tallest building

Chapter 158: Suicide

Wen Mingqian and Liu Cuiyi drank together in a restaurant called "Jingyaju" until the afternoon.

This place has always catered primarily to female customers; from the owner to the waiters, everyone here is a woman.

The two had a heart-to-heart talk and drank quite a bit of wine.

Finally, Wen Mingqian said, "Let's call it a day! Shu'er and Yan'er must be missing you at home, so don't go back too late."

The two went downstairs, and Liu Cuiyi asked the old woman who was following them to settle the bill for the wine.

Sang Er cheerfully placed two boxes of pastries on Liu Cuiyi's car: "These are pastries from Cao Ji across the street. These are the kids' favorites."

Liu Cuiyi knew this was Wen Mingqian's idea, so she didn't refuse and said with a smile, "You and your servants have gone to so much trouble. I, as a mother, was so careless that I didn't even think of this."

She let Wen Mingqian get into the car and leave first before she left.

"Mother, what do you think about me opening a restaurant that only caters to female customers in the future?" Sang Er suddenly had a whimsical idea in the car.

“Of course it’s good. You’re meticulous and smart, and you always come up with good ideas,” Wen Mingqian said.

"Why don't we ask the driver to take a detour and go to the vicinity of Confucius Bridge to see the sunset over Queping Mountain? The western sky is already faintly glowing with evening clouds." Sang Er was, after all, a child, and had a playful heart.

Besides, she thought that Wen Mingqian must be a little bored living in such a desolate place.

“It would be good to go and take a look, to get rid of the smell of alcohol,” Wen Mingqian said. “Wuqiu Nunnery is a pure Buddhist place, so we should show more respect.”

Sang Er then asked the driver to go to the vicinity of Fuzi Bridge. Since the carriage was already hired, the driver was happy to walk a longer distance.

Now that the weather is cold, there are still some people near the bridge, but far fewer than in spring and summer.

"There are vendors selling pumpkin seeds and jujubes at the bridgehead. I'll go buy some." Sang Er got out of the car and skipped off.

Wen Mingqian looked at the snacks Sang Er had bought. Although they were sold by street vendors, they were very clean, and the taste was quite good.

He said, "Go and buy more dates and take them back for the monks in the nunnery to eat."

At that moment, the sun was still on the mountaintop. By the time Sanger returned, a small portion of the sun had already sunk below the horizon.

The setting sun shone brightly, dyeing half of the western sky red.

“It’s rare to see such a beautiful sunset in winter,” Wen Mingqian exclaimed. “The last time I watched a sunset was when I was about your age, but that was in summer.”

"Did you have any worries when you were my age, Mother?" Sang Er asked, tilting her head.

“Of course I do, but they’re all just idle worries.” Wen Mingqian chuckled. “When I was your age, I was already engaged. Back then, I always wondered if we could get along well after I married him. I naively thought that as long as I showed my true feelings, I could win back his sincerity.”

“It’s not just my mother who thinks this way; which unmarried woman in the world doesn’t think the same way?” Sang Er couldn’t help but feel sad. “But in the end, they all become heartbroken and disappointed.”

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Otherwise, you'll be scared off before you're even married," Wen Mingqian smiled. "Good marriages aren't impossible. Take the eldest master and mistress of the Gong family, for example."

“But such people are a minority! Mother, can you tell me what a woman should do to avoid the pain of being betrayed?” Sang Er hugged Wen Mingqian’s arm.

"This is too difficult, how can I explain it clearly?" Wen Mingqian affectionately patted her head. "Personally speaking, it seems difficult to avoid. All I can tell you is that even if you are betrayed, don't belittle yourself. Rely less on others and more on yourself."

As they were talking, only a sliver of the sun remained hanging over the mountaintop, the sky grew much darker, and the wind became even colder.

“Mother, are you cold? Let’s go back!” Sanger said. “Tomorrow will surely be another good day, and we can dry the spices.”

"Let's wait a bit longer! We can go back after the last rays of sunlight have faded," Wen Mingqian said. "There's no need to rush."

By this time, there were hardly any people left on the shore; even the vendors who had set up their stalls had packed up and were preparing to leave.

Sang Er told the coachman to turn the carriage around and reached out to pull down the curtain. "Hey, why is someone walking into the river in the distance?!" Sang Er's eyes widened in surprise.

Although it was winter, only the water surface near the banks had a thin layer of ice; the middle of the river was not yet frozen.

Walking on the ice at this time is extremely dangerous.

Wen Mingqian also peeked out and said worriedly, "This is bad! Quickly call her back!"

Although it was getting dark, it was still clear that she was a young woman.

"Quickly! Get the car there," Sanger said. "Call that man back!"

She leaned out of the car window and shouted into the distance, "Come back! Don't go any further!"

The man seemed to pause for a moment after hearing that, but then walked even faster towards the middle of the river.

"This is suicidal!" Wen Mingqian declared. "You absolutely must stop her!"

The coachman urged the horses on with all his might and caught up with them.

Sang Er and Wen Mingqian jumped out of the car one after the other, while the woman was already some distance from the shore.

"Hey, young lady, come back here! This is no joke!" Sanger shouted.

Almost at the same time she shouted, there was a splash, the ice beneath the woman's feet shattered, and she stumbled and fell into the water.

She instinctively hugged the ice, but the water was so cold that her whole body almost froze instantly, and she couldn't even make a sound.

"Quick! Quick! Someone's fallen into the water!" Wen Mingqian and Sang Er shouted.

But there was hardly anyone around.

"I...I'll get off!" the driver said hesitantly.

"Can you swim?" Wen Mingqian asked him.

"I don't know how..." the driver said.

"Don't go down," Wen Mingqian stopped him.

The driver can't swim, so his chances of succeeding in rescuing the girl are slim, especially since he's a man. Even if he manages to pull the girl out, it will likely damage her reputation.

“Mother…no!” Sang Er quickly grabbed Wen Mingqian when she saw her about to go into the water. “The water here is very deep, and it’s also freezing cold.”

"At least I can swim," Wen Mingqian said. "Let me give it a try!"

She knew that Sanger was naturally afraid of water, so she had to go forward herself.

"Let me do it!" A plump woman ran over, carrying a carrying pole in her hand.

“Sister Zhao!” Sang Er immediately recognized the woman as Zhao Pokuang, who had once carried loads for her.

Zhao Pokuang didn't have time to say much. He threw off his coat and shoes on the shore and rushed into the icy water.

She grew up on a boat and was an excellent swimmer. Despite the biting cold of the icy water, she quickly swam to the woman's side.

By this time, the woman was already frozen stiff and unconscious, but fortunately, her hands were still tightly gripping the ice, preventing her from sinking.

Zhao Pokuang grabbed her by the collar with one hand and dragged her ashore.