As Xu Shun carried the lantern out into the courtyard, he noticed that the smoky smell had become even stronger.
Because the night was relatively bright, he still managed to find the source of the fire by following the thick smoke. He saw the bamboo poles of the house that he had piled up to dry in the two newly built houses opposite the gate, and he could vaguely see flames flickering inside.
Xu Shun was so frightened that he shouted "Fire!" He quickly put the lantern he was holding on the stone block at the gate, ran back to the kitchen in the yard, scooped water from the water vat with a bucket, kicked open the door, and poured water inside, trying to put out the fire.
However, one person alone could not put out the fire. Xu Shun shouted a few more times in a hurry. At this time, several families in the east side of his yard heard him and quickly ran out to help.
However, the courtyards of Xu Da and Xu Er on the west side were quiet, and no one came out.
Xu Shun didn't count on them, and with everyone's help, he finally managed to put out the fire.
It's unclear who deliberately set the fire, but both rooms were set ablaze. Fortunately, it didn't last long, and only some of the bamboo was burned.
Fearing another fire, everyone helped move the unburnt items out and put them in the courtyard inside the gate.
Just then, there was a commotion outside. The old man, the old woman, and Zhou Xing, who had been fast asleep, came out. They were so frightened by what they saw that their faces turned pale and they trembled.
The old lady's eyes even turned red.
Who did this? Who on earth? Damn it, someone must have seen how busy Lao San has been these past few days and thought he'd made a lot of money. They got jealous and deliberately set the fire!
The elderly couple, who had lived most of their lives, could tell from the scene that someone had set the fire on their house.
The two shops outside had locks on their doors, but the windows and doors weren't covered with paper. Who in a good heart would throw a spark inside?
That's impossible. The outside doors and windows were all fine, but the fire started inside. It must have been set by someone.
After Xu Shun finished tidying up, he thanked his neighbors and told them to go home and rest, while he would take care of the rest.
He plans to go to town tomorrow and buy a can of tea for each household as a way of thanking them.
After tidying up, Xu Shun took the lantern and carefully looked at the doors and windows of the two rooms for a while. He found that several dark red silk threads were hanging on the window frame of one of the rooms.
There aren't many people in this village who wear silk, and he's only ever seen one person wear this color: his sister-in-law, Bai.
Xu Shun's expression immediately turned sour when he thought of that possibility.
He suddenly felt weak all over and slowly walked back to the courtyard. Seeing his parents with worried eyes, he hid the silk ribbon in his hand and said to them, "Father, Mother, you should go back and rest. We're going to town to play tomorrow!"
The two elders nodded silently and went back.
Xu Shun locked the doors of the two outer rooms and then the main gate. He returned to their room and saw Zhou Xing silently wiping away tears.
Xu Shun walked up to her, opened his palm, and showed her the fabric threads in his hand.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Xing jumped to her feet. "Where did this come from?"
"I saw it from the window frame of the east room where the fire started." Xu Shun said, gritting his teeth. He really wanted to rush over there and make a scene, but he was afraid of upsetting his parents.
Zhou Xing's face flushed red with anger. "In the village, only my sister-in-law has a silk dress of this color. I saw her wearing it a few days ago."
Seeing her trembling with anger, Xu Shun quickly hugged her and apologized in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Xing'er, I've made you suffer because of me. However, I don't want to upset our parents. Tomorrow night, I'll talk to my elder brother alone."
Zhou Xing nodded. "Fine, that's the only way."
Xu Shun could think of it, and so could Zhou Xing. If they reported it to the authorities, the whole village would know about it, and sooner or later the old lady and her father-in-law would find out and be so angry that they would suffer a terrible injury.
However, Zhou Xing was furious when she thought about how many bamboos had been burned and many of them were no longer usable.
In the latter half of the night, the couple remained angry until the early hours of the morning when they finally closed their eyes for a short nap, only to get up again at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).
The two elders couldn't sleep most of the night after they got back. They were both very angry and spent a long time guessing who in the village had done it.
In the morning, Zhou Xing prepared breakfast and went to call her parents to eat. Her parents had not changed into new clothes.
During the meal, the two elders said to Zhou Xing and Xu Shun, "Why don't your parents stay home and watch the house instead? You two can take the children out to play!"
After what happened last night, the elderly couple felt bad and thought their son and daughter-in-law were also upset. They didn't want to cause them any more trouble.
"Let's go, Mother, let's go together. The house is locked!" Xu Shun said.
If they weren't home and Bai still dared to set fire, then she could go to jail!
Finally, after the meal, the family packed up and drove the horse-drawn carriage to town.
After their carriage left the main road in front of their house, Bai Shi quietly peeked out of the alley and glanced at the departing carriage. A smug look flashed in her eyes, and she snorted inwardly before swaying back into her courtyard.
You guys are making money, but this burning of money must have cost you a lot less!
She was a little unhappy that she was discovered so early. It would have been better if she had waited until the ashes were red-hot before being discovered, so that she could have burned all of Xu Shun's bamboo.
Since Xu Shun's own bamboo became usable last year, he has been buying less bamboo from them, which has made her unhappy. Now that the fire is lit, she feels instantly relieved.
Xu Da sat silently smoking his pipe inside the house. He had no idea about the fire at Lao San's house last night; he only heard about it this morning. However, he felt embarrassed to go over and offer his condolences, as he already felt bad for not being able to help.
When he saw Bai Shi return, he asked her where she had been, since she had been gone for so long. Bai Shi said that she had an upset stomach and had gone to the outhouse. After saying that, she happily went to do her own thing.
Xu Da glanced at her curiously. Was she really that happy to be squatting in the outhouse?
As for the second son's family, whose yard is next to Xu Shun's, the couple heard Xu Shun's shouts last night, but Yuan Shi was busy with Xu Er and didn't want him to help. She knew who set the fire.
That idiot Bai, she said a few words and then actually went and set a fire. She and Xu Ercai didn't get involved in this matter.
If Xu Shun were to file a lawsuit, she could simply say she knew nothing about it and pin the blame on Bai Shi.
When Xu Shun arrived in town with his family, he was in a better mood when he saw lanterns hanging outside the gates of every household and shop along the town's roads. He then asked Zhou Xing and her parents to lift the curtains of the carriage window to look outside.
The whole family exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it's so good!"
Upon arriving at the shop, Xu Shun opened it and hung all the riddle lanterns and zodiac lanterns he was going to sell that day outside and inside the shop, filling it to the brim.
"Father and Mother, you can go look around in front of our shop for a while. When you get tired, come back and rest for a bit. Xing'er and I will take you out for a walk later," Xu Shun said softly, looking at the various lanterns hanging in the shop with great interest.
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