115 Sugar Roasted Chestnuts
◎I don’t want it! I don’t want him to see me!◎
Song Jinyi came over after hearing the noise, and as she approached the kitchen door, she smelled a strong smell of blood.
Her heart tightened and she pushed the door open suddenly - the scene before her made her blood run cold!
Zhang Yao leaned against the table, her face as pale as paper, her whole body shaking like a sieve. In her hand, she tightly grasped a sharp blade, the tip of which was still dripping with sticky blood.
Hearing the noise, she raised her head in panic and her eyes met Song Jinyi's, her eyes filled with panic and fear.
"Bang!"
Zhang Yao's grip loosened, and the bloody knife fell from her hand, making a sharp sound on the blood-stained floor tiles. Her lips trembled, and her voice broke and distorted: "It wasn't me... It wasn't me. I didn't mean to kill anyone."
Following the trail of blood, Chen Tian was holding one of his hands and howling in pain. His hand was covered in blood and blood was gushing out, soaking half of his clothes.
There were several broken fingers scattered on the ground not far from him!
Behind Chen Tian, Li He's clothes were torn to shreds. Like a frightened little animal, she curled up tightly in a ball, buried her head in her arms, and sobbed softly.
Song Jinyi was already a little drunk, but the cold wind blew away his vision, and he suddenly felt dizzy, with stars appearing everywhere. He staggered and could hardly stand.
"Be careful!" Huo Changqing, who followed closely behind, supported her shaky body.
He quickly scanned the entire kitchen and made a decision immediately, "Ruru! Go get a doctor immediately! And Mr. Wang, please go backstage and find a clean cloth to stop the bleeding!"
He took off his outer robe and prepared to put it on Li He first. However, just as he took a step closer to Li He, the curled up figure burst into a sharper whimper, and the body desperately shrank back, and the resistance was obvious.
Huo Changqing paused and turned to look at Song Jinyi, "Shopkeeper Song, she's frightened now. No one else can get close to her. You need to take care of her."
Song Jinyi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
She took the outer robe, walked quickly to Li He, squatted down, and wrapped Li He's cold body with the clothes that still had warm body temperature.
She gently hugged Li He and said in a very soft voice, "Don't be afraid, it's me, Sister Jinyi is here."
Li He's tense body trembled slightly, and then, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, he buried himself deeper in Song Jinyi's arms and burst into tears.
Song Jinyi hugged her tightly, patting her back gently. "Don't be afraid, Jinyi is here, and Sister Ruolan is here too. We will all protect you. It's okay, it's okay..."
Half an hour later.
The doctor was sweating profusely as he treated the wounds of the unconscious Chen Tian, bandaging and stopping the bleeding. Li He, accompanied by Xu Ruolan and Zhang Jinfei, went to the attic to rest.
Song Jinyi and Huo Changqing were in the hall, looking at Zhang Yao with serious expressions.
"What exactly happened? Only if you tell us can we find a way to solve the problem." Song Jinyi said softly.
Zhang Yao choked up and told the whole story.
…
With a "bang", Song Jinyi slammed the table hard. How dare Chen Tian, this beast, do such a despicable thing!
But anger will not solve the problem at hand.
Song Jinyi turned to Huo Changqing and said, "Mr. Huo, do you know what the punishment is for negligently injuring someone and causing disability according to Daxia law?"
"According to the Daxia Criminal Code, anyone who intentionally injures another person, resulting in limb loss, shall be sentenced to one year in prison and hard labor."
Song Jinyi's heart trembled, "But Zhang Yao also took action to save talents, which is understandable. Perhaps the government will give her a lighter sentence?" She subconsciously looked at Huo Changqing, hoping to get a gentle answer.
Huo Changqing frowned, lost in deeper thought. After a long pause, he spoke slowly, his voice grave: "Manager Song, if you explain the reason, you may be able to reduce your sentence. But—"
He sighed softly, "If we want to present Chen Tian's intention to insult Madam Li as evidence in court, Madam Li will have to testify in public and describe her unbearable experience in detail."
He paused. "Manager Song, you're a woman, so you should know better than me. In this world, what does a woman's reputation mean?"
Song Jinyi certainly knew that in this era, a woman’s innocence was more important than her life!
Even if the final step fails, as long as she is stigmatized by the word "disloyalty", it will be enough to ruin her life. How can she gain a foothold in the future and how can she get married?
Of course she can support Li He for the rest of her life, but will Li He be willing?
If this matter gets out and she has to endure all those rumors, it would be like rubbing salt into her bloody wounds!
