“Zhe’er?” Madam Hu tried to smile, but found her mouth clamped shut and unable to move, only managing to let out some muffled sounds.
She pushed away Song Qingchao’s hand and then spat viciously onto the ground.
“What use would I have for that little brat?”
She wiped her mouth and said, “Fu Bao isn’t dead!”
Song Qingchao looked at her and said indifferently, “Unrepentant.”
“Unrepentant?” Madam Hu lowered her head and chuckled. “But where have I gone wrong? Fu Bao is my lifeblood!”
“Zhe’er is too!”
Song Qingchao slapped her hard. “You should know it was Zhe’er who saved your life. Otherwise, do you think I would have let you off?”
She grabbed Madam Hu’s hair and pulled her face close. “If I wanted you dead, you would have died long ago, back when my head was injured, and when you had Gao Songmo secretly act against me.”
Madam Hu covered her ears, not wanting to listen.
Song Qingchao pulled her hands down, forcing her to listen. “If Zhe’er hadn’t also been pinned under the tree, why would you think I would have saved your Liu Fu Bao?”
“No! No! Let go of me! You monster!”
Madam Hu tried to retreat, but Song Qingchao’s grip on her hair prevented her from moving forward or back.
Song Qingchao’s voice was soft. Crushing Madam Hu would have been as simple as crushing an ant, but she did not want to do that.
“I thought when Gao Songmo’s hand was broken and his mouth was silenced, you would have understood. But I never expected you to be so foolish.”
She released Madam Hu’s hair and then smiled broadly.
“Do you know, your biggest mistake was overestimating yourself.”
Song Qingchao’s tone, as if stating a fact, was filled with killing intent.
But she couldn’t kill her; she was Liu Zhe’er’s mother.
“I am a person who holds grudges. What do you think I should do with you?”
Song Qingchao turned her head and motioned for Song Qingmu to take Liu Zhe’er away.
Then, she began to move her wrists and rub her neck.
It was time for her to stretch her limbs.
Madam Hu slumped to the ground and retreated. “What are you doing! Don’t do anything rash! I’m telling you! The officials are all here! You can’t kill me!”
Song Qingchao smiled and shook her head. “How could I kill you?”
She bent down, raised a finger to her lips, “I already said I wouldn’t kill you. Don’t make a sound.”
Song Qingchao picked up a wooden stick and then straightened up with a smile.
She walked gracefully, step by step, towards the bonfire.
Madam Hu screamed in terror. “What are you doing!”
“What am I doing?” Song Qingchao said unhurriedly, even turning her head to give Madam Hu an overly sweet smile. “I’m reducing someone to ashes, of course.”
She turned back, and the smile fell from her lips.
The deep red tear mole below the outer corner of her right eye glinted in the firelight.
She squatted down and used the stick to poke at the bonfire, piece by piece. “Shou Shou, you’ve already become ash.”
“Fu Bao! Fu Bao!”
Madam Hu scrambled towards her desperately.
Song Qingchao curled one side of her mouth and directly flicked the wooden stick, which was carrying ashes, towards Madam Hu’s mouth.
She stood up and kicked the remains of the bonfire apart.
“Have some virtue in your next life!”
With that, Song Qingchao turned away fiercely.
She swung the stick behind her and strode towards the carriage.
Behind her, Madam Hu knelt on the ground, clutching the ashes being blown by the wind, muttering “Fu Bao” over and over.
Song Qingchao felt no pity for her at all.
The pitiful have their detestable sides.
She had been merciful indeed by not taking her life.
“Miss Song is back?”
A gentle voice came from the sky.
Song Qingchao raised her eyes and looked at Bai You’an, who was sitting on a tree branch. “Did you see everything?”
Bai You’an nodded, not saying anything else.
“Do you think I went too far?”
Bai You’an shook his head. “Miss Song, please do not slander me.”
He jumped down from the tree and coincidentally bumped her shoulder. “Congratulations, did you get what you wanted this time?”
Song Qingchao frowned and turned her head to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
She took a step back. “I thought I was doing this to win over Liu Zhe’er?”
Bai You’an raised an eyebrow and followed her lead. “Anything else?”
“Anything else?” Song Qingchao chuckled softly.
“In your heart, am I that unscrupulous? That utterly vile and despicable?” She pointed to her chest. “What do you think this is?”
Seeing her like this, Bai You’an immediately realized she had misunderstood. He frowned and wanted to explain. “It’s not like that.”
He stepped forward, intending to touch her, but she shook him off.
“Alright! Stop talking!”
Song Qingchao turned and walked away, not wanting to spare Bai You’an another glance. “I want to be alone.”
Bai You’an awkwardly retracted his hand, which was frozen in mid-air.
“Why can’t you think about me, about the injury on my shoulder…”
His gaze shifted to Madam Hu, who was still kneeling and gathering ashes.
If judged solely on this incident, reducing someone to ashes was a bit excessive.
But if all the events were considered together, he felt that Song Qingchao hadn’t done enough; reducing someone to ashes was truly too light a punishment.
If it were his past self,
He might have had the person hung from the city walls for three days and three nights.
Letting her watch her beloved be scorned by thousands.
He might have sent the person to a similar family, and then allowed them to enjoy a different kind of treatment, making them wish for life and death.
But now he was not his past self, and she was not the same person either.
Since Chao Chao had already forgiven him, he had no reason to do anything further.
What he needed to think about now was how to explain the recent incident to Chao Chao.
Only after the commotion outside had died down,
Did Bai You’an return to the carriage.
As soon as he lifted the curtain, good heavens, there wasn’t a single empty spot left for him.
Oh well, who asked him to upset someone.
Bai You’an glanced at Song Qingchao, who was asleep.
Even in her sleep, her brows were furrowed.
Shaking his head, he lowered the curtain and took out some incense. He lit it and placed it inside the carriage.
Then he looked up at the full moon.
For the first time, he actually hoped that this calming incense would work.
On this long night, for the first time, he slept so soundly.
The next morning,
Song Qingchao rubbed her hazy eyes and stretched.
She woke everyone up one by one, and they all got busy with their own tasks. While tidying up the bedding, her eyes fell on the burnt-out incense in the corner.
After tidying the bedding, she collected the incense dregs and brought them to her nose to smell.
Calming?
Was Bai You’an really that kind?
As she got out of the carriage, Bai You’an walked over with a bright smile, holding something unknown in his hands.
“You’re awake?”
Song Qingchao stared at him cautiously, her footsteps retreating a step. “What scheme are you plotting now?”
“Miss Song, what schemes could I possibly be plotting?”