Chapter 5: Not only am I willing to leave the hanging coffin, he also hopes that I will die. ...
Ningtangfang has been passed down for a century, and the wood varnish and decor are visibly worn. Although the workshop is small, long lines of Huaibei residents line the shop daily to buy candies and fruits. During festive occasions, the queues stretch from the door to the end of the Seven-Curve Bridge.
Zhu Hao was afraid of having to wait for a long time, but when she ran to the front of the market, she found that there were no other buyers waiting, which fulfilled her wish.
As she approached, a sweet aroma lingered in her nose. The shopkeeper, nearly seventy years old, had cloudy eyes and an eye disease, so he couldn't see clearly and didn't notice Zhu Hao's disheveled appearance.
The shopkeeper hunched over, revealing his broken teeth as he smiled kindly, "Little girl, what do you want? We have plenty of preserved fruits, apricot cakes, and malt sugar!"
Zhu Hao was stunned when he heard this, but did not ask about Song Xieqing's preferences.
Seeing the carved food box filled with all kinds of sweets and fruits, Zhu Hao could only mumble, "Old man, I only have thirty coins on me. Take whatever you like. Mo Chao will do."
"Okay!"
While the shopkeeper was wrapping the candy for her, Zhu Hao subconsciously flashed through the scenes that had just happened.
No matter how ignorant she was, she knew that Song Xieqing was very tired of her. Despite this, he could only suppress the resentment in his heart and be her husband in name only. This showed how important the marriage contract was to him. Zhu Hao had seen through the twists and turns in the matter and dared to threaten him with the marriage contract.
Unexpectedly, such a despicable method was useless to him.
Song Xieqing would rather perish with her than be shackled by her.
Zhu Hao wasn't unreasonable. She knew Fang Xuyin's fate had nothing to do with Song Xieqing, and there was no reason for him to help her. She had no intention of opposing him. Since it was a bet, and the stakes were with Song Xieqing, a great Buddha, there were naturally gains and losses. Seeing this approach was unsuccessful, Zhu Hao considered heading for Huailing, but the long steps to Zhe'erzhai were too steep, and she fell headfirst.
Song Xieqing insisted on asking her to come here to buy some sweets and fruits.
Man, what sweet candy do you want to eat?
Because of this unexpected change, she didn't know how much more time it would take her.
The shopkeeper has packed the candies and fruits, covered them with oil paper, and has a picture rubbed on the paper.
Zhu Hao took it and looked at it carefully, and couldn't help asking, "Is it Xigao printed on the paper?"
The shopkeeper's face wrinkled with smile, and he said proudly, "Yes! My granddaughter's painting is very pretty."
I wish you good hands touching the oil paper, Ningtangfang and Xigao are on the way.
In a flash, she suddenly came up with a fallacy. She handed thirty coins to the shopkeeper and ran across the street without even noticing that the wrapped candies had fallen on the market stall.
It takes an hour to walk to Xigao. In addition, she rolled down the long steps, which made her legs and feet a little inconvenient. She also had a bloody wound on her forehead. Now she was dizzy and her head was swollen, so her pace was naturally not as fast as before.
Zhu Hao thought about reporting the case to the government office, but considering that the You family was powerful and many local officials had dealings with them, it was not appropriate to alert the enemy at this time.
She suddenly remembered that she had often taken medicinal herbs when she was young, and she knew that Zhongchuntang often came to Xigao to look for medicinal plants. A few days ago, due to the sudden rain in Huaicheng, the pharmacist must have been unable to go up the mountain. Today, the Golden Crow was high in the sky, and it was the perfect time to pick herbs.
Zhu Hao cleaned herself up and wiped the blood from her forehead. She arrived at Zhongchun Hall and saw several herbalists harnessing horses and heading to Xigao. The herbalist in charge happened to be an acquaintance of her father, so Zhu Hao pretended to be looking for herbs and was able to join them.
Everyone has heard about Zhu Hao's situation. It is understandable that the little girl, living under someone else's roof and short of money to buy medicine, resorted to this desperate measure to collect some daily medicine for herself. What's more, Madam Zhu has been relying on medicine to stimulate her qi since she was a child, so she also has some knowledge of some common medicinal materials.
Zhu Hao sighed, fortunately the news that Zhu Lanxiang sold her to the You family as a concubine and was later redeemed by Song Xiqing, a "noble from another place" had not yet spread throughout the city, otherwise she really didn't know how to make things right.
On the way, they happened to encounter the You family's funeral procession returning home, and Zhu Hao felt hopeful. Her suspicions were correct; the You family had indeed buried the coffin in Xigao. Thinking of this, if Song Xieqing hadn't ordered her to buy incense, candy, and fruit at Ningtangfang, Zhu Hao would have probably already gone to Huailing.
Song Xieqing is not as cold-hearted as he appears.
