Chapter 23: Indifference

  As soon as he walked out of the second gate, he saw a young man standing under the corridor in the distance. He recognized him at a glance. It was he who had reported to the official a few days ago, claiming that someone had robbed on the street in broad daylight, and he had just rescued He Huan's family in time.

  "It's you!" Lin caught a glimpse of the young man from head to toe, seeing that he had clear eyebrows and bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, his whole body almost drenched by the rainwater, adding a few more points of frailty.

  "Lin the captain." The young man bowed respectfully and said urgently: "My name is Chang An, I serve under Captain Xie. I have an urgent matter to report to Third Master, would you please trouble yourself, Captain Lin, to introduce me?"

  Lin Zuo's eyes showed even more suspicion, and he said slowly: "So you're also from the Sixth Gate, no wonder you were so enthusiastic last time, and didn't take credit afterwards."

  Chang'an hesitated for a moment, then replied in a low voice: "At that time, saving you was just a matter of lifting my hand. However, I had important business to attend to and couldn't even bid farewell before leaving, which was indeed my fault. But Lin, as officials, we should be clear that some matters, if delayed, not only harm ourselves but also implicate our superiors. Isn't that so?" Lin was choked by his words and said reluctantly: "It's not that I'm unwilling to introduce you..."

  "Lin Bu's head, Chang'an?" Xie San walked towards the two from afar.

  "Third Master!" Chang'an hastily bypassed Lin Daotou and spoke to Xie San, "I have an urgent matter to report to you." Before he finished speaking, he deliberately glanced at Lin Daotou. Lin Daotou rubbed his nose, bowed and excused himself. After he walked away, Chang'an whispered, "Third Master, something has happened in the young master's household..."

  "Isn't he always at Qing Song Guan?"

  "It's his son, who is said to be on the verge of death. At this moment, all the doctors in the city have rushed to the Shen family." He lowered his voice again, "Third Master, this is a rare opportunity..."

  "Has anyone inquired clearly what disease he has contracted?"

  "It is said that he convulsed all over his body, foamed at the mouth and might not make it through tonight."

  Xie San did not respond to Chang An's words, but instead stared thoughtfully at the dark night sky, listening to the patter of the rain. "Boom", a flash of lightning illuminated the entire courtyard. Under the intense light of the lightning, he caught a glimpse of Lin Captor hiding behind a pillar in the corridor nearby. He withdrew his gaze and said in a low voice: "Let's go take a look at Shen's house first."

  Chang'an suddenly became anxious upon hearing this and whispered: "Third Master, you previously said that Young Master is a cautious person..."

  "It's just you and me here, so let's call him Old Man Shen."

  "Yes, my third uncle!" Chang'an hastily and helplessly changed his words, "Mr. Shen is a cautious person, he manages his household very strictly, if we can't seize this opportunity, it's likely to be difficult to investigate again in the future..."

  "Are you sure Shen Nianxi is really sick?"

  Xie San's counter-question left Chang'an stunned on the spot. "Shen Nianxue suddenly fell ill and is on her last breath," this news all came from the Shen family members' mouths. "Third Master, what to do now?" He was at a loss for what to do.

  "Let's go take a look first." Xie San led the way out. The two of them walked out of the county government office, put on their rain gear, mounted their horses, and galloped off in the heavy rain.

  As they walked to the small alley outside Shen's house, they saw He Huan arriving at Shen's gate.

  Xie San saw her, gritting his teeth in anger. More than ten days ago, in the Shen family garden, if it wasn't for her setting him up, would he have failed at the last moment? Yesterday, she even dared to frame him. Since she was not benevolent, from now on, don't blame him for being unrighteous!

  Chang'an wiped the rain from his face and asked in a low voice: "Third Master, are we just going to wait like this?"

  Xie San didn't respond, narrowing his eyes to size up He Huan. He had "zeroed in" on her solely because he discovered she was very familiar with the Shen family, but the scene before him, the people of the Shen family saw her so disheveled, yet they actually had no compassion?

