The neighbours were carrying buckets of water back and forth, desperately trying to put out the fire. Yet after Jailer Feng returned, instead of checking on his family or helping extinguish the flames, he immediately seized one of the neighbours and demanded to know whether he had started the fire.
Hearing such questioning, Gu Yun felt as though his mind had nearly been knocked several metres out of his skull.
He rolled his eyes inwardly.
The poor neighbour had helped carry water to fight the blaze, only to end up being interrogated face to face by Jailer Feng instead of thanked. Pale-faced, the man stammered that he did not know anything.
Jailer Feng’s eyes bulged wide, bloodshot like those of an enraged ox. The neighbour was so frightened he scarcely dared breathe.
Jailer Feng flung him aside and grabbed another person nearby. “Was it you?”
The men who had come with him, or more accurately his lackeys, finally reacted and hurried over to stop him.
“Brother, don’t waste time arguing with these people. We should look for Sister-in-law first. If she never made it out, then…”
“Brother, you absolutely mustn’t act impulsively. Once the fire is dealt with, there will be plenty of time to investigate the culprit.”
“The yamen won’t ignore something like this…”
Amidst the chaos, Gu Yun noticed a thin, dark-faced man standing in the left-hand corner. His expression was peculiar, carrying a trace of vindictive satisfaction.
The man’s vigilance was not particularly strong. Gu Yun stared at him for quite a while before he finally realised someone was watching him. Startled, he quickly lowered his head and retreated deeper into the crowd.
Just as Gu Yun was about to follow him, a hand suddenly gripped his shoulder. That familiar touch instantly made him think of someone. Turning around, he saw exactly the person he had expected.
Lin Yue.
Who knew how long Lin Yue had been standing hidden in the shadows watching. Before Gu Yun could speak, Lin Yue said, “What does the Feng family fire have to do with us?”
Gu Yun’s train of thought was instantly led astray. Subconsciously, he answered, “Nothing.”
Lin Yue said, “Then why are you still standing here? Come on.”
With that, he turned and walked away. Gu Yun followed after him.
The two left the noisy crowd behind and headed towards the worksite. More accurately, Lin Yue headed towards the worksite while Gu Yun trailed after him.
Before they reached it, Gu Yun stepped in front of him and told him about Jailer Feng and the others secretly watching their residence.
Lin Yue lifted his eyes and looked back in the direction of the Feng residence.
“I have a guess,” Gu Yun said.
Lin Yue sounded mildly interested. “What guess? Let’s hear it.”
“I think Jailer Feng and the others were sent by Magistrate Wang.”
“And why do you think that?”
“Magistrate Wang told you I was a man. I think he has some grudge against that man.
“And then, only a single day later, Jailer Feng and his group appeared to stir up trouble.
“I don’t believe they were secretly watching our residence out of concern for our safety. I think they were waiting for us to return so they could do something bad to us. It’s just that Jailer Feng and his people have never been particularly competent, so I noticed them.”
Lin Yue listened without replying.
Gu Yun continued, “Of course, this is all only my guess. Perhaps Jailer Feng’s group came looking for trouble because you offended Magistrate Wang somehow. Or maybe you offended Jailer Feng himself, and they want to teach you a lesson. Think carefully. Did you offend them anywhere?”
With deliberate cunning, Gu Yun subtly guided Lin Yue’s suspicions away from himself.
Lin Yue smiled. “I wouldn’t have offended them. As for you…”
His gaze swept slowly up and down Gu Yun, and Gu Yun immediately realised Lin Yue had seen through his little scheme.
Turning his head aside, he muttered, “I wouldn’t have offended them either.”
Lin Yue nodded. “Very well. Then let us assume you did not offend them.”
Gu Yun frowned. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“Did my words contain any other meaning? Why don’t you explain it to me? I’m curious,” Lin Yue replied.
“You’re slandering me here.”
“Slandering?” Lin Yue pinched his chin. “Say that again.”
Gu Yun grabbed Lin Yue’s hand and tried to pull it away. It did not hurt where he was being held, but Lin Yue’s arm was astonishingly strong. No matter how long he struggled, he could not budge it, let alone pry it away.
Finally giving up in frustration, Gu Yun muttered under his breath, “I’ll say it again then. You’re always slandering…”
Before he could finish, his vision swam. It felt as though someone had stirred his brain around with a stick until everything became a dizzy mess.
One of Lin Yue’s hands still pinched his chin, while the other cupped his cheek and shook his head back and forth.
Barely managing to steady himself, Gu Yun grabbed both his wrists. “Stop that!”
Lin Yue asked, “Are you still going to say it?”
