freenovelworld Chapter 38 Recognition of relatives
Chapter 38 Recognition of relatives
Cheng Ping frowned, took a drag of his cigarette with a "puff," then exhaled a long plume of smoke that enveloped his face, and slowly said, "Come in."
Song Fu was a little uneasy. Was Cheng Ping really going to let him in like this?
Seeing his hesitation, Cheng Ping said impatiently, "Xin Laohei died a long time ago. I bought his courtyard and a house with some things that he said were left to his descendants. You'd better take them and get out of here."
Song Furan knew about this matter and had inquired about it before coming, so he said apologetically, "Thank you for your help."
Cheng Ping stood with one hand behind his back and the other holding a pipe, smoking. His wife, Madam Hu, and the children stood by the door, watching. Cheng Ping shooed them away, "Go back inside, what are you watching?" He then turned to the neighbors who were watching the commotion and said, "Get out of here, go home and check on your mother."
People chuckled and lingered before leaving, clearly still looking forward to seeing him make a fool of himself. Back then, it was common knowledge among the neighbors that Xin Laohei, an old bachelor, lived in a large courtyard. They even secretly plotted to sell their houses and divide the money after Laohei died.
Who knew that Cheng Ping would suddenly appear and buy the courtyard at an extremely low price, leaving those who had planned to buy it regretting their decision. They usually didn't dare cause trouble because of Cheng Ping's position as warden, but their relationship wasn't exactly pleasant.
Song Fu shuffled into the courtyard. Cheng Ping casually pointed to a separate room in the corner of the courtyard, with some firewood piled up at the door. "Go look there. Make sure you look carefully. I didn't even bring a lock to change. I've been watching over this house for your uncle for so many years, and I'm already being generous by not charging you rent. Hurry up and take it and get out of here."
"Sigh," Song Fu answered reluctantly. The reason he chose to pretend to be Xin Laohei's nephew was because there was no way to verify his identity, and no one would come forward to expose him.
Who knew Cheng Ping would be so annoyed with him? Song Fu made up his mind to use the house as an excuse to stay and refuse to leave. After all, Cheng Ping had acquired the courtyard through dishonest means, promising to provide for Xin Laohei in his old age and in his final days for only ten silver dollars, yet he sold the entire courtyard.
Ten silver dollars! You know, a courtyard house would cost at least two hundred silver dollars, so ten silver dollars is just a drop in the bucket. No wonder the others were indignant, since they also had the idea of dividing up the courtyard house.
Although it wasn't my own yard, I still couldn't help but feel heartbroken when I saw this message.
With a disgruntled glare at Cheng Ping, Song Fu then walked toward the small house.
It's at most five or six square meters, a small, square house with a door and a small window at the entrance, and nothing else.
A worn-out brass lock hung on the door, plain and unadorned. Looking at the rickety door frame, Song Fu wondered if the door was still serving its intended purpose.
However, having come this far, Song Fu decided to keep up the act and asked Cheng Ping, "Where's the key?"
Cheng Ping then took the bowl that Hu Shi handed him, picked it up and slurped up the porridge without even looking up, saying, "It's gone, I can't find it."
Song Fu sighed, deciding not to ask him any more questions, and pushed the door open. Although it was old and worn, it was not easy to open.
Normally, Song Fu would have kicked the door away and destroyed it on its own. However, he was now a "down-and-out" man who had been searching for a long time, and had not eaten or drunk anything for days, so it was strange that he had this strength.
So he pushed and shoved a few times, then weakly slid down the door frame, coughing a few times, "Warden Cheng, please give me the key, I really don't have the strength."
Madam Hu opened her mouth as if to say something, but Cheng Ping glared at her and shut her up, saying, "Women shouldn't be so meddlesome!"
Then he said to Song Fu, "Whether you open it or not is none of my business. Tomorrow, I'll haul the house and everyone out."
Song Fu frowned. He certainly had the strength to kick the door open, but he couldn't do that. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Madam Hu and said weakly, "Auntie, please help me. I will reward you accordingly."
Cheng Ping's wife couldn't hold back any longer. She pushed her husband away and said to Song Fu, "Hey, don't worry, young man. We'll look for it for you right away. We can't guarantee we'll find the key, but at least we won't kick you out right away. We need to give you some time to process it."
Cheng Ping tried to signal to his wife with his eyes, but she wouldn't even glance at him.
After exchanging a few words with Song Fu, Cheng Ping pulled Cheng Ping back into the house to discuss the matter. After closing the door, Cheng Ping looked out the window and saw Song Fu leaning against the door, resting his strength. He complained, "What a woman's kindness! Why are you sympathizing with him? You have too much money to burn, doing good deeds everywhere."
