Fall in love with your enemy

Continuing from the last time, I learned from Cui Yu that all those people who went up the mountain to deliver medicine over the years were the children behind Yun Jin. They were very grateful to brother Yun Jin, so even if their opponent was a powerful lady, they would rush forward regardless of everything. But why did it become ungratefulness in my eyes?

Maybe they never thought that this was a "favor" from me. I imprisoned them all day long just to let them go to school and not help them with revenge. Their future was not as important as Brother Yun Jin's life. It was me who did not recognize their goal and was wrong from the beginning.

But I still don't understand.

I don’t know if Yun Jinruo would understand if he were still alive, or if he would think the children’s method is better, and that this method should have been used when I was balancing the two ladies.

You Yijie also muttered unconsciously, "It's been seven years. We helped a group of poor students from the outer courtyard to their current position. We invested tens of millions, but today it all turned out to be a mistake. If they really think that we don't need to make an effort to help them get married and start a family, they should have said so earlier! If they want revenge, they can do it themselves. Why involve us? Fu Yunjin was not a student of our eldest house. When he died, he cheated us out of our first place. Now his sister-in-law is here again. Their conscience has been eaten by dogs..."

Shen Qilin pushed him away and pursed his lips to signal You Yijie to look at my expression, but he still failed to stop him from speaking. Now he raised his voice as if to remind me.

"That's right, they make it seem like everyone owes them something. Forget about Fu Yunjin and Fu Yunyan, at least they still have the surname Fu. What's with Dong Jiayin? Students who rely on the Fu family to eat and study can get out of the Fu family if they don't want to stay. Those without parents can go to an orphanage or seek refuge with poor relatives. Those with parents can go find their parents. They don't want to live a hard life, don't want to strive for success, but want high positions and generous salaries. They spend more money from the Fu family than ordinary families and still blame their benefactors. Who tolerates their bad habits? If they really think life is hard, why don't they strive for success? It's much easier for the Fu family to make a name for themselves than in the outside world. Fu Yunjin even participated in the competition for the head of the family, but he was eliminated because of illness. Who is like them, a bunch of people who are neither good at literature nor martial arts..."

Shen Qilin was a little interested: "Can the head of the family surnamed Fu also participate in the election for the head?"

"Those who are out of the fifth degree of mourning and don't have parents to take care of them can be accepted." You Yijie said angrily, "So you see, I really don't think there's anything wrong with my family. We've given them all the opportunities. There are only five or six hundred students accepted into the outer courtyard of the old house at most. It's better to fight among these five or six hundred people than to go out and not even get a head out, right? What's more, the education we received since childhood is better than that outside. Sister Shi, Brother Feng and I went to the same school. The tuition of three hundred thousand a year is enough for their family to eat and drink for many years. Don't you think so?"

"Me?" Shen Qilin pursed his lips and pointed at himself.

You Yijie just reacted: "Oh I forgot, you were not raised at home, I almost attacked indiscriminately."

Shen Qilin smiled and shrugged: "Actually, I still think they are a bit miserable. Being a student of the eldest house will be happier."

"That's true." You Yijie thought about it and nodded.

Old Fu is indeed more responsible to his students than his second uncle and younger uncle. I think this may be because his children were the only ones who were living outside during those years. His deepest feelings were only shown to the innocent and ignorant students. Jiang Chulan and You Yijie would feel happy and really regard the Fu family as their own home. But what is the reality? I am more inclined to Shen Qilin's statement that only the students of the eldest son will be happy. There is no need to say anything about the second uncle, who only cares about the children who are striving for success. As for the younger uncle, it is different.

He liked smart students, but he liked his own peaceful life even more. He had to have a place to vent his anger after the quarrel with Third Grandma, and Yun Jin was the punching bag he left for Third Grandma. He had no choice but to not interfere, so he could only make up for it by providing Yun Jin with food, clothing, housing and transportation. Unfortunately, Yun Jin didn't last long enough to stand up for himself.

So the students are still pitiful.

But their misery was not caused by me, and should not be attributed to me.

You Yijie finished his "whispering" gossip, but he still tiptoed over to tug at my sleeve and said, "Sister..."

"Okay, I get it. If I meddle in other people's business again, can you punish me by not allowing me to eat meat for a month?" I smiled helplessly.

You Yijie shook his head: "That's too heavy a punishment. I'll just have to pay you a raise."

"You're the best—" I pulled the man and hit him lightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Qilin signaled us to be quiet and pointed outside to indicate that there were people. Although the South Courtyard was the closest to the Yifeng Courtyard, it would take at least twenty minutes to get there by horse, not to mention that an old lady like Third Grandma had to pick herbs and bring them over. So everyone immediately realized that something was wrong. You Yijie was inexplicably a little excited and was ready to go until Shen Qilin really said the name as he wished: Zhou Linsong.

