For now, let's put these aside. Hu Jia then asked some more questions about his visit to Yang Shao Quan back then, mainly to understand what clues he had obtained or what performance he had given, and see if anything could be deduced.
Yang Shao Quan recalled some details. After Hu Jia had organized them in his mind, he filtered out some dispensable information and planned to reveal it to Tong Meng.
A night of good sleep, except for Lu Qing Qing and Tong Meng.
Li Han was manageable; with Ouyang Wen sleeping next to her, Li Han would at least have to restrain herself. But Tong Meng was different. One moment she said she wanted water to quench her thirst, and the next she said she needed to use the restroom.
Her constant getting up and down made Lu Qing Qing also sleep poorly. She knew this was Tong Meng's revenge.
"This courtyard is so small, as if walking around a couple more times would let you visit neighbors," Lu Qing Qing said, her patience wearing thin, unable to resist a sarcastic remark.
"Whether I can visit neighbors is not important. What's important is that the guard dog outside can't sleep," Tong Meng said with a giggle, even pretending to point outside the window. "See, the moment I move, it wakes up."
Lu Qing Qing narrowed her eyes, realizing Tong Meng had learned to use indirect insults.
But she wasn't afraid. "What can I do? There are too many wandering spirits in the middle of the night. If some petty thief or scoundrel shows up, at least there's someone to protect me."
As she spoke, Lu Qing Qing also pretended to look out the window. "Besides, why do you keep staring out the window when you're just going to the bathroom? Afraid you'll wet yourself from a guilty conscience?"
Tong Meng's face turned ugly. "Then don't keep staring at me. What? Afraid Brother Hu Jia will come in to find me?"
Lu Qing Qing's lips twitched. Heh, sharp-tongued.
"Hu Jia isn't interested in every cat or dog. Once, a mischievous stray dog leaped at him. Guess what he did?"
"I'm not guessing!"
Lu Qing Qing smiled sinisterly, her hand striking out in a palm strike, directly knocking Tong Meng unconscious.
Not guessing?
If you're not guessing, I'll show you.
Lu Qing Qing got into bed with satisfaction, glanced at Tong Meng lying by the door, and finally settled down for a good night's sleep.
...
"Brother Hu Jia, where are you two going?" After breakfast, Hu Jia and Lu Qing Qing planned to go out. Although they knew Tong Meng would follow, when Tong Meng actually called out to them, Hu Jia couldn't help but utter a curse.
"To town, to find Aunt Yue, and catch up," Hu Jia said impatiently.
"To town? Then I'm going too. I haven't seen what this rural town is like yet, it must be very lively." Tong Meng didn't need an invitation; she had already planned her itinerary.
"Alright, let's go," Hu Jia didn't refuse.
Tong Meng gave Li Han a look. Just as Li Han was about to follow, Ouyang Wen came out after getting dressed.
"Huh? Where is Captain Ouyang going again?" Tong Meng thought Ouyang would accompany Hu Jia.
"Oh, it's nothing, he's just wandering around," Hu Jia said, then urged Tong Meng, "Come on."
Tong Meng paused. "Li Han, Captain Ouyang is quite lonely by himself. It's good for you to go with him and chat."
"No, no," Lu Qing Qing quickly intervened. "Li Han, come with us to town. It's crowded and lively there."
Tong Meng smiled. "It's better to go with Captain Wen, he's quite lonely by himself."
"Eh?" Lu Qing Qing tried to stop her again, but Tong Meng was quick-handed, grabbing her. "Let's go, we're leaving."
Lu Qing Qing looked troubled and wanted to say more, but Hu Jia also stood still.
Without further ado, Tong Meng pulled Lu Qing Qing out the door.
Lu Qing Qing walked ahead in exasperation, while Hu Jia trailed behind for a long time.
Seeing this, Tong Meng sneered inwardly. Good thing she was smart. These three must have intended to split up. Although she didn't know which path was the real one, it was safer to follow both.
However, judging by Lu Qing Qing's reaction, something was definitely going on with Ouyang Wen.
They continued on their way, and Hu Jia and the others arrived in town. As Hu Jia had said, they were there to chat with Aunt Yue.
