Chapter 255 The Old Monster

Chapter 255 The Old Monster

Old Du ran out of his house, but didn't go far. He stood on the edge of the vegetable garden, watching the commotion at his doorstep.

Du Ming went out to announce the death. Upon hearing the commotion, the villagers all sprang into action. In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the entire village had gathered in Du's courtyard.

At first, everyone's attention was focused on Du's mother. She was full of energy yesterday and fought with Du Laoding. Why was she so listless today?

"Daming, did your father beat your mother badly? She can't speak anymore, and she can't tell us if she's feeling unwell," Uncle Du asked.

Upon hearing this, the person instinctively turned to look at the old man standing beside the vegetable garden.

"How could that be? With my mother's physique, how could my father beat her?" Du Ming found it laughable. "She didn't suffer any losses yesterday. My father was pinned to the ground and couldn't get up at all. She didn't feel unwell either. Last night, she ate two big bowls of mutton and drank half a bowl of water celery and egg drop soup."

"I guess he just reached the end of his life, and he's enjoying his life peacefully, passing away without illness or disaster." Li Hongguo pulled out a stack of white cloth from the house and, together with her daughter-in-law, cut and distributed it. "Everyone, please help us set up the mourning hall. Father, you and your uncles and brothers go to town to buy a coffin, incense, candles, and other offerings. Also, inform Qiaomei and her husband so they can come as soon as possible. Jinshu and the second and third sons' families can't make it back. Right now, she's the only grandchild, so they'll have to do their best."

"Should we inform Du Min?" Uncle Du asked cryptically.

Li Hongguo lowered her eyes and didn't look at anyone, saying, "If you want to send a message, how can you not tell him when his mother has passed away?"

Jinshu had been gone for over six years. In those six years, every single one of the twelve letters she sent back was a lament. At first, she only complained about how painful it was to lose weight, but later, words like "working on a mission is deadly" and "dying" appeared. This made her increasingly suspicious, unsure of what Du Min was up to. Whatever his intentions, now that she had a chance to bring Jinshu back, she would not let it slip by.

Uncle Du coughed and saw that Du Ming was leading seven or eight people to the county town. He walked to Li Hongguo's side and said, "Niece-in-law, let's go inside and talk for a few minutes."

Li Hongguo hesitated for a moment, then dropped the scissors and followed.

“With your mother-in-law’s death, Du Min will have to observe mourning for three years. After that, your father-in-law will pass away, and he will have to observe mourning for another three years.” Uncle Du was anxious. His second grandson wanted to take the prefectural examination this year. If he passed, he would go to Luoyang to take the provincial examination next year. That was exactly the time when they needed Du Min.

Li Hongguo had given up hope on the Du family; she figured they were all reincarnated scorpions, becoming more venomous with age. But fearing retribution and not wanting to dirty her hands any further, she feigned ignorance and asked, "Uncle, what do you suggest?"

"The weather is cold now, why don't we keep the body for two months? That way, Du Min can come back and see his mother one last time." Uncle Du subtly hinted, wanting Du Min to decide whether or not to keep the death a secret.

“That won’t do. It’s not freezing here, no matter how cold it is. If the body is left here for two months, the whole Dujiawan will stink.” Li Hongguo refused. “Uncle, if you’re willing, I can persuade Du Ming to move his mother’s coffin to your house.”

"How can this be allowed?" Uncle Du's expression changed. "What are you saying? Are you cursing me?"

"No, no," Li Hongguo waved her hand. "Uncle, you are destined to live to be a hundred years old."

Uncle Du stared at her with a stern face, but Li Hongguo didn't respond. When she heard someone calling her, she quickly ran over.

The mourning hall was set up in just half an hour.

Before the funeral supplies were even bought, the villagers gathered in the courtyard, chatting idly. When they talked about Du Min returning to his hometown to observe mourning, their eyes inevitably fell on Old Ding Du.

This scene terrified Du Laoding. He remembered clearly what Du Min had said thirteen years ago. Now that his wife was dead, he worried that the villagers would conspire to kill him.

Old Du didn't go home all day. It wasn't until evening, when all the people who had gone to the county to buy funeral supplies, hire cooks, and buy groceries had returned, that he finally went home.

