Chapter 4 The Top Scholar Who Murdered His Wife and Daughter (Part 4): The Farmer's Son's Counterattack Against the Emperor...
Fifteen minutes later, Zhou the carpenter also returned. Perhaps he had heard the news and rushed back from the village chief's house early.
"Uncle Zhou, this is the wine I bought for you in the county."
Carpenter Zhou was taken aback, then accepted the gift with a sense of flattery. After all, his eldest son had never been close to him and usually stayed quietly at home reading. Fang, standing to the side, said with a hint of pride and joy, "This is a prize money that Ce'er earned by studying. Only the best students in the county school can get it!"
Carpenter Zhou opened the wine jug and could tell from the smell that it was definitely better than the wine hidden in the village chief's house. He rubbed his hands together happily and said with a smile, "Why did you buy me such good wine, brother? It's such a waste of money."
“Ce’er is so capable. He bought you some good wine to show his respect, but you’re complaining that he’s wasting money.”
"You woman, I didn't mean that! I...I didn't mean to hurt you!" Zhou the carpenter shrank his neck, but in the end he didn't continue to talk back, and just smiled honestly to the side.
Song Ce smiled. He brought a lot of things back to his family this time, but his own luggage was much simpler. He only brought a small bundle containing a few books and some changes of clothes.
In the evening, Fang specially slaughtered a chicken raised at home, and the family enjoyed a warm and harmonious meal together.
...
The next day, Song Ce was woken up early by Fang Shi to go with her to pay respects at the grave of the deceased scholar Song, so that he could bless Song Ce from heaven and wish him success in his studies.
Time flies, and it seems like only yesterday that it was May 4th.
Early in the morning, Song Ce got up after hearing Fang Shi's movements outside. After dressing properly, he went out of the room, where breakfast had already been prepared and was laid out on the dining table.
The porcelain bowl was filled with thick sweet potato and millet porridge, the main dishes were steaming hot steamed buns and flatbreads, along with two small dishes of pickled vegetables made by the Fang family, and five boiled eggs. This breakfast was considered very good in the village, since most villagers would take the eggs laid by their chickens to the market to sell, and very few would eat them themselves.
“Yesterday, his third uncle said there was work in the county town, and the employer would provide lunch. You can cook and eat at home, don’t worry about me.” Zhou the carpenter finished his millet porridge in one gulp, grabbed his usual tools, and went out.
After finishing the meal, Fang Shi said to Song Ce while clearing away the dishes, "Ce'er, today I have to go to the village chief's house to make quilts. I've left some food for you in the kitchen. If you two are hungry, eat first. I don't know when I'll be back!"
"Is it because of the village chief's daughter's marriage?" Song Ce asked.
He possessed the plot of this world and the memories of the original owner, so he naturally knew what was about to happen. As he wiped the table, Fang replied, "That's right, the village chief's family set the date soon, I don't know why they're in such a hurry, only giving us half a month to prepare, so we have to rush." After Fang finished tidying up, she turned her head and saw Song Ce holding a book, and added, "You finally got a holiday, it's okay to rest for a day or two, don't overwork yourself by reading. If Yun Hui bothers you, just let her go play with Jiao Jiao next door by herself."
Zhou Yunhui pouted and muttered softly, "I won't make trouble for my brother!"
Song Ce smiled and patted her head, saying to Fang Shi, "I understand, Mother."
After seeing Fang Shi off, Song Ce looked at Zhou Yunhui, who was standing obediently beside him with wide eyes, and sighed almost imperceptibly. Children don't remember things; if you're nice to her, she'll forget how cold the original owner of this body was to her, and she's been clinging to him even more these past two days.
Actually, Zhou Yunhui's tragedy in the previous life was not caused by the original owner, but the original owner's attitude of ignoring and not caring about it can be considered as a driving force that allowed things to develop in the future.
The girl in the original owner's memories was always afraid of the dark. She got lost in the mountains by accident and spent the night alone. When she was found the next morning, she had a cut on her head. After resting for two days, she woke up and her personality changed drastically. She stopped speaking. She would always sit alone at the gate of the courtyard, carrying a stool, staring blankly in the direction of the mountains for the whole day.
Later, Zhou Yunhui married the son of a merchant surnamed Shen in the county town. The Shen family was small, and the Shen couple had been loving for many years and had only one son named Shen Jin.
Although Shen Jin was handsome, he was weak from childhood and had to seek medical treatment for many years. At that time, the original owner of this body already held a high official position, so in general, the Shen family had climbed the social ladder.
After their marriage, Zhou Yunhui and Shen Jin had a very deep affection for each other, and Shen's parents treated her very well. Six months after their marriage, Zhou Yunhui became pregnant and gave birth to a boy. Unfortunately, their good days didn't last long. Manager Shen and his wife were traveling by water to the capital to deliver goods when they were robbed by a group of roving river pirates. After being robbed of everything, the two elders were also brutally murdered.
Shen Jin was already in poor health, and upon hearing this devastating news, he fell seriously ill and passed away at the end of the following year.
The Shen family suffered a devastating blow, leaving only an orphan and a widow to depend on each other. Zhou Yunhui and Shen Jin were deeply in love, but since Shen Jin's death, Zhou Yunhui has been grieving and unable to sleep, leaving her with no energy to manage the family business.
