Chapter 79: Neighbor

  Chen Jiong and Yang Zhi Zhou arrived in Wangxian County just before Shenzheng.

  Yang Zhi Zhou asked Chen Jing: "Want to go to my old house for a sit?" Familiar with each other for a long time, but not close in the past, never thought of inviting Chen Jing home for a casual visit.

  Now it seems that Chen Jing doesn't even know where his family is.

  Chen Jie stretched his arm, feeling a bit out of sorts, as if he had been shaken apart by the carriage ride. "Some other day, some other day! You come to Yuanyuan River every day for a stroll, so you must live nearby, not far away at all. I can go whenever I want. I'll head back home first."

  Yang Zhi Zhou didn't force it and sent Chen Jing to the entrance of Qi Wan Xiang.

  At the entrance of the alley, there is an ancient locust tree with lush branches and leaves, under which several children are playing.

  The horse carriage had just come to a stop when another one drove in. The coachman pulled his carriage over to the side and stopped for a moment, making room for the later arrival.

  The alley is too small, and it's hard for carriages to get in and out. They all stop at the entrance of the alley and lead the horses through the gate from Men Street.

  Chen Jiong got off the carriage, and two people also got off from the horse-drawn vehicle beside him.

  One male and one female.

  A man of about twenty years old, wearing a Buddhist monk's green silk robe, tall and handsome; another is a girl, eleven or twelve years old, with two buns on her head, wearing two pearl flowers, dressed in a light green wrapped skirt with sea pomegranate patterns, lovely and cute, but with a slightly cold expression.

  Chen Jing glanced at them.

  These two people, Chen Jing didn't know them, they weren't neighbors either.

  Jian saw Chen Jing look over, and the girl with beautiful eyebrows also glanced at Chen Jing.

  The golden sunlight shone on the girl's face, casting a dazzling glow, and her bright eyes also reflected the golden fragments, shining brightly. But in those eyes, there was a hint of coldness, like the edge of a blade, cutting through the air.

  Be on guard!

  The girl was very wary of Chen Jing watching them.

  On the other hand, the man beside him smiled calmly.

  Chen Jiong nodded at them and then averted his eyes, no longer looking at them. He only said to Yang Zhiou on the carriage: "I'll visit you tomorrow."

  Yang Zhi Zhou nodded.

  Ming Feng took down Chen Jing's things.

  Yang Zhi Zhou's carriage turned around and left again.

  Suddenly thought of something, Yang Zhi Zhou lifted up the curtain and shouted to the driver: "Stop." He took a glance into the alley.

  In the alleys of Qi Wan Lane, Chen Jing carried a bundle and walked ahead; behind him, the man and woman who had just gotten off the car slowed down their pace and kept a distance from Chen Jing.

  Yang Zhi Zhou slightly furrowed his brow, his eyes fixed on the man.

  Ming Feng then asked: "Sir, is it calling Chen Gongzi for something?"

  Yang Zhi Zhou did not respond.

  Suddenly, the man walking behind Chen Jing seemed to feel an unusual gaze, stopped in his tracks, and turned around. Yang Zhi Zhou hastily pulled down the carriage curtains and ordered the coachman to drive on.

  Yang Zhi Zhou felt a slight sense of surprise: Just now, he saw the face of that man and it seemed like he had seen him somewhere before. However, he couldn't quite recall where, and only had a vague feeling of familiarity.

  The man's back also seemed familiar.

  But the other party was only in his early twenties and was not someone Yang Zhiou knew.

  Even if I had seen it before, it should have been in recent years. People who have seen each other in recent years can only remember, but unfortunately, they can't remember.

  "When I was a kid growing up in Wang County, maybe that's when I met the son or grandson of someone? Things from childhood always leave an impression, but they're vague and unclear, and it's not the first time either." Yang Zhi Zhou thought for half a day, still completely clueless, and said this to himself.

  It was just a small matter, and Yang Zhi Chou soon put it down.

  Also because of taking a horse-drawn carriage, all the way guessing with Chen Jie, exhausting mentally and physically. Yang Zhi Zhou is old, strongly supported all the way, now he has a bit of a headache.

  He was too lazy to think any more, so he leaned back into the carriage and dozed off.

  *

  Chen Jiong returned home, his elder sister-in-law and Qing Yun were overjoyed, and they hurriedly welcomed him.

  Watching Chen Jing arrive in a flurry of dust, his sister-in-law took the bundle from his hands, Qingyun went to fetch some clear water and gave it to Chen Jing to wash his face.

  "Second Master has lost so much weight!" Qing Yun said with a tinge of sympathy as she helped Chen Jing wash his face, "Is the food in Mingzhou not good?"

  Chen Jiong smiled.

  It has nothing to do with his diet. In the sweltering summer heat, he had to lose a few pounds. The days he went out were exactly the hottest time of the year in midsummer.

  "No, we ate and lived well at the Yang's." Chen Jing said, "It's hot weather, so we have to lose some weight. I see that you've all lost a bit of weight too."

  He glanced at the ear room and found that Li Balang was not there, so he asked his sister-in-law: "Where did Eighth Brother go?"

  "Today, Wen Gong and Wen Rong are resting after their bath. The eighth elder took them to stroll around the market and will be back soon." Big sister said, then asked Chen Jing, "How is Master Yang's illness? Has he recovered?"

  "It's cured!" Chen Jiong laughed and said, "I have received the true transmission of the Medicine Ancestor, what disease can't be cured?"

  The elder sister-in-law and Qingyun didn't know that he was intentionally bragging to amuse himself, thinking it was true, they looked at him with reverence, both filled with delight.

