Chapter 25 Something in my heart
Qu Maoze
Qu Maoze
This name sounds familiar.
Although Song Jin couldn't have a photographic memory, her memory, enhanced by her special ability, far surpassed that of most people, so she quickly retrieved the afternoon's memories.
What did her mother say back then? "He could never be that Song Shang. His name is Qu Maoze. I watched him die with my own eyes back then."
Qu what ze? What mao ze? Qu mao what?
Song Jin's head started to ache just thinking about it. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, so she simply got up and went out to the observation deck that had been specially built for her at home to look at the stars.
It was called a lookout tower, but it was really just a small three-story building, small enough for two people to curl up inside. When she was little, Niu Tielan liked to hold her inside, patiently and gently introducing her to the stars in the sky.
Niu Tielan's health was much worse back then than it is now. She treated every day as if it were her last. She would wear beautiful clothes, style her hair nicely, and apply delicate makeup. Her voice was soft and gentle, like a fairy from heaven.
It wasn't until she met Old Liu that Niu Tielan's health gradually improved. Although she still fell ill every few days, she was no longer on the verge of death and could be fine with proper care. She then began to let loose, transforming from a gentle and loving mother into a fierce and stern one.
However, Song Jin didn't miss that time at all. She preferred her current, cheerful, and healthy mother, who was sometimes fierce and liked to yell at her. Thinking of this, she lightly climbed the watchtower, only to find that someone was already inside.
Song Jin looked at Xiao Er, who was curled up like a kitten inside, with some surprise. She was also very small, only a little over four feet tall. Although she was older than Song Jin, she looked like a child.
"Why are you sleeping here? You'll catch a cold," Song Jin said, curling up next to her. The spot was just right for Xiao Er, but she had to stick her legs out. Looking at the starry sky, she pointed to...
"Look, that's the morning star. When you can't find your way, just follow that star, and you'll eventually find your way."
"Miss, you're amazing! You know so much. I wish I were as amazing as you!" Little Ear shrank back, her missing ear hidden by her fluffy hair. Her round eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed again. "That way, my parents wouldn't have been killed by the bandits."
Song Jin sighed: "Do you miss your parents?"
Little Ear nodded, her eyes sparkling: "Their death anniversary is in a few days."
Song Jin patted her head: "Don't think so much. Take a good rest tomorrow. Your parents will be at peace knowing you're doing well."
Xiao Er shook her head: "No need to rest, I just miss them. Xiao Mei and I have rested enough every day. Meeting Miss is definitely the greatest blessing of my life."
They received half a tael of silver per month, had their own rooms, did less work than most households in town, and ate food that even many wealthy families in the city couldn't match.
Xiao Er is actually quite satisfied with her current life; however, she sometimes misses the old days.
She was originally a wealthy young lady. Her parents had a loving relationship, and she and her siblings had a harmonious relationship. However, she was unlucky. During a family trip, they encountered bandits. Only she survived because she was small and hid under the car. Unfortunately, her ear was also cut off at that time.
She was later rescued, but was treated as a jinx and eventually sold by her so-called relatives.
She was beautiful, like a little apple since childhood. She was originally sold to a brothel, but Song Jin saw her fall out of the carriage and bought her back as a maid.
Song Jin patted the man on the back: "This isn't your good fortune yet. Your good fortune is yet to come. When you want to leave and have your own life, that will be your true blessing."
Xiao Er shook her head: "I'm not leaving. Xiao Mei and I have already agreed that we will stay with Miss and Madam for life and never suffer outside."
Song Jin chuckled: "Working for me isn't hard?"
Little Ear pouted: "Working is definitely tiring, but we get paid, eat well, and can go to the market when we have time. Unlike outside, those women also do housework and cook, but not only do they not get paid, they also have to put up with their in-laws' bad temper. I'm not going to suffer like that."
Song Jin chuckled: "You two really overthink things."
Xiao Er snorted lightly: "After all, she's grown up now. Not long ago, someone came to ask Madam to marry Xiao Mei, but Xiao Mei refused."
Song Jin was somewhat surprised: "Is that so?"
"Yes, they all know that Miss and Madam are kind people. Xiaomei and I have money, but we have no family to rely on. Who knows what kind of crooked ideas they're plotting? We won't fall for it." As she spoke, Xiao'er became worried again, looking at Song Jin like a fawn.
"Miss, when will you get married? What will happen to your wife and us after you get married?"
"Me?" Song Jin chuckled. "It's a long way off. Besides, even if I get married, I have to bring my mother with me."
Little Ear instantly brightened up, her round eyes and round face making everyone feel good just looking at her. However, she quickly pursed her lips again and mumbled something.
"But I don't like the Yan family; they talk badly about you."
