63 New Year Hot Pot

◎If I break this oath, I will lose everything I hold dear, and loneliness and regret will accompany me for the rest of my life◎

It was almost three o'clock in the morning when Song Jinyi fell asleep. Feeling sleepy, she fell asleep immediately. The thick clouds in the sky piled up layer by layer, hiding the white dough-like moon behind the clouds.

The sky was pitch black, with not a single ray of light visible. The darkness spread into the house, and one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. Song Jinyi's eyebrows twitched, her eyelids trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She only saw darkness in the room, a darkness that carried with it an indescribable horror.

She sat up and reached to the left. The bed was cold. Where was Sister Ruolan? Feeling uneasy, she reached to the right again, but there was no one.

In the dark night, she seemed to hear her own heartbeat "thump! thump!" Where had they gone in the middle of the night?

She grabbed her coat and buttoned it in a hurry. When she was dressed, she looked up and saw a figure standing right in front of her.

She was so scared that she almost screamed. The breath got stuck in her throat. She swallowed nervously, clutching the quilt beside her with both hands, and asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"

The person was wearing a half-worn lotus pink coat and a water green long skirt. She looked at the outfit and felt it was very familiar.

When the man turned around, she was suddenly shocked. This is not! Isn't this her own face?

Of course this dress is familiar because it is the same dress she has worn.

The scene before me was strange and terrifying.

There was a moment of silence.

The person on the other side said, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I just have something to ask of you."

Song Jinyi said nothing.

"You inherited my body and my memories. You live a good and comfortable life, much better than me. I should have just let go and left without disturbing you.

But I still have one concern in this world, and that is my younger brother, Song Yunting. You have met him."

Song Jinyi nodded. "Yes, I have. He is staying at the Song Mansion... Is there any problem?"

The woman's face was gloomy. She lowered her head and said in a sad voice, "No, he is dying! No one in that family cares about me, and no one cares about him. I tried my best but there is no way I can go back to him and protect him!

Now only you, only you can save him." She became agitated as she spoke, her face becoming ferocious in the darkness.

Song Jinyi was already scared, and seeing her emotional, she couldn't help but feel frightened and terrified. She quickly said to comfort her, "Don't worry, I will definitely save your brother. He is still my brother now."

The woman sighed deeply, looked at her quietly for a while, and said, "You are a kind person, I can see that clearly. I don't want to force you to do anything, I just want to save my family.

You took my body, and I don't want any reward. I only have one request: protect my brother. You must remember, no matter when and where, you must protect my brother and don't let him get hurt. "

She walked closer step by step, repeating the sound over and over again. The darkness seemed to be her sharp weapon, pressing on Song Jinyi's throat with a sense of oppression. Her eyes were lifeless as she looked at Song Jinyi, waiting for her promise.

How could Song Jinyi dare not refuse?

Song Jinyi immediately raised her hand and swore, "I, Song Jinyi, swear here, heaven and earth as my witness, I have been blessed with a new life, and I will fulfill my benefactor's instructions, treat his brother as a family member, and protect and care for him as an elder sister.

If I break this oath, I will lose everything I hold dear, and loneliness and regret will accompany me for the rest of my life."

After hearing this, the woman said thank you softly.

She slowly backed away, blending into the darkness.

Before Song Jinyi could catch her breath, she heard an unexpected explosion in her ears and was grabbed off the bed.

She was breathing heavily, and the light coming through the thin window paper flashed in her eyes. She raised her hand to block the glaring sunlight. She looked at the scenery outside the window and actually slept until noon.

At this time, Li He pushed the door open and came in. Seeing her face covered in sweat, he took a handkerchief and wiped it for her. He asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"

Song Jinyi asked what time it was?

"It's almost noon. Seeing you were sleeping soundly, Sister Ruolan told me not to disturb you and let you sleep a little longer." She lowered her eyes to look at the handkerchief she had used to wipe the sweat off her face, and asked curiously, "Is it really that hot in the house? I still feel cool. I have to cover myself with an extra coat every night."

Song Jinyi didn't say anything for a long time, then got up and tidied herself.

When we got to the small kitchen, Li He came running over with a small plate in hand. "Sister, I got up early this morning and have already made some dough."

Tang is sugar made from malt. It is called "jiaoya" because it sticks to your teeth. It is a bit like a sugar melon.

Song Jinyi ate two pieces out of courtesy.

She had just had such a dream and had no appetite.

