In the deserted courtyard, not even a soul could be seen.
Originally, the servants were just showing off, but now they all went back after seeing Shen's father and Shen's mother being taken away in the middle of the night.
She opened the door and entered the house.
A simple mourning hall was placed on the table.
Three pillars of burned incense were placed in front of the memorial tablet, and a black porcelain bottle containing the ashes was placed aside.
An old widow who lost her husband and had no daughter by her side didn't know how to carry out the funeral or when to bury her.
Maybe out of sight, out of mind, I let my deceased husband's ashes just sit there, hiding everything from others.
Mother Shen was lying on the bed sickly. The weather was getting warmer and the charcoal pot was still burning.
The bedside was warm, and she was already sweating from the heat just after standing for a while.
When Mother Shen saw it was her, her eyebrows were bitter and her expression was gloomy. She raised her hand and waved: "Sit yourself."
She touched Mother Shen's forehead, which was a little hot: "Are you sick? Where is A'duo?"
"It's okay. I probably caught a cold. She went to buy me medicine."
"Why are you back?" She thought of something and stood up: "It's bad luck here, don't come back."
She frowned: "What's wrong? Don't talk nonsense. I also sneaked out when he wasn't paying attention. I won't be here for long. I'll burn some incense sticks for dad and leave."
"Then find an auspicious day and bury dad."
Mother Shen's eyes turned red: "It's hard for you to still remember him."
She held her forehead: "After all, we have been relatives for so many years..."
"What are your plans for the future?" she asked.
Mother Shen murmured: "I don't have any plans, just live here."
She nodded: "Those two boxes of gold are enough for you to live the rest of your life well. I will come to see you often."
After hearing this, Mother Shen looked a little haggard.
Her heart sank: "What's wrong?"
Mother Shen shed muddy old tears: "Your father... your father became very proud after he had those two boxes of gold. He spilled the beans while having a drink with others. I don't know who heard it." , when your father and I were arrested, the house was robbed and the gold was stolen..."
Her heart froze: "Have you reported to the official?"
"I reported it, and the people from the Yamen asked me to come back and wait for news, but there was no news after that..."
"You..." She gritted her teeth, feeling dizzy with anger. As soon as she got up, her vision went dark and she almost fainted.
Can't blame them either.
The dead are the greatest.
Moreover, they are old and suddenly have a windfall, so it is normal for them to be remembered.
"I'll find a way." She comforted Shen's mother.
What else can I think of, other than asking Wei Cheng.
The more she thought about it, the more tired she felt, and her stomach started to churn. She sat with a blue face and her forehead in her hands.
"Stop worrying about my affairs, are you okay with him?" Mother Shen struggled to get up and put a soft cushion on the back of her waist.
"After all, you are a high-ranking family, with so many servants staring at you, and you have to spend money to get rewards and other things. People who don't have a penny to pull off your hair still look down on you. Do you have any dignity in you?" She dug out the handkerchief under the pillow. A dozen taels of silver were stuffed into her: "You can use it, but you can also keep it here with me. I can't spend much money."
She silently looked at the pile of broken silver in her hand and shook it, making the silver clatter.
The silver was wrapped and stuffed back under Mother Shen's pillow: "Put this money away, I'll have enough for it, mother, don't worry."
This was the first time she called her mother after the incident.
Mother Shen murmured, crying and laughing.
"Are you willing to come and live in Xiyuan?" she said suddenly.
"I'm not worried about you living here alone. When the time comes, I'll ask A'duo to move here with you."
Mother Shen thought for a while and shook her head: "This is enough to live in. Your father and I have lived here for almost twenty years. Now that he is gone, I have to guard it."
She looked at Mother Shen with disappointment.
"Moreover." Mother Shen hesitated, looked outside the yard, and whispered to her: "Now that you are around him, you have to be careful about everyone and everything. My uncle is in a high position and has a bright future, and he is born like this. If you are so good, you will inevitably be remembered."
"Don't bring anyone to the place where you live. The girls under your command should be picky and clumsy. Just leave a clever confidant to help you deal with things. They don't need to be too beautiful, just not ugly."
Shen Yinxiao laughed: "Mom, did you come from the Gaomen Courtyard when you were young? How come you know it so well?"
Mother Shen's expression paused and she said humbly: "After all, I have lived many years longer than you, so I naturally know something."
