Chapter 54: 54 Narrow Road
The half-transparent gauze curtain on her hat reached down to her ankles, yet it did little to conceal her graceful figure.
The women in the town did not usually wear such hats; only the high-born ladies of Capital City would pay such meticulous attention to detail.
The hand she rested on her maid’s arm was delicate and long, as fine as jade. Just a glance at it suggested that only a person of great wealth could have such a hand.
She stepped off the carriage and entered Huichun Hall without any delay, leaving the surrounding crowd in stunned silence long after she was gone.
Her appearance in this impoverished town was as if a fairy maiden had descended from the heavens.
“Whose daughter is this? The Qin family’s?”
“I don’t think so, Miss Qin isn’t this refined!”
“Could it be from the Lu family?”
“No, doesn’t seem like it either.”
In this town, the wealthiest families were the Qin and Lu families; one had aunts married into wealthy business families and the other had a county Marquis in power; their influence was unparalleled in Qingquan Town.
Their daughters were undoubtedly prestigious, and the common folk rarely got a chance to see them. Nonetheless, everyone sensed that this young mistress might not belong to any local family.
Of course, those who had truly seen the daughters of the Qin and Lu families knew there was an abyss of difference. The daughters of the Qin and Lu families would not even be fit to serve this maiden.
That such a personage had entered Huichun Hall inevitably aroused people’s respect for the establishment. Either she was a fool, or Huichun Hall had some real skills.
“Is your boss here?” The young lady walked into the Grand Hall and addressed the dumbstruck Shopkeeper Wang.
Speechless in awe, Shopkeeper Wang had lived for many years but had never come across a woman so stunningly beautiful and elegant.
The maid frowned in displeasure and said, “My lady is speaking to you. Is your boss here or not?”
Could this be the twin sister of the young master of the Marquis Residence?
He never thought he would meet such an important dignitary in his lifetime!
Finally snapping out of his stupor, Shopkeeper Wang broke a sweat and said, “Yes, he is. I shall call him right away.”
The young lady replied casually, “No need. Just inform him that I will meet him myself.”
How could he let the guest from the Marquis Residence wait? Since deputy boss was not busy, Shopkeeper Wang made the decision to lead her to the Study Room behind the Grand Hall.
Shopkeeper Wang guessed correctly that the young lady was there to pay consultation fees. However, besides paying for consultation, she also gave a generous tip.
The lady was not present when her younger brother had been treated. She had heard about it later, but it did not stop her from understanding the sequence of events.
“That old doctor and his young assistant – my brother is quite satisfied with them. Next time, make sure it’s them again,” she said and stood up to leave.
The daughter of the Marquis Residence personally visited Huichun Hall as a token of gratitude for saving the young master’s life. It didn’t mean that Huichun Hall was qualified to befriend her.
The deputy boss, being shrewd, knew his place. He knew he couldn’t court her favor, so he didn’t pander needlessly.
He courteously agreed to the lady’s request and personally escorted her to the doorstep.
“You may go back now,” she said unhurriedly.
The deputy boss bowed and waited until she got into the carriage and left before turning back and entering Huichun Hall.
After the carriage had travelled some distance, the lady looked towards her waist and her face slightly changed, “Oh no, my jade pendant is missing!”
“Is it that jade piece gifted by your father? It was with you when we left the house today, wasn’t it? How could it be lost?” The little maid searched around hastily, but the carriage was empty.
The maid suggested, “Could it… could it have been left behind at Huichun Hall? We didn’t go anywhere else today.”
The young maiden nodded thoughtfully, “Hmm, go and look for it.”
The carriage returned and stopped near Huichun Hall.
The maid lifted her skirt and walked into the Grand Hall.
Upon seeing her re-enter, Shopkeeper Wang was taken aback, “Miss, why have you come back? Is there anything else you need?”
The maid snapped back, “My lady has lost her jade pendant! Now call someone to search for it!”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang immediately became cautious, “May I ask, what does Lady Gu’s jade pendant look like? What kind of jade is it?”
The maid motioned with her hands, “This big, it’s round and made of mutton-fat jade.”
Shopkeeper Wang immediately gathered the staff to search around the Grand Hall. The maid didn’t sit idle, she went to the study room.
She remembered her lady sitting there. Perhaps the pendant could have been left there.
The deputy boss was not there, and she didn’t wait for him. Instead, she went in directly and searched through the room, but found nothing.
Next, she meticulously searched the corridor and veranda but still found no sign of the pendant.
While passing by a chamber, she noticed that the door was slightly ajar and after some hesitation, she decided to enter.
In the room, there was a battered wicker-basket that seemed completely out of place in this setting. The basket contained some mountain produce and an old beat-up box.
The maid disdainfully looked at the box and then noticed a purse next to it.
When she opened the purse and glanced inside, she had a hunch that something was wrong. She emptied out the contents of the purse onto the table. A few silver coins rolled onto the floor.
The maid did not bother to pick them up; instead, she fixed her gaze on the jade pendant and a jade finger-cot that had fallen out along with them.
Stunned, she mumbled, “Isn’t this my lady’s jade pendant and the young master’s jade finger-cot? How did they end up here?”
Gu Jiao had come for her monthly menstrual herbs and upon entering the room, she saw a young girl going through her purse.
She walked in coldly, looked at the mess on the table and the floor, and asked, “Did you do this?”
The maid raised her head to look at Gu Jiao.
Even though Gu Jiao looked plain and was dressed like a peasant woman with a birthmark on her face, the maid’s scorn was undisguised, “Yes, I did. And are these things yours?”
Gu Jiao looked back at her, arms folded, her eyes calm and unflinching.
The maid, being a maid of the Marquis Residence, led a life better than the daughters of affluent families. Her presence intimidated many, yet this peasant woman dared to stare at her in such a manner.
Exasperated, the maid snapped, “Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear my question?”
Gu Jiao chuckled, “Huh.”
“You…” The maid was so infuriated with Gu Jiao’s attitude that she lost her cool even more and accused, “You stole from my master, and now you don’t dare to admit it, do you?”