Chapter 140. Not an old friend, really not. ...
"Old Xiao."
"Look who's here!"
Old Xiao, surnamed Xiao, given name Shi, courtesy name Yinglu, is forty years old, but looks fifty-five, with a slightly weathered appearance, because he is an unlucky fellow.
He failed the imperial examinations once because of diarrhea, a fall that injured his hand, being knocked unconscious by a collapsing house, a severe cold, and being overwhelmed by the smell of the examination toilet. On his sixth attempt, he passed the examinations smoothly and became a Jinshi. He felt that he could make great achievements, but then he offended a corrupt superior and was sent to a remote place to work as a lowly soldier.
Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. His whole family has suffered along with him and has never had a good life.
Until that year, when the county was hit by a disaster and there was a shortage of manpower, he was transferred there to help. He was noticed by the prime minister and reinstated, and went to Si'an County.
It's been six years since then.
During these six years, everything in Si'an County was in good order, and the population, economy and culture were thriving. It went from the bottom of the prefecture to the top, but then it encountered the damned traitor Liang family.
Xiao Shi felt that his future was as fleeting as his life, about to vanish.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened.
He waited and waited, and finally received the transfer letter.
That's great! Not only was he not exiled, but he was also very lucky. Because of the large-scale purge in Yong'an City, there were many vacancies, and he was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, becoming a fourth-rank official.
Fourth rank.
He became successful, and the ancestors of his Xiao family appeared before him.
Xiao Shi packed his things and brought his family to the capital, where he moved into a small courtyard provided by the government. Although the courtyard was a bit cramped, it was the courtyard of Yong'an City, and it would be his residence for the next few years. He was so excited that he measured the courtyard step by step and burned incense for his ancestors every day.
Although it is only the second day now.
He still had three days to rest. Right now, he was holding incense sticks in the courtyard, burning incense for his ancestors and his deceased benefactor, the Prime Minister.
Yong'an City and Si'an County are a thousand miles apart. By the time he received the news, it was already time for Song Shang's death to be confirmed, for him to be granted the title of Duke, and for the special imperial examination to be held. He only knew that a group of officials in the Duke of Ying's mansion had an accident, and he could not find out anything more.
Although her benefactor was harmed by a villain, the little girl she had watched grow up became her benefactor's daughter and was even granted the title of princess, which was a small consolation in her sorrow.
Xiao Shi was still worried about the person, but since she was now a princess and a young girl, it was inappropriate for him to visit her. As for his wife, she was already in poor health and had been having difficulty traveling lately, so she didn't have the energy.
He planned to rest for a few more days and then find out more about the girl's attitude before making any decisions. After all, he was now considered a poor relative from the countryside, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to get involved.
"If I had known that girl was your child, I would have..." Xiao Shi said, burning paper money as he sighed, then paused.
Even if he had known earlier, it seems there was nothing he could have done.
She doesn't lack anyone to protect her. She knows everyone from the former dean of Wenyuan Academy to the director of Huichuntang Medical Clinic, and they have a good relationship.
In terms of gold and silver, the mother and daughter never lacked money from beginning to end.
Xiao Shi awkwardly burned paper money: "It's my fault for not thinking of going there, otherwise I could have told you about it."
He had only met Song Shang a few times, and when he first met Song Jin, Song Jin was still a child and did not resemble Song Shang in this way. He only vaguely felt that the child looked somewhat like his benefactor, but he did not expect the resemblance to be so great.
In the end, he was still useless. Just thinking about how he had wanted to marry his son off to someone else made Xiao Shi's old face burn with embarrassment. He was also glad that the person hadn't agreed.
Otherwise, even his ancestors would come out and kick him a couple of times.
Xiao Shi squatted on the ground, burning incense and chanting. He was filled with emotion, guilt, and unease. His face was full of wrinkles, and his once five-pointed old face had become seven-pointed.
After gathering information from the surroundings, Song Jin climbed over the Xiao family's courtyard and sat on their roof. There she saw the old man engaging in feudal superstition. She whistled, "Old Xiao, look who's here!"
Xiao Shi squatted on the ground, looking left and right, but the house was empty. He shouted, "Old woman, is someone home?"
"Say hello when someone comes! Why do you keep calling me? Why don't you come and clean the house?" Xiao Shi's wife, Zou Shui'er, came out cursing.
