Chapter 138 The Chen Family

Chapter 138: The Chen Family

Pingshi Town was a small, not particularly prosperous town. The Chen family was the only wealthy household; the rest barely scraped by.

Meng Wan observed the Chen family’s surroundings while also watching the guests and servants coming and going.

The guests today were mostly town residents, ranging from poor to rich. The neighbors interacted kindly, chatting and laughing, appearing very close-knit.

Meng Wan had always thought Pingshi Town was a barren place, given its small size and lack of industries. There was only one decently busy tavern. There wasn’t a single ordinary breakfast stall like in Quanshui Town, and likewise, only one fabric shop existed.

He had originally thought Pingshi Town was a particularly backward town, unremarkable in both productivity and commerce. But surprisingly, he now found there were still some wealthy families here.

From the moment he saw the ladies at the gate, Meng Wan had sensed something was off. Now he realized that several of the ladies were wearing gold and jade ornaments, dressed in silk, rivaling even Lady Chen’s attire in opulence.

The guests in the front courtyard also appeared lively and energetic. Only one family of three seemed to be distant relatives of the Chens. They had brought a basket of mushrooms as a gift. The couple wore straw sandals and patched coarse cloth, accompanied by a young boy of about ten, standing stiffly to the side.

After a while, a maidservant from Lady Chen came from the back courtyard, leading the father and the young boy inside, then arranged a seat at the edge for the other man.

This surprised Meng Wan. The Chens acted unexpectedly kind—could it really be simple hospitality?

The Chen family’s courtyard wasn’t very large, but it differed from northern layouts, with stairs connecting the upper and lower floors. The ground floor was used to host guests, while the second floor was quiet, with no one moving about.

Meng Wan’s heart stirred. No wonder he’d felt something strange.

The lady of the house was celebrating her birthday, her fiftieth—a significant milestone. Where was Master Chen?

“Meng Fulang, a maidservant from Lady Chen has come. She’s probably here to call for us,” Qing Xing reminded softly.

Meng Wan turned and saw it was indeed Lady Chen’s maidservant.

“Meng Fulang, the opera stage in the back is about to start. The madam sent me to invite you over.”

Refusing again would truly offend. Meng Wan gave a faint smile. “Please tell the madam not to wait long. We’ll be right there.”

In the back courtyard, a tall opera stage had been set up. In front of it were three round tables for the women and young boys to sit. Lady Chen sat in the host seat at the central table.

Seeing Meng Wan approach, she beckoned him to sit with her at the main table.

After sitting, Meng Wan nodded politely and smiled at the other women at the table, greeting them.

“Meng Fulang hasn’t seen our local Gui opera, I suppose. Today you can enjoy something new,” Lady Chen said.

Meng Wan had never even heard of it. The actors’ costumes were very different from the north, and he couldn’t understand the dialect well. He could only guess the story from the physical performance.

It seemed to be about a man who left home to cultivate as a Taoist. After a few years, he returned and suspected his wife of infidelity. To test her, he pretended to die and was placed in a coffin. He then disguised himself as another person, came to offer condolences, and seduced his wife, making her fall in love. When their love was at its peak, he pretended to have a brain disease and was about to die, claiming that only a human brain could cure him. He then tricked his wife into splitting open her husband’s coffin to retrieve the brain. Desperate to save her lover, she hesitated but eventually did it.

The plot was absurd and bold, with occasional chilling moments. It was hardly suitable for a birthday banquet. Yet Lady Chen, the hostess, watched with great interest, discussing it with those around her after the performance. She then called over the distant relative’s young son to talk.

“Min Geer, how old are you this year? I haven’t seen you in so long; I almost didn’t recognize you,” Lady Chen said kindly.

The father led his son forward to pay respects. “He’s ten years old. He’s shy and afraid of strangers.”

Their family was so distantly related to the Chens that they had come to town only because they couldn’t make ends meet at home, hoping for relief. Now, standing nervously before Lady Chen with his son, the father wanted to say something auspicious but couldn’t open his mouth, face flushed red. He only answered whatever Lady Chen asked. By the time the feast began, he hadn’t managed to ask for the money.

The Chen family’s banquet was lavish. The area had many mountains and rivers, so ingredients included wild mushrooms, wood ear fungus, pheasant, hare, and fish and shrimp.

Before eating, Qing Xing, at Meng Wan’s signal, first washed the dishes and chopsticks with clear water and carefully arranged them on the table in front of Meng Wan. Then she looked over the dishes, chose dishes that Lady Chen had already eaten from, and with serving chopsticks, placed portions on a small plate for Meng Wan to enjoy slowly.

