Translator â Xiao He Lian
Chapter 83.2
Itâs just that after going through the previous incident, everyone felt uncomfortable in their hearts. It was inevitable that a dull atmosphere to spread in the courtyard, and even Ruo Fang, who liked to chatter incessantly, suddenly became quite.
Fortunately, this state did not last long.
Three days later.
Shi Jin brought good news that the supplies from the capital had arrived.
The locust plague was not yet resolved, so everyone tried to lift up their spirits.
After work started, Wen Chi was undoubtedly became the most active person, willing to follow Shi Jin out all day.
He told Shi Jin carefully about his ideas. He thought that it might be possible to establish a starling sanctuary and use the power of starlings to eradicate some locusts. Although this idea sounds ridiculous, it would be far cheaper than other methods.
After listening to Wen Chiâs analysis, Shi Jin thought long and hard about it and decided that they could give it a try, but their immediate task was to pacify the people, build shelters and give porridge to those who did not have enough to eat.
So these days, Wen Chi and Shi Jin were busy distributing supplies.
Ruo Fang still waited in the Zhou Mansion as before and finally the little girl couldnât hold back anymore. After dinner that day, she asked in a serious expression: âYoung Master, can this servant go out with you tomorrow?â
Wen Chi laughed and said, âWhat are you planning to do?â
Ruo Fang looked at Wen Chi anxiously: âAlthough this servant does not know martial arts and is not as strong as General Lin, this servant is causious so this servant can keep an eye on you.â
Wen Chi didnât mind if Ruo Fang following him, but he thought that no one else, including the Fourth Prince, had taken a maidservant out, so if he took Ruo Fang with him, he would inevitably attract attention and possibly cause trouble for others.
After thinking about this, Wen Chi had no choice but to reject Ruo Fang, but he still made his concerns clear to Ruo Fang and finally comforted her: âCan you just stay in the mansion? Iâll try to go early and return early.â
Ruo Fang was still hesitant: âBut â¦â¦â
Wen Chi asked, âBut what?â
Ruo Fang paused and then said: âAfter all, as someone who has met with misfortune, this servant is still worried about the safety of Young Master. Do you know that the Zhang family brothers who were kidnapped along with the Young Master are all dead. I heard that the Zhang family only has these two sons, now I donât know how Prince Xuan and the others will explain to the Zhang family.â
âBrothers of the Zhang family?â Wen Chi quickly remembered two people, âYou mean Zhang Heng and Zhang Huan?â
Ruo Fang nodded, her brows tinged with sorrow, âIt is them.â
Speaking of which, Wen Chi felt a little strange.
He remembered that although Zhang Huan was beaten up, he managed to save his life. No wonder he hadnât seen Zhang Huan in the past few days, it turned out that he died there.
However, many people were kidnapped and injured but only Zhang Heng and Zhang Huan lost their lives.
Wen Chi speculated for a while and always felt that Zhang Huanâs death might have something to do with Shi Ye and Shi Ye knew very well about the conflict between him and Zhang Heng and Zhang Huan.
Noâ¦â¦
Why did he think of Shi Ye again?
Wen Chi quickly shook his head and after shaking off these thoughts, he rejected Ruo Fang again solemnly: âItâs not appropriate for you to go out with me, youâd better stay in the mansion.â
Ruo Fang lowered her head in frustration.
****
While Wen Chi was busy with Shi Jin, he also did not forget to train according to Liu Deâs instructions.
For the time being, he doesnât want others to know that he is practicing martial arts, including Ruo Fang. But with the Fourth Prince and General Lin and some guards surrounding him during the day and Ruo Fang and a few maidservants waiting on him at night, he could only sacrifice some of his sleep to train.
Unfortunately, progress was very slow.
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.
Shi Jin had almost finished distributing some of the supplies he had set aside. Then he planned to start by gathering some labor among the people to establish the starling sanctuary that Wen Chi had mentioned before.
As for other methods, they were also slowly progressing, but that is no longer within the scope of Wen Chiâs work.
Wen Chi has heard that the breeding season of starlings was from April to June every year. They nest in groups and they nest under eaves, in crevices and in tree cavities, which are relatively easy to find.
Itâs a pity that itâs already September and they wonât be able to wait until next year for the breeding season of starlings.
Wen Chi had a hunch that they might have to stay in Jinzhou for a few years.
That was fine â¦â¦
Anyway, he didnât want to go back to face Shi Ye so soon. Although Jinzhouâs security was relatively worrying, he was much more relaxed in Jinzhou than in the Eastern Palace.
The only bad thing isâHua Zi Zang looks at him strangely now.
Every time he thought about it, Wen Chi got a headache.
He has always wanted to find a chance to apologize to Hua Zi Zang, but since the kidnapping incident subsided, Hua Zi Zang avoided him even more, like a slippery loach, and Wen Chi could not catch him.
In the end, Wen Chi had no choice but to invite all the people living in the Zhou mansion on the pretext of his birthday.
Of course, it was not his birthday, but the birthday of General Linâs fourth brother.
After all, it was someone elseâs birthday and Wen Chi didnât want to make a big deal out of it. So he planned to book a private room in an ordinary restaurant and after the group had eaten, he would then find Hua Zi Zang alone to have a chat.
But when two people heard the name of the restaurant, they frowned and shook their heads.
âNo, no, Young Master Wen, today is your 20th birthday, how can you spend it casually?â
âThatâs right, that restaurant is not really good, there are so many restaurants in Jinzhou, why donât you choose a good one?â
Wen Chi looked at the two people singing in unison in front of him and after a moment of silence, he said, âWhy donât you choose for me?â
And so, that nightâ¦â¦
The group went to the most luxurious restaurant with the most women in Jinzhou âcommonly known as a brothel.