Traveling through the starry sky just for you, I was a koi in ancient times

Chapter 402: Doubts 2

Wang Shuyan turned the corridor and paused, looking back. The figure named Chen Sanlang disappeared at the door of the toilet.

During the lunch break, Wang Shuyan called the servant Ah Fu over.

"First, go find Jin'er's manager and find out about a young man named Chen Sanlang. Check whether they have investigated their employees."

Ah Fu was about to respond when he was stopped by him, "He used to work as an accountant at Tai Sheng Government Affairs Office. Go ask him."

The servant bowed and replied: "Sir, the second young lady's steward Wenbai should know. I will go and ask."

Wang Shuyan nodded and sent the person out.

Chen Sanlang had no idea that someone was paying so much attention to him and he was completely focused on studying.

Because of the death of the crown prince, the curriculum of the provincial school was adjusted. The original poetry appreciation class and the six arts class were suspended, leaving only the classics and history class.

The school's debate club and various club activities were all cancelled. The school flag was replaced by plain white banners on campus, which made a whimpering sound when the wind blew.

Chen Sanlang walked through the corridor holding the classics. The elegiac couplet hanging from the eaves brushed against the back of his hand, and the four words "Mourning the Prince" were soaked with ink, which had not yet dried.

The playground was quiet and deserted. Occasionally, a few people would get up to read in the morning. He found a secluded and deserted step, opened the "Book of Rites: Records of Funerals" and began to copy...

The morning bell rang three times. Chen Sanlang was in a trance for a moment. He shook his head, and his thoughts returned. His stomach growled a few times, "It's time to eat..."

He packed up his books while muttering to himself, then quickly went to the cafeteria. Wang Shuyan saw Chen Sanlang striding in, so he found an empty seat and sat down to wait for his meal.

The canteen of the prefectural school provides students with one meal, one dish and one soup for every meal. No one can make any special request. Of course, you can choose not to eat, but they will not be provided separately.

Looking from behind a few tables away, I saw Chen Sanlang eating attentively. He had broad shoulders, a strong body, and a straight back. He was holding a ceramic bowl and slowly stirring the rice with chopsticks.

His palms were broad and thick, with rough joints, and the same wheat-colored complexion as his face. He ate every grain of rice in front of him, put down the three ceramic bowls, stood up, set up the stool, carried the bowls and chopsticks to the sink, and washed them carefully...

Wang Shuyan's mind shuddered and heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't know why he felt that this person had ulterior motives at first sight. It seemed that he was overly suspicious...

"Sir, I asked around."

After school that day, the servant came in a carriage to pick up Wang Shuyan, and this was the first sentence he said.

"Third Master, Mr. Wenbai wants to see you to explain in detail."

"Oh?" The carriage turned and headed west.

Huo Ying, who was waiting for Chen Sanlang at the door, accidentally glanced at the carriage heading west and muttered to himself, "It is said that the east is rich and the west is noble, the south is poor and the north is humble. I didn't expect that a noble family would also use such an old blue cloth carriage to pick up students."

Before he finished his complaints, he saw Chen Sanlang striding out of the gate of the prefecture school with a book in his arms. Huo Ying went to take the book from Chen Sanlang and smoothed the wrinkles on his robe for him.

"Brother, you came out just now after everyone left?"

Chen Sanlang rubbed his sore wrist and smiled apologetically.

"Brother, why did you come to pick me up by yourself? Aren't you busy?"

The two of them talked as they walked, and turned towards the alley in the south of the city side by side.

"Brother, I found a shop and rented it. I want to open a new shop in the capital..."

Before Huo Ying finished speaking, Chen Sanlang had already pulled him in a hurry.

"Brother, you are crazy! It is the period of the Crown Prince's funeral, and you dare to open a new store? Do you want to lose your head?"

"Don't be anxious, brother, listen to me, listen to me.

It’s like this, the boss rented it to me at a low price because he couldn’t transfer it during the Crown Prince’s funeral, so I got a bargain…”

"Brother, this is a bargain that could cost you your life!"

"Brother, this is it. I'll rent the shop. I won't change the frontage, nor will I advertise or put up a sign. I'll just hire a few people and move the furniture in. After the 49-day mourning period for the crown prince is over, I'll start selling the wooden furniture of the four of us brothers. That's it."

Seeing that Chen Sanlang was still angry, Huo Ying grabbed his arm and said, "Come on, let's go and take a look together."

They turned into another alley and took a shortcut to the store entrance.

This was a two-room-wide storefront with a white silk banner hanging from the eaves. The door was half-closed, revealing a counter covered with white cloth inside.

The fortune-bringing lanterns hanging on the door lintels were all replaced with eternally burning lanterns made of white paper, which made tiny whimpers in the wind.

Two shop assistants in the shop next door, with their heads wrapped in white cloth, were sealing the door. On the white wood, the ink had not yet dried, and the words "Closed for Regulations" were clearly written.

The shops on the other side were all closed, and less than two or three out of ten shops on this street were open.

Chen Sanlang looked at Huo Ying who was very excited, shook his head helplessly, and patted his shoulder.

"Big brother!"

After being called "big brother", I have nothing to say.

Huo Ying, on the contrary, seemed to have picked up a huge bargain and pulled Chen Sanlang towards the store.

"Go in and take a look. I can't quite understand the contract written by the boss. Can you help me?"

As he spoke, he dragged Chen Sanlang into the store...

While Chen Sanlang was looking after the store, Wang Shuyan arrived at the Taisheng Government Affairs Office and looked at Wen Bai.

"You have something to say to me in person?"

Wen Bai stood up, bowed, and asked:

"Third Master, is it right for you to send someone to ask about this person, Chen Sanlang?"

Wang Shuyan did not answer, but slowly sat down opposite him, staring at Wen Bai intently.

Wen Bai was silent for a moment, as if he was making up his mind, and finally he spoke slowly,

"Third Young Master, do you know that our young lady is looking for someone?"

"Yeah, I heard about it."

Wen Bai found a folder from a pile of books on the table, opened it, and placed the pages of paper inside in front of Wang Shuyan one by one.

"This is the portrait of the person in the missing person notice drawn by Chen Sanlang. He said that he knew Chen Zhiyuan who was mentioned in the young lady's missing person notice, and he also said that he wanted to meet the person who was looking for the person."

"Have you asked Jin'er?"

"I once asked the young lady what the person she was looking for looked like, how tall he was, and where he lived, but she said she didn't know.

Third Master, the young lady can't even figure out what he looks like, but he can actually draw a portrait of her and even keeps saying he wants to see her. Do you think he can be trusted?"

Wang Shuyan remained silent.

"What's interesting is that this Chen Sanlang also found the Taisheng Government Affairs Office. Zhao Chunming appreciated him very much and used him to check the accounts at the end of the month..."

"Since Tai Sheng is hiring someone, he must have investigated this person!"

"Well, I sent someone to check, and it's basically the same as the registration form he filled out at Tai Sheng."

"Basically the same? Are you saying he didn't tell the truth?"

"He owns a woodworking shop run by four brothers and has passed the imperial examination. But he comes to the Wang family's accounting office to earn a little money. How can this be explained?"

"Him? You mean Chen Sanlang opened a woodworking workshop?"

"Yes! It's a woodworking shop owned by four people, and he's also the owner."

"How's business? How long have you been open?"

"It has been open for several years, and now the business has expanded to Xunyang City. I heard that it is all thanks to Chen Sanlang's designs that this has come to this point..."

"You mean, he concealed his identity as the boss and came to our Wang family to work as an accountant?..."