Wanjin Lady

Chapter 223 Doubts
Wen Wan never expected to live and die with Zhu Wang. In order to avoid leaving trouble for Mei Qing in the rear, she pinched her nose and brought Zhu Wang with her. Now that she saw him return safely, she said unhappily, "Thanks to Shopkeeper Zhu, I'm not going to die yet."

Chen Ma was not one to indulge Zhu Wang. She spat and said sarcastically, "You can't compare to Shopkeeper Zhu's ability to escape at the critical moment. If you ran away, why did you come back? Why, do you want to see if everyone is dead?"

Zhu Wang rubbed his head and laughed, but there was no trace of guilt on his face. "I am afraid of death, but who doesn't want to live? Here is a chance to survive, why must we die together? Look, now everyone has turned a disaster into a blessing."

Aunt Chen snorted coldly, "Manager Zhu had my men charge in the front to buy time, while he himself ran at full speed in the back. And he even said that my master is your brother. What brother would watch his niece die without helping her?"

Zhu Wang looked embarrassed, but Wen Wan stopped Chen Ma, saying, "That's enough. As long as Manager Zhu can come back safely, that's all that matters."

I will torture you to death slowly later.

Zhu Wang cried out "Ah" and tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

It’s still my eldest niece who treats him well.

This couple flew away separately when they were in trouble, let alone living and dying together with this yaksha?

Thinking about that scene... Zhu Wang got goosebumps all over his body.

The people in the camp needed to rest and recuperate. The damaged carriages needed to be repaired, and food needed to be purchased again, as well as food for the newborn. The people in the entire camp needed to stay not only because Wen Wan had just given birth to a child, but also because everyone had suffered heavy injuries that night and really needed to stay here for one night.

By the light of the fire, Hongmei retrieved small trinkets such as headbands, cloth tigers, and windmills from the cart used for purchasing supplies. When she returned, she saw Chen Ma carrying Hui Ge'er off the cart, presumably after feeding him. "The eldest daughter is tired, let her rest."

"Old Madam Yao went out to buy some supplies. I'll give the headband to the girl." Hongmei was worried that Wen Wan would get a headache. When she got in the car, she saw that Wen Wan had her eyes half closed and seemed not to be asleep either.

There was a soybean oil lamp lit in the carriage, shining brightly, making Wenwan's face look as white as jade.

Hongmei was a little surprised, "The girl is not asleep?"

"How can I sleep if I lie down all day long?"

Hongmei knew in her heart that her daughter was worried about the master.

Maybe he's also worried about the winery.

The girl has enough troubles...

Hongmei silently lifted Wenwan's head and put the headband on her. "Old Madam Yao said that women who have just given birth should avoid being exposed to the wind. Aunt Chen didn't let you leave the carriage for your own good. Please bear with it for a while."

Hongmei's wrist was suddenly grabbed by Wenwan.

When I raised my eyes, I met a pair of dark and shiny eyes.

"You've been distracted. What happened?"

Hongmei's heart was pounding, her lips pressed into a stubborn line, then she lowered her head and said in a vague voice: "It's nothing, it's just... I was too scared last night... and saw my aunt... the Marquis again... My heart is in a mess. Thinking about all the things the girl has faced, one by one..."

But as he spoke later, his voice began to choke and he couldn't stop crying.

She was not as good at hiding things as Lu Ping. She was always impulsive, with all her emotions showing on her face. Unable to withstand Wen Wan's questioning, she knelt down with a plop, "Miss...Miss..."

Before she could say anything, her breathing became disordered. Hongmei felt as if her heart was tightened and she couldn't breathe.

When I think of Lu Ping's floating body before her death, and the words they said before when they were cuddled in bed -

Wen Wan grabbed her and said word by word: "It's okay. I'm here. Tell me what happened."

The young lady's voice was steady, which gave people an inexplicable sense of security.

Hongmei's tears fell in large drops. She shouldn't have told the girl at this time.

The girl had just given birth and was in a hurry to save the master. How could she add more burden to the girl?

But she was stupid, and if she missed the opportunity to find out the truth——

"Miss, Lu Ping didn't commit suicide!"

"She was murdered!"

Wen Wan grabbed Hongmei's hand and pulled it back. She curled it into a fist out of habit, then let go as if all her strength had been drained.

Wen Wan remained silent, waiting for Hongmei to continue speaking.

"I... I cleaned Lu Ping's body the day she was brought back. I also wiped the dirt from under her fingernails. But... on the night she died, her fingernails were covered in blood and flesh."

"I don't know... I thought she went outside and grabbed something in the yard and got it dirty... But... I was with her all the time during those days, and she would just sit in the yard at most... She never went to the kitchen to do any work... How could it be..."

"Until last night, the bandits attacked... The bandits wanted to humiliate me... I grabbed the grass... and tore the leaves apart..."

Hongmei stretched out her hand in front of Wenwan, tears of fear and self-blame streaming down her face. "Girl... you see, only between the fingernails of hands that have fought and struggled... will there be flesh and dirt left..."

Wen Wan lowered her eyes to look at her nails, her chest rising and falling slightly.

The wind outside passed without leaving a trace.

Another night.

After a long while, Wen Wan slowly spoke: "Think carefully about what happened that night. Is there anything else you doubt? Or anything that you find unusual?"

"That night, my eldest aunt and Uncle Wen came to our house and forced the young lady to deal with Lu Ping." Hongmei thought carefully, her expression becoming dazed. "I was... a wild cat ran into the yard and kept meowing. I got tired of it, so I went to catch it in the yard."

"It was only a short while before I caught the cat... When I came back, I heard someone shouting... saying Lu Ping had hanged herself..."

Hongmei realized it belatedly, tears of regret on her face, "Miss... Is this what you call luring the tiger away from the mountain? They tricked me away... so they can attack Lu Ping..."

Hongmei covered her face, "I hurt her...I hurt her again..."

"Hongmei, even if you were with her that night, the ending would be nothing more than both of you being killed." Wen Wan was still in shock, annoyed that she had been manipulated by the mastermind behind the scenes. At that time, she was fighting with Yuan Liulang, and she was played with a trick without knowing it. It was hateful that she still thought she had avenged Lu Ping -

"Think about it again. Was there anything else unusual before Lu Ping died?"

Hongmei sniffed, "Actually, when Lu Ping died... I vaguely felt that something was wrong. I always thought she didn't want to cause trouble for the girl, and didn't want her to be forced and embarrassed by the elders in the family, so she was unable to think straight..."

"Today I've been thinking... Lu Ping is in a daze, but she also has moments of clarity."

"She once told me that the girl said she wanted to avenge her."

"As long as her enemy is not dead, she will not die. She wants to watch the person who hurt her die before her."

"Since she said this, why did she suddenly commit suicide?"

"This...this...doesn't make sense at all!"

At this moment, Wen Wan only felt a chill on her back.

The cool night was silent, but there was a commotion outside the carriage. A waiter had caught a few fish and was shouting as he started a fire to roast them. In the distance, Cheng Yunzhang was playing the flute. The flute sounded melodious, mixed with the sound of low singing and flying sparks.