Miss and farmhand

The bluestone slabs at the back door were brand new, not even covered with moss yet, but several sharp scratches appeared inexplicably on the legs, cutting open the corners, with a few strands of fiber hanging from the sharp edges.

Huang Chu recognized it as the silk thread of a very light summer garment. Luo San had worn clothes like that yesterday.

A sharp weapon. Torn fabric.

Huang Chu blinked, a chill running down his spine.

The man said, "Here."

He pointed to a spot in the shadows inside the cut, which was not easily noticeable at first glance, but when the fabric hanging there was removed, it was found that the fabric was covered with some dry, hard, brownish-reddish-brown bits of debris.

"This is……"

"It's lacquer. It must be from a lacquer maker's tools. The dried lacquer on them wasn't wiped off completely, and then cloth was wrapped around them, causing it to rub off."

Huang Chu immediately noticed, "...Master Zhao?"

Master Zhao also works as a painter; painting beams is a side job.

The man nodded.

Huang Chu jumped up, "Then what are we waiting for? Do you know where Master Zhao lives? My aunt must have been kidnapped by him, quick—"

Mother Han quickly pressed Huang Chu down, "Young lady, don't be impulsive. Go and inform the people at the yamen; if they have any clues, they can definitely save her. This has nothing to do with you; don't take any risks."

The man also said, "I'll go and report this to the authorities."

He strode up the mountain, ignoring Huang Chu completely.

Mother Han pulled Huang Chu back into the garden. Having seen many things, the old woman wasn't really worried about matters of life and death unless it was someone she was in charge of; she just wanted to stay with Huang Chu.

Huang Chu remained silent for a long time, still clutching the one or two pieces of cloth in his hand.

When Han's mother saw it, she reached out and snatched it away.

"It's better if I keep it. If you have any questions later, just ask me. The young lady has nothing to do with these things; just say you don't know."

Huang Chu slowly realized that Han's mother was rejecting Luo San Guniang and had already cut Huang Chu off from her.

She said in a hoarse voice, "...My aunt was harmed by a villain. What grudge could Master Zhao have against her? It must have been to take revenge on our family. My aunt was unlucky enough to run into him and that's why she suffered such a misfortune."

Mother Han said, "If she hadn't gone out at night, she wouldn't have encountered this. It's only because the eldest daughter sympathizes with her that she's kind-hearted, but please don't interfere. Leave everything to me. This isn't something a respectable young lady should concern herself with."

"My aunt is from a good family..."

"But she went astray, and she ruined herself and brought shame upon her family."

Huang Chu knew that Han's mother wasn't a bad person; she had simply lived a life of propriety and believed in karma, like all elderly people. Elderly people generally wouldn't like Luo San's temperament.

Huang Chu immediately turned back to find her mother.

"Master Zhao?" Shen Xuying was stunned for a moment after hearing her words. "Why would Master Zhao seek out Miss Cousin?"

"Master Zhao had been in the garden for a long time and knew that the back gate was unlocked and connected to the back mountain. If he was angry that our family had ruined his livelihood and wanted revenge, there were always some wild paths on the mountain that he could find. When he came up with a weapon, it wasn't necessarily to hurt anyone; he might have stolen something to exchange for some money. Or, if he heard that his apprentice was still working for our family, he would be even angrier and want to cause trouble for his apprentice. In any case, he came thinking that there would be no one at the back gate late at night, but he didn't expect to encounter my aunt who was being escorted down the mountain. After my aunt made her promise, she lingered at the back gate, feeling resentful for not seeing Brother Zhu. She wouldn't leave, and Master Zhao became impatient. Seeing that she was a woman alone... he had evil intentions and forcibly kidnapped her. My aunt must have struggled and resisted, but she was still frightened. She may have cried for help, but she couldn't make a sound, so she didn't attract the attention of the night patrolmen and was taken away like that."

Shen Xuying clutched her chest, "How could this happen?"

Huang Chu said, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't given you bad advice, causing Master Zhao to hold a grudge against our family, and if I hadn't failed to notice my aunt's intentions in time, allowing her to go up the mountain late at night, none of this would have happened."

Shen Xuying was startled. "Mother, don't talk nonsense."

She grasped Huang Chu's hand and realized that her daughter's palms were sweaty.

"You're just a girl, how could you have known these things would happen? Master Zhao is a grown man, and Miss Luo is your elder. If anything happens to either of them, it's not your fault as a junior."

"No, Mother, you don't know, I could have done better, so he wouldn't hold a grudge and so Auntie wouldn't have suffered..."

She couldn't continue speaking, and tears streamed down her face.

Shen Xuying quickly pulled her into her arms.

"Mother," she soothed softly, "No one has the ability to predict what will happen in the future. At the beginning of this year, I thought I wouldn't survive, that I was a burden to you and your father, and that I was just wasting my days. It was meaningless. Sooner or later, you and your father would hate me and wish I would die soon so that you could be free and this family wouldn't be shrouded in gloom all the time."

Huang Chu suddenly looked up: "Mother! How could you think that! How could Father and I—"

"—Mother knows, Mother knows. But that's how it is when you're sick. You don't actually want to die, but you're sick and have to wait to die every day. So you think about making your death more meaningful, and you deceive yourself, deceiving yourself that there will be many benefits after you die, that your loved ones can be freed, and that it won't be a wasted death."

Huang Chu was stunned; she had never known her mother had such thoughts.

"But all of that is just wishful thinking," Shen Xuying said. "After my argument with your father, my health gradually improved, and I had hope. Only then did I dare to think that I was lucky not to die, that I was lucky to survive. I didn't want to die at all; there would be no benefit in dying."

"mother……"

People always think they're amazing, that they can see through other people's thoughts, and then do things for their own good. But they're just deceiving themselves. Just like how I used to think that if I died, it would be for your sake, my father and me. But I was wrong.

"..."

"Even husbands and wives, mothers and daughters are like this. Mother, you don't even know Master Zhao, and you've only known your aunt for a short time. How can you possibly see through their thoughts and do things according to their wishes? You're just a young girl. They are not your responsibility."

Huang Chu's lips trembled.

Aren't they my responsibility?

But I clearly have the ability. I've helped my mother and my husband, can't I help more people?

Seeing that her daughter remained silent, Shen Xuying feared she had spoken too harshly, so she half-jokingly said, "You're not a bodhisattva in a temple—even bodhisattvas don't grant every wish. People have their own karma, their own destiny. Bodhisattvas only help those who strive for success; they can't grant favors to everyone, that would be chaos."

"cause and effect……"

Shen Xuying said, "Yes. Putting aside Master Zhao, your aunt, even your mother couldn't bear to see her get into trouble and hoped she would come back safely. But she chose her own path, and she has her own ideas. Even her parents can't control her, let alone you."

Huang Chu wanted to say that it was different. Since she had been reborn, she could definitely do more than others.

But now she can't bring herself to say it.

I just felt an overwhelming sadness in my heart.

Luo San Guniang was rescued.