"It's still fifty or sixty meters away. After you go out, hide at the gate of the compound and don't let him see the group of people who fainted in the yard running away." Shen Qilin whispered.

"So far away? Then how do you know it's him?" You Yijie's eyes widened.

Shen Qilin rolled his eyes proudly: "Everyone's footsteps sound different. Even if he deliberately changed his posture, I can still hear it from the friction of the shoe pattern. My hearing is a gift. You can't ask for it even if you envy me."

You Yijie glanced at him and then at me in dissatisfaction. I took a deep breath and nodded: "There has to be someone to kill as a warning to the monkeys. Now that he's here, then let him be."

"okay!"

You Yijie rushed out, and soon we heard the sound of clanging and banging. Zhou Linsong was quickly dragged in. When he looked up and saw me, he was furious and tears instantly fell. He was about to beg me for mercy, but I was afraid that he would be soft-hearted again, so I immediately asked You Yijie to knock him out. Then I sighed and asked Shen Qilin to send a message to Sui Jiyun to give Yunyan some sleeping pills, so that she could at least sleep until someone came to find her tomorrow.

As long as she is alive, I can consider it as my payment to Yun Jin for playing the piano for me and helping me relieve my worries.

I was fed up with my overly emotional thinking, but unfortunately I still worried about others like this. More than an hour later, Third Grandma arrived. Before I even stood up and bent down, she rushed over to me in an instant, holding Second Grandma's hand and crying. Xuan Ze and Lan Lan brought the medicine. Zhang Mo gave up her seat to the crying sisters and pulled Xuan Ze to the table. She spread a pile of medicine on the table and instructed which one to crush and dissolve in water and which one to grind into slag and boil in the pot. After struggling for a while, she finally got two bowls of hot medicine and several packets of extremely finely ground green powder in her hands.

Zhang Mo quietly looked back at Third Grandma, who didn't notice her, so she pulled Cui Yu over and stuffed three packets of powder into her: "This is to save you. Mix one packet into the flour your wife eats, mix it evenly so that it won't be seen. Pour one packet into the well water, boil one packet of water, put the lid of the casserole that is often used to boil medicine into it and boil it thoroughly. We will just assume that we have discovered this a long time ago and have been saving Second Madam's life for a long time. By the way, does your wife usually burn incense?"

Cui Yu quickly replied: "Yes, my wife likes sandalwood, but she recently changed to ambergris."

"It means she's not too familiar with this kind of fragrance, right?"

Cui Yu thought for a moment and nodded: "That's right."

"Then pour some of the herbs evenly into the spices. Remember, you don't need too much, as the taste is still a bit strong."

"it is good."

Thinking this was the best way, I accepted it and asked Xuan Ze to help Cui Yu clean up. I went forward with the medicine to divert Third Grandma's attention. Third Grandma and Zhang Mo took a lot of effort to help the person sit up. I fed the smelly medicine into Second Grandma's mouth bit by bit. After another wait, Second Grandma's complexion gradually improved. After the second vomiting, she showed signs of consciousness. She half-squinted her eyes and I didn't know if she could see. Third Grandma turned around to look at Zhang Mo anxiously. She took out a small bottle from her bag and poured a piece of white stuff into it and asked Second Grandma to hold it under her tongue.

"Just soak some ginseng in water for her to drink every day, and boil it in water when she feels too weak." Zhang Mo shook the bottle and handed it to Third Grandma.

The old lady was really panicked, with tears on her face and she couldn't stop saying "OK".

"Can't you wake up yet?" I finally couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Mo laughed out loud and pursed his lips: "I woke up a long time ago and just didn't want to talk."

I looked over and saw that Second Grandma had her eyes closed, but a tear squeezed out from between her eyes. Third Grandma was startled and held her hand tighter. I also went over to touch the back of her hand and her pulse. Her temperature had risen a lot and her pulse was obviously stronger.

Yes, the person was saved. If he was really old and sick, how could he die so quickly? It also confirmed that it was pure poisoning.

Second Grandma understood what her second uncle had poisoned her body and what her son had poisoned her mother's heart. It was strange that she could speak at this moment and she could only cry.

Zhang Mo finally pulled out a long silver needle and took Second Grandma's left hand: "Madam, this needle is a bit painful. If you can't bear it, please make a sound, okay?"

Second Grandma still didn't respond, her hands were limp, but Third Grandma cried out of pain for her. After all, that injection wasn't as painful as the one her Second Uncle gave her. The silver needle was a creepy black and red when it was pulled out.

"Su Ning? Su Ning, don't scare me... You are the only one who accompanies me in this family. You said you would always be with me..." Third Grandma couldn't control herself anymore and buried her head in tears. Even I felt a little more distressed when I saw it. Second Grandma also sobbed twice when she heard it, but finally sighed.

