The woman hesitated for a moment before she said, "Yesterday a woman came and pushed our door, saw me, said she was in the wrong room, and exited. ”

Xiao Man frowned and asked, "It's common to go to the wrong room. Have you ever seen her again? ”

The woman just shook her head and looked at Nie Xiaoman. Her lips opened slightly, as if she was about to say something more, but she lowered her head and held back.

Nie Xiaoman hurriedly asked, "Mrs. Tian, what else do you have to say?" It's best to say it now. ”

The woman muttered, "There is one more thing. She hesitated a little longer, then looked at her husband and said, "When we were about to go ashore, you opened the box and looked at the beads." You don't think anyone else saw it, but I saw a man walking past our cabin door. The man poked his head in and took a look, and maybe he saw the beads. ”

Tian Youyu was taken aback and replied, "Really? I was completely unaware. ”

The woman timidly said, "You had your back to the hatch, and of course you didn't see him." ”

Nie Xiaoman said, "Then in your opinion, did that person see the beads in Brother Tian's hand at that time?" ”

The woman shook her head again and again, "I can't be sure. But I think this person is tall and has a rough face~ black, not like a serious person. And he seems to have followed us to the inn as well. ”

Nie Xiaoman's eyebrows couldn't help jumping, and he hurriedly asked, "Is there such a thing?" How do you know?

The woman said, "Yesterday afternoon, I went out to buy something, and when I came back to the inn, I saw a man coming out of it. This man's figure and appearance are very similar to the person who came to our cabin that day. ”

Nie Xiaoman said: "Do you see clearly? Is that the person? Or does it just happen to be alike? ”

The woman suddenly lowered her gaze again, and said with a slight hesitation: "This, this, I can't be sure about this." Because I didn't notice it at the time, but now that I think about it, it's really similar. ”

Since Ji Shaoquan entered the room and sat down, except for fulfilling the obligation of a few words of introduction, he has always been in a bystander position and has not spoken. At this time, he finally couldn't help but interject.

"This is also possible, I happened to ask the tent before, and on the 12th, there were quite a few guests who came by boat along the waterway."

Nie Xiaoman nodded slowly and responded, "Yes, this is certainly also a suspicious place. However, as far as I can see, the loss of this pearl is not necessarily very large—in other words, I believe that the loss of this pearl will never be the work of a thief from outside. ”

This is a sufficiently astonishing conclusion, Jing Mo doesn't know what basis Nie Xiaoman has for saying this. But this sentence was so powerful that several people in the room were stunned for a moment. Everyone looked at Nie Xiaoman in a daze, as if they were eager to listen to his next words. Ji Shaoquan's eyes rolled even more.

Jing Mo was also taken aback, feeling that it was too abnormal to draw conclusions so quickly. Could it be that this case is very simple, and it has been completely seen through by Xiaoman?

Nie Xiaoman glanced around the room with his eyes unhurriedly, and suddenly asked again: "Isn't there a maid in your family?" Where is she now? ”

Tian Youyu said: "She went out to visit her relatives just now. ”

"Is she a native of Jinling?"

"It's not. I brought her from Zhenjiang and have been working in my house for many years. However, she has a sister who also works here as a servant. This morning, her sister sent a man to call her. Master Nie, are you suspicious of her? ”

"I'm not going to say that."

Tian Youyu asked a little unhappily: "So, dare to ask the adults, what is the basis for saying that this bead was not stolen by a foreign thief?" ”

Xiao Man replied nonchalantly: "I think there are several differences in this case: first, what is lost is only this fixed face pearl, and nothing else is missing; Second, the pearl was placed in an ivory box in a suitcase, but the man took the bead and threw it away. Third, there is a lock on the box, but there is no sign of prying. This kind of thing shows that it is not something that ordinary foreign thieves can do. ”

Tian Youyu was surprised and said, "In this way, does the adult mean ......?"

Nie Xiaoman stopped Tian Youyu's words and said, "I thought that the person who stole the bead had at least seen this bead beforehand and knew that it was hidden in the box. ”

These explanations are in line with Jing Mo's opinion. Jing Mo observed all kinds of plots, and it was clear that the man's purpose was very simple, only in this bead, and he really didn't look like a thief.

Tian Youyu thought for a while and said, "Speaking of which, the people who know this bead are not limited to the maids of my family. My nephew Wen Kai also knows. When he came here the day before yesterday to see us, he talked about the beads. ”

Nie Xiaoman nodded, his eyes flickered, as if he had caught a clue, Xiaoman asked, "Why did he talk about this bead out of thin air?" ”

Tian Youyu explained: "From the perspective of outsiders, although it is inevitable to be surprised, in fact, there is a small history here. When my father was dying, he took out two fixed face beads, one for his eldest grandson, that is, my nephew Wen Kai, and one for my little son Mengzheng, saying that it was reserved for them to ask for a dowry for their daughter-in-law in the future. Wen Kai's one is larger, and Meng Zheng's one is smaller, but the color is different. Wen Kai's is round and white, with a good luster, but this one for children is slightly crimson, and there is a blood-red silk pattern, which is very chic. ”

"Oh, there are two of these beads, and the other one is now in your nephew's hand?"

Tian Youyu shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, one of my nephew Wen Kai is said to have been lost." The two fixing beads handed down by our Tian family are now only one of my family, so this one is even more precious. Wen Kai asked about it the day before yesterday, probably because this thing is the only heirloom of our Tian family, and he is also very concerned. ”

Nie Xiaoman nodded and said, "I see, how did he talk about it at that time?" ”

Tian Youyu said: "He asked me if I had brought the Dingyan beads with me, or if I still stayed in my hometown in Zhenjiang. I told him to bring it out, and the insider told him that he was in this box. ”

Ji Shaoquan was a little dissatisfied, and interjected again: "You didn't tell me about this situation just now." He said with a complaining expression on his face.

Tian Youyu said apologetically: "Lord Wang, you didn't ask, of course I couldn't think of it." ”

Nie Xiaoman said: "These situations are indeed noteworthy. Did your nephew come later? ”

Tian Youyu said: "He originally asked me to go to the opera garden called Lehua last night to watch the play. I waited for him to arrive at two o'clock before I went out, but he missed his appointment. ”

"Where does he live?"

"He works in a tailor shop owned by a native of Ningbo."

"He originally lived in Jinling?"

"Yes, he is familiar with the situation in Jinling. He also pre-ordered this inn for me. Don't dare to laugh at adults, it's hard for me to get a trip to Jinling on weekdays, and I can't tell the difference between the southeast and the northwest. This is the first time I've been here. ”