Chapter 209: Fu Qu Lodge On Fire
Although the courtyard was spick and span, the powder-white walls and even the curtains of the newly-painted doors and windows were all brand-new. A pomegranate tree and a Yulan magnolia tree were also planted in the courtyard, filling it with vigor. However, it could not be compared to the Jiao Garden, let alone the lofty and magnificent pavilions in the Shi Household!
After getting down from the horse carriage, Ren Zhixian raised his eyebrows. He was dissatisfied. To him, this courtyard was narrow and distasteful. How could he stay here?
Shi Yumei was also slightly disappointed, but having to depend on her parents for help, this was still fine. Naturally, this place could not be compared to the Shi family household, but it was not lacking in any way compared to the well-off families in Mengxian.
When she went into the house, all kinds of furniture were already prepared neatly. Shi Yumei was elated and ordered Cui Zhu and others to move their things in.
“Head Servant Yu, this is the place that your Young Master arranged for us? Is there nowhere else? Yumei is used to living comfortably so I’m afraid she might not be accustomed to this!” Ren Zhixian called Head Servant Yu over and asked in a low tone.
“This place is peaceful and the people around here are good people, which is exactly suitable for you! It’s enough for both you and Eldest Missy to live here with a few servants! Young Master told me that if you’re unsatisfied, you can search for one on your own in the future!” Head Servant Yu said, neither in a humble nor overbearing tone.
Where would Ren Zhixian be able to do so on his own? Upon hearing that, he pulled a long face and snorted without saying a word. He then asked again, “Where are the living expenses for this month? Did you bring it here?”
Head Servant Yu replied, “I’ve handed everything else to Eldest Missy!” He then faintly added on, “You’re a scholar so I was afraid that you’d dislike the foul odor of money!”
Ren Zhixian’s expression worsened but he had no way out. He stamped his feet and said, “Forget it. Place the things inside the courtyard and go back and report to your master! Hold on, where is the deed for this house? Did you hand it to your Eldest Missy as well?”
“The deed?” Head Servant Yu responded at a loss, “I don’t have any deed! This house was bought with the household funds so the deed is naturally with the household. But Young Master said that you and Eldest Missy can stay here without worries!”
Ren Zhixian jumped. “Do you mean that this house belongs to the Shi Family?”
“Since the house was bought with the household funds, it is naturally theirs.” Head Servant Yu tried to maintain his smile but his heart was filled with disdain as he thought to himself: He still dared to ask such a question despite being a scholar. What an oddball to not feel any shame!
Ren Zhixian grew furious, and his face turned red. He wished he could point at Head Servant Yu’s nose and swear at him before taking his wife and concubines away with him. However, it was a pity that he was hard on money. He had the idea but not the guts.
“If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first! It’s getting late and I still have to rush back to report to Young Master!” Head Servant Yu said with a slight bow.
“Get lost!” Ren Zhixian forced the words out and the great resentment in his heart was quickly dispersed.
Head Servant Yu smiled slightly and wasn’t bothered by his attitude. He then went back in to bid farewell to Shi Yumei. Taking with him two servants as per usual, he ordered the cart driver to hurry up before departing in a hurry.
After they left, Ren Zhixian rushed to Shi Yumei and asked where the living expenses were.
“What’s with you?” Shi Yumei was immediately on guard and answered back, “This is our household’s living expenses. Don’t even think about using it to fool around!”
“I’m asking you how much is there!” Ren Zhixian was getting impatient.
Shi Yumei told him unhappily, “A hundred silvers!”
“Only a hundred?” Ren Zhixian said with a sneer, “Could it be that your Shi family is only left with an empty shelf? As the eldest daughter of the family, they’re only willing to part with a hundred silvers a month!” It was not even enough to have a good meal outside!
Shi Yumei replied with a sneer, “It’s a pity that not only am I the Eldest Missy of the Shi family, but I am now also a daughter-in-law of the Ren family. What about you? How much did you hand over to me?”
Ren Zhixian stared coldly at her and snorted. He quickly claimed he was tired and needed some rest. He then dragged Cui Bao to serve him, abandoning Shi Yumei and her servant to continue tidying up.
Shi Yumei kept scolding him in a fit of anger while Cui Zhu tried coaxing her with a smile.
Ren Zhixian had not expected that not only was there nowhere to move about in the house, but every restaurant and shop in this region had also become stingy as they were unwilling to let him pay by credit! At first, he could not understand why, but after giving it some thought, he guessed that it must be Shi Fengju’s doing. He became ashamed and furious. Not only that, he had also lost his face in front of his friends, and quarreled with Shi Yumei every day without a day of peace.
As for Head Servant Yu, he reported back to Shi Fengju regarding the matters in Mengxian without missing any details. Shi Fengju did not care too much about it and only faintly smiled before ordering him to leave. At the same time, the person in charge of the storehouse came to report: Many of the decorations and furnishings in Jiao Garden had disappeared so they were unable to tally them before sending them back into the storehouse…
Shi Fengju did not even have to think about it to know that his brother-in-law had stolen them, and said, “You can start a list, but don’t forget to state in the books that it was lost!”
The person in charge was well aware why the things went missing and responded with a smile before taking his leave.
Shi Fengju unconsciously let out a deep sigh and thought of his brother-in-law. He wondered how angry he must be when he returned to Mengxian but was held back from living an undisciplined life! But no matter what, he shouldn’t be venting his anger on his older sister!
