The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 79p1

Chapter 79: A Bowl of Noodle Soup p1

The next day, before Lin Shuang had woken up, she heard a knocking at the door and Ping’er’s voice calling, “Auntie.”

She opened her eyes and met Jiang Huaizhen’s dark, glistening eyes. Following her gaze, she looked down and saw that her chest was bare, her clothes having come undone at some point.

Her ears instantly turned red, and she quickly pulled her clothes up, reached out, and pinched the person before her. “Aren’t you going to tell her to stop knocking? It’s so early in the morning, and all this noise. In the future, I won’t even be able to sleep in in the winter.”

She couldn’t help but be glad that she had had the foresight to close the door last night.

Only then did Jiang Huaizhen look away, brush her long hair behind her, and turn to get out of bed.

After opening the door, she said something to Ping’er, and the little girl left on tiptoe.

She closed the door and sat back down on the bed.

Lin Shuang was just about to change her clothes. Seeing her come back, she quickly pulled her clothes up and said with a shy annoyance, “Aren’t you going to change your clothes? Why are you back?”

Before the two of them had this relationship, they hadn’t been shy about these things. They would change clothes in the same room, just with their backs to each other. Even if they accidentally saw something, they didn’t think much of it.

But now, she was so shy.

Only then did Jiang Huaizhen stand up. “Then I’ll go and change over there.”

When she was dressed, Lin Shuang opened the door to wash up.

In the kitchen, Old Madam Jiang was lecturing Ping’er, probably meaning that since her aunt and big sister were now working hard to support the family, she should let them sleep a little longer in the morning and not disturb their dreams so early.

Her mouth was sharp, that was true, but in the end, she also wanted what was best for the children.

When she learned of their relationship many years later, and thought of her warning to Ping’er today, she would probably regret it to the point of turning blue.

Seeing Lin Shuang get up, Ping’er ran over with a grin and hugged her thigh.

Lin Shuang patted her head. “Let’s go and wash up.”

She rinsed her mouth, washed her face, and helped her tie the little bit of hair that had grown out into a small bun.

“So cute. Are you going to the city with Auntie today?”

“I am,” Ping’er replied loudly.

“Alright. Go and put on that little green dress. We’ll leave after we’ve had breakfast.”

Since Ping’er had come to the Jiang family, she had spent most of her time with Old Madam Jiang and had rarely gone to the city with them. Anyway, there was nothing important today, so she would take the little girl out to see the world.

Getting her instructions, Ping’er was overjoyed and ran back to her room to find her clothes.

It was hot, so they still had porridge in the morning. After drinking the porridge, they hitched the carriage and the three of them set off.

They first went to the Everlasting Peace Apothecary.

The apothecary had been closed for three days, but there was still a crowd of commoners seeking medical treatment at the main door, all with sallow faces.

A man was pacing back and forth, the soles of his shoes slapping against the ground. He said anxiously, “How can this shop just close like that? What happened? I’m in a hurry to see a doctor.”

“Should we go to the Benevolence Hall?” an old woman next to him asked tentatively.

“My whole family has scraped together two taels of silver. If we go to the Benevolence Hall, a few doses of medicine will be gone, and there will be no money for a follow-up. We might as well just wait at home to die. Sigh—”

Lin Shuang, who was sitting in the carriage, heard these conversations, and her originally good mood instantly vanished.

Jiang Huaizhen asked, “Should we go directly to the Xue family?”

“Yes.”

When they arrived at the Xue residence, and they heard that they had come, Doctor Xue and his wife hurried out to greet them.

They were welcomed in, given a seat, and served tea, and they were thanked profusely.

Only then did Lin Shuang ask, “How is the investigation of the matter from the day before yesterday going?”

“It’s like a stone sinking into the sea,” Doctor Xue said with a bitter smile. “No one has come to the clinic to ask questions. Ah Lai has run over several times yesterday, but there’s been no news from that side.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huaizhen also found it strange and said, “I’ll ask someone to inquire later.”

Only then did Mr. and Mrs. Xue remember her identity, and their eyes instantly lit up, and they quickly thanked her.

After a detailed chat, Lin Shuang reminded them that these people might have other tricks up their sleeves and mentioned a few things to pay attention to, including the underhanded methods they had used in her past life, and told them to be more careful.