  Chen Jiong smiled and after washing his face, he went back inside to change into clean clothes.

  Li looked at his bundle and asked Qing Yun in confusion: "Did he bring a bundle when he went out?"

  "There isn't." Qing Yun said definitely.

  What's inside is what Yang's family sent to Chen Xiang, not the clothes they exchanged. If it weren't for the dirty clothes, Li wouldn't have touched them and would have left them on the table.

  Chen Jing came out after changing her clothes and went to the central hall to talk with Da Shu and Qing Yun.

  He pointed to the wall of the courtyard and asked his sister-in-law, "The neighbors have moved in, how are they getting along?"

  "He's arrived." Eldest Sister-in-law said with a smile, "He's a young official, accompanied by his younger sister, traveling for business. I heard that after their parents passed away, he took over the family business and raised his sister. He hasn't gotten married yet, so he doesn't have a wife or children. He's a decent person."

  The elder sister-in-law has a good impression of the person next door.

  Dress neatly, behave properly, speak politely, and it's easy to give people the impression that "he's a good person". As for what kind of person he is, as a neighbor, there's no need to dig deeper, just maintaining a superficial harmony is enough.

  "...it was that girl, not easy to get along with." Qingyun added.

  "What's wrong with getting along?" Chen Jiong asked.

  The next day they moved over, the girl's cat jumped into our yard in the evening. Uncle caught it, and our girl was delighted, saying she wanted to play with it for a while. As a result, the girl next door took it back with a cold face, seemingly very angry." Qingyun said with a pout.

  Li lightly cleared his throat and said, "Don't say that, it was originally someone else's cat. Some people just don't like others touching their things, there's nothing wrong with getting along."

  Qing Yun found that girl difficult to get along with, but Li Shi was able to understand her.

  That girl, who was about the same age as Chen Wenrong, could have been a playmate. But she had no intention of befriending Chen Wenrong, and was cold and aloof. Probably didn't like Wenrong's temperament.

  This kind of thing, Li didn't force either. Wen Rong studied at the clan school and got along well with the young ladies from Jingzhong Alley, and there were people to play with every day.

  It was Jiang Gongzi who stayed behind to apologize, saying "My sister loves cats like her life and doesn't like others holding them, I'm afraid we were too abrupt". Then he chatted with them for half a day. He was refined and courteous, knew the rules of etiquette, and told them about his family background, proving himself to be an honest person.

  "We just met them at the entrance of the alley," said Chen Jing, "The girl is young, but her eyes are sharp and not very friendly. She might think we're bad people. Since we can't get along, let's keep a distance and avoid being disliked."

  "Yes, I think so too." Qing Yun heard Chen Xuan agreeing with her and immediately chimed in.

  Mr. Li shook his head and smiled, saying: "You guys are so childish. Between neighbors, we should be harmonious and accommodating to each other. The new family of Jiang doesn't know our situation, it's normal for them to be reserved. We're the old masters, being polite is our courtesy. Don't take it to heart."

  "Madam Bodhisattva's heart is so kind." Qing Yun praised.

  Li's heart is good.

  Chen Jiong smiled and said: "Elder sister's heart is the kindest."

  Li scolded with a smile, saying Chen Jinn took a joke at his expense.

  Seeing the package on the table, Li handed it over to Qingyun and said, "Take it to Second Master's room."

  Qing Yun took it and said yes.

  "Never mind, give the things to my sister-in-law, you help me keep them." Chen Jing said, "There are a few more folding fans in here, take them out, and send two to Eighth Brother later. The rest will be given to the brothers on the other side of the street, it's a waste to leave them here."

  Qingyun was released and returned home.

  "What else is there?" Li asked curiously.

  Chen Jiong helped untie the bundle.

  There were two boxes; a long box containing folding fans.

  "There's medicinal dregs inside, I'll dump them into the Jade Garden River early tomorrow morning." Chen Jing took out a red lacquer and gold-inlaid box with a hibiscus pattern first, "The medicinal dregs contain secret formulas, can't let others take them away."

  Li and Qingyun exchanged a glance: "Secret recipe? What secret recipe?"

  They knew that all medical families had secret recipes, which was common sense, but they didn't know that Chen Jing actually had a secret recipe too!

  Another black lacquer box with carved flowers is a silver note.

  Chen Jing's voice dropped a few degrees: "The Yang family gave it, 120,000 taels, Eldest Sister, you take it for me!"

  "What?" Li felt as if thunder had exploded beside his ear.

  Qing Yun also heard it and was equally stunned.

  "How much... how much?" Mr. Li asked again.

  "One hundred and twenty thousand taels of white silver." Chen Jing added, "Given by Master Yang."

  Li's feet felt a little soft, and she opened her almond-shaped eyes wide, staring at Chen Jing in disbelief.

  Qing Yun was also shocked.

  The room suddenly became quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

  Suddenly, a black shadow darted in.

  Li and Qingyun were startled again.

  Especially Qing Yun, who was so frightened that she exclaimed: "Ah yo!"

  "Meow." A black shadow fell to the ground, a black cat.

  Li hastily held the small black lacquer carved box in her arms, entered the inner chamber, opened the trunk, and carefully put away the small box, locking it with two layers of locks.

  Put it away first, we'll talk about it later.

  When Li collected his things and came out, he saw that Chen Xuan had already caught the black cat.

  He asked Qing Yun: "Is this the cat from next door?"

  Qing Yun nodded, still shaken: "It's been many days since we last saw it, how did it come back again? This cat is really scary, it's all black except for its yellow eyes. Luckily our young lady said she likes it!"

  They were talking when the gate creaked and someone knocked on the door.

  Are you here looking for your cat from next door?