si-mexico Chapter 11 The Business from Years Ago
Chapter 11 The Business from Years Ago
"It's Tong Yuxing, no doubt. Have you heard of him, sir?"
When Magistrate Sun asked the question, to everyone's surprise, Aunt Hua didn't speak. Instead, it was the guard next to her who spoke up, sounding quite shocked.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Your Honor, I misspoke." Uncle Wu realized his mistake and immediately bowed his head in apology.
"It's alright, but sir, what's your name? Are you familiar with this business?"
“Your Excellency, my surname is Wu. This is the same as Yuxing… I heard of him a long time ago, and it feels quite strange to hear it again now.”
Magistrate Sun nodded, trying to discern some clues from the uncle's face, but unfortunately there was no moonlight tonight, so he couldn't see the uncle's expression clearly.
"Very early? How early is that?"
Uncle Wu shook his head, "Hmm... I really don't remember, it's been at least... ten years."
"A business from ten years ago... what's going on?" Magistrate Sun muttered to himself, lost in thought.
"Does Mr. Yun know anything about this business?" Magistrate Sun pressed.
“Well… I haven’t heard Boss Yun mention it. Don’t worry, I’ll ask her when she gets back,” Aunt Hua immediately replied.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Having finished asking the questions he wanted to ask, Magistrate Sun didn't linger. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he left.
"Old Wu, what's going on? This isn't like you." After Uncle Wu locked the gate, Aunt Hua immediately asked.
"Sigh... I just said, ten years ago..."
"You think I don't know you?" Aunt Hua interrupted in a low voice, "Old Wu, just say what you know. You wear your heart on your sleeve."
“Sister Hua, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that this Tong Yuxing’s family was raided back then… I… I used to be a bodyguard, so I’ve heard of him…”
Aunt Hua sensed that the other party wasn't telling the whole truth, but out of trust for her family, she didn't press the matter further.
Old Wu has been with Boss Yun for a long time, so Boss Yun must know a lot about him. Besides, almost everyone in the Yun family has their own story, and it's best not to force someone to talk if they don't want to.
Aunt Hua patted Old Wu on the shoulder, "Alright, since that's the case, I won't ask anymore. Anyway, after Boss Yun comes back, you should have a good talk with her. Magistrate Sun is a serious person. If you want to hide anything, you must consider all aspects to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
"Yes, don't worry, Sister Hua."
The minor incident didn't affect the people of the Yun family much.
A few days later, Boss Yun finished dealing with the matters in Pingyang and took Miss Yuan Chen back to Xin'an City.
Aunt Hua and Uncle Wu conveyed Magistrate Sun's needs, which also included the matter of "Tong Yuxing".
"The Wind Wolf Stronghold hides a secret treasure, and it's no ordinary item? Why is the magistrate suddenly asking about Tong Yuxing?"
Yun Yuke's expression was solemn as she pondered and looked at Yuan Chen beside her.
Yuan Chen's expression didn't change much, but the wrinkles on her clothes at the side betrayed her nervousness.
Yun Yuke remained calm and took the opportunity to pat Yuan Chen on the back while comforting him. "Yuan Chen, you must be tired these past two days. Go back and rest first. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
"Mother!"
A clear, childlike voice broke the silence.
Yun Qingjin was in the courtyard with Aunt Chang weeding the garden when she heard that Aunt Hua's daughter had told her that Yun Yuke had returned. Without even changing her clothes, she immediately ran over.
What Yun Yuke saw was Yun Qingjin, who was wearing old clothes with mud spots, but running over with a face full of excitement.
"lightly!"
The mother and daughter, who had only been family for less than a month, were not at all unfamiliar with each other. Seeing that Yun Qingjin's complexion had improved a lot, Yun Yuke was delighted and picked up the little girl in front of her.
"Hey, not bad, we were a bit too heavy. It seems Sister Hua has been preparing good meals for you these past few days."
“What the lady is saying is also true,” Liu Zhou’er, the daughter of Aunt Hua, who came with Yun Qingjin, replied with a smile.
