Delicate Flower – Chapter 34

Last Bonus Chapter! (7/7) Finally cleared the backlog, haha. Thanks for your support on Ko-fi! ❤

Chapter 34 – Counter-measure

Another person who had a sleepless night was the boy’s mother.

As soon as she heard sounds in the courtyard, the boy’s mother decisively packed her things and left the room. When she saw Old Aunty Chen sweeping the courtyard, she immediately took a broom and started to sweep as well. Old Aunty Chen tried to stop her but she grabbed onto the broom tightly and pleaded. “Just let me help your family a little. Or else I wouldn’t have the face to meet Mrs. Yu.”

Old Aunty Chen couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so she let her sweep the courtyard and went to work in the kitchen.

The boy’s mother was happy she could be of some use, and she swept the courtyard meticulously.

Yu Tang stood by the window, listening to the sounds of sweeping. After thinking for a while, she knocked on Ah Cam’s door.

Ah Cam opened the door with a yawn, but when he saw that it was Yu Tang, his sleepiness cleared up instantly as he said alertly, “What is it, Miss?”

Yu Tang said, “Call the thief out.”

Ah Cam went and got him.

Perhaps because he didn’t sleep well, the boy wasn’t in a good mood and his eyes were as red as peach kernels.

Yu Tang pointed to the woman sweeping the courtyard and said, “Look at what good thing you did. Your mother still has to help you make amends. Even before the break of dawn, she was already helping my family sweep the courtyard.”

The boy’s eyes immediately moistened with tears.

Yu Tang continued, “My eldest cousin has already gone to call my father, so if you still have anything you want to say, tell me before it’s too late. Otherwise when my father finds out, you’ll have to suffer the consequences.”

“I’ve told you everything I know.” The boy sobbed tearfully, “I will never do this again.”

Seeing that she couldn’t get anymore information from him, Yu Tang instructed Ah Cam to keep an eye on him and went to Madam Chen’s inner room.

Madam Chen hadn’t slept well either and was rubbing her temples.

Yu Tang called out “Mother”, and went over to massage her mother’s temples, and said soothingly, “Don’t worry, brother has already gone to find father, so no one will steal so easily from us in future.”

“I hope so!” Madam Chen sighed.

Yu Tang pondered for a while and said, “Yesterday, if it weren’t for our neighbors, we wouldn’t have caught him. Do you want to make some cakes or sweets and send it to them as our token of gratitude?”

“Of course I should.” Madam Chen’s spirits lifted and she praised her daughter, “Our Ah-tang has grown up, and understands how to build good relationships with others.”

She looked comforted.

Yu Tang pursed her lips and smiled.

Now that Madam Chen had something to do, she didn’t dwell on what happened last night.

After breakfast, she and Old Aunty Chen made a batch of white sugar cake, and took out the family’s tea leaves and carefully divided it into several portions. She took Yu Tang along to thank their neighbors one by one. When everything was finished, it was already time to have their afternoon meal.

Yu Wen rushed back home on Master Wu’s mule.

Madam Chen said curiously, “Where’s Ah Yuan?”

Yu Wen gave a vague reply, “I sent him on an errand. Is the afternoon meal ready yet? I still have to go to Master Wu’s house to return this mule and send him a big return gift. He was a great help last night.”

He was clearly hiding something from Madam Chen.

Madam Chen saw that he wasn’t in a good mood, so she told Yu Tang to go to the kitchen and help Old Aunty Chen set the table, and she herself fetched water and helped Yu Wen freshen up.

Yu Wen changed his clothes, washed his face, and asked Madam Chen, “Where is the thief and his mother?”

Madam Chen said, “They are in the woodshed. I think they were too embarrassed to see others.”