The other ladies and their husbands at the table had never seen such formalities and couldn’t help staring.

Meng Wan smiled apologetically. “Please forgive me. It’s a family custom that has been followed for a long time. I’m used to it. Please don’t mind.”

The others exchanged glances and quickly replied, “No offense, no offense. You are a noble; we are just simple country folk.”

The table was full of hypocritical politeness. After the meal, the sky suddenly darkened, threatening a heavy rain. The town’s roads were dirt, and if it rained, the carriage would become difficult to travel.

Meng Wan wanted to return to the estate quickly, and he was also worried that Song Tingzhou and the others would have trouble traveling in the rain. He immediately took his leave. Lady Chen tried to persuade him to stay but eventually had to see him out.

He and Qing Xing boarded their carriage. Suddenly, they saw the Chen family’s distant relatives also being escorted out. They were walking ahead, but only the couple was there—not their young son.

A moment later, raindrops began to fall. Within a short time, the rain grew heavy, and the air grew colder and damper.

As the carriage passed the couple, Meng Wan lifted the curtain and saw their rain-soaked shoulders. He suddenly asked, “Where is your Min Geer?”

The father had seen Meng Wan at the banquet and knew he was an honored guest of Lady Chen, so he answered respectfully, thinking it was just a casual question from a noble.

“His aunt by marriage took a liking to him and said she would keep him to work in the household.”

The impoverished couple spoke with gratitude and respect for Lady Chen. They themselves struggled to survive, and their son would only repeat their cycle of hardship if he stayed with them.

Now, being with Lady Chen, even as a page serving tea and water, at least he could fill his stomach.

Moreover, Lady Chen said that when Min Geer was older, she would find a match for him in town. Marrying into a town family would completely change his fate.

The couple clutched the three silver taels in their pockets, full of hope for the future.

Meng Wan seemed to have asked casually. After speaking, he lowered the curtain, shutting out the honest faces of the couple.

Qing Xing, beside him, hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back. She had thought Meng Wan would invite them into the carriage to avoid the rain. Kind-hearted as she was, she couldn’t help but say, “Meng Fulang, might I give them an oil-paper umbrella?”

Meng Wan stopped the soldier who was driving and said to Qing Xing, “Today is a special situation, so I asked you to play the role of a servant. Of course, you have the freedom to act as you wish.”

Qing Xing smiled gratefully and, without hesitation, lifted the curtain to look back. But she saw that some townsfolk had already warmly lent the couple umbrellas.

Her heart warmed, and her opinion of the Pingshi Town residents improved.

“Let’s go. They already have umbrellas.”

“Oh?”

Meng Wan also lifted the curtain and looked back. Indeed, a few townsfolk were walking alongside them. Perhaps accustomed to the sudden downpours, they all carried umbrellas. The honest couple walked among them like lambs among wolves.

The distance between them gradually increased. Meng Wan sat calmly in the carriage, but then the carriage suddenly jolted violently, nearly causing him to vomit.

Clutching his pounding heart, he asked the soldier driving, “What’s wrong?”

The soldier outside shouted, “Please step out of the carriage for a moment, Master. One of the wheels has fallen into a pit and is stuck.”

Meng Wan and Qing Xing got out with umbrellas. Behind the carriage, there was indeed a muddy pit that was not too large, but right in the middle of the road. It should have been easy to avoid, but the driver had been distracted and didn’t see it.

“Don’t worry, Master. There are many of us; we can lift it out soon.” The soldier looked evasive and uneasy.

Although Meng Wan was a bit annoyed, he knew this wasn’t the time to assign blame.

“Then lift it quickly. It will be harder to travel once it gets dark.”

The soldiers beside him grabbed on to one side of the carriage each, while two stayed behind to push. Soon, the carriage was freed from the pit.

Meng Wan breathed a sigh of relief, but then one of the soldiers reported, “Master, it’s bad! There was a stone at the bottom of the pit, and it cracked one of the spokes!”

This was a difficult situation. If the weather were fine, they could still walk back to the estate, but the Lingnan rain mixed with fog made the road muddy and narrow, with every step sinking unevenly into the mud, making it very easy to get lost or fall.

The townspeople behind gradually drew closer. Someone who had shared a seat with Meng Wan at the banquet kindly asked, "What’s wrong with Meng Lang’s carriage? Do you need my husband to lend a hand?"

Meng Wan stared grimly at the wheel with a large crack, then suddenly smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, madam, but there’s no need. The road is difficult to travel, and there’s no inn in the town. I’d better return to the Chen family to borrow a carriage. I believe Madam Chen, with her kind heart, will surely lend me one."

