18 First meeting with stepmother
◎The cat cries over the rat, but it's false compassion.
When Xie Wuyang was waiting for Song Jinyi in the alley, his body suddenly tensed up. He looked at the group of people coming from a distance. They were not carrying any knives, but he keenly noticed that this group of people seemed to be coming towards him.
He pretended nothing had happened, stood up and left, but his eyes were always fixed on the back, and he saw that the group of people turned a corner at the alley.
When he returned to the alley entrance, he leaned over to look, but Song Jinyi was nowhere to be seen. The group of people rushed inside to chase her. Were they going after her?
He walked into the alley alone, his shadow swallowed by the darkness, and suddenly stopped. In the dim alley, Xie Wuyang's expression was difficult to discern, and his pair of dark green eyes were dyed black by the darkness, like a bottomless ancient well, not letting in any light.
Anyone with a bit of common sense would have clearly understood the current situation. If he went in unarmed, he would be nothing more than a moth feeding a flame, a futile act.
But he had a feeling that he should go in.
If he wants to leave here, he needs to rely on Song Jinyi's power. She is just a sweet water seller now, but he believes that one day she will become a powerful person and take him back to his hometown.
He has nothing anyway, so why not take a gamble?
Song Jinyi stared at the two-foot-high brick wall in front of her with a deathly pale face. Damn, she turned around and looked at the crowd that was getting closer and closer. She felt like crying but had no tears. If she had known earlier, she would have fought in the opposite direction.
She quietly grasped the other small wooden hairpin on her head in her hand and put it behind her back, judging the intention of this group of people. It couldn't be that they were after money. She was a pauper, and any passerby on the road of robbery was richer than her. And there were so many people coming, which meant that there must be someone behind the scenes directing them.
Who could she have offended? Could it be that she had contracted pink eye while doing business? This kind of situation had happened to her in her previous life, and this was the most plausible scenario she could think of.
She waved her hand to signal the other party not to come over. "Who sent you? How much money did they give you? I can give you some too."
The leading man looked at her strangely, then said after a moment's silence, "We are servants of the Song family."
Song Jinyi's heart was pounding, and her head was dizzy. It seemed as if all the blood in her body was rushing to her head. She asked without thinking, "Song family?" Only after she finished speaking did she realize, "Song family!"
"Yes, it's the Song family. Your father sent us to bring you back home."
Damn it!
Song Jinyi bit her lip, not knowing how to deal with it for a moment, and finally said, "I won't reply."
The two sides were in a stalemate for a while. Song Jinyi stared at the other party, then changed her mind and realized that she was the eldest daughter of the Song family after all, and was half a master.
He was the master and they were the servants. Even if he followed Song Zhangye's order to "invite" her back, he would not dare to use brute force.
Otherwise, with so many of them, why would they bother wasting time talking to her? Wouldn't it be easier to just pack up and carry them away?
Thinking of this, Song Jinyi took a tentative step forward. As expected, the other party gave in slightly and said, "Miss, please don't embarrass us."
Song Jinyi continued to move forward fearlessly, "I don't want to embarrass you, and you don't embarrass me either."
The leading man looked at Song Jinyi with his hands behind his back. It was not that this young lady was timid and incompetent, but after seeing her today, he realized how unreliable the rumors were.
The housekeeper said that the matter must not be made public and not known to outsiders. If it is delayed any longer, things will become troublesome. He must make a quick decision.
Song Jinyi originally planned to rush out when she reached the alley. As long as she ran to the street, where people were coming and going, it would be difficult for the other party to catch her.
The other party may have noticed her intention and waved his hand. Song Jinyi saw the servants carrying a tied-up man and throwing him in front of her.
The black hat fell to the ground and rolled a few times, leaving a head of golden curly hair scattered without any concealment. Song Jinyi's pupils shrank suddenly when they came into contact with the dazzling golden color, "Why are you here?"
Xie Wuyang's mouth was stuffed with a piece of cloth, so he couldn't make any sound and could only hum a few syllables.
The attendant explained sympathetically, "My men noticed him sneaking up behind you. He must be trying to rescue you. Humph, I wonder where you picked up this unscrupulous piece of trash, young lady."
Song Jinyi glared at the attendant coldly and asked, "What do you want?"
The attendant said, "Miss Song, the master must be waiting anxiously, I hope you can come back soon!" Although the man addressed Song Jinyi as "Miss", his words were full of threats.
His eyes fell on Xie Wuyang. "You are worth a lot of money, so we naturally dare not move rashly. But he is just a slave, so whether he lives or dies is irrelevant!"
He raised his hand, and his men surrounded Xie Wuyang and punched and kicked him. With dull sounds of blows and groans, blood flowed from the corners of his mouth and dripped onto the ground.
Song Jinyi could feel the pain from the sound, and she shouted, "Enough! Stop it! Don't hit him anymore, I'll go with you!"
But the other party refused to stop, as if giving her a warning, until she heard the sound of bones breaking.
Song Jinyi turned around and slapped the culprit, saying word by word, "I told you to stop!"
The man turned his head and stared at Song Jinyi coldly. Without saying a word, he raised his arm to stop their violence.
Song Jinyi was "invited" into a carriage.
The attendant pointed at the half-dead Xie Wuyang and asked, "What should we do with this man?"
"Since these are the young lady's things, take them with you." He then glanced indifferently at the vendors selling candied haws in the alley. He tossed a gold ingot and said without a trace of emotion, "Do you know what to do about today's matter?"
