1721 The Origin of the Brooch

"You people have used my medicine for free for so long. It's time you compensate me for it," Qiao Mei said with a smile.

"Haven't we already given you a brooch and a photo the last time?" Liang Lan said.

Qiao Mei nodded and continued, "True. That can be counted. I have brought two bottles of medicinal wine this time round. The brooch is part of a set. My condition is that I want to know where the rest of the jewelry is?"

As soon as Qiao Mei finished speaking, Liang Shu's face was filled with fear. She widened her eyes and looked at Qiao Mei, as if she was wondering how Qiao Mei knew that this brooch was part of a set.

Such a brooch was definitely not something that an ordinary family could afford. Prominent families were very particular about using things which came in pairs or in a set. From this, Qiao Mei deduced that there was actually a whole set of jewelry.

However, there was also another reason. When Qiao Mei tried to make use of the butterfly mark on her chest, she realized that she had hit a bottleneck. It was different from Wu Min's pendant. It appeared that she needed to look for some form of external aid to break through this bottleneck.

"It's the only piece! There's nothing else!" Liang Shu said in a panic.

"Is that so? It's such a pity that it's actually an isolated piece." Qiao Mei took out a photo and pointed at the person in the middle, asking "I'm guessing that you at least know this person."

Liang Shu shouted at Qiao Mei, "I don't know anything! Get out! I don't know anything!"

"What's the hurry? I just want to ask who this person is and I'm just curious about her identity. Don't tell me you know who this person is and deliberately don't want to tell me?" Qiao Mei questioned.

Liang Lan said anxiously, "Mother! If you know anything, just tell her!"

"I really… don't know her. Don't… don't ask me anymore!" Liang Shu said stubbornly.

Qiao Mei closed the box and said, "In that case, I'll take this medicine with me. You haven't said anything that interests me, so I won't give you what you want. Come and look for me when you've thought it through."

Liang Lan quickly stopped Qiao Mei and said, "No! That's not what my mother meant! She's just old and muddled. I'll ask her again. Don't be anxious!"

Liang Lan walked up to Liang Shu and grabbed her hand. "Mother, only Qiao Mei's medicine can save you. Do you want to be paralyzed in bed for the rest of your life? If you know who the person in the photo is, tell her!"

Liang Shu closed her eyes and pondered for a long time before saying, "I'll tell you… that's my senior in school. We used to study in the same school."

Qiao Mei nodded in satisfaction and asked, "Then what's her name?"

"Gao Tao," Liang Shu said through gritted teeth.

Gao Tao… That was not the name of Qiao Mei's grandmother. Qiao Mei only knew her grandmother from all the bits and pieces which Qiao Qiang told her. Her grandmother's name was Wen Ran and she was not known for her looks since a big part of her face was covered in scars. However, her grandmother was a learned person and had exchanged letters with her grandfather. Qiao Mei had seen those letters before. The handwriting was very beautiful, meaning she was definitely not a simple village woman.

"Which school?" Qiao Mei asked.

"Capital Women's College," Liang Lan replied hurriedly. These were things which she knew.

"Then where did this person go after that? Do you know?" Qiao Mei asked.

Liang Shu avoided making eye contact and said, "I'm not sure…"

"You'd better think carefully. If I don't get the information I want, I won't give you the medicine," Qiao Mei said seriously.

Liang Shu had no choice but to relate everything that happened back then.

Gao Tao was a transfer student. The moment she saw Gao Tao, she could tell that Gao Tao was not an ordinary person. Later on, she asked around and found out that Gao Tao was actually the daughter of a rich man in Sea City.

The Gao family had many sons and Gao Tao was the only daughter. Everyone doted on her very much and she enjoyed the best treatment and highest status.

Gao Tao used to study at a women's college in Sea City, but later on, her fiancé wanted to go to the capital to further his career. Gao Tao always did what her fiancé wanted and she set off for the capital with her fiancé regardless of what her family thought.

"You said the last time that this brooch belonged to your cousin. Why is Gao Tao wearing the brooch in this photo?" Qiao Mei questioned.

"Maybe… maybe I remembered wrongly…" Liang Shu said nervously.

"In that case, this brooch belongs to Gao Tao, right?" Qiao Mei asked.

"Yes, you're right…" Liang Shu said.