Qiaomei and her husband Shi Xian also came. Shi Xian was the youngest son of the registrar of Wu County. The two married four years ago, but in the past two years, he rarely came to his wife's family. This was because the year after their marriage, he wanted to take the imperial examination in the same way as Du Min, but was rejected by Li Hongguo.

Today, Du's mother passed away. Shi Xian knew that his remarkable third uncle from the Yue family was coming back, so he was extremely attentive. This scholar squeezed into the south room as a laborer to help carry the body and put it in the coffin.

The coffin was outside the door. A group of people worked together to carry the body out, just as the last rays of the setting sun were falling. The afterglow fell on the lintel, and Shi Xian was so blinded by the light that he looked down and saw a hand covered with purplish-red lividity, with fingernails that were bluish-purple.

"Son-in-law Shi, let go! What are you staring at?" Aunt Du shouted. "They're about to put you in the coffin."

Shi Xian let go of her hand in a daze and took a step back.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Qiaomei came over and asked in a low voice.

Shi Xian shook his head. Seeing the coffin being carried into the main room, which had been set up as a mourning hall, he quickly followed and took advantage of the chaos to remove the white cloth covering Du's mother's face.

"What are you doing?" Li Hongguo slapped his arm. "Kneel down. This is not a place for you to move around like that!"

“Your son-in-law is quite brave, isn’t he afraid?” Aunt Du said.

Li Hongguo was not happy. She had invited this son-in-law over to make her look good, not to embarrass her. She could already imagine how the villagers would gossip after this went too far.

Shi Xian silently knelt down before the coffin. He lowered his eyes and stared at the bricks on the ground, trying hard to recall the books he had read. The deceased's face, lips, and nails were bluish-purple, indicating that he had died of suffocation.

"Push your head up so that nothing spills out of your mouth," Li Hongguo instructed.

"Mother, there was still vomit in my grandmother's mouth after she died?" Shi Xian asked.

"Yes, I guess I ate too much last night," Li Hongguo replied.

Shi Xian fell silent, then vomited after death. Was he poisoned? Who would want to kill his grandmother-in-law?

After kowtowing a few times, Shi Xian left the mourning hall and entered the south room. A broken door bolt hung askew behind the door, confirming it had been forced open from the outside. The bedding was gone. He went around asking around, and those who knew said it had been placed inside the coffin. Unable to investigate further, he went to the kitchen to find the cook. He called her out and asked her what state the old woman's body was in after she was found dead that morning, whether there was any bleeding from her mouth or nose, or any vomit.

After making some inquiries, Shi Xian had a clear understanding of the situation.

"Brother Xian, dinner's ready," Qiaomei called out. "I've been looking for you for ages! Why aren't you keeping vigil at the coffin? What are you doing wandering around like this?"

"Understood." Shi Xian replied, then walked into the courtyard, secretly observing the expressions of his parents-in-law and grandfather, before finally focusing on his mother-in-law.

Late at night, when everyone in the village had gone home, the Du family still had to keep vigil. Li Hongguo told her daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law to go back to their rooms to sleep, while she and Du Ming stayed in the mourning hall.

In the latter half of the night, Du Ming was so sleepy that he got up and left the mourning hall to go back to his room to sleep.

"Your own mother is lying in there, aren't you going to stay and watch over her?" Li Hongguo sat slumped on the prayer mat, rubbing her legs. "Your mother suddenly passed away, and I didn't see you shed a single tear. Don't you feel anything?"

"Isn't this the biological mother of the second and third brothers? Those two will be eating meat and drinking wine by dawn, let alone keeping vigil, they can't even observe mourning." Du Ming compared himself to his two brothers, and walked out, avoiding the latter question.

Li Hongguo didn't stop him anymore, but only instructed him: "The third son is a high-ranking official. When his mother dies, the county magistrate and his former tutor will definitely come to pay their respects. When there are outsiders around, you have to force yourself to shed a few tears."

"I know." Du Ming's figure and voice disappeared into the distance.

Li Hongguo stood up and walked around. She circled the mourning hall twice, then squatted down and threw two handfuls of paper money into the copper plate. Flames flickered up, and she reached out to warm her hands by the fire. Looking at the black coffin, she muttered to herself, "Look at you, you resented me when you were alive, but now that you're dead, only I am truly taking care of your funeral arrangements."

The mourning hall was silent. A wooden door creaked open and closed in the courtyard. Li Hongguo thought it was Du Ming closing the door and didn't pay attention. A few moments later, she heard footsteps approaching.