The couple was, of course, extremely grateful.

After chatting for a while longer, they got up to take their leave.

Mrs. Xue originally wanted to keep them for dinner, but thinking that they still had to go to the yamen to inquire about the matter, she could only see them to the door. “I’ve told you so many times to stay for dinner, but you always run away. You’re not allowed to refuse next time.”

Lin Shuang smiled and agreed. “Of course not. Huaizhen and I have been thinking about Aunt Xiao’s cooking. When we come next time, we’ll have to have a meal no matter what.”

While the adults were talking in the room, Ping’er was playing outside. Seeing Lin Shuang come out, she clung to her.

Seeing this, Mrs. Xue’s eyes softened. “You two are remarkable people. You help each other and have even brought a little girl out. It’s really her good fortune to have met you.”

She could see it now. Lin Shuang had some luck on her. Just with the identity of two women, she could call on so many villagers to fight the flood. She really couldn’t be underestimated. This time, the apothecary had been able to turn the situation around, and it was also thanks to these two. So she admired them even more.

Lin Shuang patted Ping’er’s little head. “We have a connection with her. Since we’ve met her, we’ll help her.”

“Good, good. If you can help, then help,” Mrs. Xue nodded repeatedly and watched them get on the carriage until the sound of the wheels faded before she turned and went back into the house.

After getting on the carriage, Lin Shuang asked, “Are we going directly to the yamen?”

Jiang Huaizhen thought for a moment and said, “Let’s not go to the yamen first. Let’s go to Guiying’s house at noon.”

Constables’ work mainly included daily patrols and task execution. There would be a short break at noon. Hu Guiying now had a house in the city and had bought a horse, so she would definitely go home for lunch and rest, and then continue to carry out her tasks in the afternoon.

If they went to her new house, they would definitely be able to catch her.

“We can also go and see Aunt Qiao and Aunt Zhimei on the way.”

After the flood, when the family was settled, Lu Erqiao and Wang Zhimei had gone to the street to sell sauce flatbreads again, one in the East Market and one in the West Market. Each of them could sell about twenty flatbreads a day. If it was a market day, the number might double.

Overall, it was alright.

Now that they had a horse at home, Lin Shuang would make the sauce whenever she had time, and Jiang Huaizhen would deliver it every few days. Sometimes, when she couldn’t deliver it in time, Old Hu would also come to their door to get it.

In the few days that Jiang Huaizhen was injured, it was Old Hu who had driven the ox-cart to get it.

Now that Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen had been kind to the villagers, and Old Hu’s cart only went once in a while, no one in Whitewater Village was gossiping about them behind their backs anymore.

When they arrived, Lu Erqiao was busy cutting a flatbread for a customer.

Seeing the three of them arrive, she was both surprised and happy. “What wind has blown you here?”

“We’re thinking of buying a house in the city, so we came to take a look,” Lin Shuang said.

Her own daughter had just earned over two hundred taels of silver with them, and Lu Erqiao still felt as if she were in a dream when she thought of it. Hu Guiying had given a hundred taels to her family. Now, looking at Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen, it was as if she were seeing the god of wealth.

“It’s good to have a place in the city. It’s convenient to go in and out. If you don’t know where to look, you can have Guiying take you to see.”

Lin Shuang smiled. “We were just waiting to find her during her lunch break. She told us her new address last time, but we haven’t been there yet.”

“It’s the third house behind Yongfu Alley. You’ll see it when you walk there.”

“Alright then.”

Lu Erqiao looked at Ping’er, who was hiding behind Lin Shuang. “This child was so thin when I saw her last time. Now her little face has rounded out. That’s great.”

“Do you want a flatbread? How about Auntie makes you one?”

Ping’er was shy and didn’t say anything.

Lin Shuang looked down at her and smiled. “Go on, tell Aunt Qiao. Do you want a sauce flatbread?”

Ping’er nodded.

Seeing this, Lu Erqiao quickly took out a piece of dough. “You haven’t been making flatbreads at home much, have you? Do you want me to make a few more for you to take back?”

Lin Shuang shook her head. “We’re going to have a bowl of noodle soup later. We can’t eat that much. It’s hot now, so it won’t keep until tomorrow.”

“Alright. Then I’ll just make one.”

…