Xiao Yu looked at the cunning light in her eyes and tapped his folding fan on his palm: "It seems that the mosquitoes in the woodshed haven't taught her a lesson yet."
"Then let her remember it more clearly." Chen Weiwan turned to Chuntao and said, "Go tell Blind Wang to add two more paragraphs to tomorrow's story: one about 'The second young lady hired a killer and was caught,' and one about 'The maid betrayed and revealed the mastermind.'"
Chun Tao took the order and left. Xiao Yu looked at Shen Weiwan's profile, the moonlight outlining her straight nose: "Aren't you afraid that if you make too much noise, the general's house will be in tatters?"
"Door lintel?" Chen Weiwan scoffed, gazing at the dark night in the direction of the General's Mansion. "Where was the door lintel when Liu withheld the household income? Where was the door lintel when she pushed me into the fire pit? Rather than letting termites eat away the beams and pillars, it's better to tear down the old beams and replace them with new ones."
Xiao Yu was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "I think it's a good idea to remove the old beam."
The next evening, Yuelai Teahouse was packed. As soon as Blind Wang slapped the wake-up stick, the guests shouted in unison: "Talk about the Second Miss! Talk about the Second Miss!"
"Alright!" Blind Wang cleared his throat. "Yesterday we talked about the second young lady being caught stealing a bracelet. Today we'll talk about her 'hiring someone to kill her but getting beaten up instead'!" He spitted and recounted how Xiaolian was caught, how Shen Ruoruo stamped her feet and cursed in the woodshed, and even imitated Shen Ruoruo's shrill voice: "'Chen Weiwan! Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go!' - Hey! Before he could finish his words, the old woman stuffed a straw into his mouth!"
"Hahaha!" The tea drinkers were laughing so hard that they were staggering all over. One man who looked like a scholar was laughing so hard that his glasses were pushed up to his forehead.
"There's something even funnier!" Blind Wang pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. "This is a new rhyme made up by the street kids—" He sang in a deliberately shrill voice:
"Second Miss, my hands are itchy.
Stealing my sister's jade bracelet,
Big yellow dog, with a sharp nose,
Running around the yard with stolen goods in his mouth,
Second Miss, you are so stubborn.
It's for my sister's good.
Twenty boards squatting in the woodshed,
It's so embarrassing to be caught hiring a killer!
The whole room erupted in laughter, coins raining down on the podium. Shen Weiwan sat in a corner, laughing uncontrollably as Chuntao recounted her street stories. Even Xiao Yu, who was sipping tea nearby, couldn't help but put down his teacup, his lips curling up in a rare smile.
"That's enough," Shen Weiwan wiped the tears from her laughter and looked at the setting sun outside the window. "The show is almost over, it's time to send her on her way."
Xiao Yu raised his eyebrows: "How do I send it?"
Shen Weiwan leaned closer to him and lowered her voice: "Of course, send her to where she should go -" A cold light flashed in her eyes, "Isn't the vegetarian food at Ciyun Temple quite suitable for her to repent?"
Xiao Yu saw the determination in her eyes and knew she had made up her mind. The evening breeze blew through the window lattice, making the candlelight flicker and casting their shadows on the blue brick floor. In the distance, the sound of children singing jingles came, and in their clear voices, it was revealed that Shen Ruorou had a fate that could never be reversed.
At that moment, in the woodshed, Shen Ruorou curled up on a pile of straw, listening to the laughter and songs emanating from beyond the wall, her nails digging deep into her palms. The straw biting into her flesh was nowhere near as painful as the hatred raging in her heart. Unbeknownst to her, Shen Weiwan had already prepared the paperwork, awaiting only the Third Elder's order to have her sent to Ciyun Temple on the outskirts of the city, never to return to the capital.
Shen Weiwan stood by the window, watching the last glimmer of sunset fade away and the moonlight climb over the eaves of the general's mansion. She thought of the coldness of her past life, her death in the snow, the hypocritical face of Liu, and Shen Ruorou's smug smile. Now, all those people and events will turn to dust.
"Chen Ruorou," she murmured to herself in the moonlight, a cold smile on her lips, "This is just the beginning."
Xiao Yu stood behind her, saying nothing, but gently draping a cloak over her shoulders. The two stood side by side, gazing at the lights of the capital. Neither noticed that in the corner of the woodshed, a spider was spinning a web, with a moth clinging to its center, struggling to survive.
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