NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43 The Fox Demon
Xue Jinlan was enjoying a good meal with her two sisters at Qingxiang Tower when she heard the two women sitting next to her talking about Nalan Jue.
"I just saw Mr. Nalan eating Xia Gong at Liuxiang Snacks!" said the woman in purple.
"Poxia Gong, are the fragrant snacks available for sale? Mr. Nalan has eaten them, and I want to try them too!" The woman in red's eyes showed anticipation.
"Let's go together another day, haha!" The woman in purple was full of longing.
"I really don't know why Mr. Nalan loves to go to Liuxiang for snacks so much!" Xue Jinlan felt unwilling.
She came to Lihua Town with her sisters this time, hoping to see if she could meet Mr. Nalan.
"Jinlan, Mr. Nalan is at Liuxiang Snacks. Should we go there to eat too?" The sisters who were traveling with them wanted to go.
"Stop talking about Liuxiang snacks, I just ordered this table of food!" Xue Jinlan was slightly angry, and the sisters stopped talking.
"Hey, look, it's Mr. Nalan!" The woman in purple looked down from upstairs and saw Nalan Jue walking towards Qingxiang Building. The two women rushed downstairs and looked at the door.
Xue Jinlan and her sisters also came to the entrance of Qingxiang Building. When Nalan Jue passed by, Xue Jinlan straightened her hair and smiled affectionately at him.
"Master Nalan, wait a minute, you forgot your fan." Mao Xi caught up with Nalan Jue from behind and handed the fan to him.
"Thank you Miss Ah Shu for coming to deliver it in person!" Nalan Jue took the fan.
Master Mi Yuan was smiling and shaking his cattail leaf fan.
Xue Jinlan stood blankly beside Qingxiang Building, with jealousy in her eyes, and silently thought in her heart: "How virtuous and capable is she? Master Nalan really praises her so much!"
The accompanying sisters added to the conversation: "Jin Lan, why does Mr. Nalan prefer Liuxiang Snacks' food so much?"
"Who knows what kind of flirtatious ingredients she added to the dishes, which took away the soul of Mr. Nalan!"
The conversation between the two was overheard by Mao Xi. She looked at Xue Jinlan. This face was so familiar. This voice... She didn't think it was the woman who slandered her in the Kaitang County teahouse that day! "
"Ah Shu, Ah Shu..." Lou Lan'er gasped and rushed to Shu Xi's side, "Something happened to Liuxiang Snacks, come back quickly!"
After saying that, she glanced at Xue Jinlan at the door of Qingxiang Building, and left with Mao Xi.
"Lou Lan'er, I mentioned before that I made enemies at the tea house in Kaitang County. It was the woman at the door of Qingxiang House just now. She seemed to be named Jin Lan. She came to our shop at noon and she was the one who disliked the rabbit meat and pig waste that were offered for boiling. "
"I didn't notice it at the time. I took a quick look at it just now. Ah Shu, it was me who caused the trouble."
Mao Xi asked in confusion: "Did you offend me?"
"This year during the Qingming Festival, I played tricks on her and her sisters. I lied to them that Mr. Nalan was going to fly a kite by the river. I used some clever tricks to make them fall into the water. I was so angry that they ridiculed you..."
Mao Xi interrupted Lou Laner: "Okay, it's all in the past. What happened in the store?"
"A scholar came to the store. He fainted after just a few bites. Aunt Chen has sent him to see a doctor!"
"How about the scholar?" Shui Xi asked with concern.
"The doctor looked at it and said it was okay. It was just caused by overwork. He went back to the store, but an agent came to the store and found him! He was asking questions."
The two chatted and returned to Liuxiang Snacks.
A policeman was chatting with the scholar. This man was one of the scholars who had a dispute in the store a few days ago.
"Hello, brother. May I ask why you came to your store? This scholar has already seen Lang Zhongwu." After Shui Xi finished speaking, he looked at Wang Xiucai again.
Wang Xiucai: "Hello, girl, I just went to see the doctor. I'm fine."
Captain Zhang quickly stood up: "Don't panic, girl, I'm here to investigate the case of the fox demon and it has nothing to do with the food in your store!"
