Is Wu Dalang dead?
What's going on?
Who killed him?
Li Huan was extremely shocked, and many question marks popped into his head!
When Wu Song saw Wu Dalang's memorial tablet, he was stunned.
"I...I must be dreaming...How could my brother be dead..."
Li Huan remained calm and quickly thought things through.
Based on the dates and itinerary, Ximen Qing will only be able to return to Yanggu County today.
During this time, Ximen Qing was far away in the capital and had no way of getting his hands on Pan Jinlian.
If the two of them hadn't had an extramarital affair, the tragedy of "Pan Jinlian poisoning Wu Dalang" wouldn't have happened!
Wu Dalang's death should have nothing to do with Ximen Qing.
Could it be that Wu Dalang died suddenly from an illness?
Just as Li Huan was speculating, Wu Song shouted, "Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!"
Soon, Pan Jinlian appeared at the top of the stairs.
She was dressed in mourning clothes, her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, and she looked haggard.
"Uncle! Brother Li Huan... Wu Da died such a tragic death..."
Pan Jinlian's voice choked with sobs, and she began to cry softly.
Seeing Pan Jinlian's appearance, Wu Song finally believed that his brother was no longer alive.
His shoulders swayed, his fists clenched, and he struggled to suppress his grief.
Li Huan said, "Sister-in-law, don't cry. How exactly did Wu Da die? What exactly happened? Tell me in detail!"
Pan Jinlian wiped away her tears, slowly walked downstairs, and sat in front of the memorial tablet.
“Brother Li Huan, after you left, Wu Da didn’t want to sell pancakes anymore. He was eagerly waiting for you to come home and set up a stall to sell boxed lunches. With nothing to do, he went to the teahouse next door to drink tea and gambled all day long…”
"Gambling?" Wu Song asked in surprise. "Brother, you are honest and kind, and you don't squander money. How could you have become addicted to gambling?"
Pan Jinlian said, "Ever since he started selling boxed lunches at his stall, Wu Da thought he was making money easily, so he became arrogant and boasted in the teahouse. Somehow, this attracted gamblers who encouraged Wu Da to gamble..."
"Damn," Li Huan thought to himself, "Wuhan University has gotten too cocky."
Pan Jinlian continued, "In the first few days, Wu Da won more than fifty taels of silver, but who knew that he would lose more than three hundred taels in the end!"
Li Huan was stunned: "He gambled away all the money Wu Song left behind, as well as the money he earned from selling boxed lunches at his stall?"
Pan Jinlian nodded and cried, "I'm so pitiful! I thought Wu Da was honest, kind, and thrifty, but who knew he was such a gambler and wouldn't listen to advice... Waaah..."
Wu Song frowned deeply: "Sister-in-law, don't cry. What happened after my brother gambled away all his money?"
Pan Jinlian stopped crying: "Wu Da was furious, claiming that he had fallen for the gambler's trick, and demanded money from the gambler. As a result, the two fought, and Wu Da was kicked in the chest by the gambler, vomiting blood and fainting..."
Li Huan sighed and shook his head.
In the novel *Water Margin*, Wu Dalang was originally kicked in the chest by Ximen Qing when he caught his wife in adultery. Now, Ximen Qing has been replaced by a vicious gambler.
That fatal kick meant certain death.
Pan Jinlian continued, "After Wu Da was injured, I got medicine to treat him, but his condition did not improve. Instead, he suffered terribly from heartache and endured for several days before finally dying..."
After saying this, Pan Jinlian started crying again.
Overwhelmed with grief, tears streamed down Wu Song's face as he asked, "Where is my brother buried?"
Pan Jinlian choked back tears, saying, "All the money in our house was gambled away by Wu Da... Where will we get the money to bury him? And where will we find a burial plot?"
"Thanks to my godmother Wang next door, she helped me with the funeral arrangements. She bought a coffin, buried Wu Da, and after the seventh day memorial service, she took him to the cremation ground outside the city and cremated him..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Song could no longer control himself, knelt before the memorial tablet, and wept bitterly.
Li Huan lamented, "Wu Dalang's life is truly miserable; he doesn't even have a grave."
Suddenly, Wu Song asked, "Who examined my brother's body?"
Pan Jinlian replied, "The local head of the local militia, Uncle He Jiu."
Wu Song immediately stood up, clasped his hands in greeting to Li Huan, and said, "Brother, please drive me to find Uncle He Jiu!"
Li Huan understood that Wu Song was suspicious and wanted to find out the cause of Wu Dalang's death.
After all, Pan Jinlian despised Wu Dalang and had seduced Wu Song, leaving him with the impression that she was unfaithful.
Li Huan and Wu Song went out and boarded an electric tricycle.
Pan Jinlian stared at the upgraded tricycle and muttered to herself, "Going to the capital, and they've even changed to a new vehicle..."
Li Huan drove Wu Song out of Zishi Street and was quickly surrounded by passersby.
"It's been a long time since we've seen stall owner Li. He's finally back at his stall selling boxed lunches!"
"Mr. Li's cart has gotten bigger and wider, it can definitely hold more boxed lunches!"
The crowd cheered excitedly and rushed toward the electric tricycle.
Li Huan quickly rolled down the car window, inquired about Uncle He Jiu's address, and then honked the horn to make way for everyone.
Amidst a chorus of disappointment, Li Huan sped away.
Arrive at Lion Street.
We drove into the alley and stopped in front of Uncle He's door.
Wu Song got out of the carriage and reached out to lift the bamboo curtain: "Is Uncle He Jiu home?"
Soon, Uncle He Jiu came to greet them and invited Wu Song and Li Huan to take their seats.
Wu Song asked directly, "What did my brother's body look like back then?"
Uncle He hurriedly said, "I carefully examined Dalang's body. Apart from a bruise on his chest, there were no other injuries on his body. His face was not black, and there was no blood in his seven orifices!"
Li Huan frowned: "Obviously, Wu Da wasn't poisoned."
Uncle He said, "I heard from the neighbors that Da Lang got into a fight with a gambler and was kicked in the chest, causing him to vomit blood and faint! Therefore, I specifically checked Da Lang's sternum and ribs, and they were not broken."
"Presumably, that gambler kicked and injured Dalang's heart and internal organs, and he unfortunately passed away despite medical treatment. Commander Wu, please accept my condolences!"
Wu Song clenched his iron fist, his steel teeth grinding together.
Li Huan suddenly asked, "Do you know who the person who gambled with Wu Da is?"
Uncle He shook his head: "You should ask Granny Wang at the teahouse about this."
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