She pounded the table with her fists clenched. "What kind of world is this? You'll go to jail for being brave and righteous! And if you sue the bad guys, you'll lose your happiness for the rest of your life!" A deep sense of powerlessness and sadness swept over her body.
Song Jinyi rubbed her temples, unable to think of a suitable method for a moment, "Then what should we do?"
"negotiation."
Huo Changqing turned his gaze to Song Jinyi. "This matter cannot be brought before the authorities. It can only be resolved privately. Go talk to Chen Tian and use evidence of his ill intentions, plus sufficient compensation, to get him to sign a settlement agreement and give up the lawsuit."
"It's just... I'm sorry to have to trouble Madam Li."
******
Just after the hour of Yin, frost silently crept up the withered branches, eaves, and stone steps, gleaming a bleak silver in the dim sunlight. A few hoarse, dry cries of crows suddenly pierced the dead silence, like a blunt knife scraping across rusty iron, leaving one's heart inexplicably tense.
Song Jinyi walked on the frosty stone road and knocked on the doorknob at the back door.
Before coming, she had tried to negotiate with Chen Tian, hoping that he would give up pursuing Zhang Yao.
"Let her go? Dream on!" he roared, "I lost an arm! My life is ruined! That bitch Zhang Yao must pay the price!
"I'm going to put her in jail! And Li He, she doesn't want to be with me? If this gets out, which man would want her?!"
Chen Tian's hysterical appearance made Song Jinyi realize that she could not communicate with him. In desperation, she could only come to Chen Ming.
A faint, swaying light from an oil lamp shone through the window of the hut, looking particularly weak in the thick darkness. The door quickly opened, revealing Chen Ming, wearing an old, washed-out cotton-padded jacket with sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He held an axe in his hand, presumably from chopping wood.
"Manager Song? Why are you here at this hour? Is there something urgent?"
Song Jinyi looked at Chen Tian's face, which was somewhat similar to Chen Tian's, and felt mixed emotions.
She took a deep breath, and the cold air seemed to freeze her lungs. She told Chen Ming everything that happened in the middle of the night.
"What? How is it possible?" The blood color on Chen Tian's face instantly faded, "A Tian... A Tian, it's impossible! How could he..." He retorted subconsciously, but his voice became lower and lower.
He looked at Song Jinyi, his lips trembling, and hesitated for a long time, "Shopkeeper Song, A Tian...did he really do such a...heinous thing?" Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth with difficulty.
Song Jinyi nodded solemnly. "I'm here to ask you for a favor. Please persuade Chen Tian not to sue the police. I will pay him all the medical expenses and compensation."
Chen Ming was stunned for a while, then he suddenly raised his calloused hands and slapped himself hard!
"It's my fault! It's all my fault!" His voice was filled with tears and deep remorse. "It's me, as a useless brother! It's me who didn't discipline him properly! It's me who indulged him, letting him gradually become like this... He became such a shameless, evil bastard!"
He raised his hand to hit himself again, but Song Jinyi quickly grabbed his arm.
"Don't be like this, it's not entirely your fault! He chose his own path, and you've done enough for him! He became what he is today because of his own flawed thoughts and the wrong path he took. You can't blame him as his brother!"
Chen Ming hung his head, silent for a moment, wiped his face vigorously, and when he looked up again, his eyes, though still painful, had a hint of determination. "Boss, don't worry, I will definitely keep him under control. I won't let him file a complaint."
He paused, then asked with difficulty, "Then, shopkeeper, what are you going to do with this matter?"
Song Jinyi didn't want to hide it from him, so she tactfully told him, "After something like this, Chen Tian can't stay here any longer. After the fifth day of the new year, the list of people to be reclaimed will be submitted. He will follow the refugees outside the city to Hexi County."
"I'm sorry, boss. It's my brother and I who are sorry to you and everyone." He stood up and looked out at the still dark night. "He and I lost our parents when we were young, and we grew up on the same thin porridge.
"Now that he has committed a terrible mistake and is injured, he still wants to go to that wasteland. I can't watch him go alone. I have to go to Hexi County with him."
The winter crows snuggled together and made shrill cries.
******
Song Jinyi sat by the window, looking at the remaining snow in the courtyard, with a heavy feeling in her heart.
After that night, Li He had nightmares every day. Xu Ruolan had traveled a long distance from Yunzhou and had not had a good rest yet. She was in plain clothes and took care of Li He.
By the seventh day, she had lost a lot of weight. Song Jinyi mentioned the business in Yunzhou, so she let her rest for two days and take a bus back.
