Red Bean Lives in the Republic of China - Chapter 13.1

Chapter 13.1

Yu Hongdou knew that she would not be able to escape her mother’s eyes, and she told half the truth. “I accidentally scratched my pants on the tram.”

“Scratched your pants?” Mrs. Yu and Yu Chongyi were both startled at the same time.

“It’s not a big deal. I don’t know whose family’s child put a wire on the seat of the tram, and when I got up, I realised that the trousers were scratched.” She didn’t want to mention He Yunqin, so she just used a set of excuses.

“Then what’s the matter with this?” Mrs. Yu picked up the thin woollen coat. It was Dingxiang’s custom-made dress, so Mrs. Yu was surprised. “Where did you get such expensive clothes?”

Yu Hongdou sat on the edge of the bed, kicked off the leather shoes, and looked down at the sprained ankle. “When I got off the tramp, I was just looking at the pants and accidentally sprained my ankle, so I went to Gu Yun’s house because it happened to be nearby. This dress was given to me by her.”

Mrs. Yu’s eyes were like a torch, and she gestured up and down on the clothes even more suspiciously. She had seen Gu Yun before. She was petite, half a head shorter than her daughter, but this coat was so long that only a tall woman could wear it.

Yu Hongdou had caught a glimpse of her mother’s expression earlier and hurriedly said, “I can’t wear Gu Yun’s clothes. This is her second sister’s. Because she doesn’t like such a plain colour, she hasn’t worn them once, so she lent them to me. I have to give it back to others.”

Mrs. Yu was still full of suspicion, but after thinking about it carefully, although the Gu family was not very rich, they could still afford this kind of dress, not to mention that the daughter only went out for a short time. What kind of adventures could there be? Seeing her daughter’s calm expression, Mrs. Yu temporarily put away her doubtful thoughts. “I said earlier that I wouldn’t let you go alone, but you insisted on going. Then you sprained your foot. Come, let your mother see if the injury is serious. Chongyi, bring the medicated oil for your sister.”

Yu Hongdou avoided letting her mother rub her feet. “Oh, Mom, you can go rest; I will do it myself.”

Mrs. Yu squatted down, took a closer look, and saw that her daughter’s ankle was only red and swollen. She was a little relieved and went to the wardrobe to get a pair of pants, closed the door, and asked Yu Hongdou to change. “Let me see where the pants are damaged.”

“It’s such a long hole; I’m afraid it won’t be easy to mend. Anyway, I’ve worn these pants for a long time, so why mend them?”

Mrs. Yu waited for her daughter to change into her trousers and looked carefully at the damaged pants.

The scratched place was indeed too long; even if it was mended, it may not look good. “Just now your brother went to the French Concession to inquire, but there is still no news; if this continues, your uncle and aunt will go crazy.”

At this time, Yu Chongyi knocked on the door outside, and when he came in, he handed the medicinal oil to Yu Hongdou and said, “The person who talked to Yuqi in the tea room that day was Yuan Ruoli, the manager of Gujin Bank. I just told my colleagues in the French Concession, and they have already gone to Yuan’s house to investigate this matter.”

“Gujin Bank?” Yu Hongdou recalled that man that day. “Brother, what is the origin of this bank?”

Yu Chongyi replied, “It’s an investment bank, and the boss is Yuan Ruoli, who talked to Yuqi that day. After Yuan Ruoli divorced his wife at the beginning of the year, he recruited a few French friends to inject capital. Because it has not been established for a long time, the name is still not well known.”

“No wonder I have never heard of this bank.” Yu Hongdou slowly wiped the medicinal wine, carefully recalling the expression of the cousin that day: “The cousin seems to be very fond of this Yuan Ruoli. Do my uncle and aunt know this person?”

“I went to my uncle’s house just now, and my aunt said that she only played a few rounds of mahjong at the poker table with a cousin of Yuan Ruoli, but not with Yuan Ruoli himself. She doesn’t know how my cousin knew Yuan Ruoli.”

Yu Hongdou asked, puzzled, Why did Cousin Yuqi hide it from the family?”

Mrs. Yu poked her daughter’s forehead. “They said that you look smart, but you are very confused in your heart. Your cousin Yuqi is working outside now, and there are a lot of people pursuing her. This Yuan Ruoli is divorced, and your cousin is not so young. Your aunt and the others are snobbish, and they still hope to find a good match for Yuqi. How could they agree with Yuqi and Yuan Ruoli? Your cousin Yuqi is afraid that your uncle and aunt will not be happy, so she hides it from you. It’s not surprising.”

Yu Hongdou tilted her head and thought about Yuan Ruoli’s appearance, but she didn’t see his face. Judging from his demeanour and outline, he was indeed very personable, and it was not surprising that her cousin would fall in love with him. “Brother, on the day of the tea party, did Yuan Ruoli leave with my cousin?”

Yu Chongyi said, “The waiter at the door said that Yuqi and Yuan Ruoli came out together; after that, Yuqi called a rickshaw and left, and Yuan Ruoli returned to the tea party to continue listening to the lecture. He listened for about a quarter of an hour before leaving. As for where Yuan Ruoli went, we still don’t know. By the way, did you see Peter Wang just now? What did he say?”

When Yu Hongdou heard that, she became depressed and immediately said in a muffled voice, “Peter Wang won’t help, so don’t count on him for this matter.”

Mrs. Yu became anxious. “Didn’t this man repeatedly solve strange cases? If the remuneration cannot be negotiated, everything is negotiable.”

“It’s not about money.” Yu Hongdou shook her head, remembering that He Yunqin would come later, and said, “Although Peter Wang refused to come, he recommended a friend. This person is willing to help, and he may come to the house to look for his brother later.”

Yu Hongdou could only tell half-truths and half lies in front of her mother; as for the truth, she would only tell her brother when the two were alone.

Yu Chongyi said in surprise, “Peter Wang has always been alone when handling cases. He has never heard of a partner.”

Mrs. Yu remembered that the soup was still simmering in the kitchen, and Mrs. Zhou was not at home because she went to buy vegetables. She was afraid that the soup would be over simmered, so she got up and walked outside the room.

Have a nice day!

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