The herbalist only reached the middle of Xigao, where herbalists and hunters often visited. It was naturally impossible for the You family to bury the coffin here. Zhu Hao said goodbye to everyone and went up alone. Although everyone was surprised that Zhu Hao had to climb so high to find ordinary medicinal plants, they did not bother him much.
The terrain on the upper part of Xigao is steep and rarely visited by city residents, so the path is not obvious and the spring grass is lush.
Zhu Hao discovered a grassy depression not far away. The black soil was still soft due to the rain, and there were traces of footsteps. She followed the traces all the way.
Her embroidered shoes and skirt were covered in dirt from walking in the mountains, and the ghost hairpin grass climbed up her dress, making Zhu Hao's skin itchy.
She walked to a stone cave, and her footprints disappeared.
The grass and broken branches outside the school were obviously cut down recently.
Zhu Hao bent down to look, and saw that the cave was pitch black, making it difficult to see the scenery. However, judging from the remains, the funeral procession must have passed through this cave.
She was inevitably frightened, but when she thought of Fang Xuyin, who was in the same situation as her, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and move forward.
She just doesn't believe in the laws of nature.
Zhu Hao wrapped her skirt around her waist for easier movement. She took a deep breath and moved forward, feeling her way along the cave wall. It was pitch dark in the cave, and her footing was difficult on the muddy ground, with puddles blocking her way.
The light from outside poured in, stinging her eyes, and Zhu Hao finally walked out of the stone cave.
Outside the school was a cliff. The ground was not black soil, but mostly rock, with few plants.
It is difficult to dig in rocky ground, and Zhu Hao looked around and found no signs of excavation, so it was impossible for the You family's coffin to be buried here.
Zhu Hao collapsed to the ground, her wrists and cheeks scratched by the thorns. Although it didn't hurt much, it was excruciating.
Unwilling to give up, she forced herself to get up, despite her exhaustion. She didn't trust in the will of heaven, only in herself. Besides, what if her journey was indeed the will of heaven? How could she shrink back?
Since there was no result here, she returned to look for the trace.
Zhu Hao was about to turn around when he caught a glimpse of a new plain cloth ribbon hanging on a crooked tree at the edge of the cliff.
Zhu Hao's heart was beating fast, and she walked to the edge of the cliff, but the branches had extended to the outside of the cliff, and her hands could not reach them.
She clutched her chest, steadying her trembling lower body and stretching her head out.
I saw the steep cliffs towering to the sky, with dead branches embedded in the rocks, which was dazzling. It was surrounded by green mountains and solitary peaks. I looked down and my breathing suddenly stopped.
Fifty or six feet below, a rough log was carved into the cliff face, forming a base, on which two coffins were placed. Below, clouds and mist obscured the view, revealing a bottomless abyss – a hanging coffin burial.
Zhu Hao wanted to retreat, but someone pushed her hard on the shoulder and she fell off the cliff.
Her mind and soul were gone, leaving only a body falling rapidly, the north wind blowing on her face, the sky spinning and her eyes dizzying.
Zhu Hao's back felt piercing and sharp, and he bit his lower lip in pain, and his hot tears and the blood from his lips mixed together and flowed down.
She landed on a burial cliff with a base of rough wood.
She is still alive today, and there are many people who hope she will die.
Zhu Hao wiped away her tears and stood up, trembling. Fortunately, the wooden stakes were spaced closely together, so if she stepped carefully, it wouldn't be a problem. She saw two coffins placed to her side. Zhu Hao held onto the cliff and slowly walked to the ordinary coffin.
Zhu Hao patted the coffin, "Xu Yin?"
She did this repeatedly, but no one answered.
Zhu Hao tried to push open the coffin lid, only to find that there were steel nails embedded in the four corners of the lid.
Zhu Hao didn't look down, but the fear in her heart almost swallowed her up. She held on to the coffin and pulled out the dagger Fang Xuyin gave her from her sleeve.
The hole in the dagger matched the steel nail in the coffin lid. Zhu Hao inserted the dagger into the nail, and the gear on the hole naturally attracted the nail. Zhu Hao tried to use the dagger to pull out the nail. Although it was difficult, he saw that the nail was slowly protruding from the coffin, as if the two objects were originally a key.
How could there be such a coincidence in the world?
Zhu Hao remembered Song Xieqing's mockery of her, "Even if someone is kidnapped by human traffickers, you still need to give them some money." If she had not thrown the hydrangea into the arms of the statue, and Song Xieqing had not redeemed her bond from the You family, then wouldn't it be her lying in the coffin?
If Fang Xuyin had not known about this matter in advance, how could he have forged such a great sword?
She couldn't help but increase the strength of the dagger in her hand, and the sharp blade cut Zhu Hao's fingertips. The sourness that surged from her nose rushed into her senses. Zhu Hao could no longer bear the physical and mental pain, and she held the coffin and wailed.
A flock of geese flew across the sky, but she fell alone on the cliff.
