TWWDS - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Wang He instructed, "Now that the matter has been cleared up, Xiao Shen, you are not to quarrel with anyone again."

Shen Lao replied, "...Yes."

Hot-tempered though he was, he understood that he had to defer to Wang He. Now that he knew he had been wrong, he could do nothing but bow his head to the hired hands and say, "I misunderstood. I am sorry, all of you."

Wang He glanced over again. Shen Lao shuffled up to Chao Qingxiu and said, "Thank you for your trouble just now. I will count your share of the work as mine."

Wang He thanked her as well. "Thank you for finding the sickle. With Xiao Shen's temper, I will make him do an extra share of the work. Why don't you go and rest on that side of the yard for a while?"

On the way home with Chao Qingxiu, Wang He had already begun to guess. The girl was very young, but her bearing was refined, and she had a scholarly air about her that made her look very much as if she came from a family of scholars.

Chao Qingxiu did not know what was going through Wang He's mind. Otherwise, she would probably have sighed that the woman had a remarkably sharp eye, and that the long years spent taking examinations had indeed left such a profound mark on young people living in the modern world that even transmigration could not erase it...

Wang He did not understand why Chao Qingxiu, a scholar from a family that had fallen on hard times, would willingly travel with the other refugees and choose to work for the Liu family. In her view, however, she would rather lavish a little extra kindness on Chao Qingxiu now than offend her. So at the first opportunity, she told her to rest for a while.

Chao Qingxiu flexed her slightly aching wrist and set down the farm tool in her hand.

Though she was dissatisfied with the situation, she had already transmigrated, and sitting idle while waiting for food was plainly no fit choice. Once Shen Lao took over her work on the field ridge, she simply went to the kitchen to help.

Luo Sining greeted her. "You are here too!"

Granny Sun asked, "Girl, have you cooked before?"

Chao Qingxiu shook her head. "I can handle miscellaneous chores."

With no modern kitchen equipment to help her, letting Chao Qingxiu prepare meals for the whole estate was hardly a safe choice for either side. Granny Sun accepted her offer and pointed to the ingredients beside her. "Draw some water and rinse the vegetables."

There was a well at Liu Family Manor. Chao Qingxiu made three trips before she filled a bucket with water, then began rinsing the mud and small bugs from the leaves.

The spring sunlight was not fierce, but a sheen of sweat soon appeared on Chao Qingxiu's forehead.

As Granny Sun cooked, she chatted with those around her about odds and ends. "We are almost out of firewood. Luckily, there are not many people here today, so we can still manage."

Because the plowing oxen were not all available, most of the tenant farmers and permanent hired hands were sent home for the day. The only people still staying at Liu Family Manor were Chao Qingxiu and a handful of others: Wang He, the steward; Lao Zhou, whom Wang He had met before; Shen Lao, a long-term hired hand; and Granny Sun, the cook.

As for Liu Youcai, he was not at home for the time being, having gone out to pick up his elder brother.

While she worked, Chao Qingxiu quickly skimmed through the Detective System that had only just awakened.

She had already considered that the ancient world and the Detective System together might actually have room for growth.

Though the word "detective" was especially likely to be associated with all manner of accidents, it did give her a new line of work to explore, whether as a constable or a coroner...

[System: Personal Panel activated.]

[System: Title acquired: [Ordinary Detective with No Renown].]

[Ordinary Detective with No Renown: You have not yet made any name for yourself in the detective world. Cases will be difficult for you to encounter, and when people encounter them, they will not think to seek your help.]

"..."

Chao Qingxiu's hand paused as she sorted the vegetables.

She could feel the deadpan mockery in the wording.

---

After finishing her work, Chao Qingxiu stayed beside the kitchen to recover her strength. It was not until around 3:15 p.m. that the Liu brothers finally came home.

After picking up his elder brother, Liu Youcai did not return home at once. Instead, the two first entered the city and settled the transaction with the Universal Escort Agency. The goods they had purchased would remain there for the time being, and they carried only a few small valuables back to the manor.

