Fix Smile Order - CH 91

Chapter 91: Like a Crow

Tan Lingyin had a dream.

She dreamed Tang Feilong got married. She was present at the wedding, but was in charge of serving tea, water, and wedding candy to the attendees. Because it was a dream, she had no problems with her eyesight, so she could see clearly. Tang Feilong looked better than usual, like someone who came out of a painting. He was dressed like an aristocrat, beaming with joy, and he looked so happy that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. However, when he saw her, he straightened his face and instructed her to do many chores.

Tan Lingyin was not happy. “I’m not your maid.”

Tang Feilong asked, “Then what are you?”

“I’m your Head Commissioner.”

“The Head Commissioner has to listen to me, so you have to act as a maid.”

Tan Lingyin was very unhappy, but strangely she didn’t fight it. While she was working, she watched the two perform their wedding ritual. After their wedding ritual, the bride took off her veil, and Tan Lingyin saw that she was more beautiful than a fairy.

Tang Feilong pointed to his bride and said to Tan Lingyin, “This is my wife, a real noble lady. Don’t you feel ashamed of your inferiority?”

Tan Lingyin retorted angrily, “I’m also a noble lady!”

Tang Feilong was disdainful. “A merchant dared to call themselves a lady?”

The bride didn’t speak as she covered her lips and smiled at Tan Lingyin.

Tan Lingyin was not convinced. “What’s wrong with doing business!”

Tang Feilong sneered, “Cheating commoner people for profit is a cheap career.”

Tan Lingyin woke up in a fit of anger. The bright red in the dream suddenly turned into a dark room. In a daze, she thought about the dream while holding her quilt. The situation in her dream was still vivid in her mind. Especially Tang Tianyuan’s face when he mocked her; it was clear and seemed so realistic.

Tan Lingyin was angry again. But in addition to the anger, she also found it hard to take. Afterall, she was truly a merchant. Although she grew up in brocade and was fed fine food as a child, how could she compare with them?

The four classes went from ‘Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants’, she and her, and him, were two divisions away.

Of course, one cannot choose one’s own origin, so she bore no resentment. Besides, her father was very kind to her at the beginning. He chose a man with a bad reputation for her was mostly because of her stepmother’s encouragement.

Besides, it seems that man wasn’t all that bad.

The more she thought, the more messy Tan Lingyin’s mind became. Her thoughts grew wildly like morning glory. The branches twisting around in all directions, filling her mind, as if ready to burst out of her head. Her brain was extremely excited, so she couldn’t fall asleep again. It was not until it was dawn did she become a little sleepy.

She was not one to wrong herself. Since she was sleepy, Tan Lingyin decided to sleep in.

Poor Tang Tang was left without food in the morning. It could only drink a mouthful of milk first. Since the door was locked again, he couldn’t get out, so he howled in the courtyard to express his grievances.

Tan Lingyin slept dazedly until she heard someone slamming on the door outside. She really didn’t want to leave the bed, but the other party persevered.

It was Tang Tianyuan who was smashing the gated door. He hadn’t seen Tan Lingyin all morning, so he was a little worried. He came over to have a look, found that the door was fastened from the inside, and heard Tang Tang kept whining. He thought Tan Lingyin was ill.

Tang Tianyuan knocked on the door for a while before he climbed over the wall after hearing no response. Just as he was about to knock on the house door, it opened from the inside.

Tan Lingyin held the door and looked at Tang Tianyuan blankly. Her hair was down, with a large strand hanging on her shoulders, against her fair neck. She was wearing a white silk undershirt. It was not thick and stuck close to the body, faintly showing her red innerwear. A pair of mountains held up the clothes, like two waves that suddenly surged up on a flat lake.

Tang Tianyuan’s heartbeat sped up, and his cheeks flushed red. He didn’t dare to look closely, so he lowered his eyes. When he looked down, he saw that below her trousers were Tan Lingyin’s bare feet.

Tang Tianyuan: “…” This was complete overkill.

Tan Lingyin was also very embarrassed. When she ran from the bedroom to the door, she had lost her shoes. She lowered her head and rubbed her right foot with her left foot uncomfortably. “Sir, what’s your urgency?”

