Chapter 260: 258: The Annoying Incident at the Bookstore

Di Cheng didn’t nod in agreement until Liu Sisi left.

Early the next morning, the snow outside had completely stopped, and in contrast, icicles hung everywhere in front of the house. Under the faint winter sun, they refracted a colorful radiance. The early rising Ying’er and Xuan’er couldn’t help but pluck them.

As promised, Di Yelei took the decision to take the two children out for a stroll together.

He fed the horse and brushed its mane, then lifted the two children onto the horseback and went out for a walk.

Watching the excited siblings return, Liu Sisi felt the sky brightened!

Days passed by quietly and slowly.

For several consecutive days, Ms. Zhao came to the Di Residence’s door to cry and complain, accompanied by the beautiful Little Cui’er.

Little Cui’er had a slender waist and plump figure, full of charm. Every day, she leaned against the big tree outside Di’s residence, forming a strong contrast with Ms. Zhao’s old and frail body.

In particular, her enchanting posture and seductive small mouth attracted the occasional passerby, who would enjoy the beautiful scenery while listening to Ms. Zhao’s free opera performance.

Elderly Mr. Di remained hidden in the house and didn’t come out. At first, Liu Sisi called out to him a few times, but after a while, she let them come and go freely. The main entrance of their home was always left ajar, and Ah-Huang and Ah-Hua were inside, so she would know immediately if there were any movements.

Once Di Yelei’s leave ended, he rode his horse to Gan Mansion every day, as his current duty was to protect Gan Miaoruo.

Initially, Liu Sisi would visit the Gan Mansion once every five days, but later it changed to once every three days. The reason was that there was a Market Day every three days, and it was convenient for her to go to the Gan Mansion along the way and then go to the bookstore in the afternoon to check and collect accounts. After all, she had Di Yelei’s horse to ride.

Unconsciously, more than a dozen days had passed.

Liu Sisi had been frowning at the account book for a long time, and no matter how she checked, the numbers didn’t add up. Every day she found that several items were inexplicably missing.

Today was even worse – three high-quality inkstones were missing right off the bat.

Though ordinary inkstones were not expensive, the total cost of these missing three inkstones was more than 30 taels of silver!

That was no small amount!

Even though the bookstore had been making some money every day, once you subtract the rent, capital, taxes, wages, and miscellaneous taxes, only around one tael of silver actually fell into Liu Sisi’s hands. Even on Market Day, when they made more money, the net profit was only 5 to 10 taels of silver.

Now that three inkstones suddenly went missing, it was no wonder that Liu Sisi was in pain!

Di Cheng was also fighting to clean the shelves with a feather duster cautiously. He noticed that Liu Sisi had been holding the account book for quite a while without turning a page.

It wasn’t until he finished sweeping a whole row of shelves that he cautiously approached.

“Third Aunt, is there a problem with the account book?”

Liu Sisi had been struggling to find a way to ask, and since Di Cheng asked first, she followed up naturally.

“Di Cheng, how many inkstones did you sell yesterday?”

“I sold one inkstone yesterday. The weather has been cold recently, and unless people urgently need something at home, no one comes to buy. Inkstones don’t break easily and don’t sell much, so I remember clearly.”

Di Cheng immediately replied, the depths of his eyes calm and composed.

Liu Sisi looked deep into his eyes: “How many wolf hair brushes did you sell yesterday?”

“I sold four brushes, all to the same old man. Cheng’er even helped him load five packs of rice paper onto his carriage.”

Di Cheng’s expression was calm, and his breathing steady, showing no signs of guilt.

Liu Sisi felt somewhat helpless and had no choice but to flip through the account book and point directly to the entry about the inkstones.

“Take a look. This is your account entry from yesterday. Can you check the counter and see how many of these inkstones are left?”

Di Cheng naturally turned around and walked in the direction of the inkstone display: “Of course, there are still three left. I remember it clearly …”

On the counter, the spot where the inkstones were originally placed was now empty, not a single one left!

“What… what happened?”

Di Cheng was evidently scared, standing still not knowing what to do.

Liu Sisi also stood up from behind the counter and walked to his side: “Can you remember anything at all? When did these inkstones go missing?”

“I… I really can’t remember…”

Di Cheng’s face was so dejected that he almost wanted to cry.

“So who has been near this counter?”

“This spot is quite secluded, few people come near it, but yesterday…”

Di Cheng seemed to recall something, suddenly widening his eyes.

“Third Aunt, Cheng’er is going out for a while!”

Di Cheng finished speaking and hurriedly ran out of the shop’s main entrance. That day, he did not return until the sky gradually darkened.

At midnight, Di Cheng came to the gate of the Di Residence.

“Third Uncle, Third Aunt, I came to get the keys to the bookstore.”

Di Cheng hung his head, almost unable to lift it up.

Liu Sisi sighed and handed him the keys: “Di Cheng, you…”

“Third Aunt, those inkstones and the losses from the past few days will be charged to me, treating them as my own purchases.”

“Di Cheng, how did you lose these items? What are you hiding? Tell Third Aunt and maybe she can help you work it out.”

“No need, Third Aunt! It was Cheng’er’s fault. Cheng’er guarantees there won’t be a next time!”

Di Cheng raised his head, looking at Liu Sisi earnestly, with seriousness in his eyes.

Upon raising his head, Liu Sisi noticed the bruise on Di Cheng’s face, not knowing who had beaten him, leaving a large purple mark.

“But…”

Liu Sisi originally wanted to say more, but seeing the determination in Di Cheng’s eyes, she stopped talking: “Alright! It’s already late today, you go and stay at home first, and go to the shop early tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, Third Aunt, Third Uncle, then Cheng’er will be leaving first.”

Di Cheng silently bid farewell to the two and turned to leave. His desolate figure quickly blended into the darkness.

“You don’t need to worry. In my opinion, most likely it’s Ms. Wang who’s causing trouble again. Go back to your room and sleep. Let me take care of this matter.” Di Yelei gently patted Liu Sisi’s shoulder.

“You’ll take care of it? Don’t tell me you know how to catch petty thieves?”

Liu Sisi instead suddenly became interested.

“Hasn’t anyone told you that constables specialize in investigating cases?” Di Yelei playfully flicked her forehead with a smile.

“Ouch! You bastard!”

Liu Sisi couldn’t help but cry in pain, raising her little fists and punching Di Yelei a few times: “Fine! I’ll leave this matter to you. If you can’t figure it out, I’ll make you pay, hmph!”

The author is sick, today’s update is delayed.