Chapter 58 Trust 3 We Can’t Owe the Xie Family Too Much
It was already the hour of Xu when Su He and Xie Wuhen arrived at Ping'an Lane.
At that time, most people in the alley had gone to bed, and only a few scattered lights were shining from the windows on both sides of the alley.
The carriage moved slowly in the dark night until it stopped in front of a house at the end of the alley.
The three big characters "Zijiyuan" were clearly written on the gate of the mansion.
In the dim darkness, the three large characters were powerful and vigorous, as if they contained some kind of power.
Xie Wuhen was puzzled: "Where exactly is this place?"
Su He answered irrelevantly: "I, your humble concubine, will go knock on the door first."
She walked to the wooden door, reached out and knocked on the doorknocker, and asked, "Uncle Qing, are you asleep?"
Uncle Qing was leading a group of children to enjoy the cool air in the courtyard. Upon hearing the sound, he quickly replied, "I haven't slept yet, but the young lady is here?"
Su He replied: "It's me."
Uncle Qing got up and opened the door.
In the dim light and shadow, he glanced at Su He and said, "It's so late, why are you here, Miss?"
Then he looked at Xie Wuhen and asked, "Who is this?"
Su He smiled slightly and said, "This is my husband, Xie Wuhen. We just happened to be passing by here, so we came in to take a look."
Uncle Qing's expression brightened, and he hurriedly greeted, "It's the Shaoqing! Please come in, please come in." Then he loudly ordered, "Xiao Lian, go and prepare some tea. The young lady and the Shaoqing are here."
Xiaolian was cleaning up the merchandise in the house. Upon hearing this, her face lit up and she shouted, "Okay, Uncle Qing, I'll get ready right away."
The children in the yard and several elderly, weak, women and children also came forward to pay their respects.
Su He greeted them one by one, and then led Xie Wuhen into the courtyard.
As they walked, he introduced, "Uncle Qing was a famine survivor I took in when I was at the other courtyard. Later, he settled down in the city and took in more famine survivors, and gradually, he grew into the large family he has today."
Uncle Qing couldn't help but interject, "We're all miserable people. If it weren't for the young lady's help, we would have starved to death on the streets. Now the young lady has even spent money to buy this mansion, giving us a place to live. The young lady has truly given us a life of rebirth."
Xie Wuhen naturally knew about Su He's relief efforts for the hungry.
Didn’t he marry her because of the “meal” she gave to the hungry people?
But he didn't expect that she would even buy a house in the capital to establish a "Tzu Chi Home" so that more hungry people could be self-sufficient and settle down here.
The three of them entered the front hall of the house one after another.
Xiaolian smiled and served the tea, "This is the new tea that Xing'er picked outside the city. Miss and Master, please have a taste."
As soon as the words fell, a boy named Xing'er came into the room with some cut fruits and vegetables: "Miss, sir, please try this winter melon again, it's very sweet."
Xie Wuhen paused when he heard this: "Han melon?"
Su He smiled slightly: "Yes, the winter melons are from the melon field outside the city."
Xing'er didn't forget to brag, "These winter melons are selling really well right now. Even people living in Ping'an Lane are coming to us to buy them. Uncle Qing said that if Qing'er and I can sell a whole truck of winter melons, he'll reward us with a delicious meal at Changlong Restaurant."
Qing'er was clinging to the door frame and laughing: "We will definitely sell out. I want to eat the charred chicken from Changlong Restaurant."
Uncle Qing also smiled and said, "Okay, after I sell this cart of winter melons, I'll take you to Changlong Restaurant to eat roast chicken."
The other two children came over and shouted, "I want to eat too, I want to eat too."
Uncle Qing had no choice but to agree: "Eat it all, eat it all."
The dolls immediately jumped up and cheered.
Xiaolian quickly raised her index finger and shushed them: "Keep your voice down! You mustn't disturb the neighbors."
The dolls immediately covered their mouths and laughed softly to suppress their voices.
The whole yard was shrouded in a warm atmosphere.
