He Lean signaled with her eyes for Cai to calm down, allowing Lü to search her body. After three rounds of searching, nothing was found. She looked at He and Shao Yingxius faces, which were ashen with anger, and said: "Ive said it multiple times that I didnt take the bangle, now that Aunt He has searched me, shouldnt my innocence be restored?"
Whats there to apologize for, He Shi couldnt bring herself to say anything, and He Lean didnt intentionally make things difficult for her. She just smiled and said: "Although Im a concubine-born child, my grandmother has always treated me very well. Whether its jewelry or something valuable, shes never been stingy with me. I dont need to take anyone elses things. I hope you understand, Big Aunt. Today, youve misunderstood me, and I dont want others to laugh at us."
The implicit meaning is that if the matter leaks out and damages the reputation of the Marquiss household, the Marquiss household will definitely hold the Earls household accountable. To put it further, Old Lady He will certainly demand a proper explanation from Madame He, and at that time, she wont have any choice but to apologize.
He Lean walked over with a puzzled expression, pointing at the package that Shao Yingxiu had spread out on the table: "I wont take these things away, lest I end up hearing some unpleasant words in the end. Trouble Wumei to help me deal with it, whether keeping it for yourself or giving it to someone else or throwing it away is fine."
She walked out of the room with He Shi and Shao Yingxiu, who had turned from pale to red and then darkened in complexion. She instructed the maid behind Cai Momo to hand over the food box to Wu Momo, and then she left without looking back. In the Hou Mansions carriage, she said: "Cai Momo, Xiazi, Yueyun, I dont want Grandmother to be sad or worried about these trivial matters. Todays events, lets just treat them as a joke, and forget about it after hearing it."
"Yes." Cai Momo didnt like He Shis sharp tongue, but she never liked to get involved in her masters affairs, so she nodded in response.
He Lian returned to the Hou Mansion and first went to see Old Lady He, telling her about Master Shaos condition, and then chatted with her for a while, getting her consent to go out. She then returned to her own courtyard to bathe and change into mens clothing. It had been over half a month since she last visited the Rich and Noble Tavern.
When she went to the wine building, seeing that the shops in front of the gate were bustling with people, but now they were deserted, and people passing by were either rushing or hastily avoiding something. She rushed into the kitchen and asked her master, who was leisurely eating a cucumber: "Uncle Xiong"
"Xiao Ke! Youve finally arrived!" Bear Uncle saw He Le An, excitedly jumping up from the stool. Before He Le An could ask out his doubts, he hastily said: "Since you didnt come back for several days after that night, our wine shop has been haunted. Cao Zhuang Jiu found many capable people to catch ghosts and demons but it was useless. The worst part is that a new wine shop just opened on the next street, and all the customers were taken away!!"
He Leans heart was uneasy as she thought of the almost forgotten White Robed Demon, and she wondered if it would really come this time. Her master had taught her to recite scriptures and chant Buddhas name, but not how to drive out demons or monsters. As she furrowed her brow in contemplation, Xiong Shu grabbed her shoulder and said sincerely: "No matter how good the things I make taste, theyve been eating them for over a decade and are already tired of them. You know some new tricks, and as long as we work together, master and disciple, we can definitely win back our customers!"
"...and so on, isnt the key point that theres a ghost in the store and others dont want to come?"
He Lean opened her mouth, just about to say something, when a clear and ethereal laughter echoed in her ear, accompanied by a cool breeze. She looked at the bear uncle in front of her, who didnt seem out of the ordinary, but she felt a sudden chill run down her spine. Her eyes widened as a white streak flashed across the corner of her eye, and her breathing caught... Could it be...
