Chapter 5 How

  The lights in Cheng's house were almost on all night.

  The two brothers and their wives were all sitting in Mr. Cheng's room when the servant woman brought over a bowl of wakefulness soup that she had cooked.

  "Have you slept?" asked Madame Cheng.

  My wife nodded.

  "They both fell asleep in their beds," she said.

  "Have you all finished paying your respects?" asked Madame Cheng again.

  "I've looked and there's nothing much. No money, just a few clothes on him, a stove, an empty food box, that's all." The servant woman said.

  According to her, the four people in the house all had somewhat strange expressions on their faces.

  Relying on these things, can you really travel from Bianzhou to Jiangzhou? Isn't even a trip to the suburban Great Buddha Temple to burn incense enough?

  Madam Cheng waved her hand and the servant women retreated one after another.

  "That child left home early, I don't even remember what he looks like." Madame Cheng said to Old Master Cheng, "Take a look, is it him?"

  When the Zhou family first married, they were childless for two years, and the whole family was anxious. They were overjoyed when she finally became pregnant, even though it was a girl. The old man was still alive at that time and personally gave her a name. Unexpectedly, problems arose when she was six months old.

  "Other children's eyes can follow people, but she just stares blankly. Other children can sit up, but she can't, and can only roll over with difficulty. At first, we thought it was because she was weak from birth, so we took good care of her, feeding her well. But gradually, more and more problems appeared: drooling, a dull gaze, unable to speak... By the time she was one year old, she was finally diagnosed as an idiot child..." The wet nurse sat on the mat, speaking softly about past events.

  Qingniang Cheng wore a snow-green gauze dress and sat on the couch with her knees crossed, her eight-year-old eyes sparkling brightly, lively and lovely.

  "Are you still an idiot?" she shouted.

  The wet nurse hurriedly hushed her.

  "My daughter, speak softly," she said.

  "I don't want to." Cheng Qiuniang's voice grew louder, and she threw the pillow next to her, "A stupid sister like you, how can I still see people in the future?!"

  The noise in the house spread out, and the maids on night duty outside all shrank their heads and didn't dare to speak.

  Cheng Qiuniang was born and raised in a pampered manner, with a bad temper from the start. When she got angry, no one dared to provoke her.

  Master Cheng Er is also in a bad mood on this side, but after all, he's not a child and can't lose his temper arbitrarily.

  "I didn't know that after her mother died, she was sent directly to the nunnery." he said.

  "What are you talking about? You're her father and you don't even recognize her. Are we supposed to?" Old Master Cheng scolded with a dark face.

  "That's it," said Cheng Er Ye.

  Cheng Da Lao Ye was so angry that he wanted to get up and take his treasure sword, but Cheng Da Fu Ren hurriedly persuaded him to stay.

  "The Taoist said at that time, not allowing relatives to visit, and when sending away, she was only six or seven years old. Now she is eighteen, how can I recognize her if she is not in front of me?" She said.

  They say that when a girl turns eighteen, she changes completely. The people in the house fell silent for a moment.

  "How did these two women end up here?" Madame Cheng Er suddenly asked.

  "It was the old lady Zhou who left her a large sum of money, buried in the Taoist temple. The temple suffered a disaster, and Banqian dug it up, hired people and horses to come all the way here. A silly little girl, fortunately no one cheated or sold her on the way, but the money was gone due to cheating and spending." said Mrs. Cheng.

  The people in the house nodded, and that was settled.

  Listening to the silence outside, Ban Jin got up from the ground mat, while Cheng Jiaoniang lay motionless on her side behind the bamboo curtain.

  "My daughter," she said in a low voice, "why don't you tell them how we came here? The old lady outside didn't leave us any money, did she? If you can really heal illnesses, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

  Jiang Nang didn't move.

  Ban Jin thought she was asleep and quietly crawled back.

  "They won't believe it if I say that." Chiang Jianniang's voice sounded softly.

  Ban Jin happily turned around.

  "Daughter, you're not asleep either, can't sleep, right?" She said in a low voice, the joy in her tone was hard to suppress. "We're home."

  Jiang Nang smiled, her heart smiling, but on her face, only a faint smile appeared, which was even harder to see in the dark of night.

  "Mm." she said.

  "Ah, girl, you should go to sleep too. Tomorrow, we'll definitely see a lot of people." Ban Jin said in a low voice.

  Jiang Yao nodded and closed her eyes.

  The night wind blew in through the window, and the night was quiet. Occasionally, a faint murmur of hushed voices could be heard, but this did not disturb the two people in the house. This time, Banbi fell asleep quickly, which was probably the most stable sleep she had in months. Cheng Jiuniang listened to her soft snoring, wanting to turn over, but tried and finally gave up.

  We're home. Is this really her home?

  Jiang Nang closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

  The night grew darker, and the conversation among the four members of the Cheng family came to a temporary halt, with nothing more to say.

  "Send someone to Bianzhou tonight, and then send someone to the Zhou family. Ask them a few questions, and everything will be clear." Old Master Cheng said, waving his hand decisively.

  Programme Second Master and his wife returned to their own mansion, the couple each washed up, Programme Second Master lifted his foot and was about to go to the study, but was stopped by Programme Second Madam.

  "It was I who was wrong, I didn't ask clearly and made a fuss." She personally handed the tea to her husband with both hands and said dejectedly.

  Seeing his wife admit her mistake, Cheng Er Ye's face looked a bit better. He hummed in agreement, didn't take the tea, but also didn't leave again.

  Madam Cheng II then came over and pulled on her husband's sleeve.

  "Second Brother, I am not a person who doesn't understand reason. It's just that my emotions have reached the point where I couldn't help myself. In the past, didn't you see me as someone who was always nitpicking and complaining? This time, hearing it was an outsider, and they came to our door in the middle of the night, I was truly flustered and frightened. At this critical moment, if we were to slip up and give others a handle to grab onto, Second Brother, both my son and I would be tied to you." She said, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Old Master Cheng Er.

  Cheng Er Lao Ye remarried, and his new wife was the eldest daughter of the Peng family from Dongping Island, six years younger than him. She had just become a mother and was at her most charming and beautiful time. With this conversation and that expression, Cheng Er Lao Ye's anger had already dissipated.

  "You too," he said, sitting down and taking over the tea. "No wonder I got angry. Am I such a ridiculous person in your eyes?"

  The husband and wife finally made up and cherished each other.

  "She's back, just like that, so suddenly, I don't know how to arrange things," said Madame Cheng.

  "A fool, what's the trouble? Just provide for his food and drink." Cheng Er Ye said casually, yawning, with a drunken intention to go to sleep.

  Madam Cheng hesitated for a moment.

  Thinking of this fool's matter, suddenly thought of another thing.

  "Second Brother, just now at Big Brother's place, who are those Green Maid and Thirteen Maid you mentioned?" she asked turning her head.

  Cheng Erlou's body suddenly stiffened as he was about to take off his clothes.

  That was just a casual remark he made during the quarrel, mentioning a few old acquaintances from outside, and it slipped out that he told his elder brother that he had cut ties with those people. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Cheng Er, who cried so much at the time, actually heard it and remembered!

  It's all because of that idiot! If she hadn't come knocking on the door in the middle of the night for no reason, none of this would have happened!

  What trouble does a fool have? Wrong! This fool just came and got into so much trouble!