TWWDS - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

[System: The murder case at "Liu Family Manor" has been solved. The user has gained 2 Detective Points and 3 Fame Points.]

[System: The user has obtained [Random Gift Package] x1.]

[System: After testing, [Random Gift Package] has a compatibility issue. Delivery will take some time. Please wait patiently.]

Chao Qingxiu remained calm as she looked at the words "compatibility issue" in the last line. It seemed to her that the system was not very intelligent, and that a martial arts world was, after all, not much of a match for a Detective System...

After reading the preceding prompts, Chao Qingxiu opened her Personal Panel and examined the data closely.

[Name: Chao Qingxiu

Age: 16

Skill Slot Count: 1

Detective Points: 2

Fame Points: 3

Note: It is difficult for people to imagine what problems a qualified, renowned detective might encounter, so a skill panel with all sorts of skills is necessary. Please work hard to solve cases, earn Detective Points, and open new Skill Slots.]

Chao Qingxiu's gaze lingered on the note.

Whether before or after transmigration, Chao Qingxiu had never included "becoming a detective" on her list of possible careers.

Moreover, even if she set out along the path of solving cases now, she might not find enough cases to solve. Even if she did, it would be very difficult to place herself, with no experience at all, somewhere connected to a case in a plausible way.

After all, fiction is only fiction. In the real world, surely no one could step outside and happen upon an accident every time, spending every day either solving cases or on the way to one, visiting murder scenes as familiarly as coming home.

She thought it over and concluded that being a detective could only be a possible part-time job in the future.

---

After the carriage entered the city, it first dropped Zhou Fu at the paper workshop, then drove straight to the county office.

Han Sihe got out of the carriage, summoned Chao Qingxiu into the central hall, invited her to sit, and had tea served. Then she said, "Please wait a little while. Once I have finished dealing with the matter of the Liu family, I will come over and speak with you, Miss Chao."

She turned and left. Afterward, a young maid in a pale yellow silk skirt, around thirteen or fourteen years old, brought in a cup of tea and a round plate of pastries. In a crisp voice, she said, "Have some candy fruit, miss."

The plate held five round sugar cakes, known locally as "candy fruit." Since coming to this world, Chao Qingxiu had been living rather plainly; her clothing, food, lodging, and transportation had all been modest. With one of her two employers dead and the other arrested, she had also gone without breakfast and badly needed to replenish her carbs. She did not stand on ceremony, nodded, and picked up one of the sugar cakes.

The maid said, "If the tea and refreshments are not enough, miss, just call for me, and I will bring you some more."

Han Sihe worked quickly. By the time Chao Qingxiu had drunk half her tea and eaten three of the pastries, she came in from outside with a smile on her face. "It was thanks to your being here today that the matter was settled so quickly."

Chao Qingxiu also stood and said, "I don't deserve the credit. I acted on impulse, and I was fortunate that the Deputy Magistrate was willing to overlook it."

Han Sihe said, "According to county custom, anyone who helps capture a fugitive in a serious case should receive a reward of one hundred taels of silver. Since you have come today, we might as well settle the reward now, so you will not have to make another trip to the county office later."

Han was making friendly overtures, so Chao Qingxiu naturally returned the courtesy. "Thank you, Deputy Magistrate Han. I have only just arrived; everything depends on your guidance."

Han Sihe said, "The county office usually pays rewards in copper cash. The weight of a hundred strings of cash is considerable, so you might as well rent a place to stay first. Then I will have someone bring the money to you."

Chao Qingxiu had some idea what Han Sihe meant and took up the suggestion. "I am not very familiar with this place. I wonder whether the Deputy Magistrate could recommend somewhere?"

Han Sihe said, "Lately many people have been coming into the city, and suitable empty houses are scarce. I remember an empty residence on the east side of the city that once belonged to a gang. It is a little out of the way, but the space is fairly spacious. If you are interested, I will have someone take you to see it."

After considering briefly, Chao Qingxiu smiled and said, "Then I would be honored to accept."

Han Sihe was, after all, the Deputy Magistrate of Gaofang Prefecture and still had matters to attend to. Since she could not accompany Chao Qingxiu personally, she instructed an office attendant to take her there.

Chao Qingxiu was still without a fixed home, so most of the reward had to be left at the county office for safekeeping. For now, she took thirty strings of cash for immediate expenses.

One string held a thousand copper coins and weighed about ten catties. Even packed into a cloth bundle, the money was not easy to carry, so she had to ask for help. By now, Chao Qingxiu had largely adapted to the way of life in this world. She said to the office attendants at the door, "Thank you all for your trouble." Then she took out five strings of cash and distributed them among the group.

The office attendant responsible for showing her the house accepted a share with a grin, shared it with the others, then bowed to Chao Qingxiu and said, "Please wait a moment." The attendant briskly went out into the street, hired a cart, put the bundle packed with copper coins into it, and invited Chao Qingxiu to take a seat inside.

Han Sihe had been right. The house on the east side of the city was indeed somewhat out of the way. Since no one could gallop inside the city, it took more than two hours after they boarded the cart to arrive.

When they reached the destination, the office attendant got down first and called over an errand runner and Zhong Wenjiu, a house broker who specialized in showing people properties.

Chao Qingxiu had not one piece of jewelry on her, so she did not look like someone with money. But Zhong Wenjiu and the office attendant were familiar with each other. Seeing someone from the county office running errands for her, Zhong Wenjiu became especially courteous and said, "I have the key to the house. It is nearly nine in the morning. Let us go over and see it early. If you are not satisfied, we can look at the next one."

