Chapter 4: Not Simple

When Song Yuzhu arrived, the mourning hall had already been set up in Ju'an Hall. Yang's body was placed in the center of the main hall, with five or six lamas sitting nearby, chanting sutras for the dead.

Jiang and several wives from the side branches knelt down and burned paper money. Because Yang's death was so sudden, many things were not prepared, and Qin was busy ordering people to buy things for the funeral.

In the past, when the old lady was in good health, she was in charge of everything in the Song family. Now that she was sick, no one dared to disturb her, and Qin took care of everything. She was also happy to be the housekeeper, commanding this and that as if she were a high-ranking official, and she was having a lot of fun.

When Jiang saw her son coming, she quickly ordered the maid to tear a piece of white cloth and tie it around his waist.

"Mom, my aunt..."

Jiang's eyes turned red. It was not a good place to talk outside as there were so many people coming and going, so she pulled her son to the cubicle next door.

"She was gone last night. This morning, the girl who brought food came and knocked on the door, but no one opened it. When she pushed it open, she saw her hanging from the beam. She was dead."

Song Yuzhu said: "We found it this morning, why are you notifying everyone now?"

"I'm afraid your grandmother will know." The old lady is very old. She was seriously ill after her eldest son left. If she heard that her eldest daughter-in-law was also gone, she might not be able to bear the shock.

Song Yuzhu nodded in understanding and said, "Where is cousin Yumin?"

"That child...just lost his father and mother, so he was really traumatized. Your father gave him an injection and sent him outside to rest."

Song Yuzhu felt a little sympathy for this cousin whom she was not very familiar with. He experienced the pain of losing his parents in just a few days, and she didn't know if he could bear it at such a young age.

Jiang's voice choked with sobs as she blamed herself: "When I came back that day, I saw that my sister-in-law looked a little strange, but I didn't take it seriously at the time. If I had come to comfort her these few days, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."

Song Yuzhu held Jiang's hand and comforted her: "Mom, it's not your fault." Song Lin served as an official in the capital for several years and only came back once. Since Jiang married into the Song family, she had met Yang only four or five times. Both of them were introverted, so they didn't feel comfortable coming over to disturb others.

Jiang took out a handkerchief and wiped her nose. "Well, let's not talk about it anymore. I just heard Song Quan say that you went to the clinic to help out? You haven't had lunch yet, right? I asked Yun He to cook some Tremella and Autumn Pear Soup for you to drink. The weather is dry in autumn, and pear soup moisturizes the lungs."

"Yeah." Song Yuzhu knew that she couldn't help much if she stayed here, so she simply went to her mother's yard to rest.

When the mother and son came out of the compartment, they ran into Song Bai and Song Qiao. They looked tired and were wearing mourning clothes.

Jiang Rong asked: "Has Yumin arranged everything?"

Song Bai nodded: "The child is not in good spirits. He screams when he is awake. I was afraid of disturbing his mother, so I just sent him to the other courtyard. Is everything arranged here?"

"My second sister-in-law has asked someone to arrange it. I have no experience and don't know anything. I have to rely on her for everything."

Song Qiao said, "It's my duty. We are family and should not have different opinions. By the way, my sister-in-law left two suicide notes. One was for Yumin, which I didn't open. The other was for us, and I opened it privately and took a look. It said that we should help take care of Yumin." As he said that, he took out the letter from his arms and handed it to his brother.

Song Bai took the letter and read it. There wasn't much to say. She just said that she couldn't bear the pain of losing her husband, so she followed him. The only thing she was worried about was her young son, so she asked her two uncles to help take care of him. She would thank them for their kindness even in the afterlife.

After reading the letter, Song Bai's face was full of sadness: "Sister-in-law, why do you have to do this..." But if you put yourself in her shoes, she watched her husband go to die with her own eyes and she was powerless to do anything. She must have felt very sad in her heart. After suffering for so many days, she still chose to leave with him, which was a relief.

The two families discussed it and decided to keep the funeral simple, with the body kept for only one day before burial.

Yang's mother's family was in Yuenan, hundreds of miles away from Jiangcheng County. They couldn't wait for them to come for the funeral, so they could only send the news over and come to pay their respects later.

After the funeral, Song Yumin became a hot potato. The child was so shocked that he didn't say a word. He sat in the yard every day staring at the sky, and didn't even run back to the house when it rained.

Qin was willing to take over his position, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell what was going on.

During the meal, Qin mentioned this matter to Song Qiao.

"I feel sorry for the child, now he has no parents. Why not take him in and let Yufeng keep him company? The two are not much different in age."

Song Qiao chewed the duck breast and chuckled: "Put away your little thoughts. I don't know what you are thinking about. The money that my elder brother left behind is for Yumin. I advise you to stop thinking about it as soon as possible."

Qin curled her lips and said, "I am not doing this for our family. Besides, I don't want to embezzle his money. I am only borrowing a little to buy goods. I can share the interest with him when I make money in the future."

