Wang Yongzhu lifted her foot and started walking towards the shop, intending to buy some pastries to take back for Old Granny Zhang to try.
Lady Qian stopped her, "Little sister, the line over there is still long, we’d have to wait quite a while if we queue up now. Since we’re out anyway, let your sister-in-law show you around. Have you ever seen the County Yamen?"
Wang Yongzhu shook her head.
"Let your sister-in-law take you to see the County Yamen! It’s not far from here, we can go have a look and come back—by then, most people will probably have finished buying their pastries." Lady Qian looked at Wang Yongzhu with a face full of tense anticipation.
Wang Yongzhu looked steadily at Lady Qian, "Are you sure?"
For some reason, Lady Qian seemed a bit uneasy, and bit her lip before saying, "Of course, let’s go! Many people never get to see which way the front doors of the County Yamen face in their whole lifetime! Your second brother has some clout in the Yamen, we might even be able to get a closer look. Ordinary folks aren’t allowed near and would get chased away if they tried!"
As she spoke, fearing that Wang Yongzhu might change her mind, Lady Qian hurriedly walked a few steps ahead, then turned back to urge Wang Yongzhu to follow.
Wang Yongzhu’s gaze turned icy; she had given Lady Qian one last chance just now, but it seemed that Lady Qian was still refusing to come to her senses!
With a cold laugh, she followed.
Lady Qian led Wang Yongzhu around most of the County Yamen, her mind clearly elsewhere as she described the surroundings with distracted eyes that darted around constantly.
Especially when they were getting close to the back door of the Yamen, Wang Yongzhu felt Lady Qian’s breathing suddenly become rapid, and her tone became somewhat stiff, "Little sister, this here is the back door of the County Yamen; if you go through here, you’ll arrive at the living quarters of the County Magistrate and his lady.
"Your sister-in-law was invited in once, it’s like paradise inside—a large garden with many flowers and plants that we’ve never even heard the names of, it’s so fragrant. There’s even a pond in the garden with such large red carps, I’ve heard those carps are very valuable, each worth several silver pieces."
"And in the residence of the County Magistrate, even the concubines and maids wear silk and satin, looking more opulent and genteel than some families’ daughters. It’s said that the Magistrate’s Lady is a genuine lady from the Capital City, extremely kind, and treats the concubines and servants with great generosity..."
Lady Qian prattled on, praising the County Magistrate and his lady, sneakily glancing at Wang Yongzhu’s expression as she did.
Wang Yongzhu’s gaze sharpened, and she looked towards the back door of the County Yamen.
The door was slightly ajar, with two door attendants dozing off by the doorway.
But Wang Yongzhu could clearly feel that behind the door, a pair of eyes were locked firmly on her direction.
Wang Yongzhu looked thoughtfully at Lady Qian and then back at the County Yamen’s back door, reflecting on Lady Qian’s uneasy behavior today, as well as her words just now. It all became clear.
Her eyes turned completely cold.
Luckily, whether because of reservations in her heart or for some other reason, Lady Qian only lingered at the Yamen’s back door for a moment before hurriedly dragging Wang Yongzhu away.
After leaving the back door, Lady Qian seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and started walking briskly towards home, but Wang Yongzhu called out to her, "Weren’t we going to buy pastries?"
Lady Qian paused, then quickly remembered, slapping her own head, "Ah, I got all confused. Come on, your sister-in-law will take you to buy pastries. If you see anything you like on the way back, just say so—"
With these words from Lady Qian, Wang Yongzhu naturally didn’t hold back any longer and bought three boxes of pastries. Passing by the Rouge and Powder Shop, she selected facial rouge for herself and Old Granny Zhang. Coming out, they faced the Silver Building, and Wang Yongzhu wanted to go in, but Lady Qian simply couldn’t stand it anymore.
"Little sister, why don’t we head back for today? We’ve bought too much stuff, and the two of us can’t carry it all. Besides, it’s almost noon, and we need to hurry back to cook! How about we have lunch, take a rest, and then go out again with mother?" Lady Qian, clutching her empty purse, tearfully suggested.
Wang Yongzhu reluctantly nodded, agreeing to the plan.
Upon returning to the Wang Family Small Courtyard, Wang Yongzhu discovered Wang Yongan was also not at home.
She quietly asked and found out that no sooner had they left than Wang Yongan followed, saying he had urgent business at the Yamen and hurried off.
Lady Qian busied herself cooking in the kitchen while Mother Qian, after finishing the washing of bed linens and bedding and finding her hands swollen and red from the cold, hurriedly came to the stove house to help add firewood, taking the opportunity to warm her hands.
Seeing Lady Qian take so many delicious ingredients out of the basket, Mother Qian covered her mouth and whispered, "You silly girl, why did you buy so much food? How much silver must that have cost? Do they even deserve to eat these things?"
Only then did Lady Qian show her full impatience, as she cut half of the pork knuckle and hid it away secretly, slicing only the remaining half to put on a plate, all the while not forgetting to remind Mother Qian, "Mother, these were the Official’s orders! Just hold your tongue a bit. My mother-in-law is not easy to deal with, and we still need something from them. Don’t let them hear you, or else if she scolds you, I can’t stop her!"
Mother Qian’s face turned sheepish as she muttered, "That mouth, that temper of your mother-in-law, I only put up with it for the sake of my son-in-law."
Let’s leave the two women cooking without further comment.
In the main room, Wang Yonggui had already fetched the medicine and started to brew it, waiting to see if Wang Laozhu would wake up and be able to take it.
Seeing Wang Yongzhu return with a handful of things, Old Granny Zhang quickly took them, asking, "What did you buy on your trip out?"
Wang Yongzhu opened the box, "This is the most famous radish cake from Qi City; I waited in line for a long time to get them so everyone could have a taste."
Having been busy until now, everyone was truly hungry, each nibbling on the pastries.
Wang Yongzhu then asked Wang Yonggui, "How much did the Doctor’s prescription cost?"
Wang Yonggui, while gnawing on the pastry, took out a handful of Silver Pieces from his bosom, "It cost a total of one tael of silver." He pushed the remaining silver towards Wang Yongzhu.
Then he whispered, "I’ve asked around, and there indeed is a Shou’an Hall here in the city, but it’s not as formidable as the second brother described, just an ordinary pharmacy. Little sister, I think our father’s illness has been needlessly delayed! We peasants are born to hard lives, resilient by nature; we’ve never heard of anything like being unaccustomed to the local water and soil! Besides, our father’s constitution, although he fell seriously ill this year, has recovered well. If he had seen a doctor in time, how could his condition have become so serious?"
While Wang Yonggui may have been muddleheaded, his mind was quick and he was good at reading people, always feeling there was something fishy about this situation.
"Moreover, I find the second brother’s family a bit odd. Qi City is not our turf. I think as soon as father is a little better and can travel, we should head back," Wang Yonggui finally suggested.
Years of living as a drifter had given him insights that the honest Wang Yongping lacked, and he too perceived something unreasonable about the behavior of Wang Yongan and Lady Qian.
Wang Yongzhu nodded, "After lunch, Third Brother, go find a reputable inn and rent a small courtyard. If father’s condition improves after taking his medicine today, we’ll move to the inn tomorrow. Given his current state, we dare not let him go out in the wind."
The others had no objections and the decision was made.