  A few days ago, he pretended to let it slip in front of her, hinting that he had an informant in the Shen family and brazenly extorting four hundred taels of silver from her. He believed she would definitely inform Shen Jinglun about it, and as expected, Bai Mian informed Zi Lan overnight, but Shen Jinglun seemed completely unaware of the situation, or perhaps he had already sensed that He Huan was being used by him, which is why he remained calm and collected?

  Thinking of this possibility, Xie San's eyes became even more vigilant, his gaze shifting from He Huan to the Shen family gate.

  Half a time later, the rain finally stopped, and the east showed the first light of dawn. The wet air was mixed with the fragrance emitted by the grass and trees, which was refreshing. However, neither He Huan in front of the Shen family gate nor Xie San in the small alley had the mood to feel the quiet and tranquility of the morning.

  From a distance, she saw Mr. Qian slowly walking towards the gate, and He Huan took three steps forward in two steps, without noticing the servants blocking her at the gate, and asked loudly: "Mr. Qian, has Nian Xi recovered, is he okay? Is he?"

  Qian Daifu looked at her and let out a soft sigh.

  In an instant, He Huan was as if she had been placed in an ice cellar. She hysterically shouted: "Impossible! You're deceiving me! Impossible!" She pushed and struggled against the servants who were blocking her way. If possible, she would have exchanged her own life for her son to grow up healthy and strong.

  Doctor Qian shook his head and said: "Young Master Shen's illness originated from his mother's womb..."

  "Was it me who harmed Nian Xi?" He Huan's eyes were bloodshot, "Impossible, absolutely impossible!" She shook her head violently, her throat hoarse, but she couldn't squeeze out another tear.

  The people below were kicked and trampled by her, and someone among them coldly snorted: "He Da Xiaojie, Master is not here, who are you putting on a show for?"

  He Huan didn't care, she just kept shouting that she wanted to see Shen Nianxue. Unfortunately, she was a woman after all, and having been rained on and blown by the wind last night, she was soon subdued by the servants of the Shen family. As she struggled, she cried out in a sorrowful voice: "Shen Jinglu, come out and tell me clearly, why did Nianxue become like this..."

  Xie San watched from afar, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.

  "What a big sister He is really good at acting." Chang'an's eyes were full of disdain, "A woman like her, how could she commit suicide? Third Master, you are too kind-hearted, that's why you believe her..."

  "This time Shen Jinglin is not here." Xie San heard the faint sound of horseshoes, his voice stuck in his throat. At the end of the long street, two sorrel horses galloped in the morning light, and the man on horseback was surprisingly Shen Jinglin.

  Although the heavy rain had stopped for a while, Shen Jinglun's hair and clothes were still dripping with water. Before the horse came to a stop, he had already leapt off its back and strode towards the gate in big strides.

  He Huan saw him, feeling wronged, heartbroken and resentful. She tried to walk towards him, but the Shen family's servants were holding her arms tightly, so she could only shout loudly: "Shen Jinglu, I want to see Nian Xi..."

  Shen Jinglun didn't stop in his tracks, nor did he spare her a glance. He simply gave a cold order: "Send Miss Biao back to the He residence!"

  Just as Shen Jinglian was about to step inside, He Huan hastily said: "Stop right there! I am Lin Xiyue..."

  "That's enough!" Shen Jinglun finally stopped in his tracks, but still didn't look at He Huan. Instead, he angrily shouted, "Where is the housekeeper? Why are you allowing unrelated people to cause trouble at our doorstep?"

  "Unrelated person?" He Huan burst out laughing, she had long forgotten that in other people's eyes, she was He Huan, not Lin Xiyu. At this moment, her mind only had one thought: overnight, her son almost died, and her husband actually said she was an unrelated person. "How can you treat me like this!" She weakly spat out these words, her vision went black, and her body softly fell down.

