to see them. The child cried loudly, and a mermaid pearl fell from the child's mouth. The maid said that a baby holding a treasure was a good sign, so she thought the child might have a great future, but she never thought...
Thinking of the past, Mrs. Wu was furious, turning into a black mist and rushing towards the alley.
Walking alone in the street of the Imperial Street, Li Gongfu suddenly felt something. He turned around and found a monk standing behind him. The monk's exorcism staff trembled slightly in his hand, then immediately calmed down.
The monk looked at Li Gongfu for a moment, then bowed his hands together and said, "Amitabha, is the benefactor looking for the person who abducted the child that day?"
"Yes, that's right. May I ask for your advice?" Li Gongfu said.
The monk said, "I am Fa Hai of Jinshan Temple. I happened to be wandering in Lin'an and fought against the person you are looking for last night. His supernatural power is high and beyond the reach of ordinary people. I came to remind the benefactor..."
Before Fa Hai could finish his sentence, Li Gongfu showed a look of surprise, "You said you fought against the culprit? That's great! Please come with me to my humble abode, and we can talk slowly. Please, this way..." He took Fa Hai towards his home.
As they left the alley, the window of the Jinxiu Workshop closed on its own.