There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 387 Soft and Sweet Man

Little Wind ran away in a flurry, then came back in a flurry.

A dozen or so old men followed behind him.

Seeing this, Li Shuchen knew there wouldn't be enough shepherd's purse, so he immediately called for help.

"Ninth Brother, go to the vegetable garden and bring back a cartload of shepherd's purse."

"Eighth Brother, go and buy more eggs."

The two responded and went about their business.

The old men went into the shop and sat down.

"Old Chess, what brings you here to relax today? No wonder I haven't been keeping an eye on you at the chess club."

"Sit down and try the 'Shepherd's Purse Spring Abundance'. It has the flavor of when we were young, foraging for wild vegetables to survive. It's been a long time since I've had it, and tasting it again brings back many memories."

Since you put it that way, then I must oblige.

"Xiao Feng, bring them all set meals," said Grandpa Qi.

"Okay, coming right away"

The old men reminisced about the past, playfully fighting each other; they also discussed chess strategies and formations, including checkmate formations and trap formations...

It was quite interesting; Li Shuchen listened with great interest from the doorway.

"Miss, please give me four shepherd's purse dumplings."

"Sir, please wait a moment."

"Sir, your shepherd's purse dumplings are ready."

The moment I handed it over, I noticed the black jade thumb ring on the customer's left thumb.

Li Shuchen subconsciously looked at his face.

Plain and unremarkable, with no distinguishing features; you could easily blend into a crowd and not notice it.

Unable to find anything special, he gave a dry laugh.

"Please take care, sir."

Once he had walked a little further away, Li Shuchen took off his apron.

"Grape, keep an eye on the stall."

He disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye, and followed the man.

The man moved quickly and cunningly, always heading into narrow alleys and alleys. If she hadn't recently learned the complete guide to agility skills, she probably would have lost him.

After following them for an hour, I finally... lost them on the bustling West Street...

Unbelievable! How could I lose track of that? I definitely need to practice my agility skills more when I get back.

Li Shuchen patted his face, turned around and walked back.

"Miss Li, are you here to look at jewelry? We've recently received many new styles, including a pure gold headdress that you love. It's exquisite and beautiful yet playful and cute, perfect for your age. Would you like to come in and take a closer look?"

Manager Meng extended a warm and polite invitation.

Li Shuchen looked up and realized that she had chased someone all the way to the Precious Pavilion. Since Manager Meng had said so, and she happened to have some spare money...

Let's make some purchases then.

"Walk"

"Please come upstairs."

In a private room on the third floor, Manager Meng took out three sets of gold jewelry and placed them in front of Li Shuchen.

"This set of solid peony floral headdress is exquisitely carved, with a smooth hairpin. The earrings and hairpin heads match, symbolizing wealth and family reunion. Does Miss Li like it?"

Li Shuchen shook his head.

"It looks nice and has a good meaning, but it's too dull."

"This pair of twisted gold hairpins is made of three twisted gold wires, with rubies set at the top. The earrings are slender and adorned with tiny beads at the ends, which are very flattering to the face. Miss Li, do you like them?"

Li Shuchen continued to shake his head.

"Too simple."

She's already wearing gold, why bother with being so simple? She wants to be glamorous.

"This exquisite gold hairpin with butterfly design features a delicate, openwork butterfly with outstretched wings and a charmingly rounded outline."

"A small pink tourmaline bead is inlaid in the center of the butterfly's wings and on its body. Three extremely thin gold chains hang from the butterfly's abdomen, each with a small bell-shaped gold bead at the bottom. When it walks, it shakes gently and makes a soft, pleasant sound."

Li Shuchen nodded in satisfaction.

Manager Meng continued his introduction

"The earrings are named 'Dewy Flower Bud,' and are made of a tiny gold lily of the valley bud. At the top of the bud, a white sapphire is 'spit out' from the opening with fine gold wire, just like a dewdrop condensing in the morning."