"His father?" Li Hongguo called out as she turned around.

"Mother, it's me." Shi Xian's figure suddenly appeared outside the mourning hall.

"It's you. I thought it was your father-in-law. He was so sleepy he wanted to fall into the fire pit. I told him to go and rest for a while, because he has to entertain guests tomorrow." Li Hongguo didn't want her son-in-law to know about the family's dirty secrets, lest he look down on her. Therefore, she kept hiding things from him and putting on an act.

"I heard the sound." Shi Xian walked in and knelt down in front of the coffin. He grabbed a handful of paper money and threw it into the brazier. He said, "I was worried that Mother would be afraid to keep vigil alone, so I came to keep her company. Mother, are you afraid to be alone in front of the coffin?"

“I’m not afraid. What’s there to be afraid of? We’re already dead, what else is there?” Li Hongguo thought to herself that she had never seen a ghost.

"My grandmother's coffin hasn't been sealed yet, and her body is in the same room as you. Aren't you afraid?" Shi Xian asked inquiringly.

Li Hongguo turned her head to look at him, "What do you want to ask? Didn't I say I'm not afraid anymore? If you're afraid, go back to your room and rest."

"You poisoned her, aren't you afraid she'll seek revenge?" Shi Xian stared at her without blinking. He saw her startled at first, then her expression turn to confusion and anger. He couldn't discern her true emotions for a moment.

"What the hell?" Li Hongguo snapped out of her rage. "I poisoned her? Who's talking nonsense? Everyone in the village knows your grandma died in her sleep!"

"Do you dare to report this to the authorities? Let the government investigate." Shi Xian trusted his judgment.

Li Hongguo looked at him incredulously. "Do you know what you're saying? The Du family is your enemy. Are you trying to humiliate us?"

After saying that, Li Hongguo stood up, grabbed Shi Xian and pushed him out, "Get out of here, get out right now. After my family's funeral is over, I'll go and bring Qiaomei and the two children back. We're not relatives anymore. You wretched thing, you wait, I can't do anything to you, I'll have Qiaomei's third uncle come back and deal with you."

Li Hongguo, having lived a life of luxury for many years, had long lost the strength she used to have when doing farm work. She tried to push Shi Xian several times but couldn't manage to get him out.

Shi Xian leaned against the door, staring at Li Hongguo's expression. Her face showed only anger, not fear, and it didn't seem like she was faking it.

"Could it be that you weren't the one who did it?" he muttered.

Li Hongguo stopped what she was doing, frowned, and asked, "Are you serious?"

"I ask you, when you went in this morning to check her breathing, what was the color of the old lady's face and lips? Was there any vomit at the corners of her mouth?" Shi Xian asked, and before she could answer, he said, "I asked the cook, and she said she saw the body. In her memory, the old lady's face was cyanotic, especially her lips, which were bluish-purple. According to her, when you changed the old lady's funeral clothes, when you helped her sit up, there was rotten food flowing out of her mouth. My father was a judicial officer before he became the registrar. I heard him mention it, and I also read it in books. A bluish-purple face, lips, and nails after death indicate death by suffocation. If it wasn't due to illness, vomit after death indicates poisoning. My grandmother died of suffocation caused by poisoning."

“Impossible. She’s an old woman. Who would poison her?” As Li Hongguo asked this question, the answer was already clear in her mind: it was Old Ding Du.

After Du Laoding lost his muteness, his temper grew increasingly erratic. When news of Du Min's successive promotions reached him, he showed no joy. However, when news of Meng Qing being granted the title of Lady of the County and Meng Chun being granted official rank and removed from the register of officials arrived, he was as if his heart had been ripped out. He was so enraged that he went on hunger strikes, attempted suicide, rolled on the ground, and banged his head against the earth, wishing he could drag everyone down to hell with his death. Yet, when it came to actually dying, he dared not. After his madness, he harbored hatred for Du's mother and set his sights on her. He once tried to trick her into going to the river and pushing her in. After that, the old couple became mutually hostile, fighting every now and then. Du's mother grew increasingly fat, hoping to physically overpower and defeat him.

