Jiang Chun took advantage of the night, jogged all the way back to Daliushu Village.
Originally, Zheng Yi and his son were going to drive the mule cart to send her, but she refused.
She went back alone, could take a detour through the field paths, small target, not attracting attention.
If they drove the mule cart to send her, they would have to take the main road. If Liu Qitan sent people to lie in wait, they would definitely catch them in one go.
Sure enough, Jiang Chun’s way was right. All the way no shock no danger, smoothly returned home.
Jiang He and Song Shi’an had also already come back from the clan leader Jiang Zhaonian’s house, but their vigilance was still quite high. The house didn’t light the lamp, no matter how she knocked on the door there was no movement inside.
She could only open her mouth and say: “Dad, open the door, it’s me.”
Jiang He was just lying on the main door listening for movement. Hearing his daughter’s voice, he immediately pulled open the bolt, dragged her inside, then quickly bolted the door.
And even wedged a thick long wooden stick on top of the door bolt.
Jiang Chun’s mouth twitched.
Can’t say this move is useless, can only say somewhat useful.
After all, bad people who are willing to properly walk through the main door instead of climbing over the wall are indeed not many.
The two had just walked into the kitchen, when the door of the west room creaked open with a “ga zhi” sound, a tall black shadow appeared at the doorway.
It was precisely Song Shi’an.
“Son-in-law also hasn’t slept yet?” Jiang He asked, then decisively said: “Then let’s talk in your room.”
“Mm.” Song Shi’an responded in the dark, turned around and went back into the west room, Jiang He and Jiang Chun hurriedly followed.
After Jiang Chun entered the room, she familiarly groped out the fire striker, directly lit the oil lamp.
Jiang He was startled, hurriedly said: “Don’t light the lamp, be careful people find out we’re at home.”
As he spoke he was about to come over and blow out the lamp. Jiang Chun reached out to shield it, speechlessly said: “Dad, if those people really came, they would definitely search the house once. Whether we light the lamp or not doesn’t make much difference.”
In pitch darkness, don’t end up having someone fall and then have to make trouble to go to the town’s medical hall — that would really be a leaky house encountering a night rain. [idiom meaning misfortunes never come singly.]
Jiang He thought it over and felt it made sense, so he gave up.
He had just sat down on the kang edge when he urgently asked: “Your cousin Peng said your uncle went to find the county magistrate’s wife’s younger brother Zhao Langjun to help, how was it, is he willing to help?”
Jiang Chun shook her head: “Said the Liu family’s power is too great, he doesn’t dare to get involved in this matter. The gift we sent also wasn’t accepted, all of it returned to my uncle.”
“Ai.” Jiang He upon hearing this, let out a long sigh.
Jiang Chun took a breath, solemnly said: “Dad, we might have to run away.”
She said this with some unease.
Jiang He, a native-born ancient person, grew up in Daliushu Village since young. People leaving their hometown are treated lowly. Asking him to go on the run with her, afraid he might not be able to accept it in his heart.
She had already prepared to put in great effort to persuade him, had already thought up her words on the way back.
Who knew that Jiang He, upon hearing this, immediately said: “Of course we have to run, don’t run and just stay at home waiting to be caught?”
“Let’s first run out and hide for a period. That Ninth Young Master Liu couldn’t possibly stay here in our place for long, in no time he’ll return to Suzhou. Once he’s gone, we just come back, that’s all.”
He even had the place to go thought out: “Your grandaunt married over to Qingniu Town. Seven or eight years ago your cousin followed people to Hongye Town to do work, and even stayed at our house for three months. Us two cousin-brothers got along quite well. We go to his place and hide for a month—he won’t be unwilling.”
Jiang Chun was stunned by Jiang He’s decisiveness and thoroughness. This dad of hers really was not bad. At critical moments, not only did he not drag her back, he could even be of help.
She didn’t dilly-dally either, nodded and said: “We’ll listen to Dad. Let’s go to Qingniu Town to rely on Cousin! Tonight, let’s rest well for a night. Tomorrow morning we’ll get up early to pack our things, after breakfast we’ll set out.”
In the big iron pot there was hot water boiled by Jiang He, still warm. Jiang Chun quickly used tooth powder to brush her teeth, washed her feet, then climbed onto the kang.
After tossing about the entire day, lying in the warm quilt, sleepiness surged up in Jiang Chun.
Half-asleep, not yet fully asleep, she suddenly shivered and instantly woke up.
She nearly forgot to talk business with Song Shi’an.
She turned her body toward the head of the bed, lightly coughed once, and asked: “Husband, are you asleep?”
After waiting for a moment, Song Shi’an’s voice sounded from the darkness: “No.”
Jiang Chun pressed her lips together, said with some difficulty: “Qingniu Town is quite far from Hongye Town. Even by mule cart it takes three days to reach. If walking, it takes about seven or eight days… Husband’s body is weak. I fear you can’t endure this hardship. It’s better you don’t follow us and suffer this tossing about?”
Song Shi’an was silent for a good while, then coldly said: “You think I’m a burden, so you want to throw me aside and not care?”
What’s this?
Husband and wife are like birds in the same forest, but in great disaster each one flies their own way?
Usually she cared for him in every possible way, seizing every chance to take advantage of him, acting like she adored him very much—yet in the end it’s only like this.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, mocked coldly: “You throw me aside, and don’t worry that Liu Qitan, unable to catch you, would take me to vent his anger?”