"This headdress set is light, elegant, and beautiful, perfectly suited to Miss Li's needs."

How much silver does this set cost?

Li Shuchen asked, swaying his hair ornament.

"This headdress set is made entirely of pure gold and inlaid with colored gemstones, so it's more expensive than the previous two sets, costing two hundred taels of silver, or one hundred and sixty taels of silver after the discount."

"Alright, but I came in a hurry today and didn't bring enough money. The inn is busy and can't spare anyone to deliver the money. I'd appreciate it if Manager Meng could send someone with me to collect it."

"It's a small matter," Manager Meng said to an employee wiping a screen beside him. "Jia Wuqiu, go with Miss Li."

"Yes, Manager Meng."

Jia Congming followed behind Li Shuchen, carrying the brocade box.

Li Shuchen felt that his build was similar to the person he had just lost, but their appearances were quite different.

The person in front of me had a baby face, fair skin, red lips, and bright, sparkling eyes. When he spoke, he was incredibly well-behaved and obedient.

Her voice was still soft and sweet.

How could a man's voice be even softer than hers?

Even if it's a soft approach, we still need to test the waters; what if it turns out to be the suspect?

"How come I've never seen you before?"

"Replying to Miss Li, I have been working at Baogui Pavilion for ten years, but I have always been busy in the backstage, wiping tables and chairs, so Miss Li has never seen me before."

"You're so good-looking, why don't you work at the counter selling goods?"

"I've worked at the front desk before, but some customers were unfriendly to me... so Manager Meng stopped letting me work there."

"Oh, what a pity. You could have earned more money. It's tiring and poorly paid work as a cleaner. I'm sorry to have put you through that."

“I am not aggrieved. I was orphaned at a young age and grew up begging under a bridge, never having enough to eat or wear. Later, I was fortunate enough to work at the Precious Pavilion, and now I am already very fortunate to have enough to eat and wear. I have no other requests.”

"..."

"Miss, you're back. Oh, who is he?"

Grape pointed at Jia Wuqiu and asked warily.

"I am Jia Wuqiu, an employee of Baogui Pavilion, here to collect the outstanding silver owed to Miss Li."

"So that's how it is," Grape said with a smile. "How much silver is still needed?"

One hundred and sixty taels of silver

"Wait here, I'll go get it for you."

Grape turned and went into the shop, got the money from Manager Xu, and handed it to Jia Wuqiu.

"You count them."

Jia Wuqiu reached out to take it, and the mark on his left thumb caught Li Shuchen's eye, like the mark of wearing a ring for many years.

She asked casually

"Isn't Baogui Pavilion treating you well? Why do you have marks on your hands? If you don't like it here, you can come work at Happiness Inn."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Li. Everyone at Baogui Pavilion has been very kind to me. It's just that I enjoy gardening and often prune potted plants with shears, which is why I have these marks."

"Sorry, I was overthinking it. Grape, please give Jia Wuqiu some freshly cooked vegetable dumplings."

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Li, but I cannot stand the taste of shepherd's purse, so there's no need to pretend. I'll take my leave now."

Jia Wuqiu turned and left.

Li Shuchen gazed at his figure, lost in thought.

He had ligature marks, and they were clearly visible. Although he said it was from pruning the plants, she didn't believe him.

Appearance can be changed with a wig, and voice can be altered with a secret pill.

But his answers were flawless, even when she tested him with vegetable dumplings.

He refused.

It was too perfect. Even the answers seemed rehearsed beforehand. She asked a question, and he could give the answer immediately, without even having to think.

"Miss, Miss, you don't mean to hire him to work at the inn because he's cuter than grapes, do you?"

Grape shook Li Shuchen's arm

Li Shuchen snapped out of her daze

No, I was just saying it offhand.

"That's good. He's young and cute, and has a nice voice. If he were to come and serve Miss, there would be no place for Grape. Grape would fall out of favor."