After a simple lunch, Li He insisted on going for a walk on the street. Xie Wuyang said he was sleepy and went back to his room to sleep. Song Jinyi and the other two went out together.

There were many people going out on the first day of the New Year. Before reaching the corner, I had already met three or four neighbors. They bowed and congratulated each other. Some of them brought their children with them. Song Jinyi even gave them some candies made by Li He.

After leaving Shuchengfang, there is a Taoist temple ahead. Some people go there to worship, and some burn incense to fulfill their wishes. It is very lively.

There are tents with curtains everywhere in the streets and alleys, and people buy candies, snacks, and some groceries.

These were all common things. The three of them just took a quick look and turned around to continue walking down. Suddenly, Li He stopped in front of a stall and asked Song Jinyi in a low voice what this was, as she had never seen it before.

There were several tables at the stall, with three or four people sitting around them in a circle, and some curious people standing around them in three or four circles.

Song Jinyi tiptoed and took a longing look at the dice being thrown inside. She said with little interest, "This is Guanpu. There's nothing fun about it. Let's go."

After walking halfway, they came to an intersection and turned right, which was South City. Song Jinyi came out just to visit the Song Mansion.

She made the excuse that she had a stomachache and needed to find a place to relieve herself, and let them wander around on their own.

After watching the two of them walk away, she trotted to the Song Mansion in South City.

It was only when Song Jinyi arrived at the Song Mansion that she found out that Song Zhangye had gone to visit the clan elders and would not be back until later.

She didn't come here for Song Zhangye.

Most of the people in charge of the Song Mansion had gone out with their master, leaving only one person in charge, Wang Po. Song Jinyi said she wanted to meet Song Yunting.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang's face turned ugly. She mumbled for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence: "Madam is in charge of all matters in the harem. I will go and ask for your instructions. Please wait for me for a moment, young lady."

Logically speaking, Shen Lingyu cares most about the status of the mistress of the house, so how could she not follow Song Zhangye to visit the elders of the Song family.

As she thought about this, she also asked aloud: "Didn't Aunt Shen go with father?"

Mrs. Wang covered her eyes with her hands and whispered, "Miss, you don't know, the young master has been feeling unwell recently, and Madam Shen is unable to get away, so she is taking care of him at home."

Hearing her mention the young master, combined with last night's dream, the first person Song Jinyi thought of was Song Yunting, but then she thought, what kind of person is Shen Lingyu?

Selfish, hypocritical, and loves to save face. How could she put the cart before the horse for the sake of acting? She must be like this because he is her own son.

When the news reached Lingyuxuan, Shen Lingyu was holding the cooked scallop porridge, blowing it gently to cool it down, and coaxing her son in a gentle voice: "Ci'er, just eat a small bite, just a small bite, you will feel better soon after eating. Don't you want to go to Xuanqingmiao to watch the community fire? After eating, you can go when you feel better..."

She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn back. She coaxed Song Ci to drink a big bowl of porridge, handed the bowl in her hand to the maid, then turned back to look at Geng Niang and asked what was the matter.

"Madam, that person is back."

Shen Lingyu said without any expression: "Today is the first day of the lunar year, she should come back to see me, what's the big deal."

Geng Niang looked around, called the maid to go out, and said in a low voice, "She wants to see her sickly brother."

"Isn't she very cool outside? Now she remembers that she has a brother? Do you still need to ask me about this? Just reject her."

Mrs. Wang came back and said that Madam Shen said that the young master was weak and out of breath, and it was not appropriate for him to see outsiders, not even Song Jinyi.

Song Jinyi frowned in displeasure. The dream she had yesterday made her feel uneasy, and she insisted on seeing him today.

She pretended to be indifferent and said, "Since my brother is seriously ill and it is inconvenient for me to visit him, I will see you next time. However, I haven't been home for a long time. I will walk around in this garden and wait for my father to return."

After all, she is the eldest daughter of the Song family. There is nothing wrong with her strolling in her own garden, and no one can say "no".

Song Jinyi walked to a winding path and caught a glimpse of two sneaky figures behind her. She looked for the right opportunity, took an unusual path, stepped sideways on the grass, lifted the hem of her skirt, and ran away to shake off the people following her.

However, the Song Mansion was too big, with pavilions, towers, garden corridors, like a maze, which made her confused.

She came to a door with hanging flowers, not knowing where she was. She stepped over the threshold tentatively and looked to the left behind the door. There was a small courtyard.

Just then, a man came out to pour water. Song Jinyi looked closely and felt that he looked very familiar. She thought about it carefully.

