The late - autumn night was shockingly cold. The wind howled through, swirling up the leaves and sneaking into every sleeve.
The aunt was despairingly left outside the door. She had thought that by ending her own life, she could finally cover up the crimes of her son and husband. However, she was unexpectedly captured, gagged, and then dumped in a dusty corner behind her own house.
Faint voices came from inside the house.
"Women are so stupid. They can't do anything right!" Meng Chengcai spat, his face showing undisguised contempt. "Thank goodness we father and son are smart!"
"Exactly!" Meng Sili echoed his father's words, lowering his eyes slightly to hide the mockery in them.
They were all fools. That night, he and his mother had failed to drug the target. When they got home, he had even been beaten and had his leg broken by debt collectors. Fortunately, Meng Chengcai had come back early. After a quick discussion, the father - son duo decided to stop Meng Chengliang before he got home and bring him here to show him the miserable state of their family. This way, they could clear their suspicions after Meng Ruyi died of poison.
He had never expected that Meng Ruyi wouldn't be poisoned to death. And Meng Chengcai, who had been drunk that night, had failed to stop the person.
Fortunately, his mother was willing to take the blame for him.
"Sili, I need to marry a new wife soon to show them that I've cut ties with that woman. What do you think of the one at the street corner?"
The one at the street corner? Meng Sili thought for a while before realizing that his father was referring to the "well - known" pretty widow. She was rich and childless, a perfect piece of fat meat.
How could Meng Sili refuse such a temptation? Anyway, if Meng Chengcai died, the money would be his. So he said with a smile, "I'll follow whatever you decide, Father."
Outside the house, the gagged woman couldn't cry anymore. Even in the cold weather, her broken legs, which hadn't been treated, faintly emitted a stench.
She had no feeling in her lower limbs, which felt like two heavy pieces of rotten meat. Her clothes were thin, and in this late - autumn cold, she felt like vomiting. Her face was flushed, and her mind was starting to go blank.
She felt as if her soul had left her body. Listening to the discussion inside, she only felt that she had been blind and used by these two. She had thought that if she died, she could leave a chance for her son. She didn't expect that Meng Sili wasn't the filial son she thought he was, but a greedy wolf. The father - son duo had been lying on her, chewing away at every bit of her value.
She hated! She hated!
The woman's will to live, which had disappeared, came back. But she no longer had a chance to survive. Her clothes were so thin that she might freeze to death at any moment.
The aunt stared blankly into the house, praying that if she died, she must become a fierce ghost and take revenge on the father - son duo inside.
"Do you want to live?" A soft voice sounded. The woman felt the voice was familiar. Without thinking much, she nodded with all her strength.
"Will you take revenge on them?"
The woman nodded again.
The person suddenly smiled. The voice was as alluring as that of a ghost. "Then I'll give you a chance."
...
Meng Ruyi struggled to get out of bed. Hearing the sound, Lianqiao, who was waiting outside, quickly said, "Don't worry, Miss! I'll light the lamp first."
After the oil lamp was lit, Lianqiao carried it and walked up to Meng Ruyi. She asked gently, "Are you hungry, Miss? What would you like to eat?"
"Whatever." Meng Ruyi had just woken up and had no appetite. But the empty feeling in her stomach was really uncomfortable, so she still nodded.
"Alright. Then please wait a moment, Miss. I'll go and tell the kitchen to serve the hot food."
Suddenly, Meng Ruyi thought of Song Huaizhi next door. So she put on her outer robe and walked to the door.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the door, she saw Song Huaizhi walking towards her in his outer robe, looking as if he had just come back from outside.
"Brother Song." Meng Ruyi hesitated for a moment before calling out to him. Then she didn't know what else to say.
Song Huaizhi had walked up to her. He looked at her expressionlessly, seemingly a bit annoyed, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"Do you want to have something to eat with me?"
Meng Ruyi blushed, unable to come up with anything else to say. Then she remembered the food on the way and invited Song Huaizhi.