She was two years younger than Xiao Shi and had once been a gentle and kind girl. However, over the years, she encountered too many people with ill intentions while following Xiao Shi and had to take care of the children at home. Little by little, she developed a violent temper.
Her health was indeed not good; she had given birth to five children, and the birth of her youngest child was particularly difficult, leaving her with many chronic ailments. However, this did not stop her from arguing with the ladies of prominent families on the street, nor did it stop her from chasing after her five children with a feather duster.
Zou Shui'er walked out cursing. The courtyard was empty, the gate was tightly closed, and only her old man was squatting to one side. There were no guests at all.
She glared at him angrily: "Are you seeing things? Where did this guest come from?"
Xiao Shi: "Didn't you call me?"
Zou Shui'er: "I'll call you a ghost! You're always like this. Burn it and clean it up yourself."
Xiao Shi: "...I know, you old woman, your temper is getting worse and worse. Your husband is now a fourth-rank official."
Zou Shui'er chuckled: "Even if you're a high-ranking official, I'll still scold you."
According to the Great Law of the Great Derivation, a wife cannot be divorced under three circumstances, and she violated all three!
She wasn't afraid of the old man at all. If he really angered her, she would raise her five sons and start her own household.
Xiao Shi: "You really didn't call me just now? Then why did I hear a woman's voice?"
Zou Shui'er instantly flew into a rage, walked over and grabbed his ear: "You little brat, Xiao Laojiu, you've just been promoted and you're already thinking about women, huh? If you dare to act inappropriately towards me, I'll make sure your manhood falls off."
Song Jin chimed in, "That's right, that's right."
Zou Shui'er: "Right? Don't think you're so great just because you got promoted. If you dare to have any tricks up your sleeve, I'll strangle you."
Song Jin strongly supported: "Strangle him."
Zou Shui'er nodded in agreement, her face contorted with rage: "Strangle him..."
That's not right.
The couple looked at each other, then quickly turned their heads and finally saw the carefree, unrestrained young woman sitting leisurely on the rooftop.
Xiao Shi was surprised: "Song Jin?"
Zou Shui'er exclaimed in surprise: "Jin Jin?"
Seeing that they had finally come to their senses, Song Jin smiled, whistled, and jumped down from the rooftop, her face beaming.
"Long time no see, Aunt Shui, Lao Xiao."
Zou Shui'er quickly stepped forward, grabbed Song Jin's arm, and exclaimed with delight, "It really is Jin Jin! It's been half a year! Look how energetic she is, she must not have suffered any hardships..."
Xiao Shi was happy to see the girl, but he was also more frustrated than happy. He emphasized, "I'm a fourth-rank now, a fourth-rank."
Song Jinyou: "Really? Then I'm still a princess, and I even watched fireworks with His Majesty during the New Year. Old Xiao, what were you doing back then?"
Can she compare to the emperor's favor?
Old Xiao: "...Pack your luggage."
They had lived in Si'an County for six years. The whole family had a lot of belongings, which was a hassle to pack. They couldn't bear to throw everything away and buy new things. So the whole family would gather together, picking and choosing what they could take with them, and selling or giving away what they couldn't take.
There was no other way; our family was really strapped for cash.
In contrast, after half a year apart, Song Jin was dressed in fine clothes, adorned with gold and jade hairpins, exuding an air of nobility. She was clearly a young lady from a wealthy family, and one of her hairpins was worth more than half a year's worth of food for her family.
Xiao Shi wiped his eyes and said, "Your Highness is honored to grace us with your presence. My humble abode is simple and unassuming, and I apologize for the inconvenience."
"It's alright, we're all old friends, and I don't mind these things, but..." Song Jin waved her hand with a smile, then looked at the burning incense and paper money over there, her expression suddenly becoming serious, and she spoke earnestly.
"Old Xiao."
Xiao Shi rarely saw her so serious, and he couldn't help but get nervous: "W-what's wrong?"
Is this brat about to settle scores later?
It's just that in the past, I made her do some work for free, delayed some rewards, and occasionally scared people to keep her from being too ostentatious.
That's all, isn't it?
There shouldn't be any other accounts, right?
Song Jin remained silent, simply staring at him seriously for a while before speaking earnestly: "Isn't it inappropriate to use Aunt Shui's dowry incense burner to burn incense? And it's placed in the haystack; what if it catches fire?"
