Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Article 484 Lesser Merchants' Promises

"Gurgle—creak! Boom..."

A dull and piercing noise, like the dying gasps of a sick beast, violently shattered the deathly silence of the Chengjiamiao courtyard. The sound came from the dilapidated wheels rolling over the frozen earth and ice pits, accompanied by the groans of the overburdened cart shafts.

"Ok?"

Cheng Shaoshang suddenly raised his head, his ears, which were numb from the cold, instantly picking up on the unusual noise.

"Lotus pod, what's that noise outside?"

She dropped the chipped ceramic bowl in her hand, not bothering to clean it up, and grabbed the lotus seedpod, darting familiarly to a corner of the courtyard wall.

Those few crooked stones there served as their "watchtowers" for peering into the outside world.

"Girl, watch your step!" Lianfang said anxiously, supporting her.

Cheng Shaoshang used both hands and feet to nimbly climb up the pile of stones, stood on tiptoe, and clung to the cold wall covered with rotten wood spikes, trying his best to look out.

A small, almost falling-off blue cloth cart stood like a moving coffin in the bleak winter sun. Several burly, fleshy women, like jailers escorting serious criminals, stood around the cart with their faces as hard as iron. The wheels bounced violently on the bumpy, icy dirt road, making a teeth-grinding "squeak" sound. Each time the cart sank deep into the potholes and struggled to get out, it was accompanied by a painful "rumbling" vibration from the cart.

The car drove straight to the lone farmhouse across the ditch, its walls towering like a fortress.

This abrupt intrusion stirred a chilling echo in the stagnant village.

On the other side of the ditch, Jiang Xingzong was chopping wood and stretching his muscles in the yard after putting down his book when the jarring sound of wheels made him frown and look up.

The size of the carriage and the imposing manner with which it escorted the old woman were far beyond what one would expect from an ordinary farm.

He didn't want to cause trouble, and was about to look away when he suddenly froze—as one of the old women turned to scold the driver, her sleeves fluttered, revealing a section of indigo cotton fabric underneath!
He had seen that color and texture countless times on the servants of the Sheng family, and even his cousin Sheng Changquan's confidant Xu Changqing often wore this color of clothing!
"The Sheng family?!"

Jiang Xingzong felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately put down his axe, strode to the edge of the fence, and fixed his sharp gaze on the dilapidated cart heading towards the manor gate.

The heavy gate of the manor creaked open, like a monster opening its gaping maw.

Just as the door opened and closed, Jiang Xingzong clearly saw two burly old women roughly dragging a withered woman, barely recognizable as human, out of the carriage, as if she were a dead dog.

The woman's hair was disheveled like withered grass, covering most of her face. She was wrapped in a tattered blouse whose original color was no longer discernible. A dark red scab on her forehead was shocking to behold. She slumped limply, lifeless, like a broken rag doll whose soul had been ripped out, and was mercilessly dragged into the door that symbolized the end.

Then, with a loud crash, the door slammed shut, separating the two worlds.

Jiang Xingzong frowned deeply. Although he had never met Lin Qinshuang, his cousin had not kept the cause and effect of the chaos caused by the villains in the Sheng family a secret from him.

He knew everything about Wei Xiaoniang's death, Lin Shi's arrogance and malice, and Mo Lan's scandals.

At this moment, he recognized that the woman was Lin Qinshuang. Seeing this wicked woman end up like this, he felt no pity at all, but instead a chilling pleasure surged up in his heart!

The justice of Heaven is clear, and retribution will surely come!
"May Aunt Wei's spirit in heaven find some solace today!"

Jiang Xingzong cast one last, icy glance at the tightly closed, tombstone-like gate of the manor, then turned and went back into the house to continue reading.

Now that my cousin has made all the arrangements, this wicked woman will never be able to turn her life around.

On this side of the wall, Cheng Shaoshang could see clearly, and his heart pounded.

The horrific sight of the woman who had been dragged inside made her gasp in horror!
“Lianfang,” she lowered her voice, a hint of barely perceptible excitement in it, “someone’s been locked up in that village across the street! He looks…like someone who’s committed a crime.”

“Yes, young lady,” Lianfang said, her heart pounding with fear. “Those old women looked fierce and menacing. The one who kicked someone had eyes like knives! They didn’t look like they came from good families… Young lady, look at that old woman’s cuffs!”

Lianfang, with her sharp eyes, also noticed the familiar indigo blue cuff.

Indigo blue!
A flash of inspiration struck Cheng Shaoshang!
Wasn't the silent, capable bodyguard beside the young man who pulled her back from the brink of death wearing the same kind of indigo outfit?
"The Sheng family..." Cheng Shaoshang murmured to himself, gazing at the imposing and suffocating manor across the way, his eyes filled with a curious and inquisitive light that seemed to pierce through the high walls.

