Han Yunqian glanced at Han You, although he didn't speak, his calm and gentle eyes made Han You gradually calm down.
Ren Yaoqi pretended not to notice Han You's strangeness, and only looked at the red lacquered wooden door without any carvings.
"I heard that this place used to be a study?" Ren Yaoqi asked casually.
"The original owner of the house built this small study here. When we moved in, we found that the bookshelves inside were damp and ants were growing. We abandoned this place because we were worried that the books would be moldy." Han Yunqian nodded. Nod, peacefully.
At this moment, the red lacquered wooden door creaked, and Fan'er came out from the inside, followed by a squat and short figure.
Ren Yaoqi took a closer look and found that it was an older woman. The old woman looked like she was at least sixty years old. Seeing the master standing outside, he walked over to salute, and his actions were a little slow.
"Master, the dumb woman said that she was... cleaning the main room before, so she didn't see anyone. The slaves also looked around, but didn't find the seventh Miss Ren." Shan'er came forward and replied to Han Yunqian.
The dumb woman should not be deaf, so she quickly gestured with her hands when she heard Shan'er's words.
Although the dumb woman was standing with Ren Yaoqi behind her back, Ren Yaoqi still noticed a few of her movements. When he lived in the capital in his last life, there was a cook in the Pei family who was deaf and mute, although he was very good at cooking. Ren Yaoqi had been in contact with her, so he could guess some gestures.
Mute seems to have mentioned that she was burning incense before
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but move in his heart.
She originally thought that this yard was hiding someone who had something to do with the secrets of the Han family. Because she was afraid that the secret would be leaked, she only found a dumb woman who couldn't speak to serve it, and she had to deliver meals to it every day.
But the dumb woman didn't seem to mention anyone, but mentioned burning incense.
Where do you need to burn incense? Buddhist temple? Ancestral hall
Ren Yaoqi felt that the truth seemed to be getting closer, but she couldn't grasp the clue for a while.
If the person she saw just now was Ren Yaoting, then Ren Yaoting is still in this yard, avoiding the fan and the dumb woman.
Han Yunqian's attitude towards the dumb woman was very gentle, and he gestured with her a few words. As if to comfort her.
At this moment, a strange old woman ran out in a hurry: "Young Master, Miss, the old man is here."
Hearing this, Han You glanced at the yard subconsciously, and his face became nervous again.
Han Yunqian lowered his head and said to her, "Let's go and greet grandfather." Then he said to the dumb woman, "There's nothing to do here, you go first."
Shan'er said: "Master, the slaves should continue to find Miss Ren Qi. This garden is not big or small. It would be bad if Miss Qi lost her way."
Han Yunqian nodded lightly and said nothing.
The dumb woman bowed and stepped back, Fan hurriedly chased after her, and whispered a few words in her ear. The dumb woman nodded and entered the yard, but Fan'er did not follow.
The red lacquered wooden door was closed again, and Ren Yaoqi heard the sound of the key falling.
"Sister Yaoqi, come with us." Han You hurriedly said to Ren Yaoqi, she seemed to be afraid of something and didn't want Ren Yaoqi to stay here.
Ren Yaoqi nodded and followed Han Yunqian with Han You.
Han You was still whispering: "Where did Sister Ting go? How can I not find it?"
Ren Yaoqi looked back and found that Shan'er said she was going to find Ren Yaoting, but she didn't go far, just wandered around the door.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but worry about how Ren Yaoting would come out. If he came out from the main door, even if the sound of pulling the gate would not disturb the old dumb woman, he would be caught by the fan blocking the door. What's more, if the dumb woman enters the yard, she is afraid that she will search all over the yard.
The few people didn't go very far when they heard footsteps hurried towards this side.
After a while, Han Dongshan appeared around the corner.
Ren Yaoqi looked up and was slightly startled.
At this time, Han Dongshan was in a hurry, and his eyes were full of gloomy and cold colors, which was very different from the hearty and kind elder Ren Yaoqi saw in the garden of Ren's house last time. It is unbelievable that the same person could have such two faces.
