Chapter 27: Sending Off the Beggar?

“I hope so,” said Lady Song, but she had an ominous feeling. She knew her daughter well, and whether she was willing to be involved with them was still uncertain.

Jiang Wan had been keeping a close watch on the movements of the second household while her memories of how Song Jiao Jiao had bullied the original owner of the body resurfaced more and more.

If she dared to come, Jiang Wan would show no mercy.

The sky grew dark, and just as Jiang Wan thought Song Jiao Jiao wouldn’t come that night, a farmer arrived holding a torch.

“Sir, it’s late, and the dew is heavy outside. It’s not convenient to rest here. Our village is just ahead; you can stay there for the night.”

Ren Bang’s gaze was deep as he stared at the farmer in front of him. “We are officers escorting prisoners.”

He was reminding the farmer not to have any other ill intentions, or they wouldn’t be soft-handed.

“Understood, sir. It’s just that our master saw you passing by and thought you officers must be tired. He asked you to rest at our village for the night.”

The farmer’s humble attitude made the officers feel moved, and in the end, Ren Bang agreed to follow him to the village.

Everyone had different thoughts, but when Jiang Wan saw Lady Song’s lips curl upward, she understood that this was likely Song Jiao Jiao’s person.

She obediently followed them to the village, where the officers were arranged to sleep in rooms, while the exiled people like them couldn’t sleep too well.

They were all arranged in several servant rooms, in large communal sleeping quarters where there were twenty to thirty people in a room, with no privacy.

Jiang Wan didn’t mind; it was better than sleeping outdoors. She glanced at the second household’s people and silently helped Lady Song lay out the bedding.

It was uncertain if they would even get any sleep that night. Jiang Wan quickly closed her clothes and lay down. Song Jiuyuan cast her a complicated glance, then closed his eyes to rest as well.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Wan heard the calls of wild cats outside, and she knew that it was likely Song Jiao Jiao’s people. She suddenly opened her eyes and met Song Jiuyuan’s shining gaze.

He wasn’t asleep either. There was a large distance between them, separated by Lady Song, and they tacitly didn’t speak.

Sure enough, she heard the sound of clothing rustling, followed by soft footsteps—Lady Song was leaving.

Jiang Wan didn’t move until Shen Qian quietly left as well. Only then did she silently get up, covering her pillow with the blanket to feign resting.

In the darkness, Jiang Wan saw Song Jiuyuan’s mouth move, as if telling her to be careful. She gave a slight nod and left the room.

When no one was around, she used her powers to follow. The first person to enter a house was Lady Song, and soon after, Shen Qian followed closely behind. Jiang Wan moved like the wind, landing on the roof of that house, peeling open the tiles.

She could hear the two women inside crying, or more precisely, Lady Song was crying.

“Jiao Jiao, life is so hard for me… woo woo woo…”

Lady Song was crying loudly, while Song Jiao Jiao, who was dressed luxuriously, sounded somewhat tired.

“Mother, I know. Don’t cry, we need to hurry and talk about important things. If we don’t, the officers might discover that we’re secretly meeting.”

Song Jiao Jiao was actually quite afraid. Although she was already married, due to the downfall of the Wang family, her husband’s family had begun to look down on her.

She couldn’t let her husband’s family know that she was secretly meeting with her family.

Lady Song, who hadn’t yet realized her daughter’s worries, hurriedly said, “Yes, Jiao Jiao, we’re without help now, you’ve suffered.”

Lady Song was genuinely heartbroken for her daughter. These few words softened Song Jiao Jiao’s heart. “Mother, how about I take you away? Hide yourself.”

Actually, as soon as she said this, Song Jiao Jiao regretted it. She herself was in a difficult position now and could hardly help her maternal family.

Outside the door, Shen Qian anxiously scratched at the door and window, nearly giving them away.

“No.”

Lady Song quickly shook her head. “Your father and brother are injured, and they can’t escape. If they’re caught, they’ll drag you down with them. Jiao Jiao, just prepare some plasters and food for us. Your father and I can survive in the wilderness.”

“Alright.”

Song Jiao Jiao was moved, and didn’t insist any further. Only then did Lady Song realize that her beloved daughter was only saying polite things, causing her pain.

“Jiao Jiao…”

Song Jiao Jiao handed a small pouch to Lady Song. “Mother, here’s some small silver. Use it to bribe the officers.”

Afterward, she handed over a set of coarse linen clothes to Lady Song. “I’ve hidden one hundred taels of silver bills in these clothes, and also prepared some food and medicine.”

Song Jiao Jiao sighed. “You know that the Wang family was exiled, and my husband already has a rift with me. So I couldn’t prepare much, don’t blame me, mother.”

“Your mother won’t blame you.”

Lady Song gently stroked Song Jiao Jiao’s hair. “Just take care of yourself.”

She felt sorrow in her heart. People were selfish; although she was heartbroken, she still chose to ignore the tone in Song Jiao Jiao’s words.

“Mm.”

Song Jiao Jiao suddenly thought of Jiang Wan, whom she had always hated. Unable to resist, she asked, “Mother, how’s Jiang Wan? Has she been bullying you?”

“Just mentioning her gets me angry.”

Lady Song then began to excitedly list all the evil deeds Jiang Wan had done, recounting all the wrongs she had suffered from her.

After speaking, she added, “If she wasn’t exiled, she would definitely be bullying me and your brother in the Wang family.”

“Too much!”

Song Jiao Jiao angrily gripped her handkerchief. “Mother, I can’t help you much, but tomorrow I’ll find an opportunity to deal with her.”

Her hatred for Jiang Wan ran deep, simply because the original owner’s mother had once pampered her, and her family was wealthy, which made Song Jiao Jiao envious.

Unfortunately, the original owner’s mother was fated to die young, and no one protected her. That’s why Song Jiao Jiao had formed the habit of bullying Jiang Wan.

“Jiao Jiao, if it’s convenient, it would be best if you could deal with Jiang Wan thoroughly!”

Lady Song gritted her teeth. Outside the door, Shen Qian hurriedly nodded, making Jiang Wan feel speechless.

It seemed that the original owner, this cannon fodder female antagonist, was quite hated by others, which explained why she kept making mistakes.

As the two women finished their conversation, Shen Qian hurriedly returned to the room, and Lady Song quietly left. Jiang Wan immediately rushed back to her bed before they returned.

Hearing their return, Song Jiuyuan glanced at her, then relaxed and continued to rest.

Soon, Shen Qian and Lady Song lay down one after the other. Jiang Wan silently waited until they had fallen asleep before getting up again.

This time, Song Jiuyuan didn’t notice, likely not expecting Jiang Wan to get up and cause trouble.

After she got up, she first went to Lady Song’s side and took the silver and silver bills that Song Jiao Jiao had given her.

When she saw the silver bills, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted. If she remembered correctly, when Song Jiao Jiao got married, her dowry wasn’t as extravagant as ten miles of bridal gifts, but Lady Song hadn’t treated her badly either.

She had several tens of dowry items, yet when her family was in trouble, this was all the silver bills she gave—was she sending off a beggar?

No wonder Lady Song’s expression had been strange earlier—she was hurt by her daughter after all.