Yesterday, villagers went to town to sell chickens and ducks and encountered people who had migrated from Huaizhou. They heard that Meng Qing had taken over as a female governor while Du Min was away on official business. When this news reached Du Laoding's ears, he flew into a rage again. Upon returning home, he and Du's mother started hurling insults at each other, and the two got into a fight. In the end, Du's mother sat on his buttocks and beat him. Given his character, it wouldn't be surprising if he took Du's mother's life at this time.

Shi Xian fell into deep thought.

"Are you mistaken? It's normal for a person to look pale after death. Besides, the symptoms you described might not necessarily be suffocation caused by poisoning; could it be choking?" Li Hongguo realized what was going on and wanted to cover it up so he wouldn't have any leverage against her. She had already learned her lesson from Du Min once and couldn't afford to make the same mistake again.

“Your grandmother ate too much last night, even more than me—two large bowls of mutton and half a bowl of soup. Old people don't digest well, and when she falls asleep, the contents of her stomach can get stuck in her throat. She's also overweight, so when she can't breathe, even if she wakes up, she won't be able to sit up, and she'll suffocate.” Li Hongguo racked her brains for a plausible excuse. She explained, “Our family isn't so poor that we'd starve our elderly parents to save food for our children. What would we gain by killing an old woman? Your theory of poisoning causing suffocation is even more absurd. We country folk don't even have access to poison. You suspect me of harming her? You really underestimate me. Do I have a death wish, or do I want your brother-in-law to die? Would I harm an old woman? Aren't I afraid her youngest son will come back and kill me?”

"It seems I might have been wrong." Shi Xian was gradually convinced by her. Indeed, as she said, she had no reason to poison the old lady.

"Mother, did you all drink the water celery and egg drop soup last night?" he pressed, unwilling to give up. "There's a type of water celery that's poisonous..."

“I know that water celery with yellow flowers is poisonous. Even cattle and sheep won’t eat it, so why would people?” Li Hongguo’s heart pounded. The water celery and egg drop soup that the old lady drank last night was served by Du Laoding.

“We all drank, but your dad drank the most. If you don’t believe me, wake him up and ask him,” Li Hongguo said confidently.

"I was being paranoid." Shi Xian had no more evidence, so he gave up. If he continued to press the matter, they would really turn their in-laws into enemies. He quickly apologized: "Mother, I thought I was the second Di Renjie after reading a few case files. I'm so sorry for causing this misunderstanding."

Li Hongguo's face turned cold, and she said sarcastically, "You'd definitely be able to be an incorruptible official, after all, you've interrogated your mother-in-law."

Shi Xian chuckled sheepishly, “Mother, please forgive me. I’m just bewitched. I’m too obsessed with being an official and judging cases.”

Li Hongguo didn't speak. She sighed deeply. This was the man Qiaomei was so determined to marry. Anyone with eyes could see the lust for power in his eyes, but she was blind.

"Get out, let me have some peace and quiet." Li Hongguo didn't bother looking at him and sent him away.

Half an hour later, it was dawn. The cook got up to cook, and Li Hongguo asked her to go to the river to pick a bundle of water celery. "I've been cooking all night, and my mouth is bitter. I want to eat some light soup."

"Yes." The cook carried the basket out.

The celery, tofu, and egg drop soup was cooked. Li Hongguo didn't eat any herself, but she took a bowl to the north room where Du Laoding lived. As soon as she entered, she shoved the bowl in front of him and said without any reason, "I've eaten."

When Du Laoding saw the water celery floating in the bowl and then looked at Li Hongguo's confident expression, he guiltily looked away.

"I ate." Seeing his behavior, Li Hongguo's suspicions were confirmed. A fire ignited in her heart. That damned old man! This whole family is no longer brothers, no longer fathers and sons, it's all his fault.

Old Du didn't answer.

“Aren’t you always threatening to die? Go ahead and die. I’ll handle both funerals, and let the third son observe mourning for the other.” Li Hongguo said seriously, staring at him and asking, “You poisoned her to death, how long do you think you can live?”

Old Du never expected her to die this time. He had previously given her water boiled with poisonous water celery when his wife beat him so badly that his bones ached. She only vomited and had diarrhea.

"It wasn't me," he waved his hand, but couldn't suppress his curiosity and silently asked, "How did you know?"

Li Hongguo took a step back. This old monster was no longer human; he could no longer control himself. If he continued to live, he would harm even more people.

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Author's note: It's finished! [glasses emoji]