Gu Yun: “…”
Despicable. Shameless.
Gu Yun felt as though he were riding some giant swinging pendulum. In the end, he surrendered. “I won’t say it anymore. I won’t.”
Lin Yue said, “You truly refuse to shed tears until you see the coffin.”
Only then did he withdraw his “spell”.
Gu Yun rubbed his face. After all that kneading and shaking, his cheeks and chin felt rather uncomfortable.
Lin Yue lowered his eyes and saw that the skin there had actually turned red. Frowning slightly, he muttered something under his breath.
Gu Yun did not catch what he had said, but the more he looked at Lin Yue, the more displeased he felt. He endured it for a while, but ultimately failed to hold back.
Taking advantage of Lin Yue’s inattention, he swiftly stamped hard on his foot and immediately turned to flee.
Lin Yue froze briefly. Once he realised what had happened, he pressed a hand to the back of his neck, both exasperated and amused. Then he started walking towards Gu Yun.
Gu Yun reacted like a startled bird and instantly retreated backwards. Lin Yue ignored him entirely and simply continued walking forward. Seeing this, Gu Yun observed him cautiously from a distance.
Lin Yue showed no unusual movement. Gu Yun edged forwards little by little. When he had come halfway and still nothing happened, he finally relaxed and quickly returned to Lin Yue’s side.
“Now…” Lin Yue suddenly pressed a hand onto his head and shoved it downwards. “Run, then. Why aren’t you hiding now?”
Gu Yun: “…”
What is wrong with you?
Bending over sharply, Gu Yun twisted sideways, trying to break free from Lin Yue’s hold, only for Lin Yue to move first and seize hold of his fate itself.
His neck.
At that moment, Gu Yun practically started planning where he wanted to be buried. Swallowing hard, he said weakly, “A gentleman uses words, not fists.”
“A gentleman?” Lin Yue repeated.
His thumb gently brushed across Gu Yun’s Adam’s apple. It truly was not as prominent or sharp as an ordinary man’s. No wonder even his skin lacked the toughness and thickness of most men’s skin.
What kind of family could possibly have raised a young master like this? There was not the slightest trace of masculinity about him.
“Could you stop touching me already?”
Gu Yun’s voice sounded faint and aggrieved.
Lin Yue lowered his eyes. “Is this the attitude one should have when asking another person for help?”
Gu Yun wilted instantly. “This humble one was wrong. You are a gentleman, so please do not stoop to my level.”
But halfway through speaking, his body suddenly trembled and he burst out laughing. “It really tickles!”
Lin Yue said coolly, “I’ll settle accounts with you properly tonight.”
Only then did he release him.
His cold gaze swept over the surrounding onlookers. Lin Yue had inherited excellent features and had eaten well since childhood, making him exceptionally tall and broad-shouldered. Nobody nearby dared provoke him. The moment his eyes passed over them, they all hurriedly looked away and pretended to busy themselves with other matters.
While secretly envying Lin Yue’s tall and powerful physique, Gu Yun also could not understand his words. What did he mean by settling accounts tonight?
Lin Yue disliked what he had said and attacked him. He retaliated in return. Then Lin Yue retaliated again. At this point, surely they ought to be even?
Why was Lin Yue still insisting on settling accounts with him afterwards? Utterly unreasonable.
Although Gu Yun thought all this inwardly, he wisely kept silent. Right now was not the time to quarrel over such trivial matters and end up resenting each other.
Gu Yun intended to be magnanimous. As for this so-called settling of accounts tonight, he would think about it tonight. Perhaps the matter would resolve itself before then anyway.
Returning to the serious issue, Gu Yun asked, “Should we move now?”
With the Feng residence burned down, if they failed to find the real culprit, suspicion would very likely fall upon them. Combined with the fact that Jailer Feng’s people already intended to trouble them, things could easily spiral into relentless persecution.
Gu Yun had no way to deal with Jailer Feng, much less the people backing him. To him, directly confronting them was far worse than simply moving elsewhere.
Lin Yue asked, “Move where? And how much money do you have?”
“I don’t know. Wouldn’t you know our finances better than I do?” After a pause, Gu Yun asked, “Do you have a way to solve this?”
He himself had no solution, but perhaps Lin Yue did. Judging by appearances, Lin Yue’s relationship with the local yamen seemed rather good.
Lin Yue replied, “There may be a solution.”
“What do you mean, may?”
“A state somewhere between yes and no.”
Who cared about his explanation of the word “may”? What Gu Yun wanted to hear was the actual method for solving the problem.
