Chapter 42 - 42 42 The Strange Seal

Words : 700 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

42: Chapter 42 The Strange Seal 42: Chapter 42 The Strange Seal Ah Jiu’s breakfast was eaten in the firewood shed; he looked at his simple meal—a large bowl of thin porridge, two big pancakes, and a small dish of vegetables—and couldn’t help but smile bitterly, thinking he never expected such a day to come. Wufu and Madam Zhou were having breakfast in their own house, discussing a trip to town, which made Madam Zhou’s eyes widen. “Going to town? By yourself?” Wufu nodded, “I need to deliver a letter for someone, so I have to go.” But Madam Zhou felt uneasy; her little girl going to town? How would that be? “Mother, I’m not a little girl anymore. How many kids in our village also take firewood to sell in town at a much younger age? I’m already fourteen; why can’t I go?” Wufu saw the worry in Madam Zhou’s eyes and quickly smiled to reassure her. Seeing this, Madam Zhou could only let her go, saying, “Then be careful.” She felt a bit displeased with that young man, who was quite troublesome! “Ah, right!” Madam Zhou remembered something she had cleared from her basket, putting down her rice bowl and handing over the small item to Wufu. “What is this?” “Isn’t it yours? I found it in the basket yesterday; I saved it for you because I was afraid it would be lost,” Madam Zhou replied. Wufu took it and examined it carefully between her forefinger and thumb—it was a ring, round and black, probably made of some type of metal. She weighed it in her hand; it wasn’t very light but not too heavy either, and the ring was engraved with strange patterns. Wufu looked at it for a long time, her brow furrowing slightly. This ring—rather than calling it a ring, it seemed more like a seal? Particularly if those patterns were considered marks. Why say that? Because the ring was originally designed as a style for men, akin to the diverse men’s rings seen in gold shops in her past life which featured a square with the character “福.” “Is it from the basket?” Seeing nothing else in the patterns, Wufu asked again out of curiosity. Madam Zhou nodded and glanced at the nondescript ring, asking, “What is this?” “I don’t know.” Wufu shook her head and after a while, she stored it away in her purse. She didn’t understand why she did it; just that this spontaneously appearing ring seemed peculiar. As for where it came from? She chewed on her chopsticks, thinking about the past few days—she hadn’t interacted with anyone except for Ah Jiu in the firewood shed. Additionally, there was that walk in town. And the basket had been bought in town; so, was it already inside then? Or did someone else put it in there at another time? Wufu couldn’t figure it out and touched her purse slightly; well, now that it was in her hands, it was hers. After breakfast, Wufu went to find Ah Jiu to get the letter. “Leaving a message at the bookstore?” Hearing Ah Jiu’s instructions, Wufu paused and asked, “The Wenshan Bookstore?” Ah Jiu nodded, “You know it?” Of course, she knew; she and her mother had just visited two days ago, wasn’t her mother waiting for a letter there? This person was also leaving a message at the bookstore; then, that bookstore wasn’t just a simple bookstore? “What kind of place is that bookstore?” asked Wufu. Ah Jiu raised an eyebrow at her. Wufu shrugged, “I see my mother often waiting there for a letter. You can choose not to answer if it isn’t convenient.” “The Wenshan Bookstore has many branches and functions partly as a message center,” Ah Jiu replied. “If you’re willing to spend a lot of money, you should be able to find out any information you need.” Wufu was surprised—did Madam Zhou know this? “Ordinary people just know it as a bookstore,” Ah Jiu added, as if he understood her thoughts. Wufu rolled her eyes—who asked him that?

Chapter 42 - 42 42 The Strange Seal

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