Chapter 483: Chapter 470: Captured

Most people would just give an insincere eighteen coppers as a token of goodwill, while some stingy people would merely give eight, content with completing a formality. Those who could give thirty coppers were considered extraordinarily generous.

Yonghe gave a hundred coppers, which was an extremely face-saving gesture.

It’s not that everyone else are narrow-minded, vulgar people, but in reality, giving the hundred coppers really evidenced the high regard he held for this matter.

The reason for such importance was because the child was Mrs. He’s elder nephew.

If others mentioned it, they would express admiration and praise Mrs. He’s good fortune and face-saving.

Even if Mrs. He wasn’t overly concerned about face, such complimentary words would undoubtedly be better to hear than nothing at all.

Upon hearing Yonghe say this, Mrs. He’s face immediately softened considerably, “Considering that it’s a girl’s family we’re dealing with, you should be more mindful in the future. It’s a once in a lifetime matter; if you lose face, it might be held against you for years.”

“You really need to be more careful from now on. You’re an adult and you should handle matters properly without being a laughingstock.”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry,” replied Yonghe, nodding repeatedly before asking, “How are you feeling? Is your headache gone?”

“It’s much better. I drank that medicine soup this morning and took a nap. I feel much lighter now,” Mrs. He replied. “Really, the prescription Wencheng gave was not bad. The medicine didn’t need to be taken for too long, and my condition improved quickly.”

“I got a cold around this time last year that took half a month to recover. The next time we have leftover tofu, send a couple of pieces to Wencheng’s.”

Yonghe broke into a grin, “I sent it yesterday, but Wencheng wasn’t home. I heard he went to the county town to listen to a certain doctor talk about medical skills. He won’t be back for several days, so I gave the tofu to Sister-in-law Wang.”

“Sister-in-law Wang didn’t say much and accepted it. I noticed that there was a matchmaker in her house, so I didn’t stay long and came back.”

“A matchmaker?” Mrs. He smoothed down her loose hair and laughed, “They must be arranging a marriage for Wencheng.”

“It’s peculiar though. I heard before that Sister-in-law Wang had invited a matchmaker for a marriage proposal for Wencheng, but Wencheng was adamantly opposed. Now, he’s holding the door open for the matchmaker and even asked her to help him find a good match.”

“Appearance and family background aren’t important. What matters is a virtuous character, and someone who won’t despise his lack of talent.”

“Tell me, Wencheng is certainly both honest and straightforward, but he’s also incredibly stubborn. No matter how others try to persuade him, he won’t change his mind. He used to despise the idea of Sister-in-law Wang arranging a wife for him, but now he seems keen on the idea?”

“Who can figure out his thoughts?” laughed Yonghe, touching his nose. “The older he gets the more he realizes the benefits of having a wife. It’s perfectly normal.”

Yonghe’s suggestive laugh made Mrs. He blush. She spat and retorted, “Impudent… Enough, don’t keep blabbing about it. Hurry up and warm up this soup. I’ll go pour you a glass of hot water.”

“Okay,” Yonghe nodded while adjusting his blanket covering his belly.

Seeing Mrs. He leaving the room, the smile disappeared from his face, replacing it with a heavy sigh.

As for today’s situation…how could he be so unlucky to get caught up in it?

—-

After Zhuang Qingning returned from Yonghe’s house, she got busy preparing lunch.

Using modern cooking techniques and methods, she made stone pot bibimbap for each person. They paired the meals with refreshing pickled radish strips and cold salads. Each person enjoyed their meal and praised Zhuang Qingning’s cooking.

Just as she was about to start teaching in the afternoon, someone arrived at Zhuang Qingning’s house.

The person who came was no other than Fang Hou.

“Manager Zhuang.” Fang Hou had apparently rushed over. Beads of sweat slid down his cheeks despite the harsh winter.

An icy chill shot through Zhuang Qingning’s heart.

What could be so urgent that Fang Hou had rushed over like this? Could it be that Cheng Ruize had had another attack from the poison?

“How is Manager Cheng?” Zhuang Qingning hurriedly asked.

She was committed to completing the task of detoxifying him, and if there were any mishaps, she would have to be responsible for it.

Fang Hou appeared taken aback for a moment as he realized Zhuang Qingning had misunderstood his urgency. He hurriedly waved his hand and clarified, “My young master is quite well, Manager Zhuang, please don’t worry.”

“The reason why I have rushed over here is to inform you, Manager Zhuang, that the person who poisoned my young master has been caught.”

As he spoke, Fang Hou’s nose reddened due to his excitement.

“Caught?” Zhuang Qingning was rather taken aback. However, considering that the man leading the investigation was Ding Gaochang, this arrest seemed within reason. She continued to ask, “Who poisoned Manager Cheng?”

“It is rather a disgrace to our household,” Fang Hou sighed,” The man who did it was Zhu Ankang, Manager Zhu from the spice shop.”

“For several years, Zhu Ankang was playing all sorts of tricks in the spice shop, selling substandard goods as top-notch to pocket the profit margin. He was found out by my young master, after which he was not trusted with the position of main manager.”

“With the transgressions of Zhu Ankang, he could have been reported to the authorities and sentenced to labor punishment. However, my young master, out of kindness, took into consideration that Zhu Ankang had been working in the Cheng family for a considerable period of time, and let him off with a fine of five hundred taels of silver, after which he was dismissed.”

“However, Zhu Ankang didn’t think of my young master’s kindness at all and harbored resentment. He knew my young master had a regular habit of incense worship at the small ancestral hall and that the incense was often supplied by the spice shop. So, he bribed the clerk who delivers the incense to deliver the one Zhu Ankang had given, instead of their usual incense.”

“The incense he gave contained poison. Each incense stick had a mild potency that was hard to detect due to the aroma of the incense when lit. With prolonged use, the poison slowly accumulated in the body. As my young master was also tired recently, the poison suddenly flared up and he was seriously ill.”

“Zhu Ankang is really intolerable! My young master spared his life, yet he wanted to take my young master’s. He’s absolutely detestable!”

“I’ve also heard that after harming my young master, Zhu Ankang showed no fear or regret. When the men sent by Master Ding went to arrest him, he was reportedly at the brothel, drinking and promising the courtesan that he would buy her a house.”

“Such a man deserves to go to the Eighteen Levels of Hell and never be allowed to reincarnate!”

Fang Hou was so angry mentioning Zhu Ankang that he ground his teeth. He seemed to want to tear Zhu Ankang apart and spat on the ground several times in disgust.

After venting his feelings, he laughed bitterly, “I’m sorry for my bad mood regarding Zhu Ankang, Manager Zhuang.”