Mao Xi breathed a sigh of relief. Those who open a snack bar are most afraid of encountering poor quality food and causing customers to be poisoned. This will be a fatal blow to the reputation of the store.
"Today, many scholars preparing for the exam in Kaitang County fell ill or went crazy. According to folklore, they were haunted by fox demons. They have one thing in common, look!"
After Zhang Putou finished speaking, he pointed to Wang Xiucai's neck. There were three red marks in the shape of fox tails on his neck.
Captain Zhang continued: "Although it is unbelievable to say that there are strange forces and chaos, autumn is still half a month away, and people are in panic, which may affect all the candidates. I heard that there is a similar situation in Lihua Town, so I came here to investigate."
Lou Laner recalled the conversation between Wang and Li that day: "Xiucai, you came to our store a few days ago and said that when you were studying at night, you heard a woman crying. Could it be that you were haunted by the fox demon at that time?"
"The woman was crying? Did anyone else hear it?" Agent Zhang continued to ask.
"Not yet, I was the only one who could hear it. Later, I attributed it to fatigue from studying and lack of rest, so I didn't pay attention." Wang Xiucai recalled.
Captain Zhang quickly took a few steps and thought for a moment: "Wang Xiucai, can you still hear me after that? Are there any other discomforts?"
"I could hear it off and on a few times after that, but last night, I dreamed of a woman reading with me and grinding ink for me. When I woke up, my limbs were weak. Then I came to a snack bar to eat, and then I fainted."
Mao Xi poured tea for the detective, stepped forward and asked, "I would like to ask, brother, the detective, how are the scholars in Kaitang Town who were entangled by the fox demon doing now?"
"Some go crazy and self-mutilate, and some are bedridden. They should not be able to take exams normally in the future. Wang Xiucai, your symptoms are not serious. Take me to your inn. I want to check." Agent Zhang stood up quickly.
Wang Xiucai: "Miss Mi, thank you for sending me to see the doctor today. I'll take my leave now."
"Brother, Wang Xiucai fainted in our store. Although he was only weak, if something happens in the future, our store is also worried about the impact of rumors. It is better to ask Lou Lan'er to go with you to assist in the investigation. If there is any other need , the store will definitely be satisfied.”
Captain Zhang was thinking, he still had no clue, it would be a good idea to have local people help him.
"Let's go then, let's go to the inn first!"
Lou Lan'er went with him, and Shu Xi and Chen got busy again in the store.
"Ah Shu, I think it's the scholar who fainted from hunger and had hallucinations while reading. I used to travel around the world and often heard about fox fairies stalking scholars." Lu Da complained to Shu Xi.
If it was before, she would have thought so too, but coincidentally, this is not normal.
Ajiao ran up to Lu Da and asked in a milky voice: "Daniu, what is a fox fairy?"
Luda covered Ajiao's ears, carried her back to the back room, and said softly: "There is no fox fairy."
"But how do you explain the fox tail mark on his neck?" Shu Xi continued to ask.
"I don't understand this either. There is nothing more than robbery of wealth and sex in the world, and this poor scholar doesn't have much money. Is it possible that he is really attracted by the goblin?" Luda was puzzled and shook his head again, "I will do it tonight. Let’s talk to Brother Mu, I can’t think fast enough.”
"I made some spicy smoked rabbit meat and a jug of plum wine. You can bring it with me. Butler Wang likes drinking. He has a lot of experience in the world."
Mao Xi is worried that this Wang Xiucai will have some shortcomings when he arrives, which may affect the store's business. This new store has just started to improve, but it is important not to cause any trouble.
"Ding~" A long-lost voice rang out, and a projection prompt from the virtual mall appeared in front of me:
*** L7 ***＜Upgrade successful＞
Unlock: ＜Accounting management ability＞
The purchasable items are still ingredients, with some added ingredients needed for making Western food.
Mrs. Chen is now helping to sort out the accounts in the store. My mother-in-law had learned some lessons from the accountant before she got married.
As the store gets busier and busier, Mrs. Chen has to post accounts until late at night every day when she comes home. Mao Xi originally wanted to hire a bookkeeper, but now that she has learned how to manage accounts, she wants to share the burden with Mr. Chen and let Xiaodouzi in the future. Let’s learn accounting together.