Once the commotion outside subsided, the mother and daughter mustered their courage and went outside, only to find that the door, which had been tightly closed, was now wide open, and that bright red liquid had been splashed all over the originally black door, which was still flowing down the door, a truly horrifying sight!
“That’s…blood?” Meng Shi immediately lost her balance and swayed.
Although Wei Shuyao was also quite frightened, she quickly reached out to support her mother, saying, "It shouldn't be, right..."
The mother and daughter supported each other and moved forward slowly with small steps. When they saw that the bright red liquid was not only splashed on the gate, but also on the grass under their feet, they were so frightened that they quickly took several steps back.
A foul stench wafted through the air, and Wei Shuyao stammered, "Mother... this... this really seems to be blood!"
If the mother and daughter hadn't been supporting each other, they would probably have both fainted by now!
"It must have been the brokers who did it... Only they could do something like this," Meng said in despair.
When those people were doing these things, the two of them hid inside and dared not come out. By the time they came out and there was no more noise outside, everyone had already run away, so naturally there was no evidence.
However, Wei Shuyao felt that her mother's guess was probably correct. They had only been in Shengjing for a short time and had not yet had the opportunity to make any enemies, except for the brokerage firm.
“They suffered a loss last night, but dared not cause trouble at the Wei family's house, so they vented their anger on this new house,” Wei Shuyao speculated, following her mother’s line of thought.
Madam Meng's body went limp, and she slumped onto the stone steps in front of the courtyard. "Yao'er... I'm afraid we won't be able to live in peace here from now on..."
Wei Shuyao felt utterly hopeless. Even if she had evidence and took the brokers to court, it would only mean paying ransom again. Afterwards, it would only bring them even greater retaliation.
"Perhaps, perhaps if we also hire a doorman and a few guards, those people won't dare to..." Wei Shuyao held onto a sliver of hope.
But to Madam Meng, this was another considerable expense. And even if hiring guards could protect the house, wouldn't she and her daughter still need to go out on ordinary days? With such a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows, where would they dare to go?
In her dejected and helpless state, Madam Meng couldn't help but complain again: "If you could be as successful as Shuwan, our eldest branch wouldn't have fallen to this point where we are bullied everywhere..."
Wei Shuyao felt wronged and didn't understand why her mother was comparing her to her third sister at this time.
Just as she was feeling bewildered and aggrieved, she heard Madam Meng continue with an expression of deep sorrow and envy: "When the Wei family was bullied, your third sister even managed to obtain an imperial pardon, saving the whole family from danger. If you, Yao'er, were half as capable as Shuwan, you could also find someone to stand up for us right now..."
Wei Shuyao understood. It turned out that her mother was upset because she wasn't as likable as her third sister, who always had someone willing to come to her rescue no matter what danger she was in.
From a young age, she was always being compared to her third sister, which contributed to her awkward personality. Even as she grew up, she would unconsciously compare herself to her third sister in everything.
Thinking of all this, Wei Shuyao was overcome with grief and began to sob, her head bowed. Just then, a familiar yet distant voice drifted in from outside the door, neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Wei Shuyao to hear clearly:
"Is that the fourth daughter of the Wei family inside?"
Wei Shuyao stopped crying and looked up, puzzled. She saw a dashing young man in white riding on horseback, his gaze towards her like a clear pool of water, gentle and affectionate.
Who else could this be but Du Xun?
"Young Master Du." Wei Shuyao could hardly believe her eyes, but she couldn't mistake the face outside the door; it was the living, breathing Du Xun, there was no mistake.
Madam Meng looked at the person outside the door in surprise and immediately recognized him as the young master Du, whom she had once tried so hard to get Yao'er to be with him.
Du Xun recognized Wei Shuyao's face and, confirming he hadn't mistaken her for someone else, dismounted and walked over. He paused briefly as he passed the two doors, seemingly sniffing the air, but quickly arrived beside Meng Shi and Wei Shuyao.
"Just now, as I was passing by the door, I happened to see two people sneaking out of this door. Out of curiosity, I looked over and saw you two. For a moment, I was worried I had mistaken you for someone else..."
"What happened?"
Faced with Du Xun's question, Wei Shuyao didn't know how to explain for a moment, but since he came in, she suddenly seemed less afraid.
Meng then spoke on behalf of Wei Shuyao, saying, "Our eldest branch wanted to move out of the Wei family's main house, so we bought this house. Who knew that the broker would hold a grudge over a small disagreement..."
Before Meng could continue, Du Xun understood, “This was supposed to be a joyous occasion of moving into a new home, but they’ve ruined it with some unlucky dog blood. Madam, would you like to report this to the authorities? Since I just witnessed those two people, I can be considered a witness. If you want to report this to the authorities, I’m willing to do my best to help.”
Both Meng and Wei Shuyao felt a warmth in their hearts, but in the end Meng shook her head. "They hold a grudge because we exposed the broker's extra money and reported it to the authorities. It's fine for them to vent their anger, but if we report it to the authorities again, I'm afraid it will lead to endless cycles of revenge."
"Madam is magnanimous. Since she's willing to let them off the hook and not pursue the matter further, I imagine they won't dare to come back a second time. It's just that this house..."
Du Xun looked around and advised, "Repairing and cleaning will take a lot of time, which will be a good opportunity to calm things down. As time goes by, the anger between the two sides will subside, and the matter will be over."
As he spoke, he looked at the two large doors again, "The others can be dealt with slowly, but the dog blood on these doors must be cleaned up first, otherwise people will gossip about it."
Du Xun went out and beckoned his two attendants in, instructing them to fetch water and wash the dog blood off the gate.
Madam Meng and Wei Shuyao watched silently in the courtyard, their gratitude growing stronger. Even though Madam Meng was an elder, she still bowed in thanks: "We owe everything to Young Master Du today; otherwise, my daughter and I would not have known what to do."
“Madam, you needn’t be so polite.” Du Xun personally helped Madam Meng up.
Looking at his handsome profile, Wei Shuyao seemed to have a lot to say, but when it came to her lips, she didn't know where to begin.
After Du Xun's men had cleaned the door, he said, "Why don't I escort you two back to your residence first?"
Wei Shuyao was about to nod in agreement when the coachman unfortunately returned, so she had to change her mind and say no.
Before parting, Wei Shuyao caught up with Du Xun after her mother got into the carriage and asked him earnestly, "Will you come to burn the firewood when we move?"
Du Xun smiled and said, "If Fourth Miss sends me an invitation, I will certainly attend."
A sweet feeling welled up in Wei Shuyao's heart, a sense of fulfillment washing over her. Just as she was about to turn and get into the car, Du Xun hesitated and spoke:
"By the way, is Third Sister... alright?"
These words pierced Wei Shuyao's heart like a sharp knife.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
