At this moment, the boat was swaying strongly as it sailed in the middle of the river, delaying them from reaching Zhao family village! Inside the boat, Ji Yunshu stared at Jing Rong with suspicions. Jing Rong appeared as though he wanted to keep her in suspense, as his lips hooked into a smile and those pair of evil eyes of his revealed a playful light. Yet when those eyes looked upon Ji Yunshu, it became those of a strong man filled with tenderness. Caught into his gaze, Ji Yunshu felt as if a fire was slowly spreading and consuming her! Subconsciously, she moved away from his line of sight as his heated gaze made her quite uncomfortable. "Since Your Highness knows what I want to ask, why do you have to keep me in suspense?" "Teacher Ji, I see that you don't fear death much." "What does that have to do with you knowing I am here and knowing that I want to go to Zhao family village?" "Of course it does." Jing Rong replied with confidence. His expression was glowing as he continued. "Remember that night when we got chased by assassins? Since they wanted to kill us, how can they be willing to give up so easily? For me, I already have shadow guards to ensure my safety. On the other hand, you don't have any guards." The underlying meaning was his worry about her being an easy target for assassination. Ji Yunshu's expression was one of stubbornness. "If this humble one guesses right, your Highness had already dispatched a group of people to keep a close watch on me." "It's not to keep a close watch. It's for protection." He replied in a deep and extremely earnest voice. When she left the yamen and returned home the other day, she had the impression of being followed. As she expected, those people were Jing Rong's subordinates. "This humble one is very grateful of your good intentions," thanked Ji Yunshu. Yet, this made him feel guilty. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be involved in all of this. Protecting you was something that I must do." "Even if it was for such a reason, your Highness doesn't need to accompany me to the Zhao family village." "No matter what, we have to guard ourselves against any eventualities. Besides, you can't even protect yourself. First of all, you don't know any martial arts and secondly, you don't have any sure method to escape. In case you encounter those assassins again and they turn you into a corpse, I would owe you for the rest of my life." For some reasons, Jing Rong's words always made Ji Yunshu felt there was something wrong. She lowered her brows and remained silent. Jing Rong inquired, "Yet, here you are running to the Zhao family village for what? It's raining cats and dogs, but you still rushed here." Ji Yunshu retorted, "I found a child's underwear mixed among Lord Jiang's clothes." Hearing the word "underwear", Jing Rong frowned and became pensive. Then he slightly shook his head. "Lord Jiang and Madame Jiang didn't have any children." "But a child once lived in their residence. She's Yu Sao's daughter. Right now, the both of them are living in the Zhao family village. Since there hasn't been any progress with the yin yang corpse case, I want to hurry and dig out the truth of this case as soon as possible." "Why must you insist on going there yourself? There's plenty of people working at the yamen. Are they all crippled that you have to do it yourself?" 'Hey, hey, hey! Have some propriety when speaking!' If she felt he was speaking like a normal person earlier, then this last line has completely exposed his usual roguish nature. Ji Yunshu pursed her lower lip, inwardly snubbing him. "The people at the yamen always did things with great fanfare, making the investigation hardly a secret to anyone. This time, the case needs to be handled with discretion." "Why would this case need to be handled differently?" Ji Yunshu was baffled for a moment, not knowing how to explain to him. She shook her head and only said, "Your Highness will understand after we get there." Jing Rong was like a curious child, but he still accepted Ji Yunshu's statement and no longer pressed her with questions. The torrential rain outside drummed heavily on the boat's shack, and showed no signs of stopping. The sound was deafening. The boatman stood at the tail of the boat and was paddling with all his might. The boat shook and swayed dangerously. As the boat sailed downstream, the waves on the river became bigger and bigger. The boat was but a mere shadow overwhelmed by the force of nature, like a fragile vessel trying to stay afloat on the raging ocean. It was on the verge of breaking, and at the mercy of the waves. Without the help of an experienced boatman, the boat would have long sank to the bottom of the river by now. Meanwhile, inside the boat, Ji Yunshu was grabbing onto the handrail, her expression became increasingly tense. Sitting in front of her, Jing Rong was, on contrary, quite relaxed. He even had the leisure to ask her a question quite inappropriate for the situation. "Did your dad die?" "…" Ji Yunshu didn't reply to him. How can he randomly curse people? She didn't know if she should described