Chapter 33

  Everyone rushed out and saw Song Zhigang holding something wrapped in gauze. Upon closer inspection, it was a dark brown object.

  "Let me see," the old doctor took the item from Song Zhigang, carefully examined it, and said, "It's musk, treated and mixed with some herbs. It's been a long time, so it's hard to identify, but it's clear that this is reted to the family's difficulty in having children."

  "It was pced right by the kang (heated bed)," someone added.

  The old doctor nodded, "This location allows the drug to be heated and release its scent into the air. Over time, it affects the body."

  "Bring it here for me to see," called Old Man Song from inside the house.

  Everyone entered the room. "Dad, this is it," Song Yunfeng handed the item to Old Man Song.

  Old Man Song trembled as he looked at it, and after a while, he muttered, "A family misfortune, a family misfortune."

  The old dy's eyes reddened, and she said after a moment, "Who would have thought?"

  "Dad, what's going on? Do you know who did this?" asked Song Yunfeng.

  Old Man Song waved his hand and turned to the old doctor, "Thank you. Please take care of the children and help them recover."

  The old doctor reassured, "Don't worry. Although it will take time, they can recover with proper care. I'll prepare some medicine for them."

  Old Man Song nodded, "Alright. Second daughter-in-w, take the doctor to Zhigang's room to rest. Zhigang and his wife take the child to your uncle's pce for a few days. We will hurry and fix the kang. Second son, your kang can wait until we finish here."

  "Understood, Dad. We'll manage for now," replied Song Yunshan.

  The old doctor went to Song Zhiqiang's room to prepare the prescription.

  The daughters-in-w busied themselves preparing food to host the old doctor.

  Song Yuncheng sat by the kang and filled a pipe for Old Man Song. As the old man smoked, he looked around the room at his family and said, "This was probably done by your second uncle."

  "Second uncle? How could that be?" The brothers were visibly upset, especially Song Yunfeng, who had a close retionship with his second uncle. He remembered how his second uncle used to give him pork from his butcher shop in town. Back then, eating meat was a luxury, and he had eaten so much pork that he couldn't stand it anymore.

  "I never told you this, but I always had a doubt about your grandmother's death," Old Man Song closed his eyes briefly.

  "Your second uncle and I don't share the same mother. Your grandmother came from a wealthy family, while your grandfather was a poor but handsome man. Your great-grandfather doted on your grandmother and reluctantly agreed to the marriage. After they married, they got along well and never argued. But back then, natural disasters were frequent, and the crops failed. Your great-grandfather's family also suffered, and they eventually declined. I was only three when your grandfather brought home a woman who was on the verge of starvation after her family was ruined."

  Old Man Song furrowed his brow. "I don't know how it happened, but that woman became your grandfather's concubine. Your grandmother was unhappy about it. Later, both your grandmother and the concubine became pregnant. But when your grandmother was eight months along, she fell, and both she and the baby died."

  "Two months ter, the concubine gave birth to your second uncle," Old Man Song paused, "I ter wondered if your grandmother's fall was really an accident. But I was too young, and your grandfather didn't think much of it."

  "After your second uncle was born, life became even harder. My grandfather couldn't get over your grandmother's death and didn't help our family. In fact, he made things difficult for your grandfather, who eventually took us to the northeast to start over."

  Old Man Song recalled those days, but many details were hazy due to his young age.

  "I was young when we arrived here, and no one knew us. My father made me call the concubine 'mother,' so no one knew we weren't from the same mother. When I was eighteen, I married your mother. She got pregnant soon after, but she miscarried at four months. It took a year and a half before she got pregnant again, but she lost that baby too, at five months. It was fully formed, and it broke our hearts." Old Man Song held the old dy's hand, and she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

  "Later, we consulted a doctor who said your mother had been exposed to substances that promote blood circution and coldness. We didn't understand it back then, but we recalled that every time she miscarried, she had drunk the concubine's chicken soup."

  "I noticed the soup tasted different," the old dy added. "The concubine treated your father and me well on the surface, but she always favored her own son. For example, the chicken soup might look the same, but your second uncle's bowl always had more meat. Only once, when both the second sister-in-w and I were pregnant, did she give me a bowl of soup and refuse to give any to the second daughter-in-w, saying she was too fat and shouldn't drink too much." The old dy could still recall the concubine's tone, which was unusually sharp that day.

