79 Bad News for the Song Family
◎Don't lie to me.◎
In the crowd, a woman in an apricot-colored coat pushed through the crowd like peeling an onion. She ignored the shouting and stared blankly ahead.
Song Jinyi kept saying in her heart: "Impossible! It can't be his!"
When she squeezed forward and saw the corpse, she subconsciously turned her head away, feeling a little nauseous in her stomach. She took a few deep breaths and looked over again. Her vision gradually shifted from blurry to focused... It wasn't Xie Wuyang.
fortunately.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the hair on her temples stuck to her cheeks, wet, she couldn't tell if it was cold sweat or rain.
Although she had put her mind at ease, she felt a little exhausted and couldn't leave immediately.
She heard the people around her talking at once.
"Isn't this the craftsman Zhang who repaired Chayuan before?"
"It must have been the gambling den that killed him. I heard he sold his daughter to a foreigner for a lot of money. His eldest son ended up spending all the money in the gambling den.
"This gambling, the more you lose, the more you get addicted. You signed a loan, and no one knows where the person has gone. The son has to pay for the father's debt, and then he was killed." The person who said this seemed to have a very clear understanding of the matter and explained it very clearly.
"This son betrayed his father."
When Song Jinyi heard this, her pupils shook slightly and her gaze fell on the gray face again, which seemed to be Zhang the Carpenter.
She took a step back and was about to walk away when the police stopped her.
"We found a document in the pocket of the corpse that is related to you. Please come with us to the government office—"
When Song Jinyi came out of the yamen, it was already completely dark. The sudden rain had stopped, and there was a slight chill in the air that seemed to penetrate through the skin and into the bones.
She tightened her collar and walked towards the bookstore lazily.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the alley, I ran into Xie Wuyang who was walking out.
Xie Wuyang took the umbrella from her hand and handed her the cloak, saying, "I'm sorry, sister. After I bought the donkey meat hotpot, it suddenly started raining heavily, so I took shelter under the eaves. I didn't expect you to come and pick me up.
When I returned to the store, I found out that my sister had gone out. After asking others, I learned that you had been taken to the government office.
After hearing this, Song Jinyi looked at him with a complicated expression. She had so many questions she wanted to ask him, but she didn't know whether she should ask them or not.
Finally, he asked directly, "Do you still remember Craftsman Zhang?"
"Artisan Zhang? Um... the guy who repaired the shop before."
"He's dead!"
Xie Wuyang was silent for a moment, and then said calmly: "That's really unfortunate."
"The government office called me over and asked me about Zhang Jinfei's indenture contract. There is one thing I really can't understand--" When she said this, she turned her head and looked into his calm eyes.
She continued, "The deed says I'll buy him back for one hundred taels. You were the one who did it, so what's with the extra eighty taels?"
At the time, I was so happy that I didn't think about it in detail and didn't even read the contract.
She extended her hand to Xie Wuyang and asked, "Where's the other deed?"
"It was lost," Xie Wuyang answered simply and bluntly. "Sister, it's indeed my fault for not keeping the deed properly. As for the changed numbers, it's probably because Carpenter Zhang owed someone money and changed the numbers to blackmail him. I just didn't expect an accident to happen along the way."
Song Jinyi tried her best to find a clue in his eyes, but she only saw herself in those dark green eyes. Hesitant and soft-hearted, she turned away suddenly and said as if to compromise; "Don't lie to me."
"I will never lie to my sister in my life." Xie Wuyang said solemnly.
******
In June, Song Jinyi went to Yunshang Tea House several times to purchase goods, sold some fresh fruits and vegetables at the Beijie Market, and inspected various stores every few days.
There is simply no time to rest.
It is the plum rain season again.
There was a damp and sticky smell in the air, and because of the heavy work, Song Jinyi's wrists began to ache slightly.
Fortunately, Xu Ruolan and Zhang Jinfei are back and can help share some of the burden.
One day, Song Jinyi was holding a porcelain bowl to fill with tea when her wrist suddenly hurt and the white porcelain bowl fell to the ground in a mess.
Xu Ruolan came over after hearing the noise and saw the white debris on the ground. She looked up and saw Song Jinyi rubbing her wrist. She stepped forward and asked with concern, "Does it hurt a lot?"
"I just took out some roasted sweet potatoes. My hands are warm now. Let me give you a squeeze. See if that helps." She held Song Jinyi's wrist, which felt icy and cold. She blamed herself and said, "I should have come back earlier."
Not long after, Xu Ruolan said, "Why don't we close the shop today and go see a doctor? This wrist pain is not a big deal."
Song Jinyi smiled and said, "How can I be so delicate? I changed two or three doctors before, and spent a lot of money on medicine and plasters. It was Wuyang who got a folk recipe from somewhere and made a plaster. It worked well after I applied it, and it's all healed.
It's just that it's the plum rain season these past two days, and this bone disease can't stand cloudy weather. I asked him to make a few more paintings, and it will be cured in two days."