“Qingqing has been busy these past few days. Not only does she follow the schedule you gave her, practicing horse stance with Uncle Wu and the others in the morning and reading and learning characters with Teacher Zhu in the afternoon, but she also helps us with chores every day. These past two days, Aunt Chang said she wanted to tidy up the garden, and Qingqing immediately went to help.”
"It's just that I can't lift the hoe, Mother. Aunt Chang is so strong."
Yun Qingjin was telling the truth. She originally thought that even though she was young, she wouldn't be unable to lift the hoe, but it turned out that being young meant being physically weak.
The serious expression on the little man's face amused almost everyone present.
Even Yuan Chen, who had just looked worried, was now amused by the earnest little man.
“You,” Yun Yuke shook her head helplessly, smiling as she hugged the little one in her arms, “Nothing can be accomplished in a day, take it slow. Qingqing, Mother has other things to do and has to go out for a while. I’ll be back tonight.”
"Alright, Mother, go ahead and get busy!" Yun Qingjin nodded. The county magistrate had visited a few days ago, so it must have been something important. She knew what she should and shouldn't ask.
After putting Yun Qingjin aside, Yun Yuke dealt with some matters concerning the jewelry shop.
"Chenchen, and Brother Wu, come with me to the county government office."
The two didn't say much, and followed Yun Yuke out.
The county government office was located in the center of Xin'an City, while the Yun family mansion and the jewelry store were in the East Market. They weren't too far away, but it would take some time to walk there.
The three strolled leisurely, discussing as they walked.
“Boss Yun, it was my fault. I got a little too agitated when the magistrate asked about Tong Yuxing last time. Although I managed to fool the magistrate by saying that I had seen the name of this business ten years ago, Sister Hua could still tell the difference…”
Uncle Wu recounted the situation in detail, including the part that Aunt Hua had pointed out.
"Sister Hua is steady and doesn't meddle in other people's business, so there shouldn't be any problems on her end. When we get to the county government office, if the magistrate asks, we'll answer according to what you said. If there are any other issues, we'll improvise."
Yuan Chen and Uncle Wu both nodded solemnly.
"What exactly happened? Did the people from Fenglang Village buy goods from Tong Yuxing?" Yuan Chen asked with a worried expression. "My father used to run a legitimate business and never had any dealings with such a bandit group. Uncle Wu, could it be that my father's business is indeed... related to such a bandit group?"
“Miss, don’t worry,” Uncle Wu said in a low voice, “We don’t need to question the character of the master and mistress. The master’s business scope was very wide before. Maybe someone from that mountain village bought from him. We can’t panic now.”
“Brother Wu is right, Chenchen, don’t overthink it right now.” Yun Yuke nodded in agreement.
"I trust Boss Yan's character. There were so many suspicious points in the case back then. I don't believe the so-called imperial edict that said he was guilty of colluding with foreign enemies. It's just a pity that we didn't have any connections back then and didn't know who to appeal to. We don't know why Magistrate Sun suddenly wants to know this time. In any case, we need to stay calm."
Yuan Chen composed herself, raised her head, and wiped away her tears.
"Yes, I trust Sister Yun and Uncle Wu, and I also trust my parents' business reputation."
“That’s right,” Yun Yuke said, facing Yuan Chen directly and patting her shoulders firmly with both hands. “Don’t forget, you are now my accountant and steward, Miss Yun Chen. You are a person of absolute authority in Xin’an City! Don’t even think about anything else.”
Soon, the three arrived at the Xin'an County Government Office.
Magistrate Sun had been waiting for Yun Yuke to arrive. "Boss Yun, I didn't expect you to come so early. I'm really sorry, there are a few things we really can't be sure about."
As they were talking, Magistrate Sun led the three members of the Yun family to a warehouse in the county government office.
The advisor has already taken out the items.
Yun Yuke looked over and saw several exquisitely crafted headdresses and jewelry on the table.
Especially the exquisite woman's headdress in the very center.
"This headdress... is quite unusual. This... should be a headdress worn by noblewomen. Strange, how could such a small mountain stronghold have something like this?"