Chapter Four: The Runaway Daughter

Chapter Four: The Runaway Daughter

"I want you to help me with my little girl's fortune. Half a year ago, she went on a trip with her friends and eloped with someone. We haven't heard from her since. Her mother has been dreaming about her every day, saying that she's dead. I just want to know, where is she now?" Chen Er, who sells steamed buns, sighed, looking somewhat resigned.

Chen Ernian is over fifty years old and runs a steamed bun shop with his wife. They have one son and two daughters. Their youngest daughter, Chen Xiaowan, who eloped, is only sixteen years old this year. Because she was born late in life, he and his wife dote on her and give her whatever she wants.

Six months ago, Chen Xiaowan went on a trip with the youngest daughter next door and never returned. The girl next door said that she had run away with a man. Although he didn't believe it, several days passed and Chen Xiaowan still hadn't returned. He even went to Xiaoqiu Mountain, where they had gone on their trip, to look for her, but couldn't find her. So he started to believe it and decided to disown her.

But these past few days, my wife has been dreaming about our daughter dying every night, and it's making her very anxious. I also had my fortune told by Aunt Chen yesterday, and it was so accurate, so I came to have mine told today. It only costs ten coins, just to put my mind at ease.

Someone recognized him. His family's affair had caused quite a stir back then; when the girl who went out with Chen Xiaowan came back, everyone on the street knew about it. A woman chuckled and teased, "Chen Er, didn't you say you disowned your daughter? Now you're still looking for her? If you ask me, such a heartless girl, eloping like that, why are you still thinking about her?"

Chen Er sighed deeply, without replying to her. After all, she was still his own flesh and blood.

He looked intently at Jingwu, hoping she would give him an answer.

"Give me your birth date and time." Although Jingwu could see that his daughter's palace was gloomy and that his youngest daughter was likely to meet with bad luck, he still needed to combine the birth chart to see more.

Chen Er spoke immediately.

When Jingwu received the birth date and time, he calculated it and confirmed his earlier thoughts. Then he looked up at him and said, "Your wife's dream is true. Your daughter is indeed dead. She died half a year ago on the day she went out for a trip. Her body is at the bottom of Xiaoqiu Mountain."

"How could this be?!" Upon hearing this, Chen Er jumped to his feet, his fists clenched and trembling uncontrollably. "Master, who, who killed her? Was it that lover? Tell me, where is that lover? I'm going to settle accounts with him! My Xiao Wan went with him, why did he have to kill her too!"

Jingwu looked up at the tears in the eyes of the person before him and said truthfully, "There was no lover at all. Your daughter was killed by robbers while traveling. She could have escaped by giving them her valuables, and the robbers planned to let them go. However, the girl traveling with her was too scared and pushed her away, running away on her own. The robbers were enraged and afraid that she would call for help, so they decided to kill your daughter and throw her off a cliff. Chen Xiaowan's companion was too scared, so she kept it a secret and only said that Chen Xiaowan had run away with someone else."

"What did you say?!" Chen's mother staggered into the crowd, looking at the little girl in front of her: "What did you just say? Our Xiaowan, is she really dead?"

Jingwu glanced at her, confirmed her identity, and nodded: "Yes, the body is at the foot of Xiaoqiu Mountain, under that sycamore tree."

Upon hearing this, Chen's mother felt her blood rush to her head, her vision went black, and she fainted completely.

Chen Er was trembling uncontrollably, furious at his daughter's friends for spreading rumors and fabricating stories, and also angry at himself for so easily believing others and concluding that his daughter had eloped. But at that moment, seeing his wife faint, he immediately went forward to support her.

After giving Jingwu ten coins for the divination, he helped his wife back to the steamed bun shop to rest.

After seeing that his wife was alright, he immediately called some relatives to go to Xiaoqiu Mountain to search for his daughter's remains.

When Chen Er actually saw a skeleton under the sycamore tree, he stumbled. When he saw a purse embroidered with his daughter's name on the skeleton, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Relatives quickly helped him up and collected his body. After taking Chen Xiaowan's remains home, the group went to the house of the girl who had traveled with their daughter.

Chen Er angrily knocked on the You family's door. When he saw that it was You's mother who answered, he said, "Where is your daughter? Bring her out. I want to ask her why she kept it a secret and spread rumors that my daughter eloped after she killed my Xiao Wan!"

Mrs. You was stunned by this string of words, but quickly realized what she was talking about: "What nonsense are you talking about? How is it my daughter's fault that your Xiaowan eloped with someone?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Er immediately jumped up: "Bring your daughter out here! Does she dare to say in front of Xiao Wan's remains that Xiao Wan eloped with someone else?"

Upon hearing this, Madam You understood that the Chen family knew about her daughter's lie.

She herself didn't know either, but for the past six months, her daughter had been having nightmares, calling out Xiao Wan's name. After careful questioning, her daughter finally told the truth.

Mrs. You's eyes darted around, unable to deny it, and she said loudly, "Your Xiao Wan is stupid and couldn't escape, how can you blame my daughter for this?"

Upon hearing these self-righteous words, the Chen family swarmed around her, pointing their fingers at her and demanding that she repeat herself.

When Madam You saw so many people, she immediately became frightened. Her eyes darted around, and she knew that she was in the wrong and had no chance of winning, so she could only pay five taels of silver to settle the matter.

Chen Er knew there was no evidence for this matter, and even if he took it to the authorities, they wouldn't do anything, since Xiao Wan wasn't killed by her; she had just run away.

The relatives who came along also advised him to accept the money and give Xiao Wan a dignified funeral.

Chen Er held the heavy five taels of silver, but he didn't feel good.

He went to where Jingwu had set up her stall and saw that she was about to pack up and leave. He immediately went up to her and gave her three taels of silver.

"Master, this is a thank-you gift."

Jingwu accepted the silver, blinked, and seeing the dejected look on his face, he knew what the man was thinking.

He patted him on the shoulder and said softly, "What goes around comes around. Just wait and see."

Upon hearing this, Chen Er's eyes lit up immediately. He wanted to ask something more, but then he saw that the master had already walked away.

Jingwu put the three taels and ten coins he earned that day into his blue purse, when Shao Che came over and asked him something.

"Awu, what did you mean by what you just said?"

As Jingwu walked toward the orphanage, he said, "The You family shows no remorse and wants to settle things peacefully, but that depends on whether Chen Xiaowan, the person involved, is willing."

Chen Xiaowan was obsessed with something, and her soul did not go to the underworld, but stayed in the You family, appearing in her dreams every day, questioning the You family's daughter about why she did this.

The authorities could not convict You Jia Nu, but she was terrified every night and could not endure it for long; at most a year, she would die.

Shao Che only half understood what she was hearing and wanted to ask more, when he saw his niece walk into the orphanage and give half of her income for the day to the orphanage nanny.

He then went out and headed to another street, where he bought a table and chairs for fortune telling, rice, flour, and a pound of pork.

Jingwu instructed the shop owner to deliver the tables and chairs to Chen's Steamed Bun Shop five days later before returning home with his uncle.

She had calculated it perfectly. Five days later, the Chen family would have already finished Chen Xiaowan's funeral. And she wouldn't be setting up her stall on South Street for those five days. When she needed to go, she could go to the steamed bun shop to move tables and chairs, which was better than the hassle of moving them home and then back again.