him as unsophisticated, or that his brain was wired differently. Jing Rong frowned with worry and inquired, "How are your injuries? Is it better now?" "Ah-!" Just when Jing Rong asked his question, the boat suddenly shook violently. Ji Yunshu lost her grip on the handrail and her body flung towards Jing Rong against her will. In a flash, Jing Rong grabbed her left hand and used his other hand to support her waist. It didn't take long for her to be confined in Jing Rong's arms. Her face knocked against his strong chest while her body was pasted on him. The high quality satin of his cloth rubbed against her cheek. Wet from the rain, the fabric gave a cool sensation that highlight his manly scent which kept lingering around Ji Yunshu's nose, causing her to quiver all of a sudden. She faintly shivered, and her body was like frost in december. Holding her petite figure in his arms, Jing Rong suddenly felt greedy for more. His hands moved further and pulled her tightly against him. After a while, the boat no longer rocked. He lowered his head and his lips brushed against her ear before he asked in a soft voice, "If I wasn't here, would you be alright?" 'Five years ago when my soul transmigrated to this place, you weren't present. Would it have changed anything?' But Ji Yunshu didn't speak those words as the words remained choked in her throat. She looked up and met with his eyes. As their gazes met, it suddenly felt like they were bound to each other more tightly than ever, as if a thread had tied and wrapped their hearts together, causing Ji Yunshu to be nervous. She cannot deny that Jing Rong was an extremely attractive and intelligent man! His appearance was a different from the pure, gentle and quiet beauty of Wei Yi and he didn't possessed the scholarly flair or sensitivity of Ji Pei, but his handsomeness seemed to be carved with the charisma of an official, imposing air with traces of wickedness in his traits. At this moment, a faint deep smile hung on his face. This kind of man gave people a very deep impression of security! Ji Yunshu immediately avoided his gaze. Her right hand pushed on his chest, but she couldn't break free from the prison of his arms. Yet, she continued to struggle in his embrace. "Thank you very much for your help, your Highness. The boat shook, that's why this humble one could steady himself." "Then, you should just sit next to me. I'll support you." Not waiting for Ji Yunshu to retort a word or two, Jing Rong had already pulled her to sit next to him. As he did so, he kept on holding onto her with his arm
Ji Yunshu twisted her wrist in a struggle, not daring to look at him. She only said, "This humble one is fine. Please let go of me." "No way." "Prince-" "If you want to fall and hit a wrong spot and die, I can collect your corpse, but it will be too troublesome." "…" Ji Yunshu was rendered speechless. In the end, she could only compromise.
The boatman who had been rowing outside peeked in to look inside the boat cabin when he heard sounds of an argument. "Is everything okay, Sirs? Make sure to sit tight. We have some big waves coming up ahead. Although the Zhao family village is not far, the river is far from calm when it comes to downpours like today, so you…" The boatman endlessly chattered from outside, but the downpour gradually drowned out his voice. It took them the time for a joss stick to burn before they finally reached the Zhao family village's pier. Fortunately, they arrived safe and sound! Jing Rong held Ji Yunshu until they got off the boat, then he released her hand.
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Jing Rong: Looks at my Yunshu, getting all flushed. Me: How confident! Are you sure she’s not inwardly hating you? JR: How could it be? I’m such a handsome and desirable man. Me: ….schemer… JR: What did you say? Me: …Nothing~ JR: *plotting against the translator* Me: …..
Jing Rong, true to his words, gave yet another piece of silver to the boatman, which caused the latter to grin and bow down several times. As he did so, he kept on repeating to them to "have a pleasant day."
The village was deserted due to heavy rain, and the occasional passer-by would be running as quickly as they could to get to their destination as soon as possible. Although Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu had umbrellas, they did little to prevent their coats and footwears from being drenched. Soon enough, a biting cold climbed from their feet into the rest of their body.
The two stopped at the doorstep of a derelict straw house. Ji Yunshu knocked at the door, and it took a long while before the shabby door was opened with a loud creak.
A hoary old woman with a hunched back appeared and looked at both Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong.
"You are?" "Excuse me, old madame, may I ask where can I find Yu Sao?" Ji Yunshu asked.
"Oh, you mean Ah'Yu?" The woman said as she pointed in a particular direction, "Follow that path and walk around the forest. You'll find a wooden hut there. That's Ah'Yu's home." 'She lives in the forest?'
"Thank you, old madame." Ji Yunshu said.
