bayedsolid Chapter 241 Life experience
Chapter 241 Life experience
Fallen leaves swirled on the bluestone path, and withered branches rustled and wept in the wind.
As you walk along the main road, a desolate and cold atmosphere washes over you.
The first impression Wallace got here was that there was absolutely no sign of life.
As dusk settled, Lu Xue couldn't help but think.
Could they be living in a haunted house?
It's not impossible that everyone else besides them is a ghost or monster.
Lu Xue's wild imagination was instantly interrupted by Shu Tong.
The two women vaguely felt a pair of eyes watching and spying on them from behind, but when they turned around, they found no one there.
Lu Xue could only guess that the old man was worried about them, so he sent someone to secretly follow them.
On second thought, wouldn't that expose their whereabouts?
Lu Xue wrapped her plain-colored padded jacket tightly around herself, and her embroidered shoes stepped over layers of withered leaves, the crisp sound like tearing silk breaking the deathly silence.
The hundred or so houses along the street stand like silent tomb guardians, their vermilion doors faded and mottled, their carved windows covered in cobwebs, and not even a single bark of a dog can be heard.
“Sister Shutong…” Lu Xue subconsciously grabbed the sleeve of the person next to her, the silver bracelet on her wrist making a soft, tinkling sound. “Why is this place so eerie?”
Before he could finish speaking, a chill suddenly swept across the back of his neck.
Lu Xue suddenly turned around and saw the setting sun about to fall, the twilight as blood-red as it soaked half the sky, and half a yellowed piece of paper money floating at the end of the empty street.
Shu Tong gently patted her trembling hand, her palm warm: "Watch your step."
After turning a corner, things finally became lively.
The sound of sighs rose and fell, immediately attracting Lu Xue's attention.
It seems to be some major news, and it's about the passing of some important person.
A dozen or so men in coarse cloth and short clothes surrounded the notice board, looking like a flock of crows fighting for food.
Lu Xue stood on tiptoe and just caught a glimpse of the words "sudden death" when Shu Tong pulled her into the crowd.
“Miss, look at this.” Shu Tong pointed to the obituary on the blue brick wall.
The raw Xuan paper was stained by rain, and the ink traces meandered like tears: "The youngest son of the Prince's Mansion died suddenly, and his body lay in state for three days."
"The youngest son of the Prince's mansion is dead!" someone spat. "I heard he died from a terrible disease, bleeding from all seven orifices."
"Those are nobles raised in a golden age!" The oil seller clicked his tongue and shook his head. "The other day I saw the Prince's mansion making purchases; half a cart was filled with red coral alone..."
Some people sighed with regret.
"The Prince's Mansion is a well-known wealthy family. Being born into such a family means you'll never have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of your life."
In chaotic times, ordinary people can barely protect themselves, so some people may not be suited to enjoy a life of comfort.
As everyone chimed in, people naturally recognized the two men's expensive clothes.
Not only did everyone fail to treat them with respect, but some even seemed to be watching the spectacle with amusement.
The discussion stopped abruptly.
Lu Xue suddenly felt a burning sensation on her back, and when she looked up, she was met with several prying eyes.
The onlookers who had been sighing and complaining just moments before now seemed like hyenas seeing carrion, their murky eyes gleaming with malicious glee.
Whispers could be heard incessantly.
"Isn't this the one from the He family..." The plump wife, the silk shopkeeper, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, "...her mother was a notorious vixen for miles around. She climbed up to Master He's influence, then turned around and seduced a Japanese officer..."
"Your mother didn't even care about her chastity, she went and seduced a married man. She was very cunning, and after living a good life for a while, she still died."
"He died a worthy death."
Her fingernails dug deep into her palm as Lu Xue stared at the ink spreading across the notice.
Those words suddenly twisted into the image of her mother at parting—a brooch pinned to the front of her moon-white cheongsam, the warmth of her slender white fingers brushing across the top of her hair, even warmer than the spring sunshine.
What others see as a wretched mother is, in her heart, an existence that no one can ever tarnish.
She was very magnanimous not to fight them in the street.
Lu Xue pieced together the tragic backstory of the original owner from fragments of information.
Her mother struggled to raise her, but the good times didn't last.
Despite the support of the He family patriarch, he was still targeted and arrested by Japanese officers.
The saying that "beauty is a curse" really hit Lu Xue hard.
"I'm afraid the Fourth Miss doesn't know yet?" A sharp-faced old woman emerged from the alley, chewing on a melon seed shell with yellowed teeth. "Tomorrow at 7 PM, the Prince's bridal sedan chair will come to carry someone away! They say it's for a ghost marriage, but actually..."
She deliberately dragged out her words, "It's to ward off evil spirits by using a living person!"
"Oh, how pitiful and pathetic, even the title of Fourth Miss is just a name without substance."
“The eldest concubine of the He family would never let her own daughter do such a dangerous thing, so she would definitely only use you as a scapegoat, since your father doesn’t love you and your mother is gone.”
Overwhelmed with grief, Lu Xue almost lost control of her emotions; her fingers curled up and her whole body trembled.
Shu Tong suddenly grabbed her wrist with surprising force.
Lu Xue was startled to realize that she had touched the silver hairpin in her hair, and the openwork vine pattern left a deep red mark on her palm.
"Miss, don't be impulsive, I'm here."
She sighed softly, suddenly realizing that it was all in vain.
Forget it, I'm too lazy to explain to these rude people.
They only believe what they see in front of them and never listen to the explanations of the parties involved.
"The young lady's mother will not tolerate you outsiders pointing fingers and making comments."
You have no right to lecture my mother about what she's like.
Shu Tong's words coincided with He Yuping's meaning.
The sharp-faced old woman not only didn't restrain herself, but became even more agitated, making no attempt to hide her disgust, and embellished the story further.
"Besides, the He family only keeps you around to bleed you dry. How dare you stay here and not leave?"
“An adopted daughter who is not well-liked, even if she has the blood of the He family, is still someone who cannot be brought to the table.”
The extremely vicious words sent a stabbing pain through Lu Xue's heart, making it hard for her to breathe.
Even when she was angry, Lu Xue maintained her smile and ignored him.
Since the He family wanted to force her to marry in their place, she refused to comply with their wishes.
Seeing that Lu Xue's expression was blank and she seemed completely unaffected by her.
The woman suddenly felt bored and started gossiping with the others.
"Let me tell you, the two young masters of the Prince's Mansion were even fighting on the front lines when their home was raided. They'll be furious when they get back."
"That patriarch of the Wang family, for the sake of power, even colluded with the Japanese, and he dared to talk about building the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere? Bah!"
"Hey, let's keep our voices down and be discreet so that no one with ulterior motives hears us. You know how cruel their methods can be."
Lu Xue thought for a moment and then understood.
There is definitely someone manipulating things behind the scenes.
No one can tolerate such harsh words; someone with ulterior motives must be stirring things up behind the scenes.
Lu Xue fell into deep thought.
Originally, Shu Tong, who was sent there, was actually an informant planted by his side.
Fortunately, it was a sparse pine tree, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
It can be said that the master himself facilitated this.
Therefore, the person who fueled the flames was someone else.