[Framing]
The ox cart entered the village, passing the bridge under repair, and someone shouted, "Young Master Ning, your wife is back!"
Su Liang was a bit surprised to see the villagers teasing Ning Jing.
This person has a cold and aloof appearance, but deep down, he's very easygoing, with no flaws except that he doesn't smile or speak much.
Their eyes met, and Su Liang nodded slightly in greeting but didn't get off the cart.
Ning Jing looked away and continued working.
By the time Su Liang returned home with her bamboo basket on her back, Bai Xiaohu and Zhuzi came running over.
Bai Xiaohu grinned, "Sister Su Liang! You're finally back!"
Zhuzi shyly looked at Su Liang and called out, "Sister ..."
Su Liang chuckled and ruffled Zhuzi's fluffy little head.
"Sister Su Liang, someone wants to buy your Plum Blossom Screen today! They said they made a deal with Su Xiaoming's mother!" Bai Xiaohu told Su Liang about the Plum Blossom Screen.
Su Liang was stunned, "Who was it?"
"The woman in the carriage didn't show her face, but there was a maid. My grandma said it's a noble from the county town, my uncle said ..." Bai Xiaohu earnestly repeated what Bai Dame and Bai He had said during lunch.
Su Liang originally thought Xu Family had sold the original master's embroidery to the Embroidery Workshop, but she didn't expect there to be a fixed and "mysterious" buyer.
Since they made those requests, Bai He's guess was also what Su Liang thought.
Someone had always been passing off the original master's hard work as their own, and now they wanted to get the Plum Blossom Screen.
It seemed like they gave up and left today, but this matter probably wasn't over...
"Brother Ning said you could sell it to them. Guess how much they're willing to pay?" Bai Xiaohu grinned.
Su Liang raised an eyebrow, "A thousand taels of gold?"
Bai Xiaohu's eyes widened, "How did you know?"
Su Liang's lips curled slightly, "I'd charge that much too."
Once home, Su Liang put down her basket, let Zhuzi sit down, and took his pulse.
Bai Xiaohu hurriedly said, "My dad went to town to sell furniture today and heard that there's a famous doctor from the capital city sitting at Bao'an Hall for three days. He's planning to take my little brother to see the doctor tomorrow!"
Bai Peng carried out Su Liang's request, taking Su Daqiang's furniture to town in the morning and helping fix the bridge when he came back.
Su Liang hadn't run into Bai Peng, but she did know about the "famous doctor treating patients for three days" event.
"Alright, then let's go have a look." Su Liang nodded.
She had her own ideas about treating Zhuzi.
But for the Bai Family, a famous doctor from the capital city was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which the commoners queuing outside the Medical Hall today couldn't afford to miss.
Plus, Su Liang needed to learn about this world's medical skills and the types of medicinal herbs to practice medicine.
...
As the sun set, the bridge in the village was repaired.
Ning Jing saw the smoke from his house from afar; upon entering, the aroma wafted from the kitchen.
Su Liang turned and saw that Ning Jing's pant legs and shoes were covered in mud, but his clean, handsome face didn't look like he had just come back from fixing the bridge.
"What did you make?" Ning Jing asked.
"Braised ribs with green beans and rolls."
A dish that Ning Jing had never heard of before, the name of which he could understand the first part, but the last three words seemed inexplicable.
The ribs were fresh, the green beans were picked the night before, and the rolls were made by Su Liang.
There were vegetables, meat, and staple food in one pot.
Additionally, she boiled a cucumber and egg soup to cut the grease. Cucumbers and eggs were both bought from the Bai Family.
After Ning Jing washed up and changed his clothes, Su Liang served a bowl of food with half of it being ribs, telling him to take it to the Bai Family as a treat for the two children and to thank them for helping watch the house today.
Bai Xiaohu and Zhuzi were both very happy.
Bai Dame ran after Ning Jing, reminding him to keep an eye out at night.
...
Ning Jing tasted a green bean first and nodded slightly, "Not bad."
The green beans, soaked in meat juice, were still sweet, crisp, and tender.
Tasting a piece of the roll, Ning Jing nodded again.
The spare ribs were tender and delicious, with the perfect flavor.
After a sip of the fresh and refreshing soup, she felt comfortable all over.
"There may still be trouble with the Plum Blossom Screen," Su Liang said.
"Are you going to keep that screen forever?" Ning Jing asked back.
Su Liang shook her head, "I want to give it to her real family or friends as a keepsake. She seems to have an admirer, with the surname Yun or with 'Yun' in his name."
Ning Jing's beautiful brows creased slightly, "If you plan to give the Plum Blossom Screen to that 'Yun', how will you explain that you are not her?"
Su Liang was stunned for a moment, "That's a problem. We can talk about it later, but definitely not selling it."
...
It was late at night.
In Ning Jing's room, there was no light, the window was open, and she sat by the window, watching the light from the next room spill onto the ground.
Su Liang was focused on practicing her writing, and after writing a lot, she finally found her groove.
Hearing a noise from behind the house, Ning Jing put on her wide-brimmed hat, covered her face with a black cloth, and disappeared into the room.
...
A group of officials were heading up the mountain.
"Boss, haven't we searched here before? Why did the Magistrate order us to come again?"
"Yeah! We didn't find anything when searching the mountain during the day! It's impossible to see anything in the middle of the night!"
Hearing the complaints from different voices, the head catcher shouted, "Shut up! The Magistrate ordered us to come because someone has provided important clues! Find them quickly and don't miss any place!"
A team of officials walked through the mountain with lanterns, searching carefully.
Walking at the end was the head catcher and another man who looked similar to him.
"Big brother," the man pulled the head catcher and asked in a low voice, "What's going on?"
The head catcher looked around and whispered, "The family at the foot of the mountain has offended the Magistrate, so the evidence has been arranged for the murder. After finding the bloody clothes of young master Huang on the mountain, we will arrest them!"
Before the head catcher finished speaking, two stones flew through the wind, hitting them heavily!
A ghostly shadow appeared, and the two of them fell unconscious to the ground.
One after the other, the officials fell down, even without a chance to make any sound.
Until the last one, staring wide-eyed as the "ghost" floated in front of him, a palm struck him unconscious...
...
Su Liang rubbed her sour neck, yawned, got up, and went out, planning to go to the bathroom in the backyard.
A figure in black landed lightly in the courtyard, and Su Liang's eyes narrowed, "Who?"
"It's me." The "shadow" spoke, a familiar voice.
Su Liang's heart eased, "Where have you been?"
"The back mountain." Ning Jing removed the wide-brimmed hat and black cloth. She came over with something in her hand.
"What is that?" Su Liang had a feeling something happened.
"Bloody clothes." Ning Jing told Su Liang that the Magistrate had tried to pin young master Huang's death on them.
Su Liang frowned, "The Magistrate? Could it be that the young lady who wanted the Plum Blossom Screen is the Magistrate's daughter?"
Otherwise, it would not be such a coincidence.
Ning Jing took the bloody clothes to the backyard and burned them.
As for the officials, they were all unconscious, dragged by her into the woods outside the village.
"Since she wants the Plum Blossom Screen so much, it's a pity not to extort her heavily." Su Liang snorted coldly.
The common people shouldn't fight with officials.
But if the officials want you dead, it's another story.
Su Liang didn't want to cause trouble, but she wasn't afraid of it either.
The original master was oppressed so miserably, and that "buyer" should not be missed.
"Good, let's go to town tomorrow," Ning Jing nodded.