Could it be that Han Dongshan like this is his nature? That's why Han Yunqian and Han You, who are grandchildren and granddaughters, are so jealous of him
Ren Yaoqi turned his head away subconsciously, pretending to look around at the surrounding scenery.
It wasn't until Han Yunqian and Han Dongshan called out grandfather that Ren Yaoqi turned his head after realizing it.
When he looked at Han Dongshan again, although his face was still a little stiff, the abrupt and gloomy look had subsided.
"Master Han." Ren Yaoqi bowed his head and bowed his knees.
Han Dongshan changed his face quickly, and when he spoke, he was already warm and loving: "Oh, are you the daughter of the Ren family?"
Ren Yaoqi replied in a low voice.
Han Dongshan's eyes stayed on Ren Yaoqi for a moment, and then looked at Han Yunqian and Han You, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.
Han Yunqian bowed his head and stood respectfully, but Han You couldn't help shivering.
"You accompany Fifth Miss Ren to sit in the pavilion first." Although Han Yunqian didn't look at Han You, he seemed to know her fear of her grandfather, and quietly helped her out.
Han You raised his eyes and glanced at Han Dongshan, probably because he was worried about Ren Yaoqi's presence, Han Dongshan nodded and asked Han You to retire.
While Han You breathed a sigh of relief, he glanced at his brother worriedly and hesitated.
Han Yunqian gave her a gentle smile: "Go, treat the guests well."
Han You then lowered his head and pulled Ren Yaoqi away.
As soon as Ren Yaoqi and Han You left, Han Dongshan's face turned cold again, and he continued to rush forward without saying a word.
Han Yunqian lowered his head and followed.
Han Dongshan went straight to the door of the yard, and the fan who was standing beside saw that it was Han Dongshan, and hurriedly ran over to salute.
"Have you found anyone?" Han Dongshan asked quietly.
Shan'er shook her head and said nervously, "Maybe she didn't go in, but went somewhere else. The dumb woman has locked the door."
Han Dongshan raised his hand and knocked on the red lacquered wooden door. The door was opened again after a while. The dumb woman stretched out her head and saw that it was Han Dongshan and Han Yunqian, who had left and returned. He hurriedly opened the door and backed away. aside.
Han Dongshan stepped in. Han Yunqian also followed.
When the courtyard door was closed again, Han Dongshan glanced coldly at Han Yunqian and asked, "Who allowed you to bring people in!"
Han Yunqian lowered his head and said, "You are a guest when you enter the door, so you can't even deny guests to the garden."
Han Yunqian glanced at the dumb woman again, "The dumb woman has been guarding here, and no one has come in. That room was locked from the outside again. Even if someone broke in by mistake, they couldn't get in."
When the dumb woman heard the words, she raised her head and seemed to want to make a gesture, but with Han Yunqian's calm and warm eyes, she lowered her slightly raised hand again.
Han Dongshan's face finally looked better, but he said coldly: "So she can be considered a life!"
His voice was cold and sinister, and people couldn't help but feel terrified when they heard it.
"Go open the door. Qian'er come in with me!" Han Dongshan motioned to the dumb woman.
The door he said was not opening the courtyard door, but the main room after the courtyard.
The dumb woman took out a copper key from her waist and walked to the backyard in front of the grandparents of the Han family.
When the three figures disappeared in the front yard, a cautious head suddenly popped out from behind a pillar foundation under the eaves of the north room of the front yard.
Because this pillar foundation can be seen as soon as you enter the door, it is under the eyes of people, and it is not big, so the dumb woman couldn't help but ignore this place when she was looking for people in the yard.
And the person who stuck his head out was not Ren Yaoting, who else could it be? Fortunately, she is slender and can hide, otherwise she will be caught.
