When the mute woman left, Jiang Ning specifically asked Liu Ming'an to escort her all the way home.
By the time Liu Ming'an returned, Jiang Ning was already rolling out dumpling wrappers.
"Jiang Ning, are you... alright? Why don't you go rest, and I'll make dinner," Liu Ming'an said, finding it difficult to broach the topic of women's private matters.
"It's fine," Jiang Ning replied. Perhaps due to the spirit spring water, Jiang Ning didn't feel any discomfort, only a slight unease from the cloth band filled with wood ash that she was wearing.
"Then let me help you. I know how to make dumplings," Liu Ming'an said, and without waiting for Jiang Ning's response, he washed his hands and began wrapping dumplings with the skins Jiang Ning had rolled out.
Jiang Ning glanced over and saw that Liu Ming'an was doing a decent job, so she let him continue.
"I ran into Third Grandaunt on my way back and chatted with her for a bit," Liu Ming'an said, making casual conversation.
"Oh? What did you talk about?" Jiang Ning responded idly.
Liu Ming'an thought for a moment, a slight smile appearing on his lips. "He Ping's marriage to that girl from Peach Blossom Village has been set for the eighth day of next month. He Yiyi and Chen Zuyin are also engaged, with the wedding planned for the first month of next year."
"So quickly?" Jiang Ning was surprised by the efficiency.
"Marriage is a major affair, determined by parental order and matchmakers' words. The siblings are of age, and Second Aunt is naturally anxious. Now it's all settled, a double blessing," Liu Ming'an explained with a smile.
Seeing the genuine happiness in Liu Ming'an's eyes, Jiang Ning couldn't help but remark, "If Miss Yiyi knew you were smiling at the news of her marriage, she'd probably cry again."
"Jiang Ning," Liu Ming'an called out helplessly, then advised, "Please don't mention this to anyone else in the future. Yiyi is about to get married, and such rumors could harm a young lady's reputation."
"You're the only one I know," Jiang Ning paused, then added, "Besides, I'm not that idle."
Liu Ming'an realized she was right; with Jiang Ning's cold personality, he couldn't imagine her gossiping with others.
After they had dinner and put out the lights to rest, Liu Ming'an suddenly remembered something else.
"Jiang Ning, didn't you want to find Zhao Instructor? I might be able to help you."
Liu Ming'an's voice came from beside her, and Jiang Ning's eyes snapped open in the darkness. "Tell me more," she said.
"Zhao Instructor isn't an official; he doesn't eat from the government's rice bowl. He just knows some martial arts and, through his aunt's husband's connections, got into the yamen to train the constables and runners, teaching them kung fu. That's why people call him Zhao Instructor," Liu Ming'an first explained Zhao Instructor's identity, then continued, "But for some things that the yamen staff find inconvenient or too bothersome to do themselves, they delegate to him, like announcing the results of the child prodigy examination."
"The child prodigy examination results?" Jiang Ning was surprised.
"Yes," Liu Ming'an said. "I took the child prodigy exam half a month ago, and if all goes well, I should be able to become a scholar. When Zhao Instructor comes to inform me, I can take the opportunity to ask him about your background."
"When will the results be announced?" Jiang Ning asked. If it was too long, she might as well ask herself.
Fortunately, Liu Ming'an answered, "At the end of this month."
"What if he's unwilling to talk?" Jiang Ning asked again. If she were to find Zhao Instructor alone, she had various means to get the information she wanted, but with Liu Ming'an asking, the situation would be quite different, and they couldn't use force.
Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming'an chuckle softly, then say, "What you don't know is that this Zhao Instructor loves to gamble, but he has bad luck and often loses money. He spends almost all of his instructor's salary at the gambling house. So, this man is greedy for money."
Liu Ming'an left it at that, and Jiang Ning understood. He was planning to bribe Zhao Instructor with money to extract information. It was a good plan, more stable.
What Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an didn't know was that Zhao Instructor, whom they were thinking about, was also being targeted by someone else at that moment.
Inside the Gold Jade Hall, although it was approaching the hour of the Pig (9-11 pm), there were still several gambling addicts lingering at the tables in the main hall.
Zhao Instructor was one of them.
"Big!" "Big!" "Big!"
Zhao Instructor stared at the dice cup, his eyes bloodshot from losing. He had bet all his money on this one throw, hoping to win back everything he had lost before and then leave.
Several pairs of eyes were fixed on Old Yu's hand as he lifted the cup. Zhao Instructor kept shouting hoarsely, pinning his hopes on the three dice inside the cup.
