novelraw Chapter 187 - 184: He Can’t Let Anyone Walk Off with His Head!
Chapter 187 - 184: He Can’t Let Anyone Walk Off with His Head!
The tears that fell blurred the paper.
[My husband, with good intentions, took in his former younger brother, but that person took my husband away, seized all our family assets, married the daughter of the City Lord, tormented me daily, cut out my tongue, and sold me into this place.]
[Miss, if you have a kind heart, please make sure to find my husband! I... I don’t even know where he is now.]
A mere piece of paper was obviously not enough for her to write on.
It seems Jiang Dao hasn’t just taken over like a magpie occupying another’s nest, but has also eradicated all the former residents of the mansion.
This gene has clearly inherited from that dog Jiang Ruohuai.
How heartbroken the great-aunt must be!
Thinking of this, she said, "You must be familiar with the layout of your mansion, why not draw it in detail so we can search carefully."
To the mute girl, they seemed to be her only hope. She gritted her teeth, and even though her body trembled with fear, she drew the mansion layout stroke by stroke.
She illustrated clearly where the side rooms were, where the storeroom was, the firewood rooms, kitchens, and even which wall had a dog hole.
Ruan Mian stared closely, her gaze fixed on the storeroom.
After obtaining this map from the mute girl, Ruan Mian folded it neatly and placed it into her sleeve.
She then called over Nanny Lou and placed a gold bar from her purse in front of her.
"I want to redeem this girl’s freedom."
Nanny Lou had never seen such a generous person before. Just that heavy gold bar was tempting enough.
Seeing that they were outsiders, Nanny Lou’s eyes darted around as she swayed her body and said.
"Young master, it’s not that I don’t want to give her to you, but this girl was sold in by an important guest, and we don’t dare offend them. Her indenture, I cannot easily decide."
She spoke the Da Jing dialect fluently, so Ruan Mian understood clearly.
Seeing this, she didn’t hesitate to put away the gold.
Instantly, Nanny Lou’s eyes were full of anxiety!
Before she could speak, Ruan Mian already stood up: "Since that’s the case, let’s forget it. We’ll leave."
She glanced at Xie Huai’an, and seeing the duck about to fly away, Nanny Lou couldn’t care about much else.
She hurriedly chased after them: "Young master, young master, let’s talk this over! Since you want a mute girl, she must be of use to you. Can you offer a bit more? This way, I can also give an account to that important guest."
Ruan Mian couldn’t be bothered to respond, her steps did not falter.
Nanny Lou quickly grabbed her: "Young master!! Do you really want to make things difficult for the old momma? Oh, you really can’t sell this girl easily, even for all the money you offer, it’s still..."
"If the old momma thinks she can’t be sold, then I won’t buy. Nanny Lou, just escort us to here, please stop."
Seeing her so resolute, leaving no room for negotiation, Nanny Lou couldn’t truly let such a good deal slip through her fingers.
She gritted her teeth, steeled her heart, and blocked Ruan Mian’s way: "Young master, please stay! Then it’s settled, she’s just a maid in the firewood room anyway, if she’s useful to you, consider it the old momma doing a good deed."
With that, she immediately called someone to fetch the indenture.
...
Nighttime.
Ruan Mian initially thought of going alone to explore Tuji Mansion, but in recalling, if she acted recklessly without informing anyone, Xie Huai’an would likely harbor resentment.
Moreover, she wouldn’t feel right about it herself.
Thinking of this, she formally invited: "Sir, could you join me in a night exploration of Tuji Mansion tonight?"
Unexpectedly, Xie Huai’an was already prepared.
"Didn’t you get the layout of Tuji Mansion just for this?"
"Is it to find Jiang Zhen?"
Ruan Mian nodded, then added another sentence: "Apart from looking for Jiang Zhen’s whereabouts, I also want to grab something from the storeroom."
"What is it?"
"Something my great-aunt asked me to retrieve, it’s a secret."
She smiled slightly, having already thought of many excuses to cope with him, but surprisingly Xie Huai’an did not press further.
"In that case, why don’t we split up. After I send you to the storeroom, I’ll look for Jiang Zhen’s whereabouts, then you wait there for me to pick you up."
That would work as well.
He knows Qinggong, ensuring his own safety is no problem. With him not around, she would have more operational space.
Thus, they both agreed readily, and waited until late in the night, disguised, to arrive outside Tuji Mansion.
Using Qinggong, he smoothly brought Ruan Mian inside.
The two moved cautiously along the outer walls’ perimeter, heading inside.
The mute girl was very familiar with her own mansion, so she had also drawn routes less frequented by people; entering through these was the safest to get to the backyard.
"Sir, this time we’re only scouting; we might not precisely find Jiang Zhen’s whereabouts. They likely won’t imprison him in an obvious spot. So prioritize your safety, and return early."
Xie Huai’an instinctively touched her soft hair bun, pampering: "Mission will be honored."
Then he handed her a signal arrow: "If anything happens on your side, sound it immediately."
He could rush to the storeroom at once.
They exchanged a glance, and after reaching the storeroom outside, Ruan Mian easily unlocked the lock with just a small iron wire.
She signaled Xie Huai’an and went inside quickly.
Under the moonlight, Ruan Mian saw the storeroom filled with large and small boxes, leaving no path to exit.
She had to squeeze along the wall, opening those boxes one by one.
Sure enough, inside lay many family possessions.
From fabrics, jewelry, porcelain, paintings, to grains and oils, food supplies, it seemed to have everything.
But after carefully looking around, Ruan Mian found that although there were many items, they couldn’t be called truly valuable.
Because the most expensive things weren’t here. The most valuable among them were some relatively expensive porcelain, cautiously packed both inside and out. Judging by the cherished treatment, they were perhaps goods to be transported out.
She also remembered her aunt had once offhandedly mentioned Jiang Zhen built his fortune here through porcelain.
Thinking about this, Ruan Mian transferred all the goods and objects here into the space!
After all, they weren’t Jiang Dao’s belongings, returning them to their rightful owner was only fair, why should he get such a huge advantage.
She didn’t even leave behind a single table or chair for Jiang Dao inside, pulling down even the canopy hanging above.
In a short while, the entire room was emptied, leaving nothing, so clean that even a mouse couldn’t find a home.
The truly valuable lands, shops, land deeds, silver notes, and jewelry were probably hidden elsewhere.
Tomorrow she would further investigate to see where they had hidden those valuable items.
While waiting for Xie Huai’an in the corner of the storeroom, she checked the silkworms inside her space.
The silkworm babies that drank the spiritual spring water were growing rapidly, finding a spot to start spinning silk cocoons!!
The faint yellow silk threads shone with a jewel-like luster under the space’s sunlight, naturally luxurious, appearing very sturdy.