The woman looked at her with a affectionate smile and said, "You two aren't from here, are you? Are you related to Ah'Yu?"
"Yes, you could say so," answered Ji Yunshu, her composure unbroken by the blatant lie.
The woman gave a slight nod, sighed and said, "Ah'Yu has had a hard life with many difficulties. Her husband passed away early and it's been hard for her ever since, especially in the last few years. If you can help out, you should." The sympathy the old woman showed was simple, but yet thought-provoking precisely because of its simplicity. Ji Yunshu assented and left her some silver before leaving.
Jing Rong was silent the whole time, properly fulfilling the role of a servant accompanying his master. The two walked in the rain next to each other, and their figures, one tall and the other short, composed quite the picturesque scene under the paper umbrella.
Jing Rong turned his eyes and asked without thinking. "Weren't you here for your father's funeral procession?"
"……" 'Hey, how did you jump to this topic, and did you really need to ask that?' Ji Yunshu really would have liked to stuff something into Jing Rong's mouth to prevent him from talking any further. However, since that was evidently impossible, instead, she pretended that the noise from the rain had muffled Jing Rong's question.
The two of them arrived to a place where the trees began to thicken. However, it resembled smoldering ruins more than a lush forest. The few trees which had been planted were uprooted by the heavy rain and winds. The road that meandered through them was an unpaved muddy path, with many unpleasant surprises for the traveller who chooses to set foot upon it.
'Even the poorest of people wouldn't want to live in such a desolate and remote place, wouldn't they?' Ji Yunshu thought.
Ji Yunshu looked at Jing Rong and said, "Milord, high-grade silk which is mired can never recover its beauty. May I suggest you to wait for me here?" "Swallow these words of yours, I don't want to hear them." Jing Rong said without a single change in his expression. "But…" "Aren't you here to investigate? We could already be in there by now if weren't for your meaningless proposition." "Oh, really, shame on me I guess," thought Ji Yunshu. Jing Rong lifted his robe and led the way into the squalid track filled with yellow dirt and pebbles. His imposing figure slowly vanished into the shadow of the woods. Ji Yunshu followed him, stepping on Jing Rong's large footprints, it seemed like it wasn't as slippery as she would have imagined. The pathway opened up after a while, and Ji Yunshu saw a derelict dwelling on the verge of crumbling under the heavy rain. To call it a shack would be an euphemism. Knick-knacks outside of the house, scattered by the wind gusts and covered in filth, completed the desolate picture.
"Is there really someone living here?" uttered Jing Rong. "Let's go have a look inside," suggested Ji Yunshu. She walked towards the entrance, but turned back after two steps to slip an advice to Jing Rong, "Milord, we are here to visit relatives, but they've moved away without telling us. Since we are without a place to rest, we came here to ask some water and a place to stay momentarily." "What?" said Jing Rong with eyes wide in amazement.
"Milord, please remember what this humble one said." Ji Yunshu did not explain any further and approached the doorstep. The door, if it could be called one, was no more than a layer of wooden planks disorderly nailed to the frame. The occasional slit between two planks revealed a glimpse of the interior, which was dimly lit by the dwindling light of a single oil lamp. Ji Yunshu curled her fingers and knocked on the door. She waited for a while, but no one came to answer her. Jing Rong was rather irritated. "Move aside, this door is not solid enough to withstand a hard kick."
'You should go kick yourself in the head! Can we avoid getting into the habit of resorting to violence?' Ji Yunshu glared at him, "Have you thought about what'll happen to these poor people after you break their door? Do you want them to freeze to death in the winter? On top of that…" Ji Yunshu was about to continue lecturing him when the door suddenly flung open.
A pair of eyes, aged by the vicissitudes of life and buried within disordered hair, were the first things that the two saw. Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong only realized that they belonged to a woman after they saw her face in its entirety. The facial muscles were flaccid, and wrinkles ran, interwoven on the skin. Time and age conferred a natural air of askance to the owner of that visage.
"Who are you?" said the woman with a weak voice.
Ji Yunshu answered in a soft voice, "Madame, sorry to disturb you. My brother and I are here to visit relatives, but they moved away without telling us, so we don't have a place to stay for now.
We'd like to know if it's possible to have a brief respite in your house, and have some water to drink."
Ji Yunshu's soft voice and charismatic looks probably convinced the woman that they meant no harm. She scrutinized the