In the morning, the inn prepared a simple breakfast.
Bai Song first went to the next door and knocked on the door, then returned to his room and filled three bowls of porridge.
Not long after, Niu Da came with the maid.
When the maid saw him, she saluted Bai Song: "I have seen Master Bai and thank you for saving my life."
"I didn't do anything. The person who saved you is Niu Chongtian. I just want to thank you and thank him."
"I thanked Brother Niu very much last night."
These words make people think a lot, and they don't know how to express their gratitude.
Bai Song snickered, but seeing that the two people didn't respond at all, he asked them to sit down and eat.
"How can I, my slave, sit with Master Bai?"
"You are the maid of the Zheng family, not my maid. Besides, you are no longer a member of the Zheng family. Why can't we sit together?"
Niu Da also advised: "Sit down, my young master is not so particular."
After some hesitation, the maid finally sat down, holding a bowl of porridge and started eating it seriously.
Bai Song asked casually: "What is your name?"
"Back to the young master, my name is Caihe."
"How are your injuries?"
"Brother Niu used Young Master's recipe for me last night, and I feel much better when I wake up today."
"Raise your head and look."
Bai Song was very careful. He looked at the marks on Caihe's neck and nodded.
"You still need to recover from your injuries. You need to rest for a few more days to recover."
"Well, thank you, Master Bai."
"I heard from Niu Chongtian that you are homeless now, do you have any ideas on where to go?"
In one sentence, Caihe put down his bowl and chopsticks in silence.
Before Caihe could speak, Niu Da interrupted hastily: "Master Bai, if I don't let her stay with you, I might as well clean the house for you every day."
Bai Song looked at Niu Da in surprise. This Niu Da treated this maid unusually. Could it be that he was interested in her?
But there is a lady in this house who took her away by herself, and when she went back, she asked Niu Da to come back with another woman. Wouldn’t the person in the house hate him to death?
Thinking about it, Bai Song shook his head again, thinking why should he worry about other people's affairs?
Not to mention being awesome, I don't know if I can resist the temptation when I see a beautiful woman. If I think about what is going on in other people's houses, it is better to think about how I will explain to Xiang'er when I go back because I failed to keep myself safe.
There was a hint of enthusiasm in Niu Da's eyes. When Bai Song didn't say anything for a long time, he looked a little anxious: "What? What's wrong?"
Caihe frowned slightly, looking at Brother Niu who had saved him, and felt a little sweat for him.
How can you talk to your master like this?
Put it in the Zheng family, because these words will inevitably lead to a good beating.
Bai Song finally responded, lowering his voice and saying, "I'm afraid there's something wrong with this matter."
Caihe's mood suddenly fell into depression. She didn't even want her parents' family now. She didn't know how to live without someone to rely on. There was no chance that she would encounter what happened last night again.
Niu Da was anxious: "Master Bai, why is this?"
"Don't worry, I'm free to worry about it." Bai Song explained slowly, "The two of us are alone outside and have no one to rely on. We should avoid causing trouble when we come here. It's not inconvenient for Miss Caihe to stay. It's just that we are here
We cannot leave Miss Caihe behind until we understand why she was assassinated."
"Assassination?" Niu Da frowned for a moment and thought for a moment, "Master Bai is worried about what happened last night? He was just a useless little thief. After I drove him away, he dared to come back again?"
"Little thief? That's not a little thief. Someone must have been eyeing this lotus-picking girl, otherwise how could he be so ruthless without looking for money or sex? How could a maid from the Zheng family suffer such cruelty?
Such treatment? Miss Caihe, I think your status in the Zheng family is extraordinary, right?"
Niu Da was a little confused after hearing this and looked at Cai He.
Bai Song was very serious and watched Caihe's emotional changes carefully.
Bai Song decided that there must be something wrong with this maid.
Caihe was very surprised and only said: "I don't know who the thief was last night, let alone when he appeared. At that time, I just felt drowsy and sleepy. When I was half asleep, someone suddenly grabbed me by the hair and led me to the river.
He dragged me away, then strangled my neck with his hands. Seeing how hard I struggled, he went to find a big tree, strangled the slave with a magic rope, and tied her to the tree. The slave thought that he died inexplicably, Brother Niu
He rushed over."
"You really don't know who the person who killed you is?"
Caihe said truthfully: "I have been thinking about it all night, but I really can't think of anyone with whom I have such a big grudge."
Caihe's expression was normal. He was confused when he should be confused, scared when he should be afraid, and troubled when he should be confused.
There is no trace of fraud.
Bai Song gradually became curious and asked again: "Could it be the Zheng family?"
Caihe shook his head repeatedly: "No... the master kicked the slave out of the house because the slave's hands and feet were unclean. According to the rules of the Zheng family, the slave has nothing to complain about."
"Why were you kicked out of the Zheng family?"
Caihe frowned slightly and found it difficult to speak.
Niu Da said anxiously: "Young master, just say whatever I ask you. It's better to stay and have a place to go than to wander outside."
Caihe gritted his teeth and said, "This servant stole things from the Zheng family to support her parents' family, and the housekeeper found out."
"What?"
"A packet of salt."
"Just a packet of salt?"
"Well! I heard from my mother-in-law that the family has not eaten salt for a long time, and the young brother is suffering from rickets. I heard from the doctor that if he doesn't eat salt anymore, he will be regarded as a useless person in the future. The slave is also desperate, so...that's why he took this step."