"Today is just like any other day. Nothing happened and I didn't see anything," the man said politely.
The carriage drove through the streets, which were as busy as usual, with people coming and going, and everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.
******
Song Mansion.
The wheels of the carriage rolled across the ground, making a "sizzling" friction sound. The carriage slowly stopped at the east corner gate. Several maids were standing at the door waiting there.
Song Jinyi was helped out of the carriage. She looked at the red roofs and green tiles, and the majestic buildings and carved walls in front of her, and she sighed softly. She had escaped from here with great difficulty, and now she was back after going around in circles.
She turned sideways and looked at the back of the crowd. Xie Wuyang was wearing the new clothes she had given him today. Before she could take a closer look at him, he was beaten and brought here forcefully.
The star-blue gown was stained with blood and gray-brown spots, the edges were frayed and the hat was nowhere to be found. The dazzling golden hair fell unconcealedly on Xie Wuyang's shoulders.
He lowered his head, and Song Jinyi couldn't see his expression clearly. When she was about to step into the corner gate, she said coldly to the attendant: "He is my man, you must not neglect him."
Song Jinyi returned to her own villa and entered the house silently. She watched the maid close the door and heard the sound of the lock falling. She thought that she was taken away suddenly without telling Sister Ruolan, which might make her worry.
There were sporadic voices outside, accompanied by footsteps approaching from afar, and then the door was slowly opened.
Song Jinyi looked up and saw a woman wearing a lilac silk shirt with large sleeves and a lotus pattern. She wore a gray-blue silk lining underneath. When she lowered her head, the edge of the shirt embroidered with orchids was faintly visible.
Surrounded by a group of maids, she stepped over the threshold and stood in front of Song Jinyi. Her eyes swept from top to bottom and met Song Jinyi's gaze.
Song Jinyi had seen this woman in the original owner's memory. She was the original owner's stepmother and the person who arranged the original owner's wedding.
Song Jinyi didn’t stand up, but looked up and looked directly at Shen Lingyu.
Behind her were the layers of eaves in the Song family mansion. It was around the hour of Mao, and half of the sun emerged from the eaves. The soft warm yellow color seemed to cast a ray of rosy glow on Shen Lingyu.
Song Jinyi looked at Shen Lingyu coldly as she sat beside her. Shen Lingyu was gentle and reserved, not glamorous, which made people feel friendly easily.
Others might be deceived by her appearance, but Song Jinyi would not. She knew too well what kind of person this woman in front of her was - she looked like Guanyin, but in fact she had a heart of a vicious snake.
Shen Lingyu reached out and smoothed away the loose hair on Song Jinyi's temples, and said softly, "You've suffered so much during your trip, and you look a lot thinner. Ask the kitchen to make a few more of your favorite dishes later."
The cat cries over the mouse, which is false compassion.
Song Jinyi dodged Shen Lingyu's action calmly, "Auntie." She emphasized these two words and stared into Shen Lingyu's eyes.
Shen Lingyu's smile froze at the corner of her mouth, and in just a moment, she returned to her original state.
"I don't want to get married."
"That marriage was arranged by your father. I've also made inquiries about the man. He's not bad in appearance, character, or family background. You're of marriageable age now, so don't act willfully."
"Oh~", Song Jinyi asked: "Since Auntie has seen him, what kind of person is he?"
"That man is extraordinary, gentle and considerate. Although his family background is not as wealthy as the Song family, he is well-fed and well-clothed, and will not treat you unfairly."
The personal maid standing behind Shen Lingyu also said at this time: "Yes, that Mr. Xu is handsome and is the best match for you, young lady. If it weren't for the lady's careful consideration, this would be a good marriage that you would never find even with a lantern."
This makes it sound like Song Jinyi is ungrateful if she doesn't marry him.
Song Jinyi sneered in her heart. She almost laughed out loud just now. Extraordinary? Gentle and considerate?
The man was obviously involved in all kinds of eating, drinking, whoring and gambling. It was hard to believe that Shen Lingyu got such a thing from somewhere, packaged him up, and turned him into a so-called young talent.
Because of Shen Lingyu's usual attitude, no one would suspect that she would do this, so Song's father handed the original owner's marriage to her alone. As soon as the original owner left Yunzhou, the original owner's tragedy began.
Song Jinyi's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
Shen Lingyu thought she was shy about marriage and said, "There is no girl who doesn't get married. Don't talk nonsense. Wait until you get married, and everything will be fine..."
"Auntie" Song Jinyi interrupted, "Because my mother passed away, my father gave you the power to manage the house. I personally thought that you would fulfill your duties and manage the servants well.
But your personal maid is so presumptuous, interrupting the master and mistress in conversation. I wonder how your aunt will deal with her?"
Shen Lingyu glanced at Song Jinyi and said, "You have changed a lot."
Song Jinyi said: "People change. For example, you have aged a lot, Auntie."
The word "old" is as lethal to a middle-aged woman as a knife in her heart. Shen Lingyu stood up and said, "It's getting late. I'll leave first."
Song Jinyi also stood up and asked softly, "Given how much my aunt is favored, can't you plead for me?"
It sounded like Song Jinyi was trying to give in to Shen Lingyu, but there was no sense of pleading in her words.
Shen Lingyu turned around and looked at her, “Miss, you are joking. How can I be qualified to say this?”
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