Ren Yaoting also seemed to know that he was in trouble, his face was pale and anxious. She looked in the direction of the courtyard gate. Before, she heard the sound of the gate falling, and knew that even if she ran over while people went to the backyard, she might alarm the people inside. And she didn't know if anyone was guarding the door, she just heard the voice of a woman talking.
Now she regrets that she tricked Han You into sneaking in because of curiosity. The words of Grandpa Han just now made her tremble, although she didn't understand why Han Yunqian, such a gentle and elegant gentleman, could have such a grumpy grandpa.
At this time, although Ren Yaoting realized that he had made trouble, he did not think that the trouble he made was fatal. Therefore, she only thought that Han Dongshan was a short-tempered person, and he didn't take it seriously when he said, "So she can be considered a life saver!"
At this time, she was more worried that she would make a bad impression on the elders of the Han family than her own life.
Over there, Ren Yaoqi followed Han You for a while, but Han You suddenly stopped, touched his wrist and exclaimed, "Huh? My bracelet is gone?"
She lifted her sleeve, and sure enough, her right wrist was empty.
"What can I do? This bracelet was given to me by my grandmother to ward off evil spirits." Han You's face was full of anxiety.
The maid next to her was also taken aback: "Miss, why did your bracelet disappear? If it fell to the ground, there should be a sound."
Han You frowned and thought for a while: "The bracelet was originally bigger and fell off easily. It must have been accidentally hung by some branches and leaves when Sister Ting and I were at the dove flower tree. The grass there is thicker, and the bracelet Even if you fall to the ground, you can't hear a sound."
After speaking, Han You ordered the maid behind him: "Go there and look for me, Aunt Xiao said that my luck was not good this year, so my grandmother gave me this jade bracelet that she wore before, which was opened by eminent monks. If you lose it, you will betray your grandmother's wishes."
The maids behind Han You hurriedly responded. Seeing that the maid named Qin'er next to Mrs. Han was still standing there, Han You anxiously said, "Sister Qin'er, go and find it for me too. They are all clumsy!"
Qin Er hesitated when she heard the words: "Miss, don't you need someone to serve you?" Then she glanced at Ren Yaoqi.
"There is a pavilion in front of me. The old lady and the maid are all there. I'm too short to be served by someone else? Go and find it for me. By the way, let's see if it's in the rockery. I stayed there when I was looking for sister Ting. Pass."
Qin'er looked at the pavilion not far away, thinking that Mrs. Han must have gone to that yard, and that the young lady would not deliberately violate the taboo of the old man to go there, so she nodded in response: "My servant will look for it, Don't worry, miss, you won't run anywhere."
Han You nodded: "Go quickly."
Qin'er was busy heading for the fork in the east.
As soon as they left, Han You grabbed Ren Yaoqi's hand and said solemnly, "Sister Yaoqi, come with me."
"Sister You?" Ren Yaoqi looked at Han You in surprise.
Regardless of whether Ren Yaoqi agrees or not, Han You pulls her around and walks back, explaining in a low voice, "I deliberately set aside them, Sister Ting..." She paused and turned to look at Ren Yaoqi. Apple behind him glanced at Ren Yaoqi inquiringly.
Ren Yaoqi smiled and said, "It's okay, she won't say it."
Only then did Han You sigh: "There are people around you you can trust. If I do something, the people around me will definitely tell my grandfather and grandmother. Even my brother..." At this point, she was shocked that she had slipped again. Busy to stop the conversation.
Ren Yaoqi thought about her words in his heart. Han You means that she and Han Yunqian have no confidants by their side? The people who serve them are loyal to Mr. Han and Mrs. Han
I just heard Han You's voice getting lower and lower: "Sister Yaoqi, listen to me, Sister Ting must have sneaked into the yard just now. But my grandfather went too, she must want to come out now. Can't get out. If my grandfather found out, the consequences would be disastrous. We must get her out before she is found."
There was a grim look on Han You's face.
Ren Yaoqi also whispered to her: "Why would the consequences be disastrous if they were discovered? Isn't it just an abandoned study?"