As the Liu brothers walked into the courtyard, Chao Qingxiu was sitting beneath a flowering tree, thinking about her future career path and the odds of replacing the system.

Perhaps because the daylight had begun to fade, the brothers did not notice her as they crossed the courtyard.

Liu Youde, the elder brother, looked very plain. He wore a gray outer robe, and his expression held little joy at coming home. Instead, a faint shadow of worry clouded him.

After a while, Liu Youde patted his brother's shoulder and went ahead to sit in the main hall. Liu Youcai then stood alone for a while, not saying a word from beginning to end.

A point of firelight appeared in the distance. Wang He came over carrying a lantern and called, "Is that you, Second Son Liu? Why are you standing there without saying anything?"

Liu Youcai beckoned to Wang He, stepped a little closer, and said quietly, "Sister Wang, would you check whether anything is wrong around the house?"

Wang He was taken aback, then shook her head. "Nothing seems to be wrong at home."

Liu Youcai thought for a moment, then speculated, "My elder brother today... In any case, stay extra alert, lest something happen. It is late now, so go call the others to dinner."

Because the farm had never provided a midday meal for its hired hands, dinner was served early. Before everyone took their seats, Wang He said politely, "We are a farming household, and our fare is simple. Please do not mind it."

Yu Tianji and the others laughed and said, "Sister Wang, you are far too kind."

The workers' praise was no mere courtesy. Compared with the relief bean porridge at the thatched shelter, the stew on the table contained at least some meat and eggs, and it had been salted generously.

Watching the others' expressions and feeling a little hopeful, Chao Qingxiu took up her chopsticks and tasted a couple of bites. Then...

In that instant, she gained a much deeper understanding of simple fare.

After all, she still preferred the stir-fried dishes of modern life.

Chao Qingxiu's mood was somewhat complicated. She was not a picky eater; stir-fried tomatoes and eggs with hot-and-sour shredded potatoes would make a thoroughly satisfying meal. Yet since transmigrating, she had never seen anything like those crops nearby...

The Liu brothers also carried their bowls and ate with the workers. The Liu family had a shop in the city and fields outside it, and could be considered a wealthy local household. Even so, they still lived simply, and the heads of the household did not put on airs. They took their meals at the same table as the workers.

Granny Sun did not sit down immediately. Using bowls and dishes, she set aside a boxful of food and said to Wang He, "Xiao Zhou is in poor health and does not come out to eat. I will take the food over to her."

Xiao Zhou was the scholar who had rented the Liu family's side courtyard.

Chao Qingxiu silently worked her way through the porridge in her bowl. Once she had eaten her fill, she and the others carried their bowls and dishes to the kitchen, rinsed them with clean water, and put them away.

The farm had little entertainment at night. Not long after dinner ended, Wang He sent everyone off to wash up and sleep.

With washing facilities so limited, Chao Qingxiu could only wipe herself down with well water. Then, following everyone else's example, she broke off a length of willow branch and bit apart the end to use it as a toothbrush.

Since washing supplies were so limited, Chao Qingxiu simply went to the kitchen, found a small piece of charcoal, and used the powder to clean her teeth.

Xia Jiaxin leaned over curiously. "Can that black charcoal be eaten too?"

"I am using the charcoal to clean my teeth," Chao Qingxiu said.

"Then I will try it too."

She put the little piece of charcoal in her mouth and ground it, then spat it out and considered the sensation carefully. Turning to Chao Qingxiu, she smiled. "It really does make my mouth feel cleaner."

Conditions at the farm's lodgings were only marginally better than those in the thatched shelter. The family provided only communal sleeping platforms, with the women in one room and the men in another. Even the steward, Wang He, slept on the big communal platform.

After the women workers had entered the room, Wang He locked the door, carefully tucked the key into her bosom, and then eased herself down quietly.

Chao Qingxiu sat leaning against the wall by the window. Xia Jiaxin called to her in a whisper, "I have made up your bedding. Hurry and get some rest."

After a day of labor, Xia Jiaxin had no strength left to continue chatting. Without waiting for Chao Qingxiu's reply, she lay down at once.