However, fate was not on his side. When the cup was opened, the three dice showed: one, one, four. Small!
"Thud!" Zhao Instructor couldn't help but slam the table hard, his eyes full of unwillingness. In the end, it all turned into helplessness. With his pockets empty and nothing left to bet, he could only leave the Gold Jade Hall with his head hanging low.
On the second floor of the Gold Jade Hall, Old Six Hu watched Zhao Instructor with great interest, taking in his every move.
"Ze Hua, what do you think is the most important thing for a gambler?" Old Six Hu asked the question to Houzi beside him after Zhao Instructor had lifted the curtain and left.
Houzi answered without hesitation: "Luck."
"Wrong!"
"Then it must be gambling skills."
"Wrong!"
Houzi scratched his head, utterly confused. Was there something more important than "luck" or "gambling skills" for a gambler?
Houzi's eyes swept over the group of gamblers downstairs, and when he saw the flushed faces of those who were winning, he had a sudden realization: "I know, Uncle! It's money!"
To his surprise, Old Six Hu still shook his head and said, "Still wrong!"
"Then what is it?" Houzi couldn't think of anything else.
Old Six Hu stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes looking down at the crowd below with a mix of mockery and pity. He slowly said, "It's greed."
"Uncle?" Houzi called out to Old Six Hu with a frown, not understanding why he was talking about this now. Weren't they supposed to be discussing how to deal with that woman?
Just a few hours ago, the people who went out to gather information had returned. The veiled woman had walked around the town, buying this and that, so it was easy to find out about her.
It turned out that the woman was with a scholar, and they had left their address when buying things at the Chen Family Rice Shop. The people from the Gold Jade Hall had slipped a few copper coins to the shop assistant at the Chen Family Rice Shop and easily obtained the woman's address - Lotus Flower Village. They also learned that the man accompanying her was called Liu Ming'an, the scholar who sold calligraphy and paintings and helped people write letters by the bridge.
Houzi, striking while the iron was hot, had someone inquire about Liu Ming'an's situation. That's when he learned that Liu Ming'an had bought a girl with broken arms and legs and a ruined face at the last market fair. Houzi immediately thought of the veiled woman; her limbs might not be broken, but her face must truly be ruined, otherwise, she wouldn't wear a veil all the time.
When Houzi told all this to Old Six Hu, he saw his uncle lost in thought, silent for a long time before asking a seemingly unrelated question.
"How is this Liu Ming'an's scholarship?" Old Six Hu asked.
Houzi was taken aback but answered truthfully, "I heard it's quite good. His father is a scholar who teaches in the village. Many people seek him out to write letters and buy his calligraphy and paintings."
"Did he participate in this year's child prodigy examination?" Old Six Hu asked again.
"This..." Houzi had no way of knowing the answer to this question.
"Quickly, go find someone to ask!" Old Six Hu urged as soon as he saw Houzi's expression, knowing he couldn't answer.
So Houzi, without even having time to eat dinner, went out to find someone he knew who had taken the child prodigy exam this year to ask if they had seen Liu Ming'an at the examination site. After receiving a positive answer, he hurried back to tell Old Six Hu.
"Hahaha... Good!" Old Six Hu clapped his hands and laughed loudly upon hearing the answer, leaving Houzi completely bewildered.
After that, Old Six Hu walked out of the room and leaned against the railing, silently watching the main hall until now when he finally spoke, discussing the so-called "greed" issue with Houzi.
"Uncle, that woman—"
Houzi began anxiously, but was interrupted by Old Six Hu: "Ze Hua, a gentleman's revenge can wait ten years. Why rush?"
Houzi swallowed the words he was about to say, and listened as Old Six Hu continued unhurriedly: "In a gambler's heart, there's an bottomless pit, inhabited by a monster that can never be satiated. If he wins one tael of silver today, tomorrow he'll want to win two or three, always craving more; conversely, if he wins today but loses tomorrow, on the third day he'll only think about winning back what he lost, with interest. Those addicted to gambling never understand concepts like 'knowing when to stop' or 'quitting while you're ahead'..."
"Uncle, I understand the principle you're explaining. But I don't understand why you're suddenly telling me this? I'm not a gambler," Houzi said, perplexed.
"Haha..." Old Six Hu laughed, then turned his head, his gaze locking directly onto Houzi's eyes. "Because I intend to exploit someone's greed to let another do my dirty work!"
At that moment, a venomous light gleamed in Old Six Hu's cloudy eyes, like a snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. Even though Houzi respected and loved him like a father, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat under such a gaze.