Chapter 47 Ke'er, Don't Be Afraid
"Mother, wake up, don't scare Ke'er, okay?"
"Get up, it's raining, the ground is cold."
"Mother, get up, we're going home."
Li Nanke kept rubbing Song Yi's hands with his own warm little hands, trying to warm his mother's hands up.
Mother's hands were so cold, so cold that she trembled all over, and for a moment it felt like she had returned to that dream.
They endured hardship and suffering before finally reaching their place of exile in Qianzhou.
Those exiled were sent to a dilapidated village where they worked the land or went to the mines to collect stones every day.
The old village chief, who was in charge of guarding the exiled prisoners, took pity on her and her mother and specially arranged for them to live in the courtyard next to his house.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, two rooms were half collapsed, and the remaining room was barely habitable.
The old village chief was a good man. He sighed and advised them, "Although it's a bit worn out, if you tidy it up, it can at least keep you two safe from the wind and rain."
"From now on, work hard and honestly. It may be tough, but at least you'll have food to eat. Since you live next door, we can help you out a little."
He patted her head again and said, "This child is so thin and pale from hunger. Come on, let's go next door with Grandpa. Grandma has steamed some vegetable dumplings."
"Bring two over, you and your mother can make do with something tonight."
Her mother pulled her down to kneel and kowtow to the old village chief to express her gratitude, and then instructed her: "Be polite when you go to your grandfather's house, and thank your grandparents."
She had been hungry all day, and when she heard that she and her mother would have vegetable dumplings to eat, she was overjoyed and followed the old village chief away.
"Ke'er".
Her mother suddenly called out to her from behind.
As soon as she turned around, her mother hugged her tightly, and her mother's warm tears fell on her neck.
She turned her head and reached out to wipe away her mother's tears.
"Mother, don't cry, we will be alright."
Her mother nodded, her eyes red, and looked at her intently, as if she couldn't get enough of looking at her.
After a long while, he kissed her and ruffled her hair.
"Go."
"Okay, Mother, wait for me. I've brought back some vegetable dumplings so we can eat together."
She followed the old village chief to the next house.
The vegetable dumplings weren't ready yet, so the old village chief's wife gave her some water. Once the dumplings were cooked, she wrapped two in oil paper and gave them to her.
She happily ran back with two vegetable dumplings in her pocket.
"Mother, we have food!"
The house was quiet. Through the half-broken window, she saw her mother's emaciated body hanging from the roof beam.
It swayed gently in the wind.
The vegetable dumpling in my hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"Mother, Mother!"
She screamed and ran desperately into the house, tripped over the threshold, and fell headfirst inside.
Her forehead was cut open, and blood flowed down, blurring her vision.
All she could see was her mother's gently swaying figure.
The old village chief and his wife rushed over when they heard the commotion and lowered the mother down from the roof beam.
The old village chief put his hand under his nose to test it, then shook his head and sighed.
"What a terrible thing to do."
The old village chief's wife helped wipe the blood off her face.
"Poor little child, her father, look at the wall..."
She looked in the direction the old village chief's wife was pointing, and saw a line of words written in blood on the wall.
The blood was still wet, meandering down the wall.
"Ke'er, I'm sorry, Mother is going to find Father."
"Your mother can't do it anymore. You must live on, no matter how hard it is!"
These are the words her mother left her.
"Mother."
She threw herself on her mother and wailed, but her mother didn't respond at all.
Her mother's hands were just as cold as they were now, so cold that it terrified her.
As the dream and reality overlapped, Li Nanke screamed and shook Song Yi incessantly.
Why couldn't she save her mother even though she had already foreseen the opportunity in her dream and changed the fate of her family's confiscation and exile?
"Mother, please get up. Don't leave Ke'er here, okay? Ke'er is scared to be alone."
She cried her heart out.
Song Yi's body went limp and she slumped to the side.
A hand reached out and supported Song Yi.
Li Nanke looked up blankly, her eyes blurred with tears, and met her grandmother He's sallow face.
"Grandma...Grandma!"
She could no longer contain her grief and burst into tears.
He knelt on the ground, one arm around Song Yi, leaving only one hand free to pat her head.
"Ke'er, don't be afraid, Grandma is here."
He's voice was gentle yet firm, with a slight tremor.
Just like in the dream, when her grandmother was being punched and kicked by those yamen runners, she still hunched over tightly and held her in her arms.
He would rather die than let go of her.
Blood was spit on her body. Her grandmother moved her lips with difficulty and wiped away her tears with trembling hands.
"Ke'er, don't be afraid, Grandma is here."
Li Nanke cried so hard she almost fainted.
Looking at the scene before her, Madam He felt her vision go black and almost fainted.
On the one hand, she was glad that she had managed to come over with her family after learning that her granddaughter had come to the Song family.
She bit her tongue hard, and the pain mixed with the metallic taste in her mouth made her a little more awake.
With one arm around Song Yi and the other around Li Nanke, he looked up coldly at Minister Song and the Zhang family who had rushed over.
His voice trembled with anger as he gave instructions to his maid, Ziyu.
"Report this to the authorities immediately. Tell them that Vice Minister Song and his wife are ruthless and cruel, and that they tortured and killed their own daughter!"
Vice Minister Song's expression changed drastically.
Although he didn't understand why Song Yi left the ancestral hall and was shocked that Song Yi had become like this, he immediately realized what was going on when he heard Madam He say that she would report it to the authorities.
This matter must not be reported to the authorities; if it is, his career will be over.
He immediately gave a stern order to his servants, "Stop her!"
The servants of the Song family immediately stepped forward and stopped Ziyu from rushing out.
Minister Song said, “My dear in-law, please be careful with your words. Song Yi is my daughter. She is disobedient to her elders and unfilial to them.”
As her father, I scolded her a couple of times and then made her kneel in the ancestral hall for a while as punishment. It really doesn't constitute the abuse or murder of my own daughter.
Madam He's face was icy as she pointed at Song Yi, who was covered in blood.
"Kneeling in the ancestral hall for a short while and you're in this state? Is Vice Minister Song trying to fool me because I'm blind or deaf?"
Song Shilang's face turned ashen, and he subconsciously looked at Madam Zhang.
Zhang's eyes flickered slightly.
When she arrived at the ancestral hall, Song Yi was already lying on the ground, unconscious.
Blood was on his mouth and clothes.
She was terrified at the time, and her first reaction was that Song Yi must not die in the Song family.
Therefore, he quickly ordered the two old women guarding Song Yi to carry her out through the back gate while it was still dark.
But you absolutely must not say that.
She sighed and said, "Song Yi did something wrong first. Our master scolded her a couple of times, but he also felt sorry for her and specially instructed the servants to apply medicine for her."
The old women in the family can all testify to this: she acted tough, knocked out the old woman guarding the ancestral hall, and took the opportunity to run away.
I was worried, so I sent two old women to look for him. It seems he must have met with some misfortune outside.
“We were also very saddened by her accident. How can our in-laws blame us for this?”
He was so angry that she trembled all over.
"She's already gone, and you're still trying to smear her. You...you're not even human."
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