Hu put her hands on her hips and lowered her voice, saying, "Hey, you ungrateful wretch! Who am I doing this for? Huh? We got this house through dishonest means. All the neighbors know that. You're doing this to their faces and making things so difficult. How are we supposed to get along in the future? Do your children still want to be in-laws?"
Cheng Ping put down the bowl, picked up his pipe again, and puffed on it, asking suspiciously, "Is that really what you think?"
Hu snatched the pipe and threw it aside, saying with disdain, "Smoke, smoke, smoke, you'll smoke yourself to death." She then explained, "I used to never say this, but the other day our eldest son reached the age to be married, and people all shook their heads when they mentioned you."
"Hey!" Cheng Ping retorted, "What's wrong with me? Even though I'm not a local, I've built a family and a career, and I'm paid by the government. Do they dare look down on me?"
Mrs. Hu gave him a push, "Who said they disliked you? It's just that you're too domineering, and people are afraid of you. I'm thinking that it's fine in the past, but our children are growing up day by day, and we can't go on like this forever. We still need to smooth things over with the people around us. You should give them a nicer face in the future, okay? Did you hear me?"
Cheng Ping subconsciously took a puff of his cigarette, then realized his hands were empty. He quickly put them down, thinking of his children, whom he cherished dearly. He had no preference for boys over girls; they were all equally precious. If he were to affect their future, that would be a terrible mistake.
"Fine," Cheng Ping finally conceded, "but what does this have to do with that young man?"
Hu was so angry that she pinched him. "Are you stupid? You suddenly went from a big tiger to a little cat. People will say you're crazy. Now that a pitiful person has come along, we don't need to do anything. We just need to find the key and send the person out safely. Everything has to be done slowly, right?"
Cheng Ping finally understood and couldn't help but praise his wife for her foresight, giving her a thumbs up and saying, "Brilliant, it has to be you, wife."
Hu raised her head triumphantly, "Hmph, you go out and borrow some clothes from the neighbors. Tell them this young man is so pitiful, and we don't have any suitable ones. Borrow from a few more families and spread the word. I'll look for my key at home. If I really can't find it, go to Old Zhang in the back alley tomorrow and have him make a copy, or just smash it, understand? Get it over with as soon as possible and get him out of here."
The two inside the room discussed and agreed on their plan before opening the door and smiling at Song Fu. "Hehe, I haven't asked yet, what's your name?"
Song Fu said weakly, "My name is... Wu Fu."
He was exhaling more than inhaling, and Cheng Ping was afraid that this person would die in his own home, so he said, "Wu Fu? Hehe, maybe you really are unlucky, losing an uncle like this."
Hu secretly pinched Cheng Ping hard, and said with a smile, "He can't speak properly, don't mind him. We couldn't find the key just now, we'll find you a key duplicator tomorrow, don't worry."
Cheng Ping, echoing his wife's sentiments, agreed, "Yes, yes, yes."
Song Fu naturally wouldn't care. He just wanted to find an excuse to get close to Cheng Ping's family, build a good relationship, get a job in the prison, and then find an opportunity to rescue Lü Peijun.
Song Fu realized that the mission would not be peaceful from the very first contact with Cheng Ping and his family. Cheng Ping looked fierce, but he was all bark and no bite, while his wife looked kind, but her eyes gleamed with cunning.
It's hard to say who's good or bad, but this family isn't easy to get along with.
Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Cheng Ping, along with Hu Shi, borrowed clothes from one neighbor and trousers from another, leaving these families puzzled and unsure of what kind of trouble this man was up to.
Mrs. Hu also knew that changing people's impressions was not something that could be done overnight, but as long as she did enough on the surface and turned her family's reputation around, it would be easy to find husbands for her children.
Song House.
At this moment, Yan Ruyi sat on the balustrade as always, idly fanning herself. The little one was quite puzzled, "It's already late autumn, why are you fanning yourself?"
Yan Ru suddenly came to her senses and chuckled, "What are you fanning yourself with? I don't know either. Maybe it's sorrow, the helplessness of watching the flowers fall."
She recited a line of poetry, which the little one didn't quite understand. Just then, Dujuan brought up a cup of hot milk. "I see the young ladies in the family drink this; they say it's calming at night. Would you like to try some?"
Yanru disliked being called "Sixth Concubine," and that day she had another argument with Master Song, saying such resolute words. Therefore, Dujuan changed her address and only used "you" instead.