And what about the Zhou family? Carpenter Zhou had died a few years ago due to overwork. Since the original owner was an official in the capital, those people still had some reservations. Madam Fang understood all too well the bitterness of a family without a man to stand up for them. She wrote to the original owner many times, but the original owner always sent her away with ambiguous replies.
Seeing how the original owner of this body repeatedly treated her so perfunctorily, how could Fang not see that this son was a cold-hearted and heartless person? Fang was so devastated that she was filled with sorrow and grief all day long, and became emaciated. She died of depression a few years later.
Once Fang left, the original owner of this body severed all ties with the Zhou family. Meanwhile, those with ulterior motives became increasingly blatant in their actions. Seeing that the powerful original owner showed no intention of taking action to seek justice for the orphans and widows, they became even more unscrupulous.
It was obvious that with no man to rely on in the family and the Shen family's substantial wealth, Zhou Yunhui and her son were like a toddler carrying a fortune in a bustling marketplace—how could they not be coveted? Gradually, the Shen family declined. Knowing she was powerless to change anything, Zhou Yunhui sold the Shen family mansion and returned to Chenjia Village with her child.
Later, the original owner of the house was sentenced to beheading and extermination of his entire family after the collapse of the building. Although Zhou Yunhui had long lost contact with the original owner, she was his half-sister, and their blood relationship was indisputable. Therefore, Zhou Yunhui and her son were taken away from Chenjia Village by the yamen runners and executed the next day.
"elder brother?"
Song Ce snapped out of his reverie, looked down at the little girl in front of him, and a gentle, loving smile appeared on his handsome face: "Yun Hui, come on, brother will take you to play on the mountain!"
When Zhou Yunhui heard that her brother was going to take her to the mountain to play, she happily took her little basket and followed Song Ce out the door.
"Oh! Scholar, where are you headed so early in the morning?" Aunt Zhou and her daughter-in-law, who were carrying bamboo baskets on their backs, asked Song Ce and his sister with great enthusiasm as they walked home.
“Aunt Zhou, sister-in-law, I’m going to go up the mountain to collect some firewood. We’re almost out of firewood at home. The weather is still nice, and it’s boring to stay at home anyway. Why don’t I take my sister out for a walk, get some fresh air, and stretch our muscles?”
"That's true. The scholar looks rather frail. If he goes up the mountain more often, he'll surely live to be a hundred!"
After the brother and sister walked away, the daughter-in-law standing behind Aunt Zhou said softly, "Mother, I think Scholar Song is much easier to get along with than before. He used to be so arrogant and never talked to us farmers."
"Isn't that right? And this scholar is quite promising! He hasn't even become a Juren yet, but he's already getting a prize from the county school! I heard from my second brother-in-law that there are at least dozens of people like him in the county school!"
"Oh, Mother, Song Xiucai is so capable, I wonder what kind of wife he'll find in the future! I even saw him talking to the village chief's daughter before, I thought they might get together!"
"Oh? You can't talk nonsense like that. Da Ni'er is about to get married. Besides, why would Scholar Song even look at Da Ni'er? If he becomes an official in the future, he'll definitely be able to find her a wife in the city!" Aunt Zhou sighed and said with emotion, "Our San Ni'er is also of marriageable age. If she can find such a good match, she won't have to worry about the rest of her life!"
...
"Brother, look, there are fish here!" Zhou Yunhui ran excitedly to the stream, waved to Song Ce, and called out in a clear voice.
Song Ce wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and waved weakly at the energetic girl: "Yun Hui, wait for your brother, be careful not to get your clothes wet!"
Song Ce truly hadn't expected that the original owner of this body, who appeared so dignified and refined on the surface, was actually so physically weak. He was exhausted after walking just over a kilometer.
However, the journey was quite fruitful, yielding many mushrooms and some edible wild vegetables.
He glanced at the sky; it was almost noon. He led Zhou Yunhui around a large rock by the stream, saying as they walked, "Yunhui, your brother is a little tired. Let's rest over there for a while." He pointed to a large tree not far away.
The mountains are covered with trees. The brother and sister sat next to a big tree, with a patch of messy weeds in front of them. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to tell that there were two people sitting there.
About fifteen minutes later, a girl wearing a dark green dress and with braided hair emerged from the path leading down the mountain. She was pale and walked quickly toward the village at the foot of the mountain, glancing back as she went, as if someone was chasing her.
"Oh! Brother, look, it's Sister Liu!" Zhou Yunhui saw Song Ce leaning against the tree behind him, his eyes half-closed, seemingly half-awake. Afraid of disturbing him, Zhou Yunhui tugged at Song Ce's sleeve and whispered.
Song Ce nodded, patted the little girl's head, and pursed his lips as he watched Liu Jiao'er run past in a hurry.
Once Liu Jiao'er was out of sight, Song Ce pulled Zhou Yunhui to her feet. "Yunhui, be good. Your brother has rested enough. Let's go to the stream."
Having read the world's plot, Song Ce knew that Zhou Yunhui's drastic change in temperament after spending a night on the mountain was not an accident at all, but rather a scheme orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives, namely Liu Jiao'er, who had just passed by in a hurry.
A note from the author:
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It's so windy today!
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