“Oh, of course you don’t worry. I’m merely a live-in son-in-law your dad spent ten taels of silver to buy. If someone killed me, at worst you’d just spend another ten taels to buy another one. Anyway, you father and daughter know the butchering craft, and you even have quick money-making channels. Ten taels of silver to you both is no more than drizzle.”
Jiang Chun was ridiculed for a while, but didn’t get angry. She only said: “You can rest assured. Tomorrow morning you write me a divorce letter. I’ll leave my fingerprint. On the way, when we pass by Hongye County, I’ll go to the yamen to register the document. I guarantee you won’t be implicated.”
When Song Shi’an heard this, he was immediately stunned.
Only after a long time did he stammer: “You—you’re going to divorce me?”
Jiang Chun felt she needed to explain, otherwise if he misunderstood her as that kind of “heartless scoundrel” who, when calamity strikes, abandons her husband to escape alone—then in the future, when he becomes Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and comes to seek revenge on her, she’d truly be more wronged than Dou E.
[Dou E is a tragic figure from a classic Chinese drama who was falsely executed]
People have mouths, and they’re not just for eating.
She seriously said: “What Dad said, to hide for a month and come back, that’s the ideal situation. But if Liu Qitan puts in a great effort to search, the Jiang family only has these few relatives, sooner or later he’ll find us in Qingniu Town. At that time we’ll have to run elsewhere again.”
“And even if he returns to Suzhou, he could still leave people behind to keep watch on our home. This being the case, we’re afraid we’ll have no home to return to, and we don’t even know how long we’ll have to stay on the run to finally settle down.”
“You’re physically weak. Making you follow us running around to escape is no different than taking your life. That’s why I thought to divorce you—this way you’ll have no connection to the Jiang family anymore, and Liu Qitan won’t do anything to you.
“At that time you can rent a house in the village, or just live in Hongye Town or Hongye County, either way. With your ability to copy books, you surely won’t starve.”
Song Shi’an had mixed feelings in his heart.
So it turns out that was what she meant—he actually misunderstood her.
This was clearly a last resort she came up with for his sake. Count her as still having some conscience.
But Song Shi’an didn’t say that out loud. He said faintly: “With my ability to earn one hundred fifty wen in half a month, three hundred wen in a month, after deducting the cost of renting a house, the money left over is already tight for eating, simply can’t afford medicinal soup to nourish the body. Even if I barely manage to survive, I’m afraid I’ll end up a cripple.”
When Jiang Chun heard this, she felt a bit soft-hearted. After hesitating for a moment, she gritted her teeth and said: “Since I said before that I’d help nurse your body back to health, then I’ll definitely keep my word. Before we leave tomorrow, I’ll leave thirty taels of silver for you—that’s enough for you to drink nourishing medicinal soup for a year.”
There was no time to buy a mule now. The seventeen taels of silver meant for the mule would be saved. That sum would be enough for her and her father to live on for a while.
If it really came to it, she could still go clock in at the shop in Qingniu Town and collect some system rewards to exchange for money.
Anyway, she could get money more easily than he—a sickly person.
When Song Shi’an heard this, his phoenix eyes suddenly opened wide, shocked beyond belief.
Jiang Chun hadn’t hidden it from him when hiding or taking out money, so he was very clear that the Jiang family’s total savings amounted to just over thirty taels.
They, father and daughter, were about to embark on a path of fleeing, the time they most needed money—and yet she was willing to leave all their savings to him.
This was simply…
Simply treating him with utmost benevolence and righteousness.
Although she still held the seventeen taels of silver she obtained through her item-summoning ability, even in a poor household, one must travel like a rich person.
That little bit of silver might not be enough to give her peace of mind.
It showed she’d rather suffer herself than mistreat him.
Song Shi’an closed his eyes, was silent for a long while, then suddenly said: “What if I say I don’t want the silver, and insist on following you two on the road?”
Jiang Chun had finally made up her mind, and he just had to say something to shake her. She said, not in a good mood: “Are you crazy? Don’t want your little life anymore?”
That plotline wasn’t in the original novel. If he followed her on the run, and his body couldn’t hold up and he died along the way, losing him—the beautiful, strong, and tragic male side character—she really wouldn’t know how badly the main storyline would collapse.
Song Shi’an let out a cold snort: “That’s right, don’t want it anymore.”
Jiang Chun: “???”
Her face was full of question marks. Song Shi’an had many strengths, but his biggest strength was resilience. No matter how bad the situation was, he could survive like wild grass, tough and unyielding.
How come at this moment he broke character, became so irrational, even placing his life aside?
In the dark, she blinked her big apricot eyes, and suddenly inspiration struck. She cried out in surprise: “Husband, you’re unwilling to take the silver and go, even willing to follow us on the run till death—could it be that you can’t bear to part with me? So it turns out, Husband, you actually admire me so much!”
Song Shi’an: “……”
What made him even more speechless was what she said next: “If you want me to take you with me, that’s fine. Come into my bed and sleep with me.”
Song Shi’an: “……”
At a time like this when the fire’s already burning your eyebrows [idiom meaning urgent matters are at hand], she was still thinking about taking advantage of him? Absolutely outrageous!
He snapped: “Don’t even think about it. My body can’t take it.”
Jiang Chun didn’t believe it, said with certainty: “You can. I’ve already tested it.”
Song Shi’an’s face immediately flushed red, even the tips of his ears turned completely red. He was furious and flustered: “You’re simply—simply shameless!”
Jiang Chun, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, said smugly: “That’s right, I’m shameless. What are you going to do about it?”