This conversation seems to come out of nowhere. Song Jin sighed, "How did we get onto the topic of their family? Let them talk. Yan Sheng is practically an official now, so it's normal for them to be a little arrogant. It's their place. But it has nothing to do with us. We all live our own lives. If we don't like it, we can stay away."
It's said that commoners shouldn't fight with officials, and as long as it didn't involve his own mother, Song Jin had no intention of causing trouble.
Xiao Er looked at her completely unconcerned expression and asked, somewhat bewildered, "Is it okay?"
Song Jin laughed: "Of course it doesn't matter. Now that their family has become officials, they can bring our family promotions and wealth too, right?"
Xiao Er scratched her head: "But, didn't everyone say that you and Yan Tongsheng are going to get married?"
Upon hearing this, Song Jin almost choked on her saliva. She tapped Xiao Er's head and looked at her with disgust: "Nonsense, where did you hear this rumor from?"
The child was even more confused. He grabbed a lock of his hair, bit it, and whispered, "I overheard it from Madam and Xiaomei."
Song Jin: ...
Don't believe or spread rumors.
**
The next morning, Song Jin came out of her room yawning, looking unusually unwell.
Yesterday was a chaotic night, and she couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning, even considering going into the woods to vent her frustrations. But then she thought better of it; given Niu Tielan's current condition, Song Jin wouldn't feel comfortable leaving her home alone at night.
She came out yawning. The courtyard was quiet, and a hazy white mist rose, enveloping the entire courtyard, before dissipating as the first rays of sunlight shone in.
"Miss is awake?" A-Mao, limping, came in from outside carrying a food box filled with steamed buns, and greeted Song Jin. "Freshly baked sauerkraut buns, please eat them while they're hot."
Song Jin: "Okay, go find Xiao Mei to record how much you bought it for later and have her give it to you."
Amao nodded silently.
Song Jin repeated, "Remember to submit the expense report."
A hint of helplessness flashed across Amao's face: "I've saved up quite a bit of money; I can still afford to pay a few dozen coins."
Song Jin was truly exasperated. She couldn't understand: "You all have money, it's yours to keep spending it instead of saving it. When you all leave home, you'll need money to build houses, buy land, get married, and raise children."
Why are they all acting like they want to cling to the mother and daughter?
Amao sighed: "I think things are pretty good now."
Getting married, having children, building a house—those things are far too far away for a cripple like him.
He then asked, "Or do you think I'm too lame to do anything and want to replace me with someone more capable?"
"Stop, I was wrong. Do whatever you want. If you like it here, stay forever. I won't say anything more. Just tell me when you want to leave, and I'll take you to the county government to cancel your indentures." Song Jin rubbed his head, took out a layer from the food box, and asked...
"Has my mother cooked the porridge yet?"
Amao: "It's cooked. Xiaoduo is watching the fire."
Song Jin: "That's fine then. Let Xiao Er continue sleeping. She can do less work these few days, and you can work harder. You'll get an extra 10% pay at the end of the month."
Amao: "I'm fine with the work, but forget about the money. Please enjoy your meal. I'll go check on Xiaoduo; I brought him some crickets, he should like them."
Song Jin waved her hand: "Go ahead, we'll ask Xiao Mei for the money back together. You mentioned it and I just remembered that I also promised to catch it for him, but I've been so busy these past few days that I forgot."
Amao: "...You go ahead and eat, I'm leaving. We've all been home all day, you can go do your thing."
"I probably won't go out, but if I do, you all need to keep an eye on my mother and make sure no one else comes to bother her," Song Jin emphasized. "Anyone, including the town mayor, or even the county magistrate, understand?"
Amao became serious: "Don't worry."
Seeing that he understood her meaning, Song Jin took out a steamed bun and stuffed it into her mouth, waved at him, and turned to go to the backyard to check on Xiao Hei. If she didn't feed it its favorite beans and bean cakes beforehand, it would fart prematurely and suffer later when she went out.
After finishing, Song Jin tidied up a bit more, and seeing that it was almost time, she headed towards Niu Tielan's room. She carefully pushed open the door; it was still quiet inside.
Niu Tielan lay on the bed, her smooth, glossy hair soaked with sweat. Her eyes were tightly closed, her brows furrowed from time to time, and her breathing became rapid, all indicating her discomfort.
Song Jin's expression changed slightly. Worried, she walked to the bedside and cautiously called out, "Mother, Mother."
Niu Tielan woke up groggily and saw Song Jin's worried face. She instinctively wanted to reach out and touch her, but found that she couldn't muster any strength at all, and her voice was hoarse.
"Jin, Jin Jin?"
Song Jin helped her lean against the headboard, asking worriedly, "Mother, are you alright? If anything still bothers you, you must tell me."
