89 Revenge

◎Neither agree nor refuse◎

Song Jinyi returned to the Song family and to her own yard. The ground of the courtyard was covered with thick dry leaves, and the air was filled with the smell of decay and dust.

The two elm trees that once stood in the center of the yard were no longer as lush as they once were, only two dry trunks and scattered branches remaining. The grapevines beside them were reduced to shrunken remains, their tendrils drooping lifelessly, tangled like a pile of discarded ropes.

She took a step and stepped on the dry leaves, making a crisp "crunch" sound. The corners of her mouth were slightly pulled into a smile, but her eyes were cold. Shen Lingyu was so impatient to transfer the people in the yard away that she didn't even pretend.

Song Jinyi walked towards the tightly closed door, reached out and gently pushed it. Countless tiny dust particles flew through the crack of the door, and through the faint light and shadow from the sunlight, they were refracted into golden particles visible to the naked eye.

She covered her mouth and nose with one hand and fanned herself with her sleeve with the other. After a while, she walked into the house, walked to the dressing table, looked at the table without saying a word, and wiped it lightly with her fingertips, bringing up a thin layer of dust.

The maids and servants who rushed over after hearing the news first wiped the stool in the front hall clean and invited her to sit over, explaining: "Because the master had a sudden illness recently, the mistress felt that there were not enough people in the master's courtyard, so she transferred people from the young lady's courtyard to help.

When the lady saw that the young lady had returned, she asked us to go back first and asked her to rest here while we went in to clean up.

These maids and servants usually knew how to respond to requests for food. In the past, they had treated Song Jinyi and her brother as if they were nothing, so they would never be so polite. But after hearing about the eldest daughter's angry response to the mistress last time, and hearing that the master intended to hand over the Song family to the eldest daughter, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Song Jinyi didn't want to make things difficult for others, but she didn't blame them either.

After the maid had cleaned up, she sat back down in front of the dressing table. The newly polished bronze mirror was emitting a cold light, and she looked at herself in the mirror.

His face was still the same as before, but a closer look revealed a lot of changes. There was a hint of coldness between his eyebrows, and his eyes were like a cold pond in the cold night, with hatred hidden deep in his eyes.

Her thoughts drifted back to last night - on the big ship drifting in the sea.

She had thought Hun Namu would kill her because of Xie Wuyang's death, but she didn't expect him to let her go. "Although the master's death was related to you, but the master loved you like a treasure when he was alive."

He sighed deeply, "I don't want my master to be restless down there either. Go away!"

Hunnamu asked someone to take them back on a small boat.

After untying the ropes, Song Jinyi did not get off the boat immediately. Instead, she stiffly asked the pirates, "Who told you to kill me?"

No one responded at first, until Hunnamu kicked him twice, and then a pirate spoke up: "He is the shopkeeper of Yunzhou Zui Liuxia. Because his tea has to be transported by water, he made an agreement with our boss to share a certain amount of profit with each shipment. He has some friendship with our boss.

"He told us that the boss's wife had offered a high price for your lives. He wanted to kill you this time.

Song Jinyi asked who it was.

The pirates just said that they didn't know who it was, only the boss knew, but the boss was dead.

Although the information provided by the other party was limited, Song Jinyi could probably guess who was behind it. If it was a business rival, killing her alone would be enough, so why involve Song Yunting?

...That can only be related to the Song family.

So when she arrived in Yunzhou, she quietly placed Song Yunting at the back door of Chayuan, and returned to the Song Mansion alone.

She recalled Shen Lingyu's surprised look. It was not because he was surprised at her return, but more like he saw a dead soul. In his eyes, there was not only surprise but also a hint of fear.

It was her fear that made Song Jinyi smell the truth.

She stared at the person in the mirror with a cold yet resolute gaze, as if making some kind of resolution. She swore in her heart: "I don't think I'm a bad person, but I'm definitely not a saintly person. Since she wants my life, I won't show any mercy!"

******

Lingyuxuan side.

Shen Lingyu lay on the chaise longue, and the maid brought her fresh flower and fruit tea. She just waved her hand without interest. Geng Niang had been with Shen Lingyu for decades, so she naturally noticed what was on her mind.

He gave a look to the people below and asked them to go out and wait.

Shen Lingyu placed one hand on her forehead and the other hand on the bed, and said in a muffled voice; "I didn't expect... I didn't expect that she could come back alive."

"She was just lucky," Geng Niang said a few words of comfort before turning to scold the pirates for being useless. Finally, she said worriedly, "But she's not the Song Jinyi she used to be. With time, she'll definitely figure out it's you."

Shen Lingyu chuckled, "She's already guessed it. Didn't you notice the way she looked at me?" She sat up, took a few sips of tea, and said slowly, "So what? She has no evidence. The only person who knows about it, Shopkeeper Zhou, is not on good terms with her. Who can she ask for help?"

"If that's the case, she can't cause any trouble. Why is Madam so worried?"

"I just feel that as long as she is in the Song family, I will never have peace."

"How many years can a girl of her age stay in her mother's home?" Geng Niang leaned over, approached Shen Lingyu, and said, "This slave has a plan that can help Madam get rid of the trouble."