There were a few oranges placed on the kang table nearby. She picked one up casually, pinched the peel with her fingertips, peeled off a strip, and said casually: "I came here to ask Mom something."
"you say."
"Does Mom really not know who my biological parents are?"
Mother Shen froze for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know."
She looked at Mother Shen quietly, until Mother Shen's eyes dodge.
"You know, you just don't want to say it."
Mother Shen's face was pale, and her chapped lips were trembling.
After a long moment, she sighed and put down the half-peeled orange.
"I know, I won't ask again."
Get up and go to the front hall to burn paper for Father Shen.
Rough paper money was thrown into the fire, and the flames rolled up, causing heat waves one after another.
Ashes as black as crow feathers rose up, and embers flashed past, like crow's eyes.
Illuminating the dead man's path to death.
What do they know.
They must know something, but they don't want to tell her.
Just like Wei Cheng has money and power, but none of it belongs to her.
Power and wealth are man's best tonics.
She touched the golden hairpin on her temples and scratched her head. The real coldness of Zhucui made her feel a little more at ease.
If there was a mirror, she could still see the huge and dazzling Hepu pearls on her ears. A pair of them could feed an ordinary family for a month.
But these are all jewelry registered in the government book. She can't sell them, and she will be discovered if she sells them.
What if Wei Cheng doesn't love her anymore, or maybe he has a new love.
The scent of makeup and powder on his body that day was not fake, and who knew whether what he said was true or false.
How would she know if he had touched other women?
What to do if you know.
If the two of them hate each other, will such gorgeous jewelry still belong to her?
Will Xu Yu still make soup for her with a smile?
The sky was filled with ashes. She burned the last piece of paper and turned around to leave.
After being delayed at Shen's house for too long, she ran back to the cloth shop on South Street with her skirt in hand and randomly selected a few items. Qing Fei had already finished delivering the soup and came in to look for her. After paying the money, Qing Fei took it from her. He took out the needlework, beads and cloth and got on the carriage.
Xu Shi had just eaten a few orange slices and felt a little pain in her lower abdomen. She leaned against the car wall with a pale face. When she returned to Sanle, she gradually felt better. She felt lazy and simply took a bath and went to sleep.
It was already late at night when Wei Cheng came back.
He has been home late these days.
She was sleeping inside, and when she heard the sound of undressing outside the tent, she shrank in again.
The curtain opened and a hand took her.
"I heard from my servant that you didn't eat anything at night?"
"no appetite......"
"They also said you had a stomachache when you came back?" He frowned: "Also, why didn't you deliver it to me yourself and let a little girl deliver it to me?"
"I want to pick some beautiful fabrics to make a sachet for you. The ones I made before are all old." She blinked and looked at him.
His expression softened a little, and he got into bed, bringing in a burst of air-conditioning.
"Where's your belly?"
Warm palms touched her belly.
"Does it still hurt?"
She shook her head.
"I'll ask the kitchen to bring in some more food. Eat more to keep yourself healthy."
She frowned: "I really can't eat it."
"Then let's have some porridge? How about the golden milk puff pastry? Let's get some salty side dishes to go with it."
She lowered her eyes and nodded.
The raw fish fillet porridge was brought to her. She endured her nausea and scooped up a spoonful of it and put it to her mouth.
The fishy smell hit her face, and she couldn't bear it any longer. She pushed Wei Cheng away who was holding her, leaned over the edge of the bed and vomited out with a "wow" sound.
The filth in his stomach and intestines vomited all over the floor, splashing all over his feet and staining Wei Cheng's robe that he threw aside casually.
His expression changed, he supported her, took away the stained robe, and helped her wipe the dirt from the corners of her mouth.
With this vomiting, almost all the internal organs were vomited out. In the end, the stomach was empty and all the vomited out was acidic water.
Wei Cheng's heart twitched when he saw it, and he hurriedly patted her back to cheer her up.
He poured water for her to drink.
Qing Fei and others who were waiting outside hurriedly came in to clean up.
"Lazy things! How do you serve me?"
The man yelled angrily, scaring several people to their knees.
Wei Cheng's expression was extremely sinister, and he looked at the people kneeling on the ground with murderous intent.
"You don't know when someone is sick? Can't I support you just to make a living?"
Xu Yu hurriedly went to ask the doctor with a pale face.
Wei Chengyin's face was sullen, but his expression softened a bit when he helped her lie down, squeezed her hand, and whispered: "The doctor will be here soon."