Who was that woman? What terrible crime did she commit to deserve such a fate?

Her intuition told her that this was no ordinary servant.

But right now, she was barely able to take care of herself, trapped in this dilapidated temple lacking food and clothing, so she had to suppress her curiosity for the time being.

A few days later, the cold wind was still biting and sharp.

Cheng Shaoshang, with Lianfang by her side, struggled to break the ice and fetch water from the river. The heavy stone pestle rose and fell with difficulty between her fingers, which were frozen red and stiff, and even cracked. Each strike made her arm go numb. The icy river water splashed on her face, chilling her to the bone. Lianfang, standing to the side, huddled up in a ball, her teeth chattering.

Jiang Xingzong walked over carrying a bucket of water. When he saw that the two women, mistress and servant, had purple lips from the cold and were moving clumsily and with difficulty, he frowned slightly.

He recognized her as the young lady from the Cheng family whom his cousin had saved, and he had also heard about her difficult situation of being exiled to this place by her family. He walked over silently and took the heavy stone pestle from Cheng Shaoshang's hands without saying a word.

"Young Master Jiang?"

Cheng Shaoshang was taken aback.

Jiang Xingzong didn't say anything, but rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms, swung the stone pestle, and smashed it a few times with a sharp crack. The solid ice broke in response, and clear river water surged up.

His movements were steady and powerful, a stark contrast to Cheng Shaoshang's earlier struggles.

"Thank you for your help, Young Master Jiang," Cheng Shaoshang said in a low voice, his voice trembling slightly from the cold.

"It was nothing." Jiang Xingzong filled their buckets with water, his voice low. "It's bitterly cold here, Miss Cheng, please take good care of yourself."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the fields on the opposite bank of the river, which resembled a lurking beast. His voice lowered, carrying a hint of barely perceptible coldness: "That village across the river... Miss Cheng must have seen it a few days ago?"

Cheng Shaoshang's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded: "Yes, I saw someone being escorted in, and he looked... quite pitiful. Does Young Master Jiang know who that person is?"

She stared intently at Jiang Xingzong, not missing a single expression on his face.

Jiang Xingzong looked at the tightly closed manor gate with a complicated expression, remained silent for a moment as if he were carefully choosing his words, and finally uttered only a few cold words.

"He's just a man who deserves his fate and doesn't deserve to die. The Sheng family... is going to clean house."

He left it at that, without revealing Lin Qinshuang's name or specific crimes, but the words "deserved punishment," "deserves no pity," and "cleansing the family" carried great weight, revealing his attitude towards this person and the nature of the incident—it was an internal decision of the Sheng family, and that person was deeply sinful, so his end was entirely deserved.

Cheng Shaoshang was incredibly perceptive and understood instantly. She took a deep breath of the cold air and stared intently at Jiang Xingzong: "Young Master Jiang and the sixth young master of the Sheng family are cousins?"

"Yes," Jiang Xingzong replied succinctly.

A knowing look flashed across Cheng Shaoshang's eyes, and then his stubbornness, ingrained in his bones, grew wildly like weeds.

She straightened her slender back and said clearly, word by word, "Please ask Young Master Jiang to tell Sixth Young Master Sheng that Young Master Cheng owes him every single favor, and he will repay it one day!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a resolute certainty.

Although she is now penniless and trapped in this small space.

Jiang Xingzong looked at her hands, which were red and cracked from the cold, and then met her eyes, which remained bright, stubborn, and even had a hint of wildness in the cold wind. He was slightly surprised.

This young lady from the Cheng family is truly a tough nut to crack.

He nodded: "Okay, I will definitely pass on the message."

Watching Jiang Xingzong leave with the bucket of water, Cheng Shaoshang subconsciously tightened the thin, breathable old clothes he was wearing.

A gust of biting wind blew past, and she couldn't help but shiver, her teeth chattering. However, her bright eyes became even sharper and more determined.

Debts of gratitude must be repaid, but survival is the most important thing!

She cannot, and absolutely will not, freeze or starve to death in this godforsaken place!
She looked down at her hands, which were covered in chilblains and swollen and red, and then at Lianfang beside her, who was shivering and had a pale face. A fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

As for that person in the village across the street who "deserves to die and is not worth regretting"? Let's put him out of our minds for now.

Right now, the most important thing is to fight against this harsh winter and earn a way to survive for ourselves and our lotus pods!
She'll settle the score with Sixth Young Master Sheng after she gets through this harsh winter and breaks free from this cage!