I wish she could look at the coffin with all her eyes, she still has the right to make a choice.
Even if Fang Xuyin wanted to use this dagger to save her, what could she do? She has always been clear about gratitude and grudges. If Fang Xuyin had not deliberately concealed it, she would not have suffered this disaster.
Zhu Hao held her aching back and looked around. Five feet was neither high nor low, but based on her current physical condition, if she tried to climb up the wall, she would definitely end up in pieces.
She suddenly felt a fishy and sweet taste in her throat, and she covered her chest and coughed violently, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood.
Zhu Hao lay down beside the coffin, tears welling up again. Although she hadn't cried much since her parents passed away, her recent experiences had once again overwhelmed her emotionlessness. She knew she was just a gnat trying to shake a tree. Fang Xu at least had a coffin, but she had died suddenly on a desolate cliff, with no one to offer sacrifices to her.
There was a sudden rustling sound inside the coffin, and Zhu Hao held his breath and listened carefully.
"Miss Zhu! But Miss Zhu?"
Zhu Hao naturally knew who was talking to her, and the resentment that had been simmering in her heart for a long time suddenly erupted: "Madam Fang and Mr. You were so deeply in love, how could they not die completely after committing suicide for love?"
There was a moment of silence in the coffin. Fang Xuyin spoke slowly, "I know I've let you down. That's why I want Miss Zhu to leave Xigao alive."
Zhu Hao couldn't help but kick the coffin: "At this point, why are you still pretending?"
"Miss Zhu, can you keep the dagger with you? How about I make a deal with you?"
“No.”
Fang Xuyin hadn't expected her answer to be so decisive, but she had no choice but to continue to comfort herself, "Miss Zhu, why don't you make it a win-win situation for us? Could it be that Miss Zhu is willing to be buried with me on the desolate cliff? Miss Zhu, are you really willing to abandon Young Master Song, who went to the You family to redeem you?"
"Madam Fang, you are full of witty remarks, but you have miscalculated. Not only am I willing to part with him, but he also hopes that I will die."
"Miss Zhu, your father did not die of typhoid fever."
"Miss Zhu should hate me. Just as you thought, it was you who should have been in the coffin, and I should have been the one to open it and save you. However, Young Master Song came to the You Mansion on the night of your wedding and offered a hundred gold coins to redeem you. Seeing this large sum of money, the eldest son of the You family wanted to send you back."
"In order to get Miss Zhu to meet me and hand over the dagger used to open the coffin to you, I dismissed the servant sent by the You Mansion to deliver the message to the wedding procession. Although I placed a bet on Miss Zhu, I wasn't completely sure. I didn't expect Miss Zhu to not only detect the difference in the blade, but also to determine with incredible speed that I was in Xigao. Miss Zhu has the heart of a bodhisattva, willing to come here alone for me. This is a rare gift in this world. My bet was not wrong."
Zhu Hao's thoughts were in a turmoil, her fingertips trembling as she grasped the coffin. She asked word by word, "Dad contracted a cold since Mom passed away. When I was five, Dad refused medical help and was buried alongside Mom. Since you say he didn't die of typhoid fever, Madam Fang, please clarify what caused his death."
Fang Xuyin: "I don't know much about the details. I only know that this matter is related to your aunt. However, there is someone who knows everything about this matter. I have hidden a flag flower in my clothes. When I get out of the coffin and light it, that person will definitely come here to rescue me."
Seeing Zhu Hao remained silent, she continued, "Don't worry, Miss Zhu. I have my own mother at home. Like Miss Zhu, I value family ties above all else. No matter how despicable my actions may be, I will never use your father's life or death to deceive you. If I deceive you, my mother and I will be beheaded."
"Who is that person you're talking about? If Madam Fang doesn't want to tell me, I won't help you. Madam Fang, just rot in your coffin with the secret you've hidden in your belly."
"The second son of the You family, You Heng."
"If you're from the Yu family, how could you be colluding with me? You're hoping that Madam Fang and I will perish on this cliff?" Zhu Hao asked again, "He saved you, but what if he didn't want to save me? What if you were in cahoots with him? I was framed and fell off this cliff, so how do I know you weren't in cahoots?"
"The evil deeds of the You family were definitely not instigated by You Erlang. If Erlang wishes to attack Miss Zhu, I will threaten him with death. If we both perish, he will be unable to accomplish his goal. I have no connection to the person who caused Miss Zhu to fall off the cliff. I will also ask You Erlang to investigate thoroughly."
Zhu Hao is now at the end of her rope. No matter how suspicious she is of Fang Xuyin, she has no choice but to cooperate with him. Only in this way can she carve out a way out of the dead end.
"After Madam Fang emerges from her coffin, if you say or do anything different, you and I will be buried together at the bottom of the cliff. You still have your mother to be filial to, but I am all alone and don't have such concerns."
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