  "What's wrong? What's wrong?" Cao pushed through the crowd, quickly walking towards He Huan and half-kneeling beside her, embracing her shoulders. Bai Miao hastily stepped forward and knelt down beside He Huan, bursting into tears with a "wu wu yu yu".

  Earlier, Cao had planned to let Tao persuade He Huan to return home, but Tao said that she no longer had the face to appear in the Shen family and didn't want to get involved in He Huan's affairs. Cao also wanted to wash her hands of it, but couldn't bear her son's pleas, so she could only return with Bai Ji together.

  At this moment, she thought He Huan was just pretending in front of Shen Jinglu, but as soon as she hugged her, she immediately discovered that something was wrong. He Huan was having a high fever, burning very badly.

  "What's wrong, young lady?" Cao's voice rose in urgency as she shouted at the Shen family members: "What have you people done to harm our young mistress like this!" Seeing that Shen Jinglu ignored her and walked away without looking back, she wailed and complained: "Shen Dainai and our young mistress are cousins, and it's only been a few days since she passed away. Do you want to kill off her cousin too?"

  Shen Zhihua, who rushed to the scene with a stern face, said: "Cao's family, food can be eaten in disorder, but words cannot be spoken in disorder. Last night, I have made it very clear to you, please go back home for now..."

  "How dare you say such a thing! Good heavens, look at this, is this something a human being would say? We came to visit Nian Xi in the rain after hearing she was ill, and not only did you refuse us entry, but now Huan'er has been driven mad... You are clearly taking advantage of your power to bully others..."

  Cao's voice was shrill and indignant, while He Huan lay motionless on the ground, and added to this were Bai Mian's sobs that couldn't be contained, which attracted passersby to stop and watch.

  At this moment, Cao was indeed worried about He Huan, but after worrying, she thought of a practical problem. He Huan was ill, how would they pay for the medicine? At this time, they were in the Shen family, if not relying on the Shen family, who could they rely on?

  With the "silver child" as motivation, Cao's family cried and made a fuss with even more energy, beating their chest and pulling their own hair, hoarse from shouting, as if Shen Jinglun had killed her own daughter.

  Qian Daifu was already old, and he feared crowded places the most. When He Huan shouted that she wanted to see Shen Nianxue, he had already turned around, intending to leave the Shen residence through a side door. However, as a doctor, he had a benevolent heart, and seeing He Huan faint, he returned and squatted on the ground to take her pulse. After a while, he said to Shen Zhihua: "Shen Guanjia, Miss He has caught a chill and suffered a shock, we must immediately administer acupuncture and decoct medicine for her."

  Shen Zhihua had met unreasonable people before, but he had never dealt with a shrew like Cao. Seeing the crowd inside and outside the door, he hastily nodded in agreement: "No matter what, saving lives is important, I'll immediately order someone to prepare a carriage to send Miss Biao to the medical clinic..."

  "No way!" Cao's family strongly opposed. She handed He Huan over to Bai Shao, stood up with her hair disheveled and shouted: "Huan'er is already like this, if we go to the medical clinic all the way, not to mention delaying time, what if something happens, can you afford it?" Seeing Shen Zhihua wanting to refute, she cried even louder: "Our family's old master died early, and our eldest sister was the only daughter of the old master. At home, we treated her like a treasure... Today, just arrived at your Shen family, you've made her unconscious..."

  Shen Zhihua was so angry that his face turned green, and he pointed to two maids, intending to order them to "escort" Cao Shi onto the carriage and send her to the medical hall by force. Just then, the horse carriage of Lin's second house stopped outside the gate, and he hastily changed his words: "You attend to Miss Biao and Aunt Cao in the small flower hall, and take good care of them in the house." After that, he bowed to Doctor Qian again, politely asking him to diagnose and treat He Huan, which finally ended this farce.