Thinking of that damp quilt, Yang Ruoqing wanted to drag all the bedding outside for a good sunning to kill germs. But she was supposed to be a fool, wasn't she? If she carried them out herself, wouldn't that give her away?
So, suddenly, she opened her mouth and cried out inarticulately toward the kitchen: "Ah—ah—ah—"
As expected, the curtain over the kitchen entrance was lifted, and Sun Shi, wiping water off her hands, hurried out and ran over to Yang Ruoqing's side. "Qing'er, what's wrong?"
Yang Ruoqing opened her mouth, just about to lean closer to Sun Shi's ear to whisper for her to help carry the bedding outside to air, when—
Bang!
The small wooden gate leading to the front house was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a young man stormed in wearing straw sandals. His trouser legs were rolled up past his knees, covered in mud.
The young man looked to be around twenty, with a square face, tanned skin, thick eyebrows, large eyes, a straight nose, and slightly full lips. Yang Ruoqing immediately recognized him as her Fifth Uncle, Yang Huazhou.
The sudden commotion startled Sun Shi, but when she lifted her head and saw clearly who it was, she let out a breath of relief but also looked a bit surprised.
"Fifth Brother, weren't you supposed to be at Old Zhao's place on the east side of the village today helping build their stove? Why are you back so soon?" she asked.
Yang Huazhou wiped the sweat off his forehead and glanced at Yang Ruoqing hiding behind Sun Shi. He raised his voice at Sun Shi and asked, "Third Sister-in-law, has my third brother come back from town yet?"
"No… Why? What's going on?"
"Before my third brother left, wasn't he wearing a gray shirt, dark blue trousers, and straw sandals?" Yang Huazhou quickly followed up.
Sun Shi thought for a moment, nodded, and then suddenly had a bad feeling. She had been half-squatting beside Yang Ruoqing but now stood up abruptly, asking anxiously, "Fifth Brother, why are you asking all this? What's happened?"
"Damn! This is bad!" Yang Huazhou slapped his thigh, gritting his teeth, his entire face twisted with worry.
Hearing this, Sun Shi's face instantly went pale. Thinking about how her husband had been gone for so long, a terrible premonition rose in her heart.
Her lips trembled as she was about to ask more, when suddenly—
Squeak—
The door to the east wing creaked open.
An old man, tall and thin, came out wearing a jacket. His temples were slightly graying, but his posture was still upright and sturdy.
He gripped the lapel of his jacket with one hand and held a long tobacco pipe in the other. Behind him followed Tan Shi, her face filled with anxiety.
Yang Ruoqing knew at a glance that this old man was the patriarch of this family, her grandfather, Old Yang.
From the moment he stepped out, Old Yang's face was dark and gloomy. His gaze didn't even drift toward Sun Shi and Yang Ruoqing; instead, he glared sharply at Yang Huazhou, who looked like he was on fire with urgency, and barked, "I can't stand your half-talking nonsense, dragging it out like an old woman! What's wrong with your third brother? Spit it out!"
"Dad, it's bad! I heard from Er Gouzi's wife, who just came back from town. About five li from the town, by the riverside, a person is lying there covered in blood. Next to him was an overturned cart. Er, Gouzi's wife was too scared to get closer, but she said that person's clothes matched Third Brother's exactly!"
"What?!" Old Yang's body swayed violently, and with a clatter, his tobacco pipe fell to the ground.
Tan Shi rushed forward, grabbed Yang Huazhou's arm, and shrieked, "What did you say?! Your third brother's ox cart flipped into the river?!"
"That's what Er Gouzi's wife said, but I don't know the exact details! I was worried sick and rushed back to ask you what to do!"
"Qing'er's father…" Sun Shi suddenly let out a wail, bolting for the courtyard. She hadn't even taken two steps before her body suddenly stiffened, and she fell backward in a dead faint onto the hard-packed earth.
On this side, Yang Ruoqing's expression shifted slightly. Just as she was about to spring up to help, Yang Huazhou, who was quicker, reached out to steady Sun Shi.
"Third Sister-in-law…"
After swaying slightly, Sun Shi finally came back to her senses.
"I need to find Qing'er's father!" Sun Shi's wide eyes were almost unfocused, but she still stubbornly pushed Yang Huazhou away and dashed toward the front of the house.
"Father, what do we do now? Hurry up and think of something!" Yang Huazhou glanced in the direction Sun Shi had run off to, stomping his feet in anxiety.
"What are you still standing here for? Go to the front yard and wake your eldest brother! No, going to the fields this afternoon—we're all going to look for your third brother!"
Old Yang hadn't even finished speaking before Yang Huazhou dashed out like a gust of wind. The next moment, the sounds of him pounding on Yang Hua'an's door echoed from the front of the house. Old Yang buttoned up his outer garment hastily and hurried after them.
In the backyard, only Tan Shi stood in the middle of the courtyard, anxiously pacing in circles, and Yang Ruoqing stood under the western wall, frozen in place with a blank expression.
Although she hadn't formally met this cheap "father" of hers yet, the fragmented memories in her mind carried that honest, good-natured middle-aged face.
Just like Sun Shi, for over ten years he had silently, without complaint, cherished and protected this foolish daughter of his.
Last night, he hadn't slept a wink. At dawn, he had gone into town to fetch medicine. He must have been exhausted or distracted—that's the only way he would've overturned the oxcart and gotten into an accident!
Yang Ruoqing's heart was a complete mess. She desperately wanted to go see what was happening with her father, but this body had suffered too much. After almost drowning and burning up with a fever the whole night, even a slight movement made her feel dizzy and faint. She couldn't possibly keep up with the others. Worse, she'd just become a burden.
All she could do was stand stiffly under the western eaves, tiptoeing and craning her neck toward the front gate, straining her ears for any sound, praying over and over again that her father wouldn't suffer anything serious.
Over by the side, Tan Shi glanced around, muttering who-knows-what under her breath. She bent to pick up Old Yang's tobacco pipe from the ground, ready to return to the east wing. But just as she turned, she caught sight of Yang Ruoqing standing there, bracing herself against the wall, and her temper flared up instantly.
"What are you staring at? This is all your fault! Stupid, fat fool—why is your life so tough? If anything happens to your third uncle, you and that slut of a mother can forget about staying in the Yang family! We'll kick you both out sooner or later—you bring nothing but misfortune! You damned jinx!"
Normally, Yang Ruoqing would never have tolerated such words. But right now, her heart was with her father, and she didn't have the energy to waste on verbal sparring with Tan Shi.
Besides, unpleasant as Tan Shi's words were, they weren't entirely wrong.
If it hadn't been for the original host of this body jumping into a pond over some boy's words, none of this mess would have happened. These mistakes weren't hers, but now she was stuck paying the price. What could she do? Sigh…
Not wanting to be used as a punching bag by Tan Shi, Yang Ruoqing turned around and went back into the west wing, leaving Tan Shi alone in the courtyard, cursing and swearing.
"A fool showing attitude at me? Ptui!"
Tan Shi spat a few more curses before turning around and heading back into her east wing, slamming the door behind her with loud bangs.
The warm afternoon sun bathed the yard, but Yang Ruoqing's heart felt as heavy as lead.
(End of chapter)