Tang Tianyuan felt some heat in his nose. He decisively pulled the door and slammed it shut. He turned his back to the door and said, “Get dressed and come to Retreat Hall to discuss the case.” There was a thick nasal tone in his voice; it was somewhat husky.

“Oh.” Although Tan Lingyin was a little unhappy, she was a dedicated person. He must have made a major discovery in the case, so she quickly tidied herself and went out.

Tang Tianyuan sat in the Retreat Hall with a map on the desk. Though he was looking at the map, his eyes were empty; he was completely lost in thought.

Tan Lingyin walked in and saw the County Magistrate like this, so she asked curiously, “Sir, what are you thinking about?”

“I want to help you put on shoes.” Tang Tianyuan blurted out.

“…” How should she reply?

Tang Tianyuan covered his mouth and coughed lightly. He then lowered his head and said, “This official dislikes people barefoot the most. I want to put shoes on whoever is barefoot.”

“…” What kind of quirk was this?

The county magistrate obviously did not want to talk about this matter as he pointed to the map. “Back to business.”

Tan Lingyin looked down at the map. Because she couldn’t see clearly, she put both hands on the desk, bent over, and got closer. Much better.

Tang Tianyuan continued, “I questioned a few more people today. According to eyewitness accounts, there are two possibilities for the origin of the bandits. One is that they are refugees who are passing by. The second is the group entrenched in Phoenix Mountain. However, the accents of the bandits come from many different regions. There are no large-scale famine or war currently. Tongling is not a big city, so it is very unlikely for refugees to gather here.”

Tan Lingyin nodded. “So they are from Phoenix Mountain?”

“That is the preliminary judgment.”

Tan Lingyin found Phoenix Mountain in the southwest suburb of Tongling County. This mountain was quite large. It was sandwiched between Tongling County and Nanling County.

She felt it was a little strange. “I’ve heard of the bandits entrenched on Phoenix Mountain, but they haven’t robbed anything in Tongling County, right?”

Tang Tianyuan moved the map back a little. “Yes, they usually target merchants on the road, and the wealthy households in Nanling County. Phoenix Mountain is the boundary between Tongling and Nanling. The place where they set up to rob belongs under the jurisdiction of Nanling County. So if any bandit incidents were to happen, the victims would go to make a report at Nanling County.”

Tan Lingyin still had doubts. “How strange, how come no one sent armed forces to suppress these bandits?”

Tang Tianyuan shook his head, “I am unsure either.”

“Maybe the bandits colluded with the Nanling’s county government office.” Tan Lingyin guessed.

“That is a possibility.” Tang Tianyuan said as he lightly dragged the map back again.

Tan Lingyin didn’t notice his small movements. When she saw that she still didn’t have a clear enough look of the map, Tan Lingyin leaned forward again. “Where is the farmhouse of the Official Sun’s Residence?”

Tang Tianyuan pointed to a place.

Tan Lingyin scrutinized the map. “It’s too far to rob this place. What were they aiming for?”

“Probably because they were familiar with the area. Someone must have been leading the way.” Tang Tianyuan replied as he moved the map back again.

“Who was leading the way?” Tan Lingyin thought for a while, “Wouldn’t it be the one who looked like Old Tie? What if Old Tie didn’t die?” Her eyes lit up and she raised her head suddenly.

However, at that moment, the County Magistrate was also leaning forward, about to make his own judgment. He just happened to meet her at the moment, both of them unable to stop their momentum, and the two faces collided like this.

Oh. Oh. It wasn’t their faces, it was their mouths…

Tan Lingyin’s eyes widened, her mind became blank again.

Ordinary people usually couldn’t see well when so close, but Tan Lingyin was nearsighted, so she can see everything clearly. She saw his handsome face. She saw his eyes were like a clear and calm lake, but there seemed to be undercurrents at the bottom of the lake. He blinked his eyes twice; his long eyelashes twitched slightly, like two thin black feathers. The black feathers flew, and slammed directly to the apex of her heart.

Tan Lingyin was surprised to experience this unfamiliar feeling.