Wei Shuwan finally stopped picking up food with her chopsticks and replied calmly, "When we went there, the fish were perfectly fine."
Speaking of this, Sun Lurong felt a pang of sadness. "Axiu didn't have many friends growing up. Besides Yun'er, he played with those koi, especially the three-colored koi. Even though he couldn't see it, he could always tell which one it was by the sound it made when it swam... What a pity."
“That three-colored brocade was a gift from Yun’er, and it has a special meaning for A-Xiu,” Wei Shuwan added casually.
Wei Ping also sighed, her words carrying a hidden meaning: "It's really strange. She's been well for so many years, but how come she turned over and lay belly up the moment Madam Pan went to check on her? What a coincidence!
“Sister Pan is kind-hearted, and I have been by her side the whole time. She just stared at the fish across the water for a while and then left. Aunt, please don’t wrong an innocent person.”
"Oh dear, how could I possibly suspect that Madam Pan harmed the fish? Besides, what good would it do her to do such a thing?"
"Then why did Aunt say such things?" Wei Shuwan turned to look at Wei Ping.
Wei Ping gave a bitter smile, then said meaningfully, "Sometimes, when something like this happens, it's not necessarily because the person has bad intentions. For example, in the village where I used to live, there was a little girl whose fate was predicted to be bad by an old Taoist priest from a young age. He advised her parents to send her to a Taoist temple as soon as possible to avoid bringing trouble to the family. But her family didn't take it seriously at all, and guess what happened?"
At the crucial point, Wei Ping deliberately paused, shifting her gaze from Wei Shuwan to Sun Lurong, as she wanted to say these words to her.
"That little girl lost her father when she was only eight years old, and her mother when she was ten. She had to support her family at such a young age, but the chickens she raised died, and the pigs she raised died! She finally grew up to be fifteen and married a farmer from the same village, but she lost her husband before she could even have a child."
After telling the story, Wei Ping bluntly stated her thoughts: "Some people are just born with a cursed fate, destined to bring misfortune to their family and friends! Even if such people are kind-hearted, it's best to stay far away from them!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than Wei Ping heard a sharp "smack" and turned to see Wei Shuwan throwing the bamboo chopsticks onto the table.
Wei Shuwan was annoyed. She had always known that rural women loved to gossip behind people's backs, but it was one thing to talk about people who were not serious, but it was Pan Wenjun, whose life had been ten times worse than hers in her previous life, which made her somewhat resentful.
Pan Duhu spent his life protecting his country and safeguarding the people of Daye, but why is his daughter so unfortunate?
Seeing that Wei Shuwan seemed unhappy, Wei Ping was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, but Wei Shuwan spoke first:
“Aunt, I’ve actually heard a similar story before. It was about a little girl who killed her adoptive father when she was seven or eight and her adoptive mother when she was a teenager. Perhaps her birth mother’s family was spared because they had given her away early on. But later, her birth mother, not believing in such superstitions, took her back. And guess what happened?”
Wei Shuwan smiled, then paused mysteriously, mimicking Wei Ping's earlier manner. Seeing Wei Ping's face turn several shades pale, she continued with satisfaction, "In the end, her birth mother gave her husband a sum of money, but the woman caused his business to fail miserably, and he became a beggar. Her birth mother's family also fell into ruin, going from being incredibly wealthy merchants to being penniless. In the end, they even sold their ancestral home and fled to another place."
Upon hearing this, Wei Ping's face turned as white as paper.
But Wei Shuwan continued, "That's not all. Later, this woman also killed her own daughter and landed her in jail!"
After saying that, Wei Shuwan shook her head and made clicking sounds of astonishment.
Wei Ping finally couldn't take it anymore, slammed her chopsticks on the table, and left the dining hall with a livid face.
Seeing that the woman had really left in anger, Wei Zheng, who had been silent all along, put down his chopsticks. He neither scolded his daughter nor said anything, and left with a worried expression and furrowed brows.
The once bustling dining hall was now empty except for Sun Lurong and her daughter Wei Shuwan. Sun Lurong then said to her, "Wanwan, it's wrong for your aunt to talk about others behind their backs, but she is still an elder. Besides, Caidie has just been imprisoned. You shouldn't stoop to her level and provoke her."
Wei Shuwan didn't think she had done anything wrong at all. With a stern face, she arrogantly raised her chin: "Before coming for lunch, I went to Ah Xiu's courtyard to see the fish. Their scales were all curled up. They didn't die from poisoning or improper care. They died from the heat."
"Died from heat?" Sun Lurong was a little confused. "How could someone die from heat in the dead of winter?"
"From the time I saw Sister Pan off from Yizhu Garden until Ah Xiu returned today, only half an hour had passed. I asked the kitchen staff if anyone had asked for hot water during that time, and they said only my aunt's side had asked for it, and my aunt herself went to get it."
Sun Lurong's eyes widened in shock. So that's how she died from the heat!
"But... but wouldn't it be too hasty to conclude that it was her based solely on a pot of water? Has anyone seen her go to Yizhu Garden?"
Wei Shuwan sighed softly, "When I arrived, the two servants from Yizhu Garden had both gone inside. I didn't inform them when I left. If Aunt had gone in then, I'm afraid no one would have noticed."
After a moment's thought, Wei Shuwan continued, "Besides, not long after Sister Pan arrived today, my aunt brought over a large plate of fruit. Xue's pastries are not easy to buy; you have to order them more than a day in advance. It's clear that she was prepared in advance. Although I can't figure out what her purpose is, she seems to be particularly interested in Sister Pan and has been trying to find out about her private matters."
"At first, I thought she was just trying to curry favor with Sister Pan because of her high social standing, but Mother, look at what she just said! It's clear she has great hostility towards Sister Pan!"
These words sounded mysterious and unbelievable. If it were Pingtang Sun Lurong, she might not have believed them, but not long ago she and her daughter were poisoned by Cai Die, so no matter how horrifying the event was now, it wouldn't surprise her.
Sun Lurong said helplessly, "I thought that once the eldest son's family left, our family would finally have some peace and quiet. But it turns out that everyone here is a powerful figure, and it seems that our family will never have peace."
Wei Shuwan shared the same sentiment: "Besides, my aunt is different from my uncle's family. At least my uncle's family can look after each other, so my grandmother can feel at ease when they leave. But my aunt is all alone now, and my grandmother already feels guilty towards her. I think she would never let her move out at the same time."
"In that case, we can only instruct the servants in the manor to be more vigilant and prevent such a thing from happening again."
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