Niu Tielan coughed a few times, her eyebrows furrowed. She held Song Jin with one hand and clutched her chest with the other, feeling the vibrations and the undeniable strangeness even through her chest.
If yesterday it could be said that she misjudged the situation, then it definitely isn't now.
Although she didn't want Song Jin to worry about him, that was only when it was just an old ailment and she was perfectly fine.
Thinking of this, Niu Tielan closed her eyes, took Song Jin's hand and placed it on her chest: "Jin Jin, it feels like something is moving in my heart."
Song Jin's expression changed instantly. He pulled open her clothes and saw a line of blood protruding on her alabaster skin.
This is not surprising. Ever since Song Jin could remember, Niu Tielan had always had a red line about an inch long on her collarbone, but now it had grown to two inches.
Song Jin's face immediately turned extremely ugly. She gritted her teeth and asked in a low voice, "Mother, was this red thread something you were born with, or did it grow on you later?"
Niu Tielan looked down and noticed the difference. She felt a mix of bitterness and realization: "I knew it, I knew it!"
Song Jin raised her voice anxiously: "Mother!"
Seeing her anxious expression, Niu Tielan remained silent for a while, then smiled bitterly: "It was conceived the year I was pregnant with you."
Song Jin's hands trembled slightly. She leaned closer and pressed her head against Niu Tielan's chest to listen to her heartbeat, then suppressed her emotions and took her pulse.
Nothing unusual, still absolutely nothing unusual, exactly the same as before.
She instantly recalled Qi Zheng's sudden suggestion yesterday that she should take her to see a doctor, and then, recalling his words about her possible past, Song Jin suppressed her fear and tried to remain calm, saying, "Mother, you rest first. I'll go get your medicine and be right back."
Niu Tielan looked at her daughter with worry, but she knew that given her current physical condition, nothing she said would make a difference. She forced a smile and said, "Alright, go ahead. I've gotten through all these years, don't worry."
Song Jin wanted to smile and comfort her, but she couldn't manage a smile. She simply tucked her back in and hurriedly left the room, running quickly towards Mayor Lin's house, where she bumped into Mayor Lin just as he was leaving.
She grabbed his collar and asked urgently, "Are they still there?"
Mayor Lin: "Oh dear, take it easy, take it easy! My old bones are killing me! Oh, what's wrong? Okay, okay, I won't ask. They left before dawn, they should be in the county town by now. Oh, why did they run off again? What happened?"
Song Jin didn't have time to explain to him. Hearing that he had left, she ran home as fast as she could, rode her little black scooter, and sped towards the county town, not even stopping at the town gate.
Luo, the yamen runner: "Hey, hey, hey!"
Zhang, the yamen runner: "What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?"
But Song Jin had already run away, and no one answered them, so the two could only continue guarding the place with their doubts.
Meanwhile, Song Jin ran to the county government office as fast as he could and grabbed someone at random: "Are they still here? Lord Qi and Lord Song from the capital?"
The captured man was bewildered, but seeing Song Jin's anxious expression, he didn't keep her in suspense and said directly, "Lord Song, you don't know, Lord Qi is in prison."
Hearing this answer, Song Jin breathed a long sigh of relief, then plopped down on the ground, muttering as if she had been reborn, "It's alright, it's alright."
The constable she had grabbed straightened his collar, then squatted down beside her, looking at her curiously: "What happened? Why are you like this?"
Song Jin forced a smile: "I need to see Lord Qi. Go and call him for me. Tell him to come over quickly, since I helped catch him."
The constable suddenly realized: "You're the one who arrested that person?"
He said that the person looked so miserable, and that it was this person who did it, so it wasn't surprising at all.
Under normal circumstances, he would have made Song Jin wait, as the interrogation was more important. However, Song Jin wasn't unreasonable; she was already in such a hurry. Considering the meat and medicine she had received in the past, the constable went to ask her directly.
Anyway, Magistrate Xiao is kind-hearted. At worst, he'll get a scolding; he's thick-skinned and it won't affect him much.
Song Jin remained seated on the ground, her long legs slumped straight down, feeling unusually weak. She took a deep breath and tapped her head lightly, her mind somewhat blank.
Since transmigrating here from the apocalypse, Song Jin has spent every day with Niu Tielan. Her biggest wish is to grow flowers and vegetables with her mother, living the life of a happy little landlady. She never imagined that one day she would lose her.
Song Jin followed Old Liu to learn medicine, spending his free time searching for herbs in the mountains, all in an effort to heal Niu Tielan's frail body. But what if the direction was wrong from the start?
She was a little scared.
When Qi Zheng and Magistrate Xiao came out, they were surprised to see Song Jin in this state. After all, this man was always arrogant and smug, and it was hard to imagine him showing such fear.
