I grew increasingly horrified at what the man from the orphanage said.
How many of the orphans he mentioned originally had parents? Were they forced to become orphans just because these people had their eyes on them?!
"… You didn't come here today to identify the murderer, did you?"
I had already clenched my fists tightly.
"How could it be about a murderer!"
This time, not only the man from the orphanage but also the two policemen came over with obsequious smiles. "Your family is such a kind - hearted one. To adopt three orphans at once, we should thank you on behalf of the parents of those orphans in heaven!"
"Yes! Twenty silver dollars. You can do good deeds and stay young forever. It's really a win - win situation!"
The man from the orphanage held his top hat in front of him like a beggar's broken bowl.
"What if I don't give it?"
The man's appearance made me let out a cold laugh.
"Don't give it?"
The man from the orphanage didn't expect me to say such a thing suddenly. He quickly sized me up secretly a few more times.
"It's easy if you don't give it."
The man still had that smiling look. "Three poor children were killed. Their bodies are still lying in the wood - shed of our orphanage. There are blood handprints outside your yard... If it gets out that a relative of the military commander's family eats the hearts and livers of children, the common people might go into an uproar!"
"Clatter!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several silver dollars rained down from a window on the second floor.
When I looked up, I saw Lin Shuya with her elbows on the window lattice, resting her chin in her hand and looking down at us haughtily.
"Take it. Twenty silver dollars."
Lin Shuya's voice was cloying. She gave the man from the orphanage a coquettish look from the corner of her eye. "It's a tip for you."
"Thank you, thank you... Concubine Lady."
Seeing her coquettish appearance, the man naturally thought she was Si Jiangchen's concubine. He quickly picked up the money from the ground and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Give that money to them!"
Unexpectedly, Lin Shuya pointed at the two policemen. "Ten silver dollars each. Let them get out of here quickly! As for you... Come up and get the money. How about I give you a small gold bar?"
"… This, I can't take it for nothing!"
The man clutched the silver dollars in his pocket. He was a bit reluctant and also a bit skeptical of Lin Shuya's words.
A small gold bar was a one - tael gold bar.
Since ancient times, gold had been a hard currency in the world. One small gold bar was worth thirty silver dollars.
For a concubine to be so favored that her man would give her small gold bars to squander!
"Hurry up. The Concubine Lady is going to reward us with the silver dollars!"
The two policemen originally thought they would only get one silver dollar each as a hard - work fee for being called here by this man. Who would have thought that even the concubine in the military commander's family was so generous. They could even get ten silver dollars as a reward.
This unexpected windfall made them extremely happy. They quickly thanked Lin Shuya for the reward and stretched out their hands to the man from the orphanage. "Hurry up and go get the small gold bar!"
"Yes. Remember to call us brothers when there's such a good thing in the future!"
As they said this, they winked at the man.
The man had no choice but to divide the money he had just picked up from the ground among the two policemen.
After the two policemen happily bowed and thanked Lin Shuya upstairs, they turned around and left the yard cheerfully.
The man looked at the backs of the policemen and then at me. A look of fear flashed across his face.
He saw Lin Shuya commit the murder last night... Although he knew that the children "adopted" by him would not end up much better!
But he was still so scared by the bloody scene that he almost wet his pants.
Now looking at Lin Shuya lying on the windowsill, smiling coquettishly and charmingly, and having just generously thrown down money like a goddess scattering flowers, she didn't look like the blood - mouthed monster in the dark night at all.
"Madam..."
The man was afraid of being in danger, but he really wanted the small gold bar promised by Lin Shuya. He looked at me with a mixture of fear and expectation.
By this time, I had already lazily sat back on the reclining chair and was casually flipping through the book in my hand.
"Madam!"
He took a step closer to me. "Can I go up?"
"You've already said both 'yes' and 'no'. What else can I say?"
I laughed coldly. In my heart, I thought this man was both stupid and greedy. In fact, he was really a perfect match for Lin Shuya. "This is General Si's villa. Aren't you afraid of going into a woman's room without permission?"
"Hey, Du Xinghe, you have the nerve to say that?"
Before the man could speak, Lin Shuya's soft, sarcastic voice came from upstairs. "You've been wandering outside with that little runt for so long. Not only were you in the same room, but you also slept in the same bed. How come you weren't afraid?"
I knew she was referring to the time when I was on the run with A Wen among the refugees.
At that time, we not only had to avoid bandits and defeated soldiers but also the pursuit and encirclement of the Du family and Si Jiangchen. We were struggling to survive. How could we care about the taboo between men and women?
Moreover, A Wen was only a seven - or eight - year - old child. During the escape, his arm wound couldn't be treated properly, and he always had a fever and was sick. Naturally, I had to stay with him to take care of him.
Lin Shuya had a dirty mind, so she saw everything as immoral.
After mocking me, she showed a sweet smile to the man from the orphanage. "If you don't come up, the small gold bar won't be yours. Really, do you think I'll eat you?!"
Hearing this, the man was first shocked. He had already given all the silver dollars to the two policemen. If Lin Shuya really didn't give him the gold bar as promised, wouldn't he end up losing both people and money?!
Then he looked at Lin Shuya's slightly angry face and immediately felt his heart flutter.
"… Well, it's the Concubine Lady's order."
The man took another look at Lin Shuya, who was posing at the window. "How dare I not obey?"
Hearing his words, I let out a cold snort.
"Since you've already made up your mind, why are you still asking me?"
"Madam."
The man thought I was a disfavored first wife because I was young and hadn't said much. When he suddenly saw my cold eyes, he couldn't help but shrink his neck.
"I... I'll go up, get the reward, and leave right away."
As he said this, he actually trotted into the small building. I could hear the "creaking" sound of his footsteps on the wooden floor. Each step up the stairs seemed like a death knell he was ringing for himself.
I shook my head. Anyway, I had already warned him. After going upstairs, it was up to his own fortune!
After thinking for a while, I slowly dragged out a half - foot - long pear - wood box from under the reclining chair and said to the guard who had just come to report. "Please invite the two adjutants guarding Miss Lin down... I'd like to invite them for a drink."