GHLCS Chapter27

Yuan Ye drove to the Gu family’s house first. Gu Fangfei happened to be away today, so Yuan Ye left a message, but he wrote down some things that happened yesterday from the driver and the maid, which were indeed consistent with what Xu Hang said.

 

Next is Donglai Alley and the Sun family’s Craft Shop.

 

Master Sun’s real name is Sun Xipan. In his early years, he set up a mobile stall in the suburbs and was an expert at repairing jewelry.

 

He was short and slender but full of energy, with thin, stick-like fingers, a pair of glasses dangling from his neck, and a closely cropped haircut. His shop was filled with all kinds of tools, as well as many valuable jewelry that noble ladies brought in for repair. When Yuan Ye entered the door, he was holding a gold hollow bracelet with a broken edge and examining it carefully.

 

“Sir, what would you like to repair?” Master Sun thought he was a customer.

 

Yuan Ye didn’t want to act like he was investigating a case, so he took out one of his pens and asked, “Can this be fixed?”

 

Master Sun waved his hands and said, “Hey, hey, hey, everyone has their own expertise. I can only understand foreigners’ jewelry, but I can’t repair such precious things.”

 

Yuan Ye smiled and said, “This silver casing has been in use for a long time, causing some of the intricate patterns to wear down significantly. You can simply replace it with a new one.”

 

Master Sun smiled and said, “Alright, sit down, it will be ready in no time!”

 

He took the pen and started working on his desk. Yuan Ye sat down on a small chair opposite him, looked around, and then asked casually, “Is your business going well recently?”

 

“My business will never be busy, but it will never be quiet either.”

 

“Are you specialized in repairing foreigners’ jewelry or our own jewelry?”

 

“Listen to what you’re saying. Jewelry keeps changing over time, but isn’t it all just the same materials? Gemstones, jade, gold, silver, copper, iron, pearls, glass… aiya, it’s all the same!”

 

Yuan Ye changed his sitting posture: “Haha, is that so? It seems that I really don’t know. I wonder if you have repaired any valuable jewelry recently?”

 

“Aiya, there are so many, I can’t remember them all at once…” Master Sun was polishing the fountain pen, paused for a moment, and said, “I just repaired a piece of foreign jewelry last night! The things sold by these foreigners nowadays are nothing compared to the things made by our old craftsmen.”

 

He kept on rambling, but Yuan Ye had already asked the main point: “Last night? Who came to repair jewelry in the middle of the night?”

 

“It’s on the street behind. It’s Physician Xu from Heming Medical Hall!” Master Sun was also a chatterbox. Once he started talking, he could talk nonstop without Yuan Ye asking, “This Physician Xu is really a good man. Last night, after he came to sit with me, he stayed here, waiting and keeping me company until I finished fixing it. I’m a slow person, and I thought he’d get impatient, but surprisingly, he didn’t complain at all. Here, he sat where you are now.”

 

“So, when did he come and leave?”

 

Master Sun was a bit puzzled: “I only remember that it was dark when he came here, but I didn’t pay attention. It was probably the second watch when he left.”

 

It was the second watch, which was around 9:30. In other words, when Xu Hang left, the governor’s body was already cold, so it certainly couldn’t be him.

 

Yuan Ye moved closer: “Has he not left since he sat down? Not even to get some fresh air or take a break?”

 

Master Sun said without even raising his head, “No, he has a very determined personality. I was afraid that he would be bored, so I told him to go back, and I would send it to his house the next day. But he refused to bother me and waited patiently!” After he finished talking, he realized something was wrong: “Hey, Sir, why do you care so much?”

 

Yuan Ye restrained his expression and said, “Oh, Young Master Xu is my friend. I invited him for a drink yesterday, but he said he was busy and couldn’t make it. So when you brought it up today, I just wanted to check if he was telling the truth.”

 

“Is that so… here, it’s done, take a look, are you satisfied?”

 

The refurbished fountain pen shone with a silver luster. Master Sun’s brand name was indeed well-deserved. Yuan Ye put away the pen and quickly returned to Xiaotong Guan.

 

Today’s incident finally ended with the butler feeling reluctant.

 

Duan Yelin arrived right after Xu Hang returned to Jinyan Tang.

 

He walked in and took off his coat while asking, “Aren’t you going to explain about what happened today to me?”

 

Chan Yi was standing outside the door holding the cup of tea and wanted to come in, but Xu Hang waved at her. Noticing that the atmosphere was a little strange, she became worried for a moment and had no choice but to retreat with the tea in her hand.

 

“What’s there to explain? I’ve said everything I need to say. Or do you think Yuan Ye didn’t investigate carefully enough and want to check it yourself?”

 

Duan Yelin sat down on a stool in front of Xu Hang. “I’m not doubting you, don’t be so sarcastic when you talk.”

 

Xu Hang remained silent.

 

Duan Yelin said to him, “You saved Old Man Ruan; I believe that, but I don’t understand why you, who always disdains to explain, took the initiative to come to Xiaotong Guan today?”

 

“In the end, you still don’t believe it.”

 

“Don’t you really know that Ruan Xiaodie wants to kill Wang Ronghuo?”

 

“I don’t think it’s hard not to know,” Xu Hang chuckled. “I check her pulse every day, and her eyes are filled with hatred. But at the end of the day, she is the madam, and I am just the physician. I provide whatever she asks for and whatever the Governor commands. Why should I make things harder for myself?”

 

Duan Yelin put his hand on Xu Hang: “In other words, you already knew Ruan Xiaodie’s intentions?”

 

“Whether I know it or not is one thing, and whether I say it or not is another. And the Governor? It’s all about karma.”

 

Keeping oneself safe is the literal meaning. And what Duan Yelin heard was that Xu Hang must have looked down on Wang Ronghuo from the bottom of his heart, so even though he had seen that Ruan Xiaodie’s use of cinnabar was for ulterior motives, he would not expose her either.

 

“Then where did the father and daughter escape to? Do you have any information?”

 

Xu Hang taunted him: “If you were going to kill someone tomorrow, would you bring up an irrelevant person today and bring yourself trouble?”

 

Hearing Xu Hang say this, Duan Yelin breathed a sigh of relief: “Forget it, the less you know about this, the better. Remember, even those words just now are between you and me, you can’t tell anyone else, lest someone make a fuss about it and throw dirty water on you.”

 

Xu Hang nodded slightly, and Duan Yelin felt much more at ease.

 

It wasn’t that he was too concerned, but Wang Ronghuo’s death had already alarmed a very important person. He couldn’t predict what would happen to Hezhou City, but at least he had to protect the people he wanted to protect.