Chao Qingxiu listened to both the words and the tone and vaguely sensed that there might be something wrong with the property, which was why Zhong Wenjiu wanted to hurry her through the viewing. However, Han Sihe, as the local Deputy Magistrate, did not seem like someone who would recommend a house carelessly, so Chao Qingxiu merely replied casually, "Let us go and take a look. I am not very fussy about where I live."

She had a vague idea why: since the Liu family case had been solved, Han Sihe's attitude had not merely been friendly but almost cautious. Most likely, Han Sihe had formed some mistaken assumptions about her background.

As they walked, Zhong Wenjiu said, "To tell you the truth, that house originally belonged to a gang. It has been empty for a long time, with no one living in it."

Chao Qingxiu asked, "Is that gang still based here?"

Zhong Wenjiu shook her head and explained, "I think the gang was called Zizhuo Gang. Many years ago, all of its people suddenly disappeared, leaving only some property behind. The house is not in a particularly good location, and it has some connection to the martial arts world, so few people are willing to rent it."

Chao Qingxiu nodded slightly.

Zhong's account matched Han Sihe's words exactly. Together, they sketched a home whose rent would not be too steep and which would be highly accommodating to someone short of money.

Gangs of the martial world generally occupied a fair amount of land. The property now being offered for rent or sale was only one part of the original building complex. Even this corner section looked excessively spacious to Chao Qingxiu in her present circumstances.

The compound had two courtyards and a garden. The garden had also been partitioned off from the gang's former base. After Chao Qingxiu had walked only two steps inside, she saw towering trees and wildflowers carpeting the ground. The place had a bleak, secluded chill all its own.

Many houses came with furniture, but this compound had been vacant too long, and most cloth and other fabrics had rotted away. The spaces where furniture should have stood were bare, with only a layer of dust.

Zhong Wenjiu reminded her, "The tables, chairs, and the like are locked in the storeroom. Most are made of elm, some are no longer in good condition, and half of them are still usable."

Chao Qingxiu asked, "I wonder how much the rent is here?"

Zhong Wenjiu answered frankly, "In the capital, even an ordinary house costs ten strings of cash a month. Shizhou is, of course, far cheaper. Even a spacious house in the city is at most five or six strings a month. As for this place, the original asking price was five strings. Since no one has been willing to rent it, the price was reduced to three two years ago and to two this year. If you intend to rent for a longer term, the rate can be negotiated."

Chao Qingxiu did not make a decision at once. Instead, she changed the subject and asked curiously, "Since none of that gang's people are here, who would receive the rent?"

Zhong Wenjiu said, "We do not know who holds the deed either, so we are keeping the rent for the time being. When that family comes, they can come to us to collect it."

After hearing this, Chao Qingxiu walked around the garden for a while. Weeds filled the garden, leaving barely enough room to take a step. In the middle stood a craggy stone stele, with "Mingsi Hall" written on the front and "Stele of Stillness" on the back, followed by several lines of text.

"A friend left more than a month ago. Birds wheel and linger in the courtyard; crows skim the square well; the trees grow dense and lush. I lift my head and cannot see the blue sky; I lower it, and vines have grown across the backs of my feet. Looking upon myself, I let sorrow wound me, and, forlorn, I became the Stele of Stillness."

Chao Qingxiu stood beside it, her gaze sweeping across the stone stele.

The house was a little far from the city center, but for Chao Qingxiu, who had once commuted for two hours by subway, that was no problem at all. It was only a few steps from the door to the street, so buying daily necessities was not difficult either. After considering for a moment, she decided to settle the deal.

Chao Qingxiu walked back to the front courtyard and said to Zhong Wenjiu, "I find this place rather peaceful. Since the rent is so cheap, why has it remained empty until now?"

Before Zhong Wenjiu could answer, the office attendant said with a laugh, "You are from outside, so you do not know the situation in Gaofang Prefecture. Here, if the household is not large, spending two or three strings to rent a small courtyard is already spacious enough. This house is connected to the martial world, however, and has been empty for years, so there may be places that need repair. That is why no one has rented it for so long."

Chao Qingxiu nodded and glanced at the office attendant again.

The house had been recommended by Han Sihe. The deputy magistrate presumably wanted to house Chao Qingxiu, who appeared to be a person from the martial world, in a residence left behind by people from that world. Although the attendant did not know the reason, they did their best to support the argument, hoping to point out some of the house's shortcomings and negotiate the rent down further.

The office attendant said, "The furniture may not be usable now, and no one knows how much it will cost to repair the walls and roof. If you are truly serious about renting it, why not waive the first six months' rent? By the time the lease ends, we can return the house to you in good repair. Wouldn't that be convenient for both sides?"

Chao Qingxiu had thought the attendant was merely using this to probe Zhong Wenjiu's bottom line, but after hearing it, the broker considered it for only a moment before giving a decisive nod.

Perhaps because it was rare to find someone willing to take the property, Zhong Wenjiu said without hesitation, "All right. If you truly intend to rent this place, I will waive six months' rent for now."

She had originally noticed the many refugees in the city and thought that if she waited a little longer, she might be able to raise the price by several tens of percent. But she also thought that the people coming from outside might not have the means to rent the house. It would be better to do Deputy Magistrate Han a favor.

Chao Qingxiu nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Zhong Wenjiu gave a slight bow. "You two, please go and sit at the teahouse for a while. I will bring the rental documents later."

As a professional broker, Zhong Wenjiu worked quickly. Before the midday meal, Chao Qingxiu had already confirmed every detail in the documents with her.

According to the custom of the time, private residences like this were rarely rented for short terms, usually starting at three years. Chao Qingxiu and Zhong Wenjiu discussed for a quarter of an hour and settled on a monthly rent of one string and four hundred copper coins. Over the three years, with six months free, the total came to forty-two strings, all payable at once.

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