“…”

Song Jinyi rested for a night and went to greet Song Zhangye early the next morning.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she smelled a strong smell of medicine. She walked into the inner room and saw Shen Lingyu sitting beside the bed, holding a bowl of steaming hot medicine in her hand. She blew it gently to cool it down before feeding it to the person on the bed.

She took a few more steps forward and saw her once majestic father lying weakly on the bed. His eyes were no longer as bright as before, but rather a little dull.

Seeing her coming, he reached out and pushed the medicine spoon away.

Shen Lingyu glanced at her sideways, handed the medicine bowl to the maidservant beside her, and said with a smile: "Sister Yi is here, come and see your father. He missed you and Yun Ting very much during these days."

After bowing, Song Jinyi sat beside the bed and observed Song Zhangye carefully. He was indeed very ill, with his brows furrowed, as if he could not find peace in his illness.

Song Zhangye asked in a hoarse voice, first asking about Song Jinyi's recent situation, and then asking why Song Yunting didn't come back with her.

Song Jinyi glanced at Shen Lingyu and said, "Yun Ting is still receiving treatment on Yaowang Island. This old illness cannot be cured overnight, but don't worry, the doctor is a master doctor. He will be able to return safely in a year or two."

"Some can be cured, some can be cured." Song Zhangye was a little excited and started coughing after he finished speaking.

The Song family has two sons. One died young and the other is mentally retarded. If they can be cured, it would truly be a manifestation of the ancestors' power.

Shen Lingyu suddenly said, "Yun Ting's disease can be cured, but seriously?", tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, "If it can be cured, it will be a blessing for the Song family.

"But I've consulted so many doctors before, but there hasn't been any improvement. I wonder if I can really get better this time?"

"The doctor has cured similar diseases before. Besides, before I left, Yunting told me about his childhood. His pronunciation was clear and his language logic was smooth. It should be true." Song Jinyi smiled.

Shen Lingyu's face turned ugly for a moment when he heard this, but he quickly concealed it.

Song Jinyi asked what illness her father had.

"The doctor said it was chest pain. Your father had been experiencing chest tightness before, but he thought it was a minor problem and refused to see a doctor. A few days ago, when he went to the cloth shop, he had unbearable chest pain and collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the doctor arrived in time and acupuncture cured the emergency."

"Then what can the doctor say about the treatment?"

Shen Lingyu sighed softly, and spoke after a long time: "The doctor prescribed some medicine, saying only that I need to recuperate at home and not overwork. But I've been taking the medicine for a month and it hasn't helped." As she spoke, tears began to fall from her eyes and she trembled violently.

Shen Lingyu's tears of joy made the patient lying in bed speak out to comfort her.

Song Jinyi looked at the two people's deep love without any emotion.

Chen Lingyu wiped her tears with an embroidered handkerchief and continued, "A few days ago, I saw that my husband was seriously ill and was so grief-stricken that I went to Anshan Temple to burn incense and pray for blessings. I also drew a winning lot in the golden urn and asked the master, who said, 'According to this lot, your husband's fortune is difficult and you need to use happiness to overcome the bad luck.'

"I immediately asked the master how to use happiness to counteract bad luck. 'Does anyone in your family have a son or daughter who has passed the imperial examination? Or are any of your children getting married soon?' When I heard him ask this, I replied that I had a daughter who was of marriageable age."

When Shen Lingyu said this, she looked up at Song Jinyi with a plea in her eyes, "The master said, 'The wedding of children, the bright red candles, the joy filled the house, can dispel bad luck and make your husband's illness gradually heal.'"

Song Jinyi didn’t answer, but just looked at Shen Lingyu indifferently.

She listened to Shen Lingyu's intermittent words again, which were nothing more than that this marriage was Song Zhangye's life-saving straw, as if as long as she got married, Song Zhangye would get better immediately.

ridiculous!

Seeing that she was silent, neither agreeing nor refusing, Shen Lingyu couldn't tell what she was thinking, so she gave Geng Niang a look.

Geng Niang then echoed Shen Lingyu and brought up the idea of ​​filial piety, determined to force Song Jinyi to submit.

They didn't wait for Song Jinyi's response. Instead, they heard Song Zhangye say in a calm voice, "Jinyi and I had an agreement that we would never make things difficult for her regarding marriage. You don't have to say this."

Shen Lingyu acted as if she was wronged, and said in a crying voice: "I know the agreement between the master and Sister Yi, but you are her father. What kind of agreement in this world can be more important than your father's life. Besides, I am also thinking about you. I hope the master can recover soon."

After hearing these words, which were both sincere and pitiful, they ended up being the fault of others.

Song Zhangye seemed tired, so he closed his eyes and refused to pay attention to what they said.

Seeing that Song Zhangye had relented, Shen Lingyu set her sights on Song Jinyi and asked softly, "Sister Yi, are you willing to agree to this marriage for your father?"

Shen Lingyu was sure that Song Jinyi would not agree easily, so she thought of the words in advance, but she didn't expect to hear Song Jinyi say "-Okay, I agree!"