Isn’t this Aunt Bao whom I met at the trade fair that day?

The other person obviously recognized her, splashed the water in the basin, walked over and asked, "Sister Yi? Why are you here?"

Song Jinyi knew that this person was brought by the original owner's mother, so she briefly explained the matter, "I just want to meet Yun Ting. Aunt Bao stays in the Song Mansion and knows a little about what's going on there. I wonder if you have seen him recently. How is he?"

Aunt Bao sighed and said with a sad face, "Sister Yi, you must save him."

Song Jinyi hurriedly asked what was going on?

"Miss, others may not know, but I believe you know the true identity of Shen Lingyu. She is in charge of the housekeeping power, and all the people in charge of the young master's courtyard are her people. Before, it was just a few mouthfuls of food missing, but this time - this time it almost caused a loss of life!"

In order to act like a good wife and mother, Shen Lingyu ordered the kitchen to prepare two portions of food according to Song Ci's diet every day, and send one portion to Song Yunting, who had a grudge against the Song family.

There was poison in the porridge!

Young Master Song Ci drank half a bowl of porridge and nearly lost his life. The porridge sent to Young Master Yun Ting was embezzled by the servants and one bowl was poisoned, causing him to die.

Shen Lingyu saw that her own son's life was hanging by a thread, while other people's sons were fine, how could she be happy?

She just said lightly, "It should have been that bastard Song Yunting who died, but my Ci'er took the blame." Naturally, someone in the Song Mansion took action for her.

The master was a very busy man and had no time to take care of the trivial matters of his family. He would occasionally ask about it, but Shen Lingyu would always stop him because she thought someone was looking after him and was afraid that the master would catch a cold if he went over.

Last month, when Aunt Bao was delivering the monthly payment to the inner courtyard for her husband, she met him by chance. She couldn't believe that the man who was as thin as a kitten and couldn't even walk was the young master.

The woman wanted to starve him to death.

After hearing this, Song Jinyi's hands clenched unconsciously, and the blue-green blood vessels were tense like strings hanging under her skin. She thought to herself: What a cruel method.

A young master from a wealthy family starved to death at home.

Is there anything more ironic than this?

If Song Yunting really died like this, Song Zhangye would definitely not make it public for the sake of face, but why is Shen Lingyu not afraid?

She relied on Song Zhangye's love and the fact that her son would be the only male in the Song family.

There was anger in Song Jinyi's eyes. She wanted to bring Song Yunting out, expose Shen Lingyu's true face, and make her pay the price!

******

When Song Zhangye returned home, he saw white steam rising from the round hall. He was stunned and asked the person in charge beside him, "What is this for?"

The person in charge replied, "This was made by the eldest lady herself when she returned."

"It's Jinyi. I thought she was so busy that she didn't even want to come back for the New Year."

"How could that be? The young lady is still thinking of you. She has been waiting for you in the mansion for a long time. When she heard that you would be back for dinner in the afternoon, she prepared the meal herself."

Young birds repay their parents, how can we not be grateful?

There was a copper pot in the middle of the round table, with more than a dozen dishes on it, including a good mix of meat and vegetables, and a rich variety.

Song Zhangye sat in the main seat, with Shen Lingyu on his left, and below him were her two children.

Song Jinyi was sitting right opposite him in the guest seat.

Seeing her sit down, Shen Lingyu smiled and greeted her, “Sister Yi is here, let’s eat.”

Song Jinyi said calmly: "No hurry, there is still one person who hasn't come yet."

Shen Lingyu's expression changed slightly, and she said, "Yun Ting is not in good health and can't eat meat. I sent some light dishes over."

Song Jinyi said, "Aren't there seven or eight plates of vegetarian dishes? The mutton soup with vegetables is both nutritious and not greasy."

"He's young, maybe he's not used to being here. There are so many people here, he can't relax."

"They're all family, what's there to be uncomfortable about? Hot pot is meant to be lively when there are more people eating together. Even the table isn't full, and the two children younger than him are here. What's there to be afraid of?"

"It's a cold night with heavy dew, so it's inevitable to catch a cold."

"A reunion with a young person alone is always incomplete. This hot pot is heated. Let him wear two more layers of clothes. With your caring care, there will be no problem. I will take care of him if anything happens."

The two of them went back and forth, with no clear end in sight.

Song Zhangye's face darkened, and he put his chopsticks aside and said, "It's just a dinner, ask him to come over."