Chapter 149: Chapter 79: Marshal Capturing the Culprit_3

The woman picked up the iron spade unhurriedly, shoveling dirt into the hole one scoop at a time.

In the distance, there seemed to be the sound of some vessel falling over, which quickly returned to silence.

Someone beside her asked in a low voice, "Miss, was there a sound just now?"

The woman looked up, gazing into the depths of the pitch-dark courtyard.

No light shone through the windows and doors of the small house in front of the stone steps, with only the bleak sound of the wind whistling through.

She returned her gaze and said, "It was nothing."

...

The autumn in Shengjing was always magnificent.

A scholar died in the Tribute Court, officials from the Ministry of Rites were investigated, and Fan Qingtian from the Trial Court turned out to be a shameless and greedy dog official... These commonplace matters were only mentioned a few times by common folks, becoming topics of conversation during meal times, but they did not delay the ordinary daily tasks, nor did they dampen the enthusiasm of the people in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was three days away.

New wine was up in the winery on West Street, and the customers coming to tap wine were endless. Du Changqing went to the fish market early in the morning to select crabs.

You had to pick the big crabs, preferably with a dark green and shiny shell, for such crabs had thick flesh, and in August and September, the female crabs were more delectable than the males. Du Changqing always did things half-heartedly, except when it came to food and entertainment, to which he paid extra attention.

Lu Tong was also called upon, along with Yin Zheng and Ah Cheng, to prepare the mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

At this time, every household was busy preparing for the moon-viewing feast, and few people came to the medical clinic for consultations or to buy medicine. Lu Tong’s culinary skills were truly mediocre, so the task of making the fillings fell on Yin Zheng and her maid Xia Rongrong. Knowing Lu Tong’s fondness for sweetness, Yin Zheng added extra honey syrup to the filling.

When Du Changqing returned with crabs in the afternoon, several people were still in the shop making mooncakes.

He placed two baskets of crabs aside and sidled in, noticing Lu Tong clumsily stuffing a large mooncake into the mold, a behavior so rough and awkward that it was hard not to look a few more times.

He stood behind Lu Tong and spoke faintly, "Doctor Lu, are you playing with mud?"

Lu Tong did not respond, pressing the mold firmly into the round dough.

The mold, chosen by Ah Cheng and Yin Zheng together, bore the shape of a moon palace rabbit, symbolizing family reunion. After Lu Tong pressed it down and peeled away the excess dough, the complete pattern was imprinted in the mooncake.

Du Changqing watched, about to say something, then ultimately turned his gaze to Xia Rongrong and sighed, "It’s really tough on my cousin."

Today, Xia Rongrong did not avoid Lu Tong, but she looked pale. Unsure if she had caught a cold due to the change in weather, she appeared restless throughout.

Du Changqing suspected she was not feeling well and asked a few more questions. Xia Rongrong then stood up, picked up the uncooked mooncakes she had made, and said with her head down, "I’ll go and bake these in the kitchen first." She also called Xiang Cao to follow her and lifted the felt curtain to the inner room.

Watching her retreating figure, Du Changqing stroked his chin, "Why do I feel that she’s been acting strangely lately?" He asked Lu Tong and the others, "Do you all have this feeling too?"

Everyone shook their heads.

He muttered to himself, "Could it be just my imagination?" Then he suddenly slapped his forehead, "Forget it, let’s focus on the pressing matters." He picked up an empty basket, filled it with oranges, tangerines, and chestnuts from the fruit plate, and threw in a few crabs that had their legs tied up. In the end, he added a small jar of osmanthus wine, making the empty basket seem quite heavy.

Du Changqing cut a piece of red cloth from the flag at the shop’s entrance and tied it to the handle of the basket, making a beautiful knot, which added a touch of color to the basket.

He placed the decorated basket on the table with a thud and called to Ah Cheng, "Let’s go, accompany me to Old Hu’s House, it’s almost August 15th and we haven’t sent the festival gift yet."

Every Mid-Autumn Festival after Old Master Du’s death, Du Changqing would send modest festival gifts to Official Hu to thank him for taking care of the business.

This year, with the medical clinic earning more silver, the festival gift was much more generous than in previous years; he would not have had such large crabs to give away before.

Ah Cheng scratched his head, "Boss, Official Hu is not at home tonight."

"Hmm? Why? He’s so old, yet he dares to not stay at home at night?"

"Didn’t he tell you yesterday? Wu Youcai’s body was brought back, and he, along with members of the poetry club, are at the Wu Family’s house to help with the funeral arrangements!"

...

"Where is Wu Youcai’s body now?"

"It was sent back to the Wu Family’s house in the evening."

Inside the Palace Front Office, people were also discussing this lawsuit.

As autumn arrived, the osmanthus trees in the courtyard blossomed, their swaying shadows cast upon the bamboo curtains, and a hint of cool fragrance added to the autumn ambiance.

In front of the carved window, someone was sitting, with the gentle moonlight streaming through the half-open window, casting a cool tone over the delicate features of the young man. The smile in his eyes was not as genuine as before, and he stared at the document in his hand without speaking, his gaze somewhat complex.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read