Xie Wuhen also looked relaxed, and from time to time he exchanged a few words with Uncle Qing. His behavior and words were all proper and appropriate. It was obvious that most of his suspicions had been eliminated.
Seeing that they had achieved their goal and it was getting late, Su He pulled him up and said goodbye.
Uncle Qing asked Xiaolian to pack a bag of winter melon and a package of tofu and put them on their carriage. He then escorted them to the door and earnestly instructed them, "Master and Miss, please come and visit us often when you have free time. The children and the old ladies are looking forward to your visit."
Xiaolian also echoed: "This servant also hopes that the young lady and the master will come often."
Su He smiled and told them to take care of their health, then got into the carriage with Xie Wuhen.
It was late at night, the streets were deserted, and only the clatter of horse-drawn carriages filled the night sky.
Inside the carriage, the glazed lamps on the walls were swaying gently with the shaking of the carriage, casting a hazy light and shadow.
Su He poured Xie Wuhen a cup of tea and then said, "I have already taken my husband to see the situation at the Tzu Chi Institute. Now I can explain why I left the city at twilight that day."
Xie Wuhen looked at her, "Selling melons?"
"That's right. Under normal circumstances, Uncle Qing would prepare the goods for the next day's sale the day before. However, on the day of the murder in the melon field, Uncle Qing and the melon farmer couldn't agree on a price. In desperation, he had to send someone to the Xie Mansion to ask me to intervene. The melon farmer kept talking and kept delaying the meeting, so I didn't leave the city until the evening hour before rushing to the melon field."
Xie Wuhen's expression remained unchanged, as if he already knew her answer.
After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Have you ever been to the Tzu Chi Institute?"
She was stunned, not understanding why he suddenly mentioned Ah Si.
Then he answered truthfully: "I've been here a few times."
A look of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he immediately lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes shielding the emotions within. "It turns out my wife trusts Ah Si more than she trusts me."
Su He choked and immediately denied: "I don't have any."
"You have."
"No."
He looked up at her, his tone calm and serious: "If that's the case, then why did you lie and say you went back to the Li family?"
Su He met his gaze calmly.
What she was certain of was that he believed her explanation, but he was still unwilling to accept it, so he got to the bottom of it. She said, "My husband is different from Ah Si."
"What's the difference?"
"Could it be that my husband thinks he is the same as Ah Si?"
Xie Wuhen was silent, then took a sip of tea. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "Could it be that Madam feels that the closer we are to someone, the less we can be honest with each other?"
The two looked at each other solemnly again.
The dim light of the glass lamp made the expressions of the two people become gloomy.
For a moment, she even heard the heavy sigh rolling down his throat.
She knew it was his vulnerability and his fear of betrayal.
After a long pause, Su He spoke again, "Since I married into the Xie family, my husband has not only treated me well, but has also shown great trust in me. He even gave me the key to the storehouse for safekeeping. I am deeply grateful for this, and I have no choice but to carefully protect this happiness."
Xie Wuhen chuckled and interrupted her: "Madam, is this what you call 'careful care'?"
Su He said confidently, "It was precisely because I wanted to protect you that I bought a house to take in the hungry people without telling my husband. After all, I spent a lot of money. After all, my husband and I have a common interest. I don't want to cause unrest in the Xie family because of this matter."
"Does my lady think I care about that money?"
"But what if my mother-in-law cares?"
He paused, then sighed, his eyes softening. "I told my wife, just do whatever you want, and don't bother with mother."
"But no matter what, my mother is also an elder, so I, a poor concubine, must be more considerate."
He was silent.
After a moment, he reached out and gently held her hand.
Even though he didn't say a word, she could feel his lingering guilt.
The guilt flowed gently along his fingertips like a trickle of water into her palm.
He suspected her of infidelity and even suspected her of being involved in the murder, but the truth was that she helped the poor and the weak, and even worked hard to ensure the peace of her family.
It would be strange if he didn't feel guilty!
His guilt also implicated her guilt.
She couldn't imagine whether his world would fall apart the day she escaped, and whether he would never trust any woman again.
He was a good man, but she ultimately betrayed him.
