mesbooks Chapter 274 Clothes
Chapter 274 Clothes
Nianyao pushed him away, rolled off the bed, grabbed the clothes from the rack, and said in a light, cheerful tone, "I have to go find Ninth Brother."
This was the familiar look of their gang leader. Nianyao noticed Luo An staring at her and explained casually, "Men's clothes are more convenient to wear. We can change into women's clothes when we return to Bianjing."
Luo An wasn't concerned about the men's or women's clothing: "Where did you get these clothes from?"
Nianyao asked, "Is there anything special about this dress?"
Luo An paused for a moment, then said in a somewhat indifferent tone, "Let's go."
When Nianyao arrived at Xianzhou Garden, she suddenly remembered where she got the clothes. Xu Sheng had thrown her a set of clothes at Baihua Tower that day, and this was the one.
Nianyao said, "I went to Qinzhou a few days ago."
Luo An nodded: "Bought in Qinzhou?"
Nianyao wasn't particular about her clothes; she always just grabbed whatever was handy and wore it. This outfit was indeed more refined than her usual clothes, but it wasn't something she couldn't afford.
Nianyao looked down at her clothes, then looked up at Luo An. Luo An's eyes were slightly lowered, making it impossible to read his expression.
Just then, Qin Jiu came out of the tent, and Nian Yao immediately said, "Brother Jiu, do you think my clothes are special?"
Nianyao made a special trip around so that Qin Jiu could see her very carefully.
The clothes fit perfectly; the apricot-colored robe had embroidered cloud patterns on the collar and a bluebird embroidered on each of the two cuffs.
Qin Jiu glanced at Luo An, unable to fathom their current state, and praised, "It's exceptionally beautiful. Young Master, shall we play chess?"
"Looks like there's something fishy about these clothes? That scoundrel Xu Sheng never does anything good!" Nian Yao cursed inwardly as she went over and sat down next to Qin Jiu. "Xu Sheng gave me these clothes."
Qin Jiu suppressed a laugh and asked on Luo An's behalf, "Why did Xu Sheng give you these clothes?"
Nianyao simply recounted her entire trip to Qinzhou in as much detail as possible, occasionally forgetting a detail and having to go back and add it. This included her getting drunk at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Finally, Nianyao sincerely said, "That's the whole story. I just find it strange that Xu Sheng doesn't seem like the type to suffer. Even a simple piece of clothing he owns costs a lot of money. How could he put up with that kind of dilapidated house?"
Luo An's expression remained unchanged, but his tone softened considerably: "He's all alone, he's penniless, of course he can't afford a nice house."
Qin Jiu chuckled and said, "Chief, that house, it's... it's where Young Master Luo's father used to live."
Nianyao glanced at Luo An and asked cautiously, "Why do you live in such a dilapidated place?"
Qin Jiu said, "Back when Master Luo was in Nan Yue, he didn't like living in the palace. So he bought a very small house, just big enough for two or three people."
When Master Luo left, he locked the house and threw away the keys. No one dared to touch it unless the Emperor went there. The house was uninhabited and unmaintained, and over time, it fell into disrepair.
Nianyao praised, "Ninth Brother knows so much."
Qin Jiu said, "You can ask around at any teahouse about this, and they'll know."
Nianyao speculated, "Xu Sheng thought there might be some clues there, so he picked the lock and went in?"
Qin Jiu said, "That's possible."
Nianyao paused for a moment, then said, "There's something else I forgot to mention. Luo An, Xu Sheng told me that many years ago, your father dumped a woman's body in the Bohai Sea. He wants me to help retrieve the remains."
Luo An and Qin Jiu both looked at her, their faces full of questions.
Nianyao said, "It's true, that's exactly what he said. I didn't believe him at all, and I refused right away."
Luo An frowned, a rare occurrence, and threw down his chess piece, saying coldly, "Nonsense."
Nianyao said, "That's what I said too. But as for him... well, you should be careful."
Qin Jiu put away the chess pieces: "You two can continue your conversation. I'll go check on how Erhu's accounts are going."
Since the Great River Gang is to be disbanded, it is natural to take stock of its assets to ensure that each brother can receive his share.
The tea room was so quiet that Nianyao didn't even dare to breathe. She whispered, "I'll go see how their accounts are going?"
Nianyao stopped Qin Jiu at the door of the accounting room: "Brother Jiu, Brother Jiu, is there any mark on my clothes?"
Qin Jiu pointed to the blue bird on her sleeve: "This is the sacred bird of Nan Yue. Only the royal family would dare to embroider it. Ordinary people would not embroider blue birds."
Nianyao said, "What does Xu Sheng mean? Does he want Luo An to misunderstand me?"
Qin Jiu smiled and said, "Chief, you can say these words directly to the young master. There's no need for me to relay them."
Nianyao mumbled something, but Qin Jiu didn't hear her clearly.
Erhu looked up from the ledger: "Others can strike from a distance, but the gang leader can make people submit to him directly."
Nianyao retorted angrily, "How did you even read your books? I'm just asking questions out of humility."
Erlu swallowed his anger and said, "The leader is right."
Nianyao snapped out of her daze: "No, no, I just asked because I didn't understand."
Qin Jiu smiled meaningfully: "Chief, if you have any questions, just ask the young master. He knows more than I do."
Nianyao shook her sleeves: "You know, he usually pretends to be indifferent, but he recognized something from Nanyue at a glance and didn't tell me. I'm really impressed by how awkward a grown man can be."
Qin Jiuwei raised her chin, gesturing for her to look behind her. Nianyao turned her head and was startled: Luo An was standing quietly behind her, watching her.
Their eyes met, and Nianyao suddenly felt a surge of courage, as if she were facing certain death: "Yes, I meant you're being difficult. What do you want?"
She spent ages arguing over a piece of clothing, and in the end, Qin Jiu had to clear things up for her.
Nianyao grew angrier the more she thought about it: "If you have something to say, just say it. If you have something to ask, just ask. Why do you have to scare me like this?"
First, he was inexplicably made to swear an oath, then he was made to wear clothes from who-knows-where, and now he still feels wronged? Luo An was too lazy to argue, and looked at Qin Jiu: "Get ready, we're going to Qinzhou."
Luo An finished speaking and left, leaving Qin Jiu and Nian Yao looking at each other in bewilderment: Go to Qinzhou?
Nianyao asked, "Where did he say he was going?"
"Go ask the young master directly." Qin Jiu pushed her to walk out, adding, "Tell me when you find out."
Erhu affirmed, "Young Master did indeed say he was going to Qinzhou, and that is Qinzhou."
Nianyao asked, "What...what was he doing in Qinzhou?"
Qin Jiu said, "Go ask the young master, and tell me when you find out."
Nianyao said angrily, "Why don't you go ask? Go ask and tell me if you find out."
Qin Jiu turned to look at Erhu, who quickly lowered his head and began to frantically manipulate the abacus, chanting: "Seven five is seventy-one, seven six is eighty-four, carry over to ten when you reach seven... add four when you go down eight two, add six when you go down eight three, add five when you go down eight four..."
Nianyao said, "What's there to ask? Just go."
However, it's really frightening that people who once seemed determined never to set foot in Qinzhou are now inexplicably going there on their own initiative.
Luo An stood on the dock, watching them approach together: "Qin Jiu, go."
Nianyao pointed at Qin Jiu, then at herself: "He's going? I'm not going?"
Luo An nodded.
Nianyao seemed about to get angry, but she forced herself to suppress it: "I didn't plan to go with you either. I'm going to Wudong County to buy... clothes. The nanny said it's getting cold and Chenxi has no clothes to wear."