Madam Wu was not a fool either, and she understood the implication of this series of incidents. “If that child decides to leave, she will not stay in the city for long. If we don’t tell her now, she’ll be in the dark forever.” Perhaps it was because the old man had changed his stance, or maybe it was the lingering gloom of their eldest son’s death, but Madam Wu was showing more compassion now. Maybe they could still amass some virtue for the family if they did some good deeds… it would be enough for them if their eldest son could reincarnate into a good family.
Qi Boli met her gaze and saw through her thoughts about accumulating merit for the family.
A hint of a rueful smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
“I’ll go retrieve the keepsakes. We’ll both make a trip to Qingzhou City personally when the wind and snow stop for a bit this afternoon.” Saying this, Madam Wu then took out the key and ran to the corner of the room. She opened the wooden box with the key and then took the junk and clothes out of it.
After retrieving everything…
She did not find that particular handkerchief…
Madam Wu frantically turned over all the junk and clothes—there was unexpectedly, still nothing.
Madam Wu could not help but exclaim, “Ah!”
Although Qi Boli had been watching her as she shifted through all the things, he thought she was just… putting on a show. He could not stop himself from saying, “What’s the matter? Don’t tell me you’re regretting it now?”
“No.” Madam Wu continued her act of flipping through all the items as she said, panicked, “The things have gone missing.”
Qi Boli knew that she was not joking when he looked at her. He also stepped forward anxiously and said, “What are you talking about? Weren’t you the one who kept them away? How could they have gone missing?”
Madam Wu was so anxious that sweat began forming on her head. “I, I have always kept the jade piece and the ring in a handkerchief, but even the handkerchief has gone missing.”
“Could you have kept them in another place when we moved last time? Perhaps you remembered it wrong?” Qi Boli asked.
Madam Wu pointed at the box seriously. “How could I have remembered it wrong? Besides, I didn’t take them out of the box when we moved. They have always been in the box.”
Qi Boli instantly panicked. “Could it be that someone in the house has stolen them?” They would be in trouble if the items were pawned.
“That’s impossible!”
Madam Wu said very resolutely.
Qi Boli, “…” If no one took them and yet they had gone missing, this… was this even possible?
Madam Wu paced the house anxiously. She suddenly slapped her forehead three seconds later. “I know who took them.”
“Who?” asked Qi Boli.
“Qingzhu,” Madam Wu replied as she patted her thigh. “That darned fool had purposefully come back a few days ago! Then…”
Qi Boli, “???”
Then???
Madam Wu’s expression turned livid when she thought about what happened that day. “She had deliberately spilled tea on me and had me change out of my cotton-padded jacket. The key had been in the jacket at that time. She said she wanted to use the toilet after that and when she came out, she left in a hurry even though the road was still muddy in the afternoon. She must have stolen it!”
Qi Boli was stunned.
He would have never thought that Qingzhu was the one who took the items.
He asked, “But, why would Qingzhu take them?”
“How would I know?” Madam Wu thought of this and was pissed. “Her family is poor, if she’s thinking of pawning the keepsakes, then we’re in trouble.”
Qi Boli, “!!!”
Madam Wu anxiously put the junk and clothes back into the box and said, “Let’s go look for her at her husband’s home now.”
Qi Boli contemplated for a bit then said, “Did you ever consider that she might have come back and stolen the keepsakes to return them to her sister?”
Madam Wu, “…” She had actually not thought of that!