  "But the next day, she made another bowl of soup for Second Sister-in-w," the old dy said. At the time, she didn't suspect anything, but ter she realized something was off.

  "After hearing the doctor's advice, your mother and I were very careful. This time, we waited almost two years before trying again. We made sure she didn't eat anything suspicious. When she was three months pregnant, the concubine made chicken soup and specially set aside a bowl for your mother, saying it was more nourishing," Old Man Song continued.

  * * *

  "But your mother had a strong reaction and gave the chicken soup to me instead. That night, I was unusually excited and couldn't sleep. I felt something was wrong, so I took the unwashed bowl to the doctor, who detected the scent of musk in it. However, since I had already consumed it, there was no concrete evidence."

  "After that incident, your mother and I became more cautious. A month ter, when your mother was still doing well, the concubine grew restless. During the New Year celebrations, she stewed a pot of goose and specially served your mother a bowl of meat, ciming it would help her recover. Your mother pretended to feel unwell and returned to our room. I brought the meat in, saying it was for her to eat, but we actually saved it. The next day, we took it to the doctor, who confirmed that, in addition to musk, there were also herbs that promote blood circution. Somehow, the taste was masked."

  "This time, I took the bowl of meat to my father and expined the situation. At first, he didn't believe me, so I told him to wait and see. Sure enough, since it was the New Year and we were having more eborate meals, the concubine took the opportunity to poison the food again. This time, your grandfather and I caught her in the act, and we found the herbs in her room."

  "She could not deny it since she was caught red-handed. When your grandfather asked her how she knew these methods, she admitted that she had been a maid for a wealthy family in the capital and had learned these tricks by observing the scheming in the household. She had seen and learned many things from the secret struggles in the backyard over the years, which led her to do such things." Old Man Song paused, lost in thought.

  "What did Grandpa do about it?" Song Yunshan asked, seeing his father stop.

  "Your grandfather was hesitant at first, as she was the mother of his second son. He locked her in a room, but the next morning, we found her hanging from the rafters. By the time we discovered her, she was already stiff."

  "How did Second Uncle react?" Song Yuncheng asked.

  Old Man Song frowned, "I didn't pay attention." Indeed, he couldn't recall how his brother had reacted at the time.

  "Second Uncle only said that his mother had done wrong and chose to end her own life. He didn't even cry at her funeral," the old dy recalled.

  "Maybe he was already pnning his revenge," Song Yuncheng said thoughtfully.

  The room fell silent.

  "Yes, perhaps he was already pnning his revenge," Old Man Song admitted. "Looking back, I never held a grudge against him, but there were many times when his actions seemed directed at your mother and me."

  The old dy nodded, "I told you Second Uncle's family was cunning, but you didn't believe me. When we were building the kang, you wanted to hire someone else, but your second uncle suggested letting him try his hand at it since he was learning. You agreed, and his craftsmanship is good, but he didn't use it in the right pce."

  "That's right, I remember now. Both kangs were built by him," Song Yunfeng suddenly realized.

  "I'm going to confront him," Song Zhiqiang stood up angrily, ready to leave.

  "Stop," Old Man Song called out sharply. "What will you say to him? It's been so many years. They won't admit to anything." He closed his eyes.

  "Your father is right. Back then, your grandfather and I caught the concubine, but whether your second uncle knew about it is unclear. Now, it seems he did, as he used the same methods, likely inherited from his mother. If you confront him, he won't admit it and might even turn the tables. He's grown more shameless with age, and we can't afford to entangle ourselves with them," the old dy added. She knew their family was behind this, but if they openly accused them, it would only cause more trouble. Her second brother-in-w's wife was a shrew, and her daughters-in-w were no better.

  The whole family was shameless, and without concrete evidence, they would have plenty of excuses.

  "We need to handle this carefully," Old Man Song said, narrowing his eyes.

  "But Dad, are we just going to let this go? They wanted to cut off our family line!" Song Yunshan, said angrily.