Everyone chimed in, "Meng Lang speaks sense. Even if you can’t borrow a carriage, the madam is warm and hospitable. Staying one night won’t be a problem."

They also urged the rural couple, "I think you shouldn’t go back either. The country paths are hardest to walk after rain. Why not go with Meng Lang to the Chen residence for the night? Since you’re relatives, wouldn’t it be easier to ask?"

Meng Wan ordered the soldiers to unhitch the carriage, led the horse himself, and walked ahead with Qingxing. The group returned to the entrance of the Chen family compound.

The gatekeeper spotted them and reported. Madam Chen quickly came out with an umbrella. "I told you earlier to stay the night and return to the estate when the weather clears tomorrow, but you were in a hurry. Has the carriage broken down?"

"Madam, you are truly perceptive. Indeed it has."

Meng Wan asked without much hope, "I wonder if I could borrow a carriage from your household? I’ll have my servant return it tomorrow morning."

Madam Chen looked helpless. "That’s nothing—it’s just a carriage. Even if you hadn’t asked, I would have sent you back. But unfortunately, my husband took our carriage out and won’t return until tomorrow. Why don’t you stay overnight, and when he comes back tomorrow, he’ll take you back to the estate?"

Sure enough, he couldn’t borrow a carriage. Meng Wan gazed absently at the drizzle beyond the umbrella and the gray sky, then sighed softly. "Then I’ll trouble you, madam."

Madam Chen arranged a guest room on the second floor of the rear courtyard for Meng Wan and Qingxing, while the soldiers were quartered in the servants’ quarters at the front.

At dinner, Madam Chen sent a servant to call Meng Wan downstairs for a meal, but he excused himself, saying he had eaten too much at noon and declined to go downstairs.

Later, only a young maid came up to refill the tea. Madam Chen did not disturb them further.

Qingxing had eaten a meal with the Chen servants at noon, so she wasn’t hungry, but she was a bit thirsty. She picked up the teapot to pour tea into a cup, but Meng Wan pressed her wrist and shook his head gently.

"Husband?" Qingxing was surprised.

Meng Wan didn’t explain. Instead, he asked, "Did you bring the things I asked for?"

Qingxing nodded and took out several packets and a few silver needles stored in a pouch from her sleeve.

Meng Wan poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward her. "Try it and see if there’s anything wrong."

Qingxing bent down to examine the tea. Because of the tea leaves, the tea was cloudy. She carefully dipped a silver needle into it, but nothing abnormal appeared.

"Nothing?" Meng Wan asked.

Qingxing explained seriously, "There are many toxins in the world that a silver needle can’t detect. I can only recognize a few."

As she spoke, she suddenly licked the tip of the silver needle. Meng Wan was startled. "Don’t..."

"Don’t worry, Husband. The more potent a poison, the harder it is to hide its color and smell. If someone drugged the tea, it would only be a mild poison or a sedative. A tiny bit like this won’t harm me internally."

Qingxing carefully tasted it and felt no immediate harm, but after three breaths, her vision became blurry. She shook her head and exclaimed, "What a potent sedative!"

So there really was poison.

Meng Wan asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"

Qingxing slowly sat down. "It’s just a sedative. Though I’ve never seen it before, its effect is so strong that if we had drunk even a mouthful, we’d be dizzy and collapse." She was a genius, but her experience mostly dealt with colds and bruises. Knowledge of poisons and sedatives came from her grandfather and medical books.

Meng Wan was not surprised by this result. "So they really have ill intentions. Are they after our money, or us?"

Recalling the boy Min’ger he had seen during the day, about ten years old, he sensed the Chen family was after him.

At night, the second-floor corridor was silent. A small figure crept softly to the door of the guest room where Meng Wan and Qingxing were staying.

She gently lifted the latch and pushed the door open a crack. Her first glance fell on the bed in the bedroom, where someone was lying. Then she saw Qingxing on the smaller bed, also tucked under the covers.

Her gaze shifted to the table. The teacups there had clearly been used. Two cups of tea, each half-drunk, sat casually on the table, with a few splashes of water around them.

The figure seemed very satisfied, but still moved softly and silently. She slowly approached Meng Wan’s bed and gently lifted the blanket...

"A pillow?"

Just as she sensed something wrong, a pair of hands shot out from under the bed, firmly grasping her ankles and yanking hard.

The figure yelped and fell to the ground. Qingxing came up from behind and, while the intruder was still in shock, grabbed a teacup, grabbed her chin, and forced the tea into her mouth.

Meng Wan crawled out from under the bed and pressed down on the figure, covering her mouth and nose with all his might.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Meng Wan and Qingxing coordinated seamlessly.

Three breaths later, the figure beneath him stopped struggling.