"Ahem, spit!" Song Qiao spit into the spittoon, then took the handkerchief from Chunhong and wiped his mouth: "Now the money is in the hands of the old lady, she doesn't even know that the eldest sister-in-law is gone, it won't help even if you bring Yumin here."

Seeing that he was willing to give in, Qin quickly said, "It's okay, just keep it for now. It's just a matter of having an extra pair of chopsticks."

Song Qiao said, "You can do whatever you want, but I have to say this first. The kid is not very smart right now, so don't take the opportunity to bully him. If I find out, I will definitely not forgive you."

"My husband, what are you talking about? Am I the kind of person who is blinded by money?" Qin said unhappily.

Song Qiao didn't refute out loud but thought in his heart: You are not the kind of person who is blinded by money, so that can't be called "open", it should be called "blossoming"!

*

Song Yuzhu got up early in the morning and went to the clinic, intending to see how the man who was injured yesterday was recovering.

There were not many people in the clinic at this hour, and the shopkeeper was ordering people to refill the medicine cabinet with new herbs. Seeing Song Yuzhu coming, he hurriedly greeted him, "Master Zhu, you are here so early.

"Well, my father can't come today because of something at home. I'll sit here."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Okay, it doesn't matter whether you or the Third Master comes."

Song Yuzhu: "By the way, how is the injured man?"

"He woke up not long after you and Third Master left yesterday and struggled to leave. Baozhong and I stopped him, gave him medicine, and he fell asleep. I don't know if he is awake now."

Song Yuzhu nodded and walked straight to the backyard.

*

In the backyard, Zhao Xiao had just woken up and sat on the bed, holding his chest, his face pale. He was exhausted from being chased all the way, and finally relaxed, and slept for a whole day and night.

Song Yuzhu knocked on the door and walked in: "It seems that nothing happened."

Zhao Xiao stood up quickly and accidentally pulled the wound on his chest, causing him to groan in pain.

"Don't move. Your wound hasn't healed yet. If it's torn, you'll have to sew it again." The catgut used for sutures is different from the medical sutures used in modern trials. It is not tough enough and can easily break.

I have to say that this man's physical condition is quite impressive. After undergoing such a major operation without using anesthesia or antibiotics, he recovered almost completely in just one day.

Zhao Xiao was also looking at Song Yuzhu. He was still conscious when he fainted yesterday, and he clearly remembered that it was this young doctor who saved him. He originally thought that he was just a little young, but now after a closer look, he turned out to be a handsome young man.

"Thank you for saving my life, young doctor." After being shot by the arrow, he tried to pull it out twice, but it was too deep and there was no way to pull it out. In the end, he could only cut off the arrow and find this clinic. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise and saved his life.

"Give me your hand." Song Yuzhu moved a stool and sat next to him.

Zhao Xiao didn't hesitate, rolled up his sleeves and stretched out his hand for him to feel his pulse.

Her slender fingers rested on his wrist. "From the pulse, it looks like nothing is wrong for now. It's just that you have a little deficiency of Qi and blood. You will be fine after some rest. Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed."

Knowing that he was going to check the wound, Zhao Xiao quickly took off his shirt and lay down on the bed.

The man had a beautiful figure, with shiny wheat-colored skin, broad shoulders and a thin waist, and distinct chest and abdominal muscles.

This kind of muscle is not the large muscle that is developed by eating protein powder in later generations, but a group of small muscles developed through rigorous training, each of which is full of explosive power.

Song Yuzhu reached out and pressed his chest: "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

The cold fingers pressed gently on the stitched wound again: "Here?"

Zhao Xiao took a breath and said, "Yes, a little bit!"

There was no infection and no fluid accumulation in the wound, which showed that the operation was successful. Song Yuzhu put his hands away with satisfaction.

"Resist in bed and don't move around for the next few days. You can leave after two days if you don't have a fever."

"No, I have to leave right away." Zhao Xiao got up, fastened his clothes, and got out of bed.

"Is there anything urgent?" Song Yuzhu asked casually.

Before Zhao Xiao could say anything, there was a sudden noise outside.

Six or seven people dressed as officials broke into the clinic and started searching without saying a word.

"What can I do for you, gentlemen?" Song Daming was startled and hurried forward to ask.

The officers ignored him and went straight to the backyard after searching the front hall.

"General, what are you doing? If there is anything, please tell me." Song Daming followed and ran into the backyard.

Zhao Xiao's face changed when he heard the voice. The compartment was small and there was nothing to cover himself. He raised his head and glanced at the top of his head. He was afraid that if he hid, the young doctor would be exposed.

He whispered, "I'm sorry!" Then he put his arm around Song Yuzhu's waist and jumped to the top of the beam.

Song Yuzhu was shocked. It was incredible that this man actually knew martial arts!

(End of this chapter)