Xu Ruolan sighed softly and said as she collected the porcelain pieces, "I know you're anxious to break the bet, but nothing is more important than your own life. Go and rest. The rest of the work will be done by the four of us."
Speaking of the bet, when Song Jinyi returned to her room to rest, she had nothing to do and couldn't help but start to think about it.
There are still seven or eight days until the agreed date. Although I have made a lot of money by opening a franchise store, the cost of food is also a considerable expense. In addition to everyone's labor costs, I have to reserve at least March's material costs and this year's rent.
After deducting these miscellaneous expenses, I could barely scrape together three thousand taels.
But the days ahead will be very tight.
But when I thought about being able to escape from the Song family, which was like a den of tigers and wolves, completely break away from the original owner's fate, and gain true freedom, it seemed like everything was worth it.
Just like Xu Ruolan said, "No matter how big the problem is, it is not more important than your own life." As long as you are alive, you can earn anything.
On the appointed day, she went to the bank at noon and withdrew a silver note worth three thousand taels.
The sky was still gloomy, with blue-gray clouds covering almost the entire sky. A thin white mist floated in the streets, and the cold wind blew through the towering trees, bringing with it bursts of sobbing echoes.
When she arrived at the gate of the Song Mansion, it was almost noon. Unlike usual, there was no one guarding the main gate. She saw that there was a gap in the corner door, so she pushed it open and went in.
A cool breeze blew in her face, making her shiver all over. She walked a hundred steps along the corridor and suddenly heard a burst of intermittent weeping.
Song Jinyi felt something was strange, but she didn't believe in ghosts and gods. She walked into the courtyard and finally met a gatekeeper near the moon gate.
Even more bizarre is that she was wearing white linen.
Maids in wealthy families usually wore clothes made of cotton, and personal maids even wore silk, not to mention that the Song family was in the silk business.
There is also this plain color, which is only worn during funerals.
Before she could think any more, the old woman also saw her and called out, "Miss!"
Song Jinyi asked, "Did something happen at home?"
"It's the young master——"
Song Jinyi grabbed the woman's sleeves and asked hurriedly, "Is it Song Yunting?"
The old woman shook her head and said, "It's Master Song Ci. Master Song Ci is gone."
After hearing this, Song Jinyi remained silent for a long time, asked for directions, and walked silently towards the mourning hall.
In Daxia, ordinary families did not hold grand funerals for their children before they reached adulthood, so the mourning hall was set up in Song Ci's own courtyard, and he invited several elders from the same clan to inform them of the matter.
As soon as Song Jinyi stepped into the yard, she smelled a strong burnt smell.
She looked at the burnt fragments or unburned yellow talisman paper left all over the yard, and it was not difficult to guess that a ritual had just been completed.
Shen Lingyu seemed to have lost all her soul. Her originally beautiful face turned almost pale, and she slumped limply on the coffin. The coffin was made of rosewood, and her tears soaked the small area so that it reflected light.
Geng Niang approached and informed her. Her pupils moved left and right twice before focusing her gaze on Song Jinyi.
She supported Geng Niang, pointed her finger at Song Jinyi, and asked in a cold voice, "You murderer! What qualifications do you have to come here?"
"As the eldest sister, I should have come to see him off, but it was Aunt Shen who threw dirty water on me without any reason?"
The fragile side of Shen Lingyu just now completely disappeared, replaced by madness. She was like a wild wolf that was forced into a desperate situation, revealing its sharp fangs and scarlet eyes.
He wished he could pounce on Song Jinyi and bite her to pieces the next moment.
"Do you think I don't know? You're doing so well out there, and the master has had his eye on you for a long time. But ordinary families don't pass on their family business to their daughters. Now your only obstacle is gone!
Doesn't the Song family's property belong to you?
You are just like your mother, you like to be loved by others."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Song Jinyi frowned, "If it weren't for you, Aunt Shen, finding me such a good marriage..." She almost gritted her teeth as she said the word "good marriage", "How could I be where I am today? Now it seems like I was the one who orchestrated it all?"
As soon as she said this, Shen Lingyu could no longer remain calm. She had lifted a stone and dropped it on her own feet, and now it was too late to regret it.
Just as the two were arguing, Song Zhangye also arrived at the mourning hall. Seeing this scene, he shouted coldly, "What are you guys doing?"
He first turned to look at Song Jinyi and said some polite words. Song Jinyi replied, "I came here to disturb you only because of a bet. I should have visited my father first, but after entering the house, I heard the bad news and came here first."
Song Zhangye didn't reply for a long time. After a while, an old voice sounded: "Have you really saved up three thousand taels?"
Song Jinyi took out a banknote from his sleeve.
Song Zhangye didn't take the wad of money and changed the subject, "You've been playing outside for so long? Have you ever thought about returning to the Song family to take charge of the brocade?"
Song Jinyi showed a stunned expression. It seemed that Shen Lingyu's nonsense just now was not groundless.
She didn't know why Song Zhangye suddenly changed his attitude, but she didn't want to get involved.
She shook her head and told Song Zhangye her true thoughts, "I never thought of accepting the Jinduan line."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