Yu Wen didn’t bother anymore about the mother and son. He ate with Madam Chen and Yu Tang, and took some tea, wine and cakes and returned the mule to the Wu family. After returning, he sat down to speak with Madam Chen and Yu Tang. “After I visited Master Wu’s house, I went to the Magistrate. We have not had a thief in Qingzhu Lane for so many years, so we can’t let this kid off so easily. But for the sake of the neighbors, I will not send him to the officials. I will let his own family decide his punishment. The magistrate also agreed. He will come over later to take him away.”

Madam Chen let out a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good, lest we spoil the reputation of our Qingzhu Lane.” She then enquired about Lu Xin. “Have you settled on a good date for burial? Is there anything we can do to help?”

Thinking of this matter, Yu Wen felt his heart sink. He said, “It’s all my fault, how can I involve you all in this? I’ve arranged with the temple monk for him to be buried tomorrow. I’ll just let Ah Yuan go and help out then. Both of you should rest at home and do what you need to do.”

While they were talking, Yu Yuan came back.

Yu Wen said to Madam Chen. “I will visit the temple again later. Lu Xin has no children so I will keep watch for him tonight. The weather is getting colder and colder, so pack two thicker clothing for me to bring along when I go to the temple.”

Madam Chen nodded and went away.

Yu Wen immediately called Yu Tang over and whispered, “Come with me to the study to talk.”

Yu Tang guessed that her father wanted to ask her about the painting, so she nodded and silently followed him to the study.

Yu Yuan was also there.

The three of them got together and talked in hushed voices.

Only then did Yu Tang know that Yu Yuan had gone to the gambling house on Yu Wen’s instructions. The owner of the gambling house refused to admit that he was entrusted by someone else, insisting that he was the one who wanted the painting. He had heard that their family had such a painting but as he did not want to pay for it, he hired someone to steal it from them.

After hearing the gambling house’s owner’s words, Yu Yuan’s original plan of letting the owner be the middleman fell through.

They weren’t able to find information on Lu Xin’s death either.

Yu Wen said, “At that time, I just wanted to quickly bring his body back for burial. Therefore, I didn’t investigate further as to his time of death, what happened prior to his death, or what items he left behind. A person’s death is akin to an extinguished lamp, so I did not pry further.”

He said regretfully. “Had I known this would happen, I would have asked for further clarification.”

Yu Tang had thought about this matter throughout the night, and had some ideas in mind. When her father and brother finished speaking, she said tentatively, “Father, I think we must investigate this matter thoroughly. At least we have to know exactly why the other party wants this painting so desperately. Even if they are hidden in the shadows and we are in the open, we can still have a fighting chance. Otherwise we can only wait and be passively beaten down. Perhaps we may even end up like Mr. Lu…….”

As Yu Wen listened, his face turned pale.

Yu Tang continued, “Father, brother, I have an idea.”

Yu Wen and Yu Yuan’s eyes fell on her.

She then said, “Didn’t Supervisor Tong say that this “Pine Creek Fishing Hidden Painting” was not exactly a fake painting, it was only that a skillful master had peeled away the top layer of the Xuan paper, leaving behind the bottom layer, and then added a new layer on top of of it? Supervisor Tong also said that there are several layers of Xuan paper. So why don’t we also find a skilled master to take away the top layer of the painting and let them steal that instead? In this way, we can be out of danger, but also continue to study the secrets hidden in this painting. Do you think this method is workable?”

Yu Wen and Yu Yuan’s eyes both lit up, and Yu Wen joyfully praised her, “Ah Tang, you’ve always been resourceful ever since you were little, thinking up all kinds of devious ideas just to get a few candies. Now you’ve finally put your resourcefulness to good use! You have a point. Instead of letting the other party suspect that we are giving him a fake painting and that we are unwilling to sell it to him, why don’t we also make a fake painting, just as you said?”

Yu Yuan said, “Second Uncle, Ah Tang, I know of a person who specializes in imitating antique paintings and calligraphy for our family’s lacquer business before, so we can go ask him.”