Han You shook his head: "You don't understand, my grandfather...he doesn't allow anyone to enter that yard. Only my grandfather, grandmother, father and brother can go in, my mother and I are also not allowed. If you can trust the maid's door, you can enter. I can only wait in the first courtyard, and only the dumb woman who guards the courtyard can walk around. When I first moved in, I went in once out of curiosity. Just as my grandfather came in, I hid in a pillar foundation. In the back. However, the maid Linger I brought from Jizhou was discovered by my grandfather. Later... My brother came in and took me out quietly, but Linger was beaten and sold because of his grandfather's taboo. "
Han You's eyes dimmed a bit: "Ling'er has served me since she was a child, and she is the only one who only serves me."
Even Han You, the Han family, doesn't know about that yard? Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but be surprised.
"Sister Ting asked me about the yard just now, and I told her about it. She also said she wanted me to take her in to see it. I said I didn't dare, and she didn't say anything. But now the garden is full. I can't find her, I think she must have sneaked into the yard by herself."
Ren Yaoqi wondered: "Since she can't get out, how can we go in and find her? That maid named Fan'er seems to be guarding the door all the time, and the door may also be closed."
Hearing this, Han You blinked: "Just come with me, I have a way to secretly bring people out."
Although Ren Yaoqi was a little skeptical, her curiosity about the secrets of the Han family made her continue to follow Han You.
Fan'er was still guarding the gate of the yard. Han You said to Ren Yaoqi, "Can you make your maid wait here?"
Ren Yaoqi thought for a while, nodded and instructed Apple: "You wait here, if someone asks you, you are here to help Miss Han find the bracelet."
Apple answered softly.
Han You pulled Ren Yaoqi through a fork in the garden.
When she got out again, Ren Yaoqi realized that Han You had led her around in front of Shan'er, and finally stopped in front of a courtyard wall.
Ren Yaoqi looked around carefully and found that this should be the side wall of the mysterious courtyard.
Han You dragged Ren Yaoqi through the narrow corridor again, looking down at the bricks as he walked. After a while, he finally stopped: "It's here."
She put down the hand holding Ren Yaoqi, and squatted down to knock on the wall.
Ren Yaoqi stood aside and watched curiously, only to see that Han You had pinpointed a big blue brick, and he didn't know how she moved. The big blue brick was pushed by her and moved half an inch inside. A wire was exposed. Han You grabbed the wire and pulled out hard, but turned his head and was pulled out again. Ren Yaoqi knew that the brick could be moved, so he squatted down to help Han You.
The two pulled out the brick together, and Han You moved another one next to it. After the first brick comes out, the rest is much easier. After removing four bricks in a row, Han You pointed to the bottom for Ren Yaoqi to see.
It turned out that there was another hole, and the soil below was also hollowed out by someone, and it was actually able to accommodate a person, just like a dog hole.
Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but be surprised.
Han You explained in a low voice: "The original owner of this house had a very naughty young son, so he built this study in the garden and detained people here to study. I didn't want that young son to be smart, so he dug this hole secretly. , sneaking out from time to time. I found out this secret only when I accidentally found a notebook left by that person. I also went in from here that time. Sister Yaoqi, you are here to look out for the wind, and I will go in and find someone by myself. , you still don't go in with me, it will be inconvenient if there are too many people."
Ren Yaoqi glanced at the "dog hole" and nodded: "Be careful when you go in, don't let anyone see it."
Han You took off his blouse outside and handed it to Ren Yaoqi to hold it, so that when she came out, when she put on the blouse, others would not find that the clothes inside her were dirty.
"There is a fish tank blocking it from here. I should be careful not to be found. My grandfather and the others should not be in the front yard now."
How does Han You know that Mr. Han is not in the front yard? Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but think.
Presumably Han You actually knew something, but didn't say it.
However, from the fact that she was willing to take the risk of being scolded by her grandfather to come to Ren Yaoting, and she was willing to explain so much to an unfamiliar person like her, Han You was still a very kind person.