Chapter 160: Doubt
Meanwhile, Shang Wan drove the ox cart at full speed, rushing back home, but it was still past mealtime when she arrived.
The midday meal was made by Gao Yan and Shi Tou together. They originally thought Shang Wan wouldn’t come back to eat, but it was Lu Chengjing who had them keep the meal.
She had only eaten some plain noodle soup in the morning, and after running back and forth, Shang Wan was already starving.
At this moment, she especially missed the thoughtful Xiao Huan. Every time she entered the city, Xiao Huan would prepare some snacks to fill her stomach.
While eating, Shang Wan asked, “Nothing happened at home, right? How is Xiao Huan doing?”
“Everything is fine at home. Xiao Huan woke up and ate something. I went to the Yuan Family to get some medicine for her. After taking the medicine, Xiao Huan fell asleep and hasn’t woken up yet.”
Seeing Shang Wan eating so hurriedly, Lu Chengjing worried she might choke, so he took a bowl and ladled some bok choy soup for her.
Ever since the bok choy had a bumper harvest, bok choy soup had become an indispensable dish on the table.
Once Shang Wan’s eating speed slowed down, Lu Chengjing asked, “How is the Escort Agency?”
“The Escort Agency is escorting a batch of medicinal herbs to Mao City, which is conveniently on the way. It cost one tael of silver, and I gave them the letter.”
“Did you see Sang Qi?”
“I did.” Shang Wan set down the soup bowl. Thinking of Sang Qi’s face, she couldn’t help but sigh, “It’s the first time in my life I’ve seen someone with such a square face.”
Hearing Shang Wan say this, Lu Chengjing couldn’t help but feel curious about just how square Sang Qi’s face must be to elicit such a sigh from her.
“I’ll draw it for you later,” Shang Wan said. “I didn’t just see Sang Qi; I also saw Lu Chengyuan.”
Lu Chengjing was stunned, his gaze gradually turning icy.
Shang Wan pretended not to notice and fully recounted the conversation she had overheard between Lu Chengyuan and Steward Liu.
Hearing words like “game” and “joke,” a cold indifference flashed in Lu Chengjing’s eyes. He could almost picture Lu Chengyuan saying those things—hypocritical, repulsive, utterly disgusting.
His stomach churned, and he couldn’t help but press his lips tightly together, quietly listening as Shang Wan finished speaking.
Shang Wan kept watching his reaction. Lu Chengyuan was indeed disgusting, but Lu Chengjing shouldn’t let such a vile thing affect him forever.
She reached out and gently pinched his fair earlobe. “What do you think they plan to bring up in front of Master Lu?”
The warmth and pressure on his earlobe were incredibly familiar. The dark, surging emotions instantly receded like the tide. Lu Chengjing lowered his gaze and seriously pondered Shang Wan’s question.
Seeing his mood had stabilized, Shang Wan said, “It’s up to you now. Think about it slowly. I’ll go wash the bowls first.”
She gathered the bowls and chopsticks and carried them to the kitchen to wash.
After wiping her hands clean, she came out and saw Lu Chengjing still deep in thought. Shang Wan thought for a moment, then shouldered the hoe and went to the field.
The field was full of vibrant green life.
The herbal stem cuttings planted two days ago had all taken root. In the two mu of land irrigated with spiritual spring water, most had sprouted new tender buds.
This effect was comparable to using hormones.
—Spiritual spring water, farming’s best helper.
Shang Wan stared at the seedlings in her own field, once again glad that no one in the village had reclaimed land here.
Now, out of five mu of land, one mu was still empty. This was deliberately left vacant by Shang Wan.
She wanted to do an experiment: what changes would occur if seedlings grown in the spiritual field were transplanted to the regular field.
Previously, a batch of cliff ginger had been harvested in the space, and an extra cliff ginger tree had appeared.
Yesterday, while peeling garlic, Shang Wan had scattered cliff ginger spores in the spiritual field, and by now they had grown into small seedlings.
These seedlings were Shang Wan’s experimental subjects.
To avoid rashly transplanting the seedlings to another environment and causing them all to die, Shang Wan shouldered the hoe and dug a row of small pits horizontally, transplanting only this row for now, then watering them with some well water.
She squatted nearby observing for a while, then patted the dirt off her skirt hem and stood up, planning to check the results tomorrow.
Once she fully understood the changes in the spiritual field, the seeds, and the seedlings, she could really get to work.
Getting rich is just around the corner!
·
“How about it? Figured it out?”
Lu Chengjing set down the book and said, “It might be related to the theft case.”
“Tell me in detail.” Shang Wan sat down.
Lu Chengjing said, “The Lu Family theft case hasn’t been solved. Those things are here with us. Although many were smashed during the earthquake, some were preserved.”
Following his line of thinking, Shang Wan continued, “You mean Steward Liu suddenly came over to probe and see if those things are still with us?”
Lu Chengjing nodded. “Back then, you only took things from the third branch, which was too obvious. The original Shang Wan didn’t know martial arts and left the residence penniless, without money to hire thieves. With Master Lu’s personality, he wouldn’t suspect us at all. Instead, he’d guess it was a trap and rule us out.”
“Then why suspect us now all of a sudden?”
Lu Chengjing had already considered this. He said, “I guess there are two possibilities. First, someone in the village recognized those things and went to the Lu Residence to inform on us. Master Lu believed the informant and sent Steward Liu to confirm.”
“Second, the Lu Family spent a lot to settle troubles inside and outside the residence, satisfying the gentry’s appetites. Now they’ve finally freed up time to investigate the theft, not letting anyone suspicious off the hook, and we’ve just happened to come under scrutiny.”
Shang Wan clicked her tongue. “I thought Steward Liu came to the door to settle scores for Madam Lu.”
Lu Chengjing raised his gaze, his deep black eyes looking at Shang Wan with an inscrutable meaning.
Shang Wan felt baffled and raised an eyebrow. “Am I wrong?”
Lu Chengjing chose his words carefully and said slowly, “Madam Lu wouldn’t do that. She values rules the most and disciplines people face-to-face, never through others’ hands.”
Shang Wan chuckled. “Indeed, she doesn’t use others’ hands. She picks her timing perfectly, punishing me only when you’re not around, with no one to plead for me.”
“You…” Lu Chengjing frowned in confusion, as if wanting to ask something. But meeting Shang Wan’s almond eyes laced with mockery, he cautiously swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
His lips pressed together, his Adam’s apple bobbing quickly.
Shang Wan propped her cheek, watching him. Her gaze started from his brows and eyes, slowly shifting downward inch by inch.
She knew what Lu Chengjing was puzzled about—it was nothing more than wondering how she knew what had happened to the original Shang Wan.
She could tell him, but time travel was really hard to explain.
Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
The atmosphere fell silent, sinking continuously.
Her gaze drifted down to the fingers gripping the armrest tightly. The fingertips were pale from the pressure, but the knuckles were slightly pink.
Truly beautiful hands looked good from any angle.
Shang Wan reached out and grabbed it, their fingers interlocking intimately. She proactively brought up the earlier topic. “Continue analyzing. If it’s the first possibility, who do you think the informant is?”
Lu Chengjing stared at their clasped hands and countered, “Who do you think?”
Shang Wan lifted her eyelashes to meet his gaze. After their eyes locked for a few breaths, they said almost in unison, “Lin Family.”
“Not bad, we’re on the same wavelength.” Shang Wan released the beautiful hand. Her fingertip lightly traced over his palm, stroke by stroke writing the character for “Lin.”
—Writing on the palm was for flirting.