He stared at Lin Yue, but Lin Yue showed not the slightest guilt over deliberately pretending not to understand him. So he really was doing it on purpose.
This possible solution clearly had something to do with Lin Yue’s recent strange behaviour, the gifts from Magistrate Wang, the yamen runners delivering letters to him, and the unusual friendliness shown to him by the local authorities.
Which was why Lin Yue refused to answer directly. He dealt with matters in a roundabout, evasive manner. In future, whenever faced with things he disliked, he would probably handle them exactly the same way.
Once Gu Yun understood this fact, he stopped asking. Lin Yue did not pause to wait for him to think things through and simply kept walking ahead. By the time Gu Yun looked up again, Lin Yue was already far away.
Estimating the distance, Gu Yun thought to himself that by the time he caught up, Lin Yue would probably already be back at the worksite.
Since he had already learned how Lin Yue intended to deal with Jailer Feng’s matter, and since there was nothing he could do to change it anyway, he did not bother chasing after him.
Instead, he remained where he was and called out, “Did you eat lunch?”
“I did,” Lin Yue answered.
Having received his reply, Gu Yun headed home. With the Feng residence on fire, Jailer Feng and the others would hardly have time to trouble them now.
Gu Yun quickly returned home and went to the landlord’s residence to retrieve the vegetable basket from the lady of the house. From inside, he picked out a fresh Chinese cabbage, tore off several leaves, washed them clean, and carefully laid them one by one on the chopping board before slicing them into strips of equal width. He was preparing to cook.
Since he was alone, the simpler the meal, the better. Gu Yun planned to make bean flour flatbread stuffed with vegetables. Copying the cook’s example, he started kneading dough. He had thought it would be easy, but the dough simply refused to cooperate. After painstakingly fiddling with it for ages, he somehow ended up with batter instead.
The mixture was so runny it could not even be picked up properly. In the end, he could only mix the cabbage shreds into the batter and boil everything into a bowl of bean flour vegetable paste.
The appearance was dreadful. Still, even dogs did not disdain a poor household. Since he had cooked it himself, Gu Yun ladled himself a bowl and started eating. Aside from the taste of cabbage, there was no flavour whatsoever.
He took another mouthful. Still nothing.
Ah. He had forgotten to add salt. At least he had remembered the oil. After barely forcing down lunch, Gu Yun stepped outside and looked around. Sure enough, Jailer Feng and his people had not reappeared.
Returning indoors, Gu Yun heated his medicine with water and drank it. Then he took out the medicinal ointment and spread it carefully over both knees, massaging it in thoroughly so it could absorb properly.
Only after finishing all this did he take out a book and begin studying beside the window. It was not until sunset that he finally put the book down and rose to prepare dinner.
After the ordeal at lunchtime, his confidence in cooking had increased enormously. If the first attempt failed, then the second would certainly succeed.
Completely unaware of the suffering about to be inflicted upon him by Gu Yun, Lin Yue headed straight for the Feng residence after finishing work.
The fire there had already been extinguished, but the place remained crowded and chaotic. Numerous yamen officials had arrived and were currently consoling Jailer Feng.
It turned out Madam Feng was dead. Her remains had been discovered in the ruins. She and the servants of the household had all been burned into charred, blackened lumps.
Eyes reddened, Jailer Feng gritted his teeth and begged everyone present to find the culprit and avenge both Madam Feng and his destroyed residence. Everyone voiced agreement one after another.
Standing not far away, Lin Yue looked towards the corpses. He had met every member of the Feng household before. With only a single glance, he noticed the numbers did not match.
There were no children in the Feng family. Excluding Jailer Feng himself, there ought to have been five bodies present. Yet there were only four. The others noticed this as well and remarked to Jailer Feng that whoever was missing was most likely the murderer.
Jailer Feng immediately denied it. “The missing person is my concubine. Her father fell seriously ill, so she returned to her maiden home this morning to visit him.”
Hearing this, Lin Yue asked for the address of the concubine’s family and went there himself. When he arrived, Jiang san-niang was sitting anxiously at home. Upon seeing Lin Yue, she became even more flustered.
“Young Master Lin…”
The moment Lin Yue saw her expression, he knew she was aware of the truth behind the fire.
He asked, “Between yesterday and this morning, did anyone come to Jailer Feng asking him to handle some matter?”
“Yes,” Jiang san-niang replied. “Master treated the visitor with great respect. When the man left, Master personally escorted him out.”
…
After leaving the Jiang residence, Lin Yue made another trip to the yamen. By the time he emerged again, the sky was fully dark.
Facing the cool evening breeze, he walked slowly homeward.