Seeing that the milk was still steaming, Yan Ru thanked her for her thoughtfulness, "It's kind of you to be so considerate. Let's put it in the room, I'll drink it before I go to bed."
Dujuan knew that she never liked crowds, so she put down the milk and left.
The little thing looked at her retreating figure with disdain, curling its lip and saying, "Sycophant, why didn't you give me a drink too?"
Yan Ru looked into the distance again, her gaze unfocused. "Xiao Fang, I don't think I've ever heard you mention your older brother or sister. Aren't they in the manor?"
The little thing rolled its eyes, seemingly disdainful. "Yes, everyone's here. My sister is in the first wife's room, and my father and his son are with the housekeeper."
"The First Madam?" Yan Ru had been there for quite some time, but this was the first time she had heard of this person. "To be honest, I'm ashamed to say that I've only ever met your Second Madam. I didn't know there was a First Madam in the household. I thought..."
The little thing chimed in, "You thought that since she's gone, the second wife is in charge of the household? That's not the case. The first wife is in poor health and is a devout Buddhist. She spends most of her time in the Buddhist hall and has become like a Bodhisattva. The whole household has fallen into the hands of the second wife."
Then Yan Ru thought of Song Yuanliang and tentatively asked, "Does the First Madam have no children?"
The little thing said, "Where? The First Madam has no children. The young masters and ladies in the mansion are all born to other concubines. For example, the eldest young master is the son of the second madam. Oh? Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since I've seen the eldest young master. I heard he's sick..."
"Is he sick?" Yan Ru asked anxiously.
"Yes," the little thing asked doubtfully, "You know the young master?"
Yan Ru realized what was happening and said calmly, "Ah, I don't know them. It's just that... your sudden mention of other people just now made me suspicious."
"I was just saying whatever came to mind, where was I just now...?"
"Speaking of the eldest young master being ill, he's been ill for quite some time."
“Oh, is that so?” the little thing continued, “The young master has been sick for a while, I heard it’s a cold, and the young lady is in high school. Oh, by the way, the manor recently hired a foreigner to teach. You haven’t seen him, he looks weird and speaks in a crooked way, he’s quite funny, hahahaha.”
The little thing started talking about something else, but Yanru wasn't listening.
Yan Ru now understands what it feels like to have her heart pounding like a drum. Song Yuanliang, who doesn't respect her but is completely devoted to her, is sick. It turns out she wasn't indifferent after all.
Unfortunately, one wrong step led to another, and their relationship was now hopeless. Even if she didn't marry Master Song, she couldn't...
Sigh, Yan Ru suddenly didn't want to listen anymore, her face showing signs of fatigue. The little one was getting into the swing of things, gesturing wildly and imitating the foreigner, but Yan Ru slumped to one side, squinting her eyes.
Reluctantly shutting her mouth, the little thing pouted and said, "Then I'll call you some water, so you can wash up and rest." Actually, it was just that Yan Ru was clean; these days, not many people bathe every day.
This also shows that Master Song still cares about Yan Ru. Otherwise, he would have just thrown money away, and the servants wouldn't have been willing to go through the trouble, since there were no extra rewards for working for Yan Ru. The reason they could be ordered around was because of Master Song's secret favors.
Yan Ru nodded and helped herself up by holding the little one's hand.
Lying on the couch, Yan Ru felt drowsy. In her daze, it seemed that the doors and windows were open again, and someone was teasing her affectionately, "Hey, I'm here again."
Upon hearing the steward's report, Master Song learned that Song Fu had entered Cheng Ping's household, albeit staying in the woodshed. This marked the first step forward, so he happily exclaimed, "Very good! You've done a good job. It's all thanks to your excellent training."
The butler said modestly, "It's all thanks to the master's good judgment in choosing him from among the collateral branches. It must be due to the blessings of his ancestors that he has acquired some talent."
Master Song smiled without saying a word, gave a few instructions, and then dismissed the steward.
Alone in the house, the chill gradually seeped in. Tonight, there was no cold moonlight, only the bright white lamplight shining alone, unhindered by wind or rain.
He took out the jade pendant with two dragons playing with a pearl that Yan Ru had given him and examined it carefully. The more he looked at it, the more he loved it. Then, thinking of the legend he had heard today, he slowly frowned and pondered.
Ultimately, he has both the woman and the "jade" in his hands. If the legend is true, then what Yan Ru brings him is more than just beauty.
But legends are just legends; how can one believe something made up out of thin air without some certainty? It seems that we really need to pay more attention to Lü Peijun's matter, and we also need to go to Yanru's place again. Master Song found a reason for himself and, clutching the jade pendant, headed towards Yanru's small building.