Soon, the room was filled with faint snores.

Chao Qingxiu walked to her sleeping place.

The so-called bedding was, in fact, a straw mat padded with dry grass and bird feathers, with a layer of coarse hemp cloth laid over it to serve as a sheet. Chao Qingxiu put her outer garment underneath and lay down to make do.

For reasons she could not explain, Chao Qingxiu glanced through the window crack before closing her eyes.

This was an ancient night. Except for a faint trace of firelight from the main hall, the darkness stretched unbroken far and near. The wind and insects drowned out every trace of human activity. The farm on the outskirts of the city seemed to have become a small, isolated island.

---

People in ancient times went to bed early and so rose early. It was only around 4 a.m. that a rooster began crowing outside. Wang He was the first to get up. She woke the other women, unlocked the door with her key, and went to draw water for washing. The men had also begun rising one by one, and Yu Tianji and the others were squatting at the doorway, washing their faces.

The weather was clear and cold for early spring, but Wang He was not afraid of the cold. Even when washing, she used well water freshly drawn that morning. She reached into a jar, scooped out a little green salt powder to rinse her mouth, and did it all with crisp, efficient movements.

As soon as Granny Sun was up, she went to the kitchen and lit the fire. When the water was slightly warm, she poured out a kettle and said to Wang He, "Would you mind taking this to Eldest Son Liu?"

Wang He smiled and said, "All right." She glanced up at the sky. "Eldest Son Liu traveled all day yesterday. He is probably still asleep now."

She took the kettle and had just started toward the main house when she heard someone call her.

Shen Lao called, "Sister Wang, Second Son Liu asks you to come over."

Wang He slowed for an instant and glanced to either side. She saw that Chao Qingxiu had already washed her face and was stretching in the yard. "I would trouble you with a short errand. Please take the kettle and hand towel to Eldest Son Liu."

Chao Qingxiu's gaze swept over the nearby main house, and she nodded to Wang He.

She set the kettle and towel in a basin and carried it to the main house door. Looking down, she saw several fallen blossoms on the stone steps, dampened by the dew.

The morning breeze was cool, and the dampness seeped into her.

Standing at the door, Chao Qingxiu suddenly noticed that it was merely ajar. She knocked twice, but no one answered. There seemed to be no one inside.

"..."

Although taking a stroll after waking was perfectly reasonable, an ominous foreboding still rose in Chao Qingxiu's heart. She pushed open the wooden door, set the kettle on the table, and quickly took in the furnishings.

The tables, chairs, and floor tiles were all clean. A curio shelf stood in the hall, holding wooden and ceramic ornaments spaced here and there. Beside the window was a writing desk, with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone all neatly arranged.

The luggage and small valuables sent in by the workers the previous day had been carefully placed on top of the cabinet, the whole bundle tied with a thin cord. Fresh flowers picked from the fields lay on the tea table, and the air still carried the lingering scent of mugwort. The bedding had clearly just been changed and was folded with meticulous care. The straw pillow on the bed was new, with several strands of hair caught on its surface.

The night before, only Liu Youde had rested in his own bedroom. Everyone else at the estate, including Liu Youcai, who was also one of the household's masters, had slept with the workers on the communal platform. Yet that morning, Liu Youde had inexplicably disappeared without a trace.

Chao Qingxiu did not linger in the room. After taking only a cursory glance around, she turned and went straight out to find Wang He, who was speaking with Liu Youcai, and told her, "The door at the main house was unlocked, and no one is inside."

Wang He looked shocked. "Eldest Son Liu only came back yesterday. How could he not be inside now?"

After considering it for a moment, Liu Youcai speculated, "Perhaps my elder brother rose early, saw that we were still asleep, and went for a stroll nearby. He will be back soon."

Hearing the conversation beside her, Chao Qingxiu's mood was subtly unsettled.

Liu Youcai's supposition was not unreasonable, but when she connected it with the Detective Panel from the day before, she could not shake the feeling that whatever happened next would be more in keeping with a detective's constitution.

Previous Table of Contents Next