Even in her fear, there was no trace of pity, but rather a stubbornness, an unyielding spirit capable of breaking through anything.
Upon hearing the voice, Song Jin turned around, not caring that Magistrate Xiao was also present, and asked directly, "Why did you say yesterday that I should take my mother to see a doctor?"
Qi Zheng frowned slightly and asked, "How is she?"
Song Jin stood up and said in a low voice, "Her pulse is the same as usual, there's no difference, but her breathing is rapid, she's weak, and most importantly, she said it feels like there's something alive in her chest."
Qi Zheng frowned deeply: "It seems I wasn't mistaken."
"What do you see? That red mark? My mother said it started when she was pregnant with me, and it hasn't changed all these years, so I never doubted it. But now it's suddenly an inch bigger, and there's something on my chest. I've never had any of this before; it only started appearing after you came yesterday."
Song Jin walked towards Qi Zheng step by step, her phoenix eyes fixed on him, her expression gradually sharpening as she gritted her teeth: "What exactly did you do?"
Qi Zheng lowered his eyes, remaining calm in the face of her questioning, and quietly said, "If I'm not mistaken, your mother's health wasn't always like this; it deteriorated along with that red thread."
Song Jin stood before him, the two separated by only a palm's width, so close they could feel each other's breath and clearly see any subtle change in each other's faces.
Their eyes met, but there was not a trace of ambiguity, only a chilling and solemn expression.
Hearing Qi Zheng's words, Song Jinxin's heart sank: "I don't know, she always said he's been in poor health since childhood."
Qi Zheng's gaze was deep and unfathomable: "Have you ever heard of the Gu scourge of Lingnan?"
Song Jin remained expressionless.
Qi Zheng understood: "Legend has it that a mysterious Gu clan lives in southern Lingnan, never leaving their territory for generations. Everyone thought it was just a rumor until the end of the previous dynasty, when the emperor was licentious and there was constant strife. Someone approached them and brought them out. No one knows how they did it, but in the end, half of Lingnan was shrouded in miasma, and countless people died from the Gu scourge. In the end, it was the Grand Secretary of the Song Dynasty who sent people to quell the chaos, although, to this day, no one knows how he did it."
Song Jin's face darkened: "So it was he who poisoned my mother, right?"
Qi Zheng's eyelids twitched: "...He didn't need to. Your mother was probably afflicted by the Red Thread Gu. This Gu is called 'A Thread of Fate Ties a Thousand Miles Apart.' It is divided into mother-child Gu and paired Gu. The mother Gu controls the child Gu. The child Gu are paired and will confuse each other. The person afflicted by the Gu will gradually fall in love with the other person and eventually lose themselves, becoming a puppet of the mother Gu."
Song Jin never expected such an insidious thing to exist; it was somewhat like mind control from her past life. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Then what about my mother's?"
Qi Zheng remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "The Gu must be planted in pairs; otherwise, it will fail. Logically, after failure, the paired Gu will devour the Gu's flesh and blood, gradually weakening it until only bones and skin remain within a few years. Your mother, I suspect it might be because she consumed too many tonics over the years, resulting in an excessive amount of energy that kept the paired Gu dormant."
After all, Song Jin was someone who could give away good things that could increase internal energy, so Qi Zheng had no doubt about Song Jin's ability to find good things. If it were anyone else, they probably would have already had their internal energy infused into them.
Niu Tielan, however, remained sickly and weak, demonstrating the power of the Red Thread Gu, truly worthy of being one of the Seven Gu of Lingnan.
Song Jin clenched his fists tightly, his face grim: "So what's the situation now?"
Qi Zheng sighed: "It might be because of Lord Song. He is a descendant of one of the Gu clans in Lingnan, and he carries the aura of Gu. It was the Thousand-Mile Bee you roasted last time that awakened the dormant Gu worms."
Song Jin asked again, "Is there a solution?"
Qi Zheng shook his head
Song Jin smirked: "Then who can handle this? Haven't you been traveling the martial world for years?"
Qi Zheng glanced at her hands, which were white from clenching them, and sighed softly, "Perhaps, Lord Song can."
This Lord Song is certainly not Song Xingzhi, who is still lying down.
Song Jin didn't know what expression to make. She forced a smile and asked, "Where is the one surnamed Song?"
Qi Zheng: Huichuntang
Song Jin took a deep breath, clasped her hands in a fist salute to him, and said solemnly and sincerely, "Thank you. My mother is unwell, so I must go back now. I will definitely repay your kindness in the future."
After saying that, she ran away quickly.
Qi Zheng couldn't see her expression, but he could imagine it from her back. Thinking of how Niu Tielan had protected people yesterday, he sighed inwardly.
Lord Song, this is all I can do for you.
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