Aunt Yue was startled when she saw Hu Jia and the others enter.
"Why are you here?"
"We just wanted to see you. You live alone in the city, and we don't know if you're living well. If you need anything, we can help you solve it. Let others know that our Aunt Yue also has backing."
"Heh. It wasn't in vain that I doted on you back then."
"Hahaha..."
Hu Jia and Aunt Yue chatted enthusiastically, with Lu Qing Qing chiming in alongside them. Tong Meng, on the other hand, couldn't get a word in and stood by, feeling quite bored.
Could it be that Hu Jia and the others were really just visiting relatives and chatting?
"Have there been any troubles at home recently?" Hu Jia asked.
"Ah?" Aunt Yue blinked, then her expression stiffened slightly. "Troubles? Don't worry, your sister is living very well."
Seeing Aunt Yue's expression, Hu Jia knew that her life might not be as easy as she claimed. However, this was ultimately her private matter. It was said that misfortunes often befell widows, and if the other party didn't speak of certain things, it was truly difficult for him to help.
At noon, Hu Jia and the others stayed at Aunt Yue's for lunch. In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, Hu Jia finally stood up, preparing to return to the village.
But as soon as he opened the door, a middle-aged man appeared before them. He was about to knock.
Uh, seeing Hu Jia, the man was taken aback, then his expression changed, and he said in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Heh, visitors."
Uh...
Before Hu Jia could react, Aunt Yue stepped forward. "This is my brother, and this is his wife."
Lu Qing Qing's brows twitched. She didn't think it was wrong for Aunt Yue to call her Hu Jia's wife; she thought Aunt Yue was forcibly explaining.
Could that man be her paramour?
Indeed, upon hearing that they were Aunt Yue's family, the middle-aged man's face immediately broke into a smile. "Ah, it's Brother Yang. My apologies, my surname is Huang, just call me Brother Huang."
"Brother Huang," Hu Jia said with a smile, being very polite, assuming his guess and Lu Qing Qing's were correct.
"Are you also here to see Yu Xin off?"
"Ah?"
Hu Jia didn't know what Brother Huang was talking about, but Aunt Yue's face changed, and she quickly stepped forward to interrupt. "Okay, okay, my brother needs to go home, don't block the door."
Although it was a bit confusing, Hu Jia didn't ask further.
However, Brother Huang then said, "Miss Yu Xin died tragically. It's good that her family is here to see her off."
Hmm?
Everyone's steps immediately halted.
Yu Xin was dead?
Aunt Yue looked very embarrassed. She quickly sent the man surnamed Huang away with a few words. Turning back, she saw Hu Jia and Lu Qing Qing staring at her intently, and she began to stammer.
"That... ah, Xiao Jia. That..."
After speaking for a long time, she couldn't utter a single coherent sentence.
"Yu Xin is clearly alive, why did that man say she was dead?" Hu Jia asked. If not for Aunt Yue's appearance, he would have thought the man surnamed Huang had come to deliberately curse Sister Yu Xin.
Aunt Yue forced a smile. "It's like this, you mustn't tell my father and sister when you get back."
Aunt Yue said that Yu Xin was already old. At her age, not only in the village and town, but even in the city, she could be considered a late-marriage candidate.
Therefore, many people gossiped behind her back, saying she had an incurable illness, with all sorts of unpleasant words, which was very annoying.
But these gossips only spoke their minds, and the fact that Yu Xin was unmarried was true, so they couldn't refute it.
Later, Yang Shao Quan had no other choice but to find a marriage for her. But who would have thought that Yu Xin would run away from the wedding?
To put it nicely, the girl was pure and chaste; to put it harshly, Yu Xin was promiscuous outside.
To protect her sister's reputation, Aunt Yue had no choice but to lie to outsiders that Yu Xin had passed away and would be buried soon.
"But how could I have known she'd actually come back? What a mess this is!"
After hearing Aunt Yue's explanation, Hu Jia and Lu Qing Qing were speechless.
"Sister Yue, what kind of idea was that? Even if Yu Xin really ran away, she's not dead. You announced her burial today, and tomorrow she'll be out buying groceries. You're trying to scare people to death!"