“Is Jixian County short of salt?”
"That's not true. It's just that the slave girl feels that salt is expensive in the county. It costs one hundred cents to buy a bag of salt, so it is better to buy a bag of rice. In the long run, the root cause of the disease will appear."
"There is no shortage of salt, so why don't you use the money to buy it? Even if it is more expensive, it is also to protect the children. Is it possible that the family has no money left?"
"The family doesn't have much money, so it's not like they can't afford a pack of salt. It's just that my mother used the money to buy it, but the salt merchant refused to sell it. I don't know why. For this reason, my mother just found the slave girl and asked her to go through the Zheng family.
The servant didn't think much of it. He didn't want to steal the salt from his master's house at first, so he used the money he had saved to buy it under the name of the Zheng family, so that the salt merchant wouldn't stop selling it.
But I never expected that even if the slave bought it in the name of the Zheng family, the salt dealer still wouldn't sell it. The slave thought it was the county selling salt, but as soon as she left the salt shop, a cart of salt was transferred out. The slave really had no choice but to think about it.
Since the master’s house has a lot of salt, you can take out a small bag without being noticed. Who would have thought that he would be so unlucky that he would be caught by the housekeeper before he even left the house.”
"Taking money but not selling? What's the point?" Bai Song felt that something was a little strange.
Caihe lowered his head: "This is all I know. I was kicked out because I stole the salt from my master's house. It's the slave who had bad intentions herself, no wonder others. My master's family treated me well in the past, and there's no reason for this."
I forced the slave to death by covering it with salt. As for my mother's family, when they saw that the slave had provoked the Zheng family, they naturally didn't dare to have me."
Bai Song frowned, thinking about the whole thing.
Niu Da asked: "Master Bai, maybe he was a thief last night. Did you think too much?"
Bai Song shook his head, still thinking.
After thinking about it for a long time, I had no clue: "Let her stay for now, but remember not to go out and show off, so as not to cause trouble."
Niu Da and Caihe both looked happy, Caihe even knelt down and kowtowed.
"Okay, there's no need for this. I still have an appointment with someone today, so I'll go out first."
After saying that, Bai Song went out as usual, went to the counter downstairs and asked the shopkeeper: "Shopkeeper, where can I buy salt?"
"Hey, why did you buy salt? Do you think the food in the shop is not tasty enough?"
“When traveling abroad, you should always carry a bag of salt with you.”
"So that's it. The only place to buy salt nearby is at the end of this street. There is a shop set up by the government."
Bai Song nodded and went directly to the salt shop.
Bai Song would like to see why there is such a strange thing that he doesn't sell salt even if he is given money?
In less than ten minutes along the way, Bai Song arrived in front of the salt shop.
The shop is small and there are no people there.
This salt is indeed a bit expensive. Poor people's families generally have the same idea as Caihe's family. Instead of buying a bag of salt, it is better to exchange it for a bag of rice.
Moreover, the salt these days does not always taste good when added to meals, so the ancients were not very enthusiastic about buying salt.
Some knowledgeable people know that salt is a necessity. If you don’t eat it for a long time, you will get sick, so you buy it in small quantities.
Some people simply don't buy it.
It is understandable that the business of the salt shop is deserted.
Bai Song stood at the door and shouted: "Is anyone there?"
After a while, an official came out yawning: "What?"
"Buy salt."
The official was a little impatient after hearing this, and looked at Bai Song up and down with a frown, as if he was reluctant to do the business.
"Not selling?" Bai Song asked.
"Sell! Of course! How much do you want?"
"How to sell?"
"One hundred coins a bag."
"I want three packs."
The other party spread his hands and said: "Give me money."
Bai Song was stunned, thinking that although the official was impatient, he could still buy salt. How could this happen all of a sudden?
Bai Song was a little confused, so he handed over the three strings of money he had prepared. The other party decisively handed Bai Song three cloth bags and recorded them in the account book.
Bai Song weighed it and found that the bag of salt was less than half a catty.
At the price of one hundred cents per bag, it is far more expensive than raw chickens and ducks.
"So few?"
"Where are you from?" the officer asked.
"I came from Shu, and the salt in Shu is worth two kilograms for one hundred coins." Bai Song made random remarks.
"Then you go to Shuzhong and buy it. The price is just this in Jixian County. Do you want it or not?"
Speaking of this, the official went even further and handed the money to Bai Song.
Bai Song was even more stupid: "What do you mean?"
"Don't you think it's expensive? I'll return the silver to you, and you return the salt to me."
What kind of trick is this?
After all the business has been done, are there any regrets?
Logically speaking, even if the salt is a business of the imperial court, shouldn't those who do business should try their best to facilitate the business?
Why does the officer look so disgusted?
Bai Song did not go to get the copper coins, but left quickly with three bags of salt.
After thinking about it for a long time, I felt that something was strange, but I couldn't put my finger on it.
She even wondered why she could buy salt but Caihe and her family couldn't.
"My little friend, you are finally here!"
The voice of the Master of the Zheng family interrupted Bai Song's thoughts.
Bai Song took a look and found that he had almost returned to the inn without knowing it, and was now under the banyan tree from yesterday.
It was still early today, and a group of young men gathered around the old lady's chess game.
At this time, a person left his seat, saluted respectfully, and said: "If you are not as good as others, I am willing to be inferior."