Zou Shui'er then noticed that among the weeds, under the ashes, was the incense burner she had carried from south to north and from east to west. She clutched her chest and roared, "Xiao Shi, you old bastard, do you want to die?!"
Xiao Shi: ...
This girl did it on purpose, didn't she?
**
When old friends meet, they miss each other dearly.
Although Xiao Shi wanted to say that they weren't old friends, really not.
This girl calls her wife "Auntie" all the time, and refers to herself as "Old Xiao," "Old Man Xiao," what a disrespectful brat.
Xiao Shi couldn't help but gulp down his drink, cursing the evil power in his heart. This girl used to call him Magistrate Xiao, Lord Xiao, Uncle Xiao sweetly.
"All you do is drink, you don't even greet people. You've never been promoted all these years, isn't that your own fault?" Zou Shui'er got annoyed watching him drink and couldn't help but start nagging.
"Don't you even look at yourself? You're not even fifty yet, but you're like an old pumpkin, drinking and drinking. You finally got promoted, and you'll be drinking your way into your coffin in two years. How interesting."
Xiao Shi silently put down his wine glass: "It's rare to be so happy."
Song Jin, picking at her food, refused to take the blame: "I didn't persuade you to drink. Instead of alcohol, you'd be better off drinking some bitter water. Look at you, red eyes, night sweats, blisters on your lips, peeling skin, pimples—you're quite irritable. What, you're not happy about your promotion?"
Xiao Shi subconsciously touched his washed hair, his heart heavy: "I'm getting old, getting old. I miss my youth."
Song Jin curled her lip: "It's like no one has ever seen you when you were young."
Xiao Shi slammed his hand on the table: "When I was younger, in my early twenties."
Song Jinyou: "After five defeats, the dejected scholar hanged himself."
Zou Shui'er was his neighbor's daughter. Because she was a widow, her marriage was delayed again and again. The two disappointed single men and women of their late twenties came together like this.
After more than twenty years of ups and downs, the family has been reunited and healthy, and now they have even moved to the capital. How can this not be considered a turnaround?
Xiao Shi thought for a moment and felt cheerful. He then poured another glass of wine: "Let me toast the princess again."
Song Jin rolled her eyes: "If you want to drink, drink it yourself. Don't use me as a shield."
Xiao Shi chuckled. Although he wanted to take another sip, under his wife's cold gaze, he silently pushed away the wine and drank a cup of tea instead to calm the irritation in his stomach.
Looking at Song Jin's relaxed and cheerful appearance, he asked, "Your mother should be alright now, right?"
If Niu Tielan were to get into trouble, this girl certainly wouldn't be so quick to forgive and forget.
Song Jin's eyebrows curved into a smile: "It's nothing."
She came to the capital because of the Gu poison in her mother's body, and now that it's basically resolved, nothing could be more gratifying.
Seeing her like this, Xiao Shi was happy for her: "That's good, that's good."
Song Jin: "My mother doesn't know you're here yet. Once you've rested up, we'll all get together sometime. By the way, how are Old Xiao and Old Liu doing?"
Xiao Shi: "I'm fine, I'm just worried about you. You didn't even write a letter home."
Song Jin smiled and said, "We'll meet again if fate allows."
If we can't see each other, there's no point in writing letters.
Xiao Shi sighed helplessly, "You heartless girl."
...
Both sides were old acquaintances, and they enjoyed the simple meal.
Xiao Shi and his group had just arrived and didn't have much of a background, so Song Jin told them about the situation in Yong'an City, who was easy to mess with and who was easy to manipulate. She had some experience with this. Although, what she thought were easy to manipulate was just her opinion.
But in a way, he's now an official with connections in higher places.
Xiao Shi sighed inwardly, his hands flying across the paper as he tried to write down all the people mentioned, lest he be at a loss if he encountered them in the future.
Seeing how serious he was, Song Jin said a few words here and there, chewing on some dried fruit, "How about this, my second brother isn't on duty right now, I'll introduce you to him tomorrow, along with Yan Sheng. You can ask him more questions, he has a good temper."
Xiao Shi's face lit up with joy, but he declined, saying, "I'm so sorry."
Song Jin: "I'm not buying that. I really won't be introducing myself later."
Xiao Shi said irritably, "You girl, you're being completely unreasonable."
Song Jin chewed and emphasized, "She is a princess."
Xiao Shi: "Yes, yes, Princess, thank you for your guidance."