The household was in the midst of preparing Shi Lian’s marriage. Since she was going to become a concubine, they were limited to only a few varieties. There were no signs of busyness and cheerfulness in the household compared to back when Shi Yumei got married.
To their surprise, when the sky turned bright this day and Shi Fengju and Sang Wan were still sleeping in each other’s embrace, they were woken up by Nanny Li’s alarmed knock on the door.
“Young Master! Young Mistress! Something bad has happened! Third Missy’s Fu Qu Lodge is on fire!”
“What? It’s on fire!” It came as a big shock to Sang Wan and both of them hurriedly put on their clothes after getting up.
“How is Third Sister? Has the fire been brought under control?” Shi Fengju’s expression turned heavy.
“How did it catch fire all of a sudden! My Lord, let’s hurry over! And, don’t let Mother know first to avoid frightening her!” Sang Wan hurriedly said.
Nanny Li said, “I’ve already called for people to put the fire out. It’s hard to say how the fire is now! Only some of Third Missy’s hair has been burnt and she probably fainted from the smoke. She is now at Zhui Jin Building and I’ve already sent someone to call for a physician!”
Sang Wan and Shi Fengju hurriedly put on their cloaks and went over with a few servants.
The fire had been brought under control but there was still some crackling of fire. The thick smoke could still be seen clearly, soaring to the sky, and the ashes scattered all over in the air made it suffocating.
Sang Wan could not help but cover her mouth and start coughing. Shi Fengju hurriedly protected her and patted her back lightly while gently saying, “Let’s go to Zhui Jin Building instead!”
Sang Wan nodded her head.
Very soon, the physician arrived and carried out first aid for Shi Lian before she finally woke up. She seemed to be terribly frightened and started crying loudly when she saw Shi Fengju and Sang Wan. Cai Yun also kept crying at the side. Nanny Li then ordered someone to bring Cai Yun to rest and called Hong Ye, who stood at the side, to serve in her stead.
Sang Wan comforted Shi Lian first and asked Shi Fengju to leave before calling someone to help Shi Lian get changed and to wash her face. From there, she realized that her thigh had been badly burned which would most likely leave a scar!
Nanny Li and the others sighed.
“What happened! How did it catch fire all of a sudden!” Someone had already leaked the news to Wang Shi. Upon hearing about it, she was startled at first, and then turned furious and anxious. She then hurriedly wore her clothes and rushed over.
“Mother!” Shi Lian lifted her head from the pillow in distress and kowtowed to Wang Shi, saying, “Mother, I’m unfilial. I’m unfilial for making Mother worry!”
“Where is Cai Yun? What exactly is going on!” Wang Shi was enraged seeing her unscathed.
“Mother!” Shi Fengju came in and said as he held onto her, “Third Sister is in great shock and the physician has just prescribed relaxants for her to take. Let’s talk outside!” He then helped Wang Shi out.
Sang Wan nodded at Shi Lian and ordered people to take care of her properly before she went out as well.
Shi Fengju had already found out the cause. Last night, Shi Lian had been copying Buddhist scriptures for a long time and forgot to extinguish the lamp before she slept. Her windows were also not shut tightly so the oil lamp ended up being blown by the wind and started burning the tablecloth, leading to the large fire.
“Let Third Sister temporarily stay in Zhui Jin Building! Fortunately, she’s fine and there’s nothing important in her house so let it be if they’re gone. When the weather becomes warmer, call some servants to clear away the remains and rebuild it. Mother, you mustn’t take this to heart!” Shi Fengju persuaded his mother.
“Hmph!” Wang Shi had a cold face and could not help saying, “She’s grown up now but why is she so careless in her actions! She still wanted to accumulate good fortunes on my behalf by copying the Buddhist scriptures and something like this happened! She almost scared me to death!”
“Mother, this is just an accident. Who could have expected it!” Shi Fengju replied with a smile.
Wang Shi sighed and asked Sang Wan, “What did the physician say? Was she injured anywhere?”
Sang Wan responded, “The physician said that she has been frightened and needs to recuperate for some time. Her hair was burnt along with a few blisters on her hands but they are not serious. However, she has a nearly half-a-foot-long burn on her left lower thigh, around as big as half a palm, which is quite serious. The physician examined it and said it might leave a scar…”
“How can this be!” Wang Shi slammed the table with her palm and was really furious this time. She grumbled, “Why does this have to happen at a time like this! That girl is making me worry more and more! The Hong family is going to fetch her in a few days. How can this be good!”
Shi Fengju and Sang Wan glanced at each other without a word.
After Wang Shi sighed and complained for a while, she said with a frown, “Fengju, what do you say we should do about this!”
Shi Fengju replied with a sigh, “Mother, do you still have to ask! How can Third Sister get on the bridal sedan chair in this manner! Don’t tell me you want her to recuperate at the Hong family!”
Wang Shi was at a loss for a while. According to Sang Wan, she had a serious burn on the leg and it probably would not recover in half a month or twenty days at least. The son of the Hong family was taking in a concubine and not an offering to his ancestors, so how would he be willing to carry her back to recuperate and serve? Besides, with the burn on her leg, would he still fancy her!
“Forget it!” Wang Shi said with a sigh, “The most I would lose is this old face of mine. I will send someone to withdraw this marriage after dawn! That girl has no luck, she can’t blame anyone else but herself!”
“We can only do this!” Shi Fengju responded with a sigh.