"Sure."
Song Huaizhi nodded slightly and then said to Meng Ruyi, "I'll go and change my clothes. Then we'll eat in the dining hall."
Meng Ruyi was already ten years old. It wasn't appropriate for Song Huaizhi to go into her room. So they both tacitly decided to eat in the dining hall.
Meng Ruyi quickly told Baizhi to catch up with Lianqiao who had just left and told her to add more food and send it to the dining hall.
Song Huaizhi had a good appetite as usual. After eating a bowl of rice, Meng Ruyi noticed that the annoyance between his eyebrows seemed to subside a bit, and his overall aura became much calmer.
Hey! A new discovery!
Watching him eat, Meng Ruyi thought of this discovery and couldn't help but smile. She took a sip of the soup and stole a glance at Song Huaizhi.
"Do you always drink soup after a meal?"
Song Huaizhi suddenly asked, which made Meng Ruyi a bit confused.
"Yes!"
"No wonder." No wonder that family was so confident when they asked the cook to poison. After observing for the past few days, Song Huaizhi had found that even if Meng Ruyi only ate a few mouthfuls of vegetables, she would still drink a bit of soup.
Meng Ruyi felt like a cat was scratching at her heart. Her curiosity was almost out of control, but she was too embarrassed to ask. She just blinked her eyes and waited for Song Huaizhi to continue.
"It's nothing." Song Huaizhi had originally wanted to say that if he wanted to poison Meng Ruyi, he would definitely put the poison in the soup. But the words got stuck in his throat.
She was just a ten - year - old child. If she heard this, she might not be able to drink soup in the future.
So Meng Ruyi wanted to shake Song Huaizhi's shoulder and urge him to finish his sentence. But unexpectedly, Song Huaizhi said goodbye to her after the meal without saying anything.
[??? People who don't finish their sentences should be constipated!]
[Is he trying to say that it's easy for someone who knows this to poison Meng Ruyi?]
[AAAAA What on earth is he trying to say! I'm going crazy!]
Meng Ruyi: I really hate people who don't finish their sentences!
At this moment, Meng Ruyi and the comments on the screen strangely reached an agreement.
...
In the following days, Meng Ruyi occasionally heard her parents mention the "miracle doctor" they were still looking for.
Song Huaizhi seemed to be busy with something. He was always out early and back late. Meng Ruyi could occasionally hear the exclamations on the screen, which made her extremely curious. But she didn't dare to follow him.
Unexpectedly, just ten days later, Meng Chengcai came to their house with a wedding invitation, saying that he was about to get married.
"The mother of my children was too vicious. I've divorced her according to the seven reasons for divorce and cut ties with her. I hope my younger brother and sister - in - law can attend this..."
Meng Ruyi was hiding outside the door. She felt as if she had been struck by lightning and couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
Meng Ruyi's parents also looked unhappy. Looking at Meng Chengcai's back as he left, they wanted to spit at him.
After he left, Meng Ruyi walked into the hall and asked, "Dad, Mom, are you going?"
Xu Fanglian stroked her daughter's head and said, "Of course not."
Meng Ruyi felt relieved. But she noticed a mysterious smile on Song Huaizhi's face as he followed her.
It seemed that the wedding banquet wouldn't go smoothly.
Seeing Song Huaizhi's expression, Meng Ruyi somehow felt certain of this thought that came out of nowhere.
The ceremony of sending wedding gifts was prepared in a hurry. The Meng father - son duo put their limited wealth into boxes and happily waited for others to come and congratulate them, thinking about the rich dowry the widow would bring.
Unexpectedly, just as they were about to carry the things out, someone rushed in.
"Meng family! The one in front of your house is at the yamen!"
Meng Chengcai and Meng Sili looked at each other. A strong sense of uneasiness welled up in their hearts.
On the other side, Meng Ruyi was about to take a nap when she heard Song Huaizhi knocking on the door. Then he asked, "Miss Meng, would you like to go and watch the fun?"