"It really doesn't look like it!" Yun Daman also squatted on the ground to look.
"Our cart tracks are wider than this. You can tell this is from a donkey cart, with narrow wheels and a narrow wheelbase..." Yun Erman analyzed seriously.
Old Man Yun nodded gently, "That's right. It rained last night, and these wheel tracks were left behind!"
"You two take a good look and see where these tracks lead..." If a clue is found, it must not be abandoned.
The incident of the stolen bricks quickly reached Fu Daqiang's home. Madam Gu was teaching Xiao Xitian to embroider. The flowers on the family's pillows, pillowcases, and quilts were all embroidered by Madam Gu and Zhao Guihua. There were hibiscus, jasmine, crabapples, and beautiful sunflowers... Xiao Xitian clumsily fumbled with the needle and thread a few times, and the patterns she embroidered looked like dumplings, neither here nor there.
"Ahhh! I don't want to embroider anymore, it's so annoying!~" Xiao Xitian lost her patience. She was naturally not interested in such things. Moreover, embroidery requires a lot of patience and concentration. Xiao Xitian was capable of stitching wounds, but she didn't particularly like embroidering...
Madam Gu chuckled and poked her daughter's forehead, "Alright, we won't embroider flowers, we'll sew quilts!~" The bedding had been newly washed after moving to Fu Daqiang's home, and they hadn't had time to sew it after it dried.
Xiao Xitian: "......" Mother, I'm still a baby, I don't like sewing quilts. She wanted to go out and play.
Just then, Wang Suzhen hurried in, "Sister-in-law Gu, I heard that your bricks were stolen!~" "Brother Yun and the others are very anxious, they've even reported it to the authorities."
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu immediately wound up her needle and thread, picked up Xiao Xitian, and put on her shoes... It had been a long time since anyone had anything stolen in Dashui Village. It wouldn't matter if chickens, ducks, geese, or dogs were lost; they could raise more. But those old bricks were painstakingly moved out by the old man and his sons. Who would be so shameless as to steal bricks, and not fear their houses collapsing and crushing them to death...
"Let's go, let's go and see!~" Madam Gu took Xiao Xitian's hand and walked towards the mountainside. As soon as they stepped out of Fu Daqiang's front door, Liu Cuirong darted out, "Mother, do you think our bricks were pocketed by Young Master Xiao?" "He kept saying he would help our family build a house, but in reality, he didn't want to spend more money, so he..."
"You shut up!~" Madam Gu interrupted her, frowning, "Second daughter-in-law, is your brain flooded?" "Young Master Xiao used new bricks and tiles, and new lumber for building the house. Why would he pocket our old bricks?" If Xiao Jinheng heard this, how heartbroken would he be? They were helping us with good intentions, but they were being slandered...
"Hmph, a dog cannot spit out ivory. You'd better learn how to behave before you speak!~" Madam Gu scolded her thoroughly before taking Xiao Xitian out. Xueling crawled out of the doghouse, stretched, and trotted along. Liu Cuirong looked bewildered, muttering, "What's going on? My nose isn't my nose and my face isn't my face so early in the morning. What did I say?" "Wasn't that just a guess? I can't even say anything?" If you don't like me, just say it. Do you have to find an excuse to scold me... Liu Cuirong reached into her pocket, took out a handful of melon seeds, and walked towards the mountainside while cracking them open. She loved watching lively events the most.
Old Man Yun was discussing the cart tracks on the ground with his two sons. The three of them had already searched for a distance, but due to the numerous crisscrossing marks, they were dizzy... They could no longer distinguish between donkey carts and horse-drawn carriages.
"Alas, why didn't this rain fall harder? It would have been great to bury those dog thieves who stole things!" Yun Erman said vexedly. Seeing his mother and sister walking over, Yun Erman immediately showed a smile, "Sister, come and eat watermelon. Second brother saved more than half of it for you..." "Thank you, brother, I don't want any!~" She had a stomachache when she woke up this morning, probably because she caught a chill while sleeping last night.
Liu Cuirong walked over, saw the watermelon, threw away the melon seeds in her hand, grabbed it, and took two bites, "Heh, it's really sweet!" How long had it been since she last ate watermelon? She had eaten plenty of cantaloupes and plums.
The whole family: "......"
"Go home, don't come out here to embarrass yourself!~" Yun Erman scolded. It was one thing to make trouble at home, but another to show off outside. Liu Cuirong was busy eating the watermelon and didn't have time to retort, with watermelon juice all over her nose and face...
"Daddy, did you find the bricks?" Xiao Xitian took Old Man Yun's hand and asked. Looking at his daughter, who was like a little dumpling, Old Man Yun's suppressed unhappiness instantly vanished.
"Not yet. It's hot outside. Daughter, go back and wait. Later, Dad will pick some hala hai, and we'll make疙瘩汤, okay?" Old Man Yun rubbed his daughter's little face and said. Hala hai is a type of wild vegetable, scientifically known as Urtica dioica... When making疙瘩汤, noodles, or hot noodle soup, adding a handful of this wild vegetable makes it delicious and flavorful after cooking. It also has the effects of treating high blood pressure, dispelling rheumatism, and aiding digestion. It is a very common wild vegetable in Dashui Village. However, one must be careful when picking it, as hala hai is covered with dense little thorns... If you get pricked, your palm will turn red and itchy, and it will take days to recover.
"Daddy, find the bricks first!~" Xiao Xitian said tenderly. There are plenty of hala hai in the fields and by the roadsides, so it's not too late to pick them later. For now, let's find the family's bricks first. Xiao Xitian didn't hold out much hope for the county yamen to solve the case... For theft cases like this, nine out of ten would disappear without a trace.
Old Man Yun was full of relief, his little daughter was so sensible.
"Okay, let's split up and search in the village. Those five thousand green bricks piled up would be quite high!~" Old Man Yun said. So, the whole family began to split up and act. Madam Gu took Xiao Xitian to search the west end of the village, while Old Man Yun took Daman and Erman to search the east end of the village... Even Xiao Jinheng called out Jin Momo and two maids to help search for the bricks. Only Liu Cuirong sat at the entrance of Yun Wangcai's house, eating the watermelon until it was pale, and then casually threw it into Yun Wangcai's yard.
Then came a cry of pain from inside the yard, "Oh!" "Who is it? Which struck-by-lightning person is throwing a watermelon rind into my yard? Are you trying to be malicious..." Lu Jinping rushed out with a dustpan. She was sweeping the yard just now when a piece of watermelon rind flew from the sky. She slipped on it with a "shush" sound. Her head was ringing from the fall... There were residual fragments from the transport of green bricks in the yard, and if they weren't swept clean, people would be suspicious... Liu Cuirong glanced back at her, crossing her arms, "No, what are you yelling about? How was I supposed to know someone was in the yard?" "Are you throwing watermelon rinds into my yard whether there's someone there or not? Are you sick?" Lu Jinping glared and cursed.
"You're the sick one!~" Liu Cuirong picked at her nails, "Watermelon rinds can feed pigs, and other people's pigs can't even eat them!" Lu Jinping was so angry she was about to explode, "Who are you calling a pig? I'm going to kill you today." With that, Lu Jinping lunged at Liu Cuirong like a madwoman...