sjar Chapter 439 A dilapidated courtyard? Who lives there?
Chapter 439 A dilapidated courtyard? Who lives there?
Chu Ruohan took Gu Junze's instructions to heart and instructed everyone in the mansion to strengthen their vigilance.
Meanwhile, he secretly instructed his trusted guard Liu An to keep an eye on Qin Fang's daily whereabouts, especially the source of the "trivial matters" he mentioned.
Several days later, Liu An came to report back.
“Madam,” Liu An bowed and reported, “I have observed for several days that, in addition to diligently managing the shops every day, Steward Qin goes alone to a rather secluded and dilapidated courtyard at the end of Fengle Lane in the south of the city almost every one or two evenings.”
Chu Ruohan frowned slightly: "A dilapidated courtyard? Do you know who lives there?"
Liu An replied, "That courtyard looks quite old and very simple. I asked the neighbors, and it seems that only an old woman lives there."
"Each time Steward Qin went, he would bring some food or medicine, stay for about an hour, and then leave. He was quite cautious in his actions."
An old woman? Qin Fang's parents died early, and there were no elders in the family!
Chu Ruohan's doubts deepened, as this was quite different from the impression Qin Fang usually gave off.
In the past few days, while listening to the maids chatting in the laundry room, Yuling also vaguely heard some discussions about Qin Fang.
"Hey, have you heard? That Manager Qin from our Madam's shop," a maid in charge of purchasing said in a low voice, mysteriously, "someone saw him going to that poor area in the south of the city several times!"
Another maid, who was ironing clothes, chimed in, "Really? What would someone as respectable as him be doing there?"
"Who knows? Some people say he seems to be helping someone out. Tsk tsk, you really can't tell, he's usually so serious, but he's actually kind-hearted."
Yu Ling listened silently, her hands never stopping their work, but her heart was filled with ripples of emotion. South of the city? A benefactor?
She recalled Qin Fang's somewhat desolate figure that day and the complex emotions that flashed in his eyes, which increased her curiosity about this Steward Qin.
After hearing Liu An's report, Chu Ruohan frowned even more.
Qin Fang's actions were shrouded in mystery. She didn't want Yu Ling to entrust herself to the wrong person and get involved in some unclear entanglement in the future.
“Fengle Lane, a dilapidated courtyard…” she murmured, already having made up her mind. “Liu An, continue to keep an eye on things, but be careful not to alert them.”
After Liu An left, Chu Ruohan stood quietly by the window for a moment, her eyes gradually hardening.
Instead of making wild guesses, she decided to go and see for herself. She wanted to see what secrets Qin Fang was hiding in that little courtyard.
That night, Qin Fang returned to his simple dwelling in the backyard of the shop.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple: a wooden bed, an old table, and a chair—that was all.
He carefully took out a small, cloth-wrapped object from his bosom. Inside the cloth was a slightly worn plum blossom hairpin.
The silver plum blossom on the hairpin had darkened somewhat, and one of the petals was slightly bent, as if it had been damaged.
Under the dim light, Qin Fang stared at the hairpin, his eyes filled with endless longing and unspeakable bitterness.
He stretched out his fingertips and gently stroked the cool plum blossom, as if he could see a distant and blurry figure through the hairpin.
After a long while, a barely audible sigh dissipated into the silent night.
Chu Ruohan lay on the bed, while Gu Junze beside her breathed evenly, clearly fast asleep.
She couldn't sleep at all, her mind preoccupied with Yu Ling's marriage and worried about Qin Fang's unknown secret.
What troubled her even more was the remnant forces of Qingmo Valley that Gu Junze mentioned.
Until those desperate criminals are completely eliminated, the General's Mansion and even the entire capital will never have peace.
After much deliberation, she decided that rather than let Yuling potentially misplace her trust in the future, she should investigate the matter thoroughly herself first.
The next day, as dawn broke, Chu Ruohan got up. She called Chu Yueshu and explained her plans to her in detail.
"Sister, are you going in person?" Chu Yueshu asked with some concern. "Fengle Lane in the south of the city is not a good place; it's a mixed bag."
Chu Ruohan said, "It's alright. I'll change into civilian clothes, take a few more capable guards, and sneak over. I'll just take a look from afar. There shouldn't be any problems."
"Liu An said that the courtyard was quite secluded and probably wouldn't attract much attention."
She said gently, "Yu Ling is someone close to me. I need to know what kind of person Qin Fang is so that I can make plans for her."
Seeing that her mind was made up, Chu Yueshu did not try to persuade her any further: "In that case, I will go with you, sister, so that we can look after each other on the way."
After the two sisters discussed and agreed on their plans, they changed into ordinary people's clothes and took only Liu An and three other capable guards with them.
They quietly left through the side gate of the General's Mansion, boarded an inconspicuous blue cloth cart, and headed towards Fengle Lane in the south of the city.
As Chu Yueshu had said, Fengle Lane was indeed narrow, and the houses on both sides were mostly low and dilapidated.
As you walk to the end of the alley, you will find a dilapidated courtyard with its walls mottled and the gate ajar, exuding a desolate atmosphere.
Chu Ruohan gestured for the guards to wait a little further away from the alley entrance, while she and Chu Yueshu got out of the car and, accompanied by Liu An, tiptoed towards the small courtyard.
Liu An stepped forward and gently pushed open the half-closed wooden door.
The courtyard was small, with some old and broken utensils piled up haphazardly. Facing the door, a man could be vaguely seen bending over, seemingly busy with something.
Chu Ruohan and Chu Yueshu exchanged a glance and slowly walked inside.
As they got closer, they could see that the man was indeed Qin Fang.
He was facing away from the courtyard gate, carefully holding a bowl of medicine and feeding it spoonful by spoonful to the old woman lying on a simple wooden bed inside the house.
"Grandma, please drink slowly, be careful it's hot." Qin Fang's voice was deep and gentle, completely different from his usual calm and capable demeanor when managing affairs in the shop.
At this moment, his brows were full of patience and concern.
The old woman had gray hair and a haggard face, clearly suffering from a long-term illness, but she still seemed to be in relatively good spirits.
She swallowed the medicine with difficulty, her eyes filled with dependence and affection as she looked at Qin Fang.
Chu Ruohan and Chu Yueshu stood at the door, watching the scene before them, both of them moved.
After feeding the medicine, Qin Fang carefully wiped the old woman's mouth and asked softly, "Grandma, are you feeling better today?"
The old woman nodded, her voice weak: "Much better, Fang'er, thank you for your hard work."
"Grandma, what are you saying? This is what I should do."
Qin Fang placed the medicine bowl on the old table beside him and was about to get up when he caught a glimpse of Chu Ruohan and Chu Yueshu at the courtyard gate out of the corner of his eye. He was startled, and a look of panic and helplessness flashed across his face.
"Madam...Miss Second?"