"You have a son, what are you afraid of?" Second Grandma whispered, reaching out to wipe Third Grandma's tears, but she choked up again: "What about me? I have fallen to this point... It's all my fault, my fault..."

Third Grandma couldn't bear it anymore, she gritted her teeth and cried angrily: "How wrong could he be! You should live your own life first, not his! Anyone in this world can blame you except him. You gave birth to him, Fu Mingtang is your son, not his creditor! Suning, why are you doing this... You knew it a long time ago, right..."

"I didn't expect he hated me so much that he wanted to kill me..." Second Grandma said, her voice gradually lowered, and she took a deep breath: "Mingyue, don't worry about me, you are better than me, luckier than me, don't follow my old path, listen to me, let the children do whatever they want in the future. I have harmed Mingtang all his life, and I am paying for the sins I have committed..."

Third Grandma hesitated to speak, looking at the people behind her for help. I stepped forward with my heart, "Second Grandma, you are confused. Will Second Uncle be happy if he is accused of matricide? Not to mention matricide, my mother, Madam Zheng, and I never got along. She beat and abused me for more than three years. I regretted her last few words of pity. I regretted not discovering her serious illness earlier and not visiting her more often. I cried for her, too. What about you? You raised Second Uncle since he was a child. Could it be that Second Uncle is so hard-hearted that no matter how much resentment he has, he has no true feelings at all?"

"Yes, listen to what your granddaughter is saying. Mingtang won't do that, he won't do that..." Third Grandma wiped her tears and pulled Second Grandma against the cushion: "There must be a misunderstanding between you and your son. Stop being stubborn and just talk to him. Why don't you make it to this point? Let the children solve their own problems. We are so old now, so we should not get involved in the future, okay?"

While the Third Grandma was still talking, the Second Grandma couldn't listen any more. She wiped away her tears in despair and waved her hands again: "Shi girl, I can guess what happened today. No matter what it was for, thank you, but it's not necessary. You don't understand. He is my son. I know him best. It is very likely that he has thought deeply about the things he decided and showed on the surface for decades. You dare not even think about it..."

"But……"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. You're soft-hearted, but he's different. It's actually a good thing. He lives the way I wanted him to be in the beginning..."

I couldn't say anything. I looked back at Third Grandma. I saw that she, who always looked pretty good, had a few white hairs on her temples. Her face was full of disappointment. She bit her lips so hard that they turned pale. Finally, she couldn't hold back any more: "Killing his father, mother, and brother. This is how you want him to be! Do you dare to believe what you say!"

Even though I was prepared for what Third Grandma said, I was still shocked when I heard it from someone who knew the inside story. Or maybe it wasn't shock, but disappointment and despair that hit rock bottom.

William was not the only one who killed Old Master. I knew that, but I just didn't dare to believe it. But somehow, my second uncle had already gone far ahead of William, and I couldn't catch up with him or bring him back. No one in this world could save him.

It's ridiculous that the first thing I thought of was to save him, then to blame him, and finally to lament myself. Second grandma was right, I am soft-hearted, but being soft-hearted is a shortcoming that can't pull me back on track.

After Third Grandma finished yelling, Second Grandma burst into tears, crying bitterly, and shouting: "You are talking nonsense! You can't slander my son for something he didn't do! You can't slander him..."

"Wake up! Do you really think Fu Mingtang is still the patient and forbearing person he used to be? Mingying is dead, and no one in this world can suppress him anymore! His tiger claws are just about to slap someone in the face! Today's game is aimed at Shishi. He wants to kill you and put the blame on Shishi, destroying the last bit of obstacle he has in this world. Do you think Shishi doesn't know?" Third Grandma shouted with tears streaming down her face.

Second Grandma began to look at me vaguely, with calculation, sadness, and helplessness in her eyes. I knew that even she didn't intend to kill me at this time.

It could be anyone, why had it to be my second uncle? And why did my third grandmother have to tear these facts apart and crush them in front of me?

I'm really in pain.

I can't listen to it anymore.

"Second Grandma, Third Grandma, please talk about your heart's desires. Your granddaughter will not disturb you any more. I'm leaving now. The medicine is in the kitchen and I'll send someone to bring it over later." After I said this, even they felt a little sorry for me and kept silent behind me.

So I took three steps and then stopped. After thinking for a while, I decided to face them. I was fine today, but I might die someday. My second uncle was really kind to me and he was doing me a favor. I said goodbye to my mother on his behalf, but there would never be anything good between us again.

I knelt down with my skirt lifted up, and You Yijie and the others followed me. We faced the dying soul beside the bed, with our palms pressed to the ground and our foreheads touching the backs of our hands. Our whole bodies drooped low, and there would never be a time when we would droop lower than this again.