Song Jin smiled broadly, clearly enjoying herself.
The two of them kept changing the subject and started talking about things in Si'an County.
"After you left, the county conducted several more thorough investigations, and everyone was keeping a low profile. However, Lord Song and his men only investigated the Liang family's affairs and arrested a few people. As for deeper matters, they turned a blind eye as long as it wasn't too outrageous..."
As Xiao Shi spoke, his expression suddenly darkened, and he said, "Remember Lao Luo? He's dead."
Song Jin pursed her lips, her feelings becoming somewhat complicated as she thought of the older brother who had drawn his sword against her in the tunnel.
Of all the yamen runners in Si'an County, she had the best relationship with Runner Luo.
What a pity.
She sipped her tea and whispered, "Was it a quick and painless death?"
Xiao Shi sighed, "That's a relief. I originally wanted him to be exiled, so that he could have a hard life and at least save his life. It's a pity that he committed suicide in the end."
Song Jin lowered her eyes: "I see. I guess they died a worthy death. For people like them, dying is more comfortable than dying."
Those who have been brainwashed since childhood, even if they live, do not know for whom they live.
Xiao Shi shook his head, feeling somewhat wistful.
Luo, the constable, was also the constable he favored the most. He had originally planned to have him take over the patrol inspection duties, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. He was also glad that it hadn't happened yet.
Thinking of this, Xiao Shi suddenly remembered something and stood up: "Sit down for a while, I'm going to find something."
He ran off in a hurry.
As Song Jin sipped her tea, her thoughts were still on the deceased yamen runner, Luo.
It wasn't that painful; she was the one who captured him and dismembered him, so his death wasn't unexpected.
But I'm still a little annoyed.
Human life is both the most valuable and the least valuable thing.
"Found it, thankfully it wasn't lost." Xiao Shi rushed back, holding a familiar brocade pouch in his hand. He handed it over and whispered, "This is what Lao Luo gave me before he died. He told me to return it to you. He said that a young girl's brocade pouch shouldn't be thrown away carelessly, or it might be used by bad people."
Song Jin took it, opened it, looked at the bulging candy inside, picked up the largest piece, looked at the words blurred by the candy, narrowed her eyes, and gently squeezed with her fingertips, crushing the candy into crumbs.
She scoffed, "Why bother with these things when you're already dead?"
She understood the concepts of unwavering loyalty and sacrificing oneself for one's country, but she was still very unhappy about them.
Xiao Shi sighed: "That's just how Lao Luo is. I originally wanted to build him a cenotaph, but then I thought, he was born to be trapped, so it's better to let him go along with the river and gain his freedom."
Song Jin clicked her tongue twice, looking at Xiao Shi with a strange gaze: "You really know how to choose. He's a landlubber and is most afraid of water."
Xiao Shi: ...
Song Jin laughed again, then put the sachet in her hand into her sleeve and stood up: "It's getting late, let's stop here for today. Uncle Xiao, you and Aunt Shui should pack up properly. If you need anything, come to the Song residence to find me. You can look for anyone while I'm not here, so don't be shy."
Xiao Shi emphasized again, "I am a fourth-rank official, what could possibly happen to me?"
Song Jin said meaningfully, "That's hard to say. Haven't you arrested all the Liang family members yet?"
Xiao Shi shuddered: "It can't be that bad, can it? Right under the nose of the capital."
Song Jin scoffed: "It's easier to be blind to things right under your nose. Just be careful at night, and don't go to any remote places during the day. You're unfamiliar with this place, and people who come looking for you are never going to be anything good."
Xiao Shi rubbed his arms: "I'm an old man, surely it's not that serious?"
He's just someone who's endured hardship; he's not some young man with a bright future.
Song Jin shrugged, said nothing more, and simply climbed over the wall and left gracefully right in front of him.
Xiao Shi stared bitterly at the not-so-low courtyard wall, gritting his teeth: "Wife, do you think we should just buy a dog?"
Zou Shui'er, unusually, didn't object. Standing beside him, she looked at the courtyard wall, seemingly lost in thought: "How about planting some more poisonous weeds?"
Xiao Shi: "Shall we dig some more traps?"
Zou Shui'er: "Is it too much trouble to cut off some sharp thorns?"
The couple looked at each other, clapped their hands, and decided to get started right away.
Admitting defeat isn't scary; your life is the most important thing.
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