Su He held his hand with her backhand and explained softly, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have kept it secret from my husband, but my original intention was to protect this family."
He took a deep breath, put his arms around her, and kissed her heavily on the forehead.
In this way, he completely believed her!
Outside the car window, the shadows of the trees swayed, the moonlight was like water, and the entire capital seemed to have fallen into a huge dream, a dream that was empty, ethereal, and boundless...
The next day, Xie Wuhen got up early to go on duty.
Su He slept on the couch until the sun was high in the sky. It was not until Zhang Xiuhua came into the room to clean up that she slowly sat up from the couch.
Zhang Xiuhua was filled with emotion: "Young lady suffered so much in her childhood, but now she is enjoying a few good days. First, she doesn't have to get up early to help her husband wash and change clothes, and second, she doesn't have to go to the main courtyard every day to pay her respects to her mother-in-law. This is the happy life that many women dream of."
Chunlan was dressing Su He and replied with a smile: "This is a blessing for our young lady."
Su He looked at herself in the mirror and said indifferently, "How can this be considered my blessing?"
This is clearly a blessing for the deceased Li Shuli!
She is just a thief who steals "blessings".
Chunlan said stubbornly: "In my eyes, it is a blessing for the young lady."
As soon as he finished speaking, a maid entered the room and reported: "Young Madam, Mr. Wu is here."
Su He paused, "He didn't go on duty with the young master today?"
The maid shook her head: "No, she said she had something to report to the young lady."
Su He said, "Go ahead."
Wu Sheng strode into the main house.
He was followed by four servants, each carrying two large wooden boxes.
After entering the house, Wu Sheng signaled the servant to put down the wooden box, then clasped his fists and bowed, "I greet the young lady."
Su He glanced at the wooden box and asked him, "What's in it?"
Wu Sheng smiled, stepped forward and opened the lid of the box.
What caught the eye was the neatly stacked silver, shining brightly, weighing more than a thousand taels.
Su He was puzzled: "Where did this come from?"
Wu Sheng replied: "From the study. The boss said this is pocket money for the young lady."
She ordered, "Then move it directly to the warehouse."
Wu Sheng quickly waved his hand. "The boss said this is his private money. It's not in the treasury or on the public books. The young lady can spend it however she wants." He lowered his voice and said, "This way, the old lady won't know."
Su He fell silent.
He was obviously trying to resolve her worries so that she could go to the Tzu Chi Home with peace of mind.
He also obviously felt guilty towards her and wanted to do his best to compensate her.
What he didn't know was that all this was just a lie she had carefully woven.
She said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Wu Sheng bowed and replied, "Young Madam, you're welcome." Then he glanced at Chunlan beside him.
Chunlan knew what he was thinking, so she turned around and brought a plate of cakes: "Thank you for the trouble. This is a reward from the young lady."
Wu Sheng quickly took the cake and said, "Thank you, young madam." He then gave Chunlan a knowing look and left with several servants.
The room became quiet.
Zhang Xiuhua walked around the two large wooden boxes twice and sighed sincerely, "My son-in-law is really generous. There is already countless silver in the treasury, and now he has taken out so much of his private money."
Chunlan also agreed: "The son-in-law is really good to the young lady."
"That's right, that's right." Zhang Xiuhua nodded repeatedly.
Finally, he looked worried: "Even though the son-in-law is so good now, when the young lady sneaks away tomorrow, will he really let her go? Will he send people to hunt us down?"
She still remembered the scene when her brother-in-law beheaded the prisoner on the street.
Su He's expression remained unchanged as she answered irrelevantly, "Aunt, let's put this silver into the treasury. The money needed by the Tzu Chi Institute will still come from my dowry."
Zhang Xiuhua was unwilling to give up. She didn't want to waste such a huge amount of money.
She asked, "Why is that?"
Su He replied, "We can't owe the Xie family too much."
Zhang Xiuhua lowered her head sadly and said "Oh".
Su He then instructed Chun Lan: "Remember to go to Wu Sheng in the next two days to inquire about the progress of the investigation into the Guadi murder case. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle."
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