Zhang Yao also looked haggard. The lively and bright girl she used to be was gone. She became unusually quiet. Song Jinyi tried to talk to her again and again, but Zhang Yao just lowered her head and brushed off with curt "Yeah," "I see," and "It's okay."
Since opening the shop on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, I have been working from dawn to dusk, working myself to exhaustion. It seems that only in this way can I temporarily forget the nightmare.
As for Li He - since that night, she has never stepped out of the room again!
She was afraid of seeing people, especially men. As long as she heard the footsteps or voices of a man outside the door, she would shrink into the darkest corner of the room like a frightened deer, covering her ears and trembling.
Song Jinyi tried to take her out for some fresh air, even if it was just a walk in the yard.
But as soon as she stepped out of the door and came into contact with the slightly wider space and flowing air outside, Li He's body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, like a flower that was quickly withering.
How dare I force it?
After examining the patient, the doctor simply shook his head. "This is caused by excessive shock and trauma to the mind. It's a very serious heart condition. Ordinary herbal remedies can only soothe the body, but they can't cure the underlying condition."
She even considered sending Li He to Medicine King Valley. However, as soon as she tentatively mentioned the names of "Medicine King Valley" and "Yu Dongqing," Li He's reaction was unexpectedly agitated—"I don't want it! I don't want him to see me!"
A cold wind blew in from the window. Song Jinyi tightened her clothes and felt that this winter was endlessly cold.
Just as I was daydreaming, I heard a peddler carrying a load on his shoulder and shouting his wares along the street.
"Raw chestnuts for sale. Big, fragrant chestnuts..."
Song Jinyi stood on the second floor, watching passersby asking for prices. She remembered that Li He used to love sugar-roasted chestnuts. She quickly went downstairs and went straight to the chestnut vendor.
I picked half a bag of chestnuts with shiny and plump shells.
Back in Zhang's small kitchen, she cleaned and drained the chestnuts neatly, then took out a pair of kitchen scissors and, with a "click, click" sound, she cut a small cross-shaped opening on the bulging top of each chestnut.
Pour the processed chestnuts into a large bowl, drizzle with clear oil, and shake a few times to allow the oil to evenly coat each chestnut.
In a separate small pot, add sugar and a pinch of salt, then boil with water. The sugar granules swirl and melt in the clear water, gradually transforming into a thick, translucent amber syrup, wafting wisps of sweet fragrance.
She poured the hot honey onto the shiny chestnuts and mixed it quickly, making sure every crack was filled with sugar.
Send to the oven.
Soon, the kitchen was filled with the overbearing, warm aroma of caramel and chestnuts. The aroma grew stronger and warmer, carrying an alluring sweetness. You could even hear the subtle sizzling sound of the syrup simmering in the heat.
Song Jinyi carried the steaming sugar-roasted chestnuts to the yard, wondering if Li He would be in a better mood when she saw the chestnuts she liked to eat.
"Ha ha--"
When she was nearing the gate of the courtyard, she heard someone laughing inside. Was that laughter... Li He?
Song Jinyi almost thought she had misheard. She held her breath and listened attentively.
"Haha, the little fox was actually deceived..."
Yes, it was indeed Li He’s voice.
Song Jinyi walked up the stairs and met Ruer who pushed the door open.
"Shh!" Song Jinyi put her finger to her lips, signaling Ru'er to be quiet. She lowered her voice and asked, "Is it Mr. Huo in there?"
"It's Mr. Huo. He came here this afternoon and said he'd learned some funny new tricks." She pointed to the door. "Look, he's showing Madam Li a puppet show inside. It's hilarious!"
Ruer smelled a warm caramel and chestnut aroma, and saw the amber chestnuts in Song Jinyi's hand. They smelled so good.
Song Jinyi handed the tray to Ruer, put her eyes close to the crack in the door and peeked inside.
Huo Changqing sat on a stool not far from the bed, his tall figure leaning forward slightly, his expression gentle and focused. In each of his palms was a stuffed animal—one resembling a little fox, the other a cuddly human puppet.
He was flexing his fingers nimbly. "...After that little fox realized he'd been tricked..." Huo Changqing deliberately lowered his voice, imitating a lively tone, his clumsiness tinged with a strange tenderness, "he came up with a bad idea..."
"And then? And then what happened to the little fox?"
A faint smile appeared in Huo Changqing's eyes, and his voice became softer: "And then..."
Song Jinyi stood quietly outside the door, looking at the warm light coming through the crack in the door and listening to the low, laughing conversation inside.
She didn't go in to disturb them, but silently closed the door again.
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