Yu Wen said cautiously, “Is that person reliable? We don’t want any rumors to spread. We cannot make a mistake in this.”

Yu Yuan laughed as he answered “The man is surnamed Qian, and lives in Hangzhou City. Because this isn’t a honorable profession, so he lives in a place called Cross Lane. It is the most prosperous place in Hangzhou City, the streets all lined with stores, countless people walking in and out daily. It’s also a wide cross junction road, very lively. If something were to happen, a person will only need to run out onto the streets and he would disappear in the crowds. Rest assured, when we go over, we will circle the area a few times, be more careful and we will definitely not be discovered.”

Yu Wen was a little surprised at this and mused, “In Hangzhou City…”

“Yes!” Yu Yuan tried to convince Yu Wen and continued, “Think about it, how would someone in this business live in seclusion in the countryside? Besides, Hangzhou is not far away from us, we can get there by boat in half a day latest. And if someone were to ask, we will have a good excuse. It’s almost time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? So we can just say we’re going to Hangzhou City to buy a few things.”

Yu Wen thought about it and said decisively, “Then let’s do it!”

Yu Tang quickly said, “Father, shall I go with you? I want to go too. I’ve only been to Hangzhou City when I was little. Why don’t you take me with you?”

Yu Wen hesitated for a moment before he made up his mind and smiled, “Okay, I’ll take you there. But don’t cause any trouble on the way. Keep your eyes open and ears sharp. Tell your brother and I if you find anything amiss.”

Father seemed to have approved of her abilities.

Yu Tang was so happy that she gave her father a hug and said, “You are so good to me.”

Yu Wen pretended to look serious and said sternly, “Don’t flatter yourself. This matter must be hidden from your mother, understood?”

“Understood!” Yu Tang said in affirmation.

Yu Wen smiled and said in a warm voice to Yu Yuan. “You should not reveal this to Eldest brother and sister-in-law either. Lest they both worry for us.”

“Yes!” Yu Yuan said, respectfully heeding his words.

Yu Tang ran off in a flash. “Father, I’ll go pack my things now.”

Yu Wen and Yu Yuan looked at each other and laughed, shaking their heads.

Madam Chen knew that Yu Wen was going to take Yu Tang to Hangzhou City and said unwillingly, “Even though it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, but there’s no need to go to Hangzhou City to buy things, right? Why can’t you get it here, in Lin’an City?”

Of course she was happy that Yu Wen was willing to take Yu Tang along to Hangzhou City to play. But now, the family’s finances were already so tight, and Yu Wen was a person who didn’t care much about money, and Yu Tang is the type that even if she doesn’t see anything she wants, she will still buy three candies home. If they just recklessly go out and spend, how would they live for the latter part of this year?

Yutang could sense her mother’s worries. She affectionately held her mother’s arm and said softly, “Mother, I’m going with Father to keep an eye on his expenditure and not let him buy anything recklessly.”

Madam Chen giggled as she stroked her daughter’s head, saying, “It’s already a blessing if you can control yourself, and yet you want to watch over your father for me as well?”

“Really!” Yu Tang promised, “If I buy anything impulsively, I will accept to be punished for a month for without going out.”

Chen pinched her daughter’s nose and didn’t believe her words, but she couldn’t bear to detain her daughter and her husband, so she simply hid this matter in her heart and pretended as if she didn’t know.

At most she will pawn two pieces of her jewelry to help their family tide over the remainder of this year.

Mother and daughter were laughing and joking when the Magistrate brought a few people over.

Yu Wen attended to them in the main hall.

After drinking half a cup of tea and exchanging pleasantries, those people took the boy and his mother away.

It was said that the people who came with the magistrate were the boy’s relatives, and so it was up to them to decide the fates of the mother and son.

After burying Lu Xin, Yu Wen hid the painting away and took Yu Yuan and Yu Tang to Hangzhou City.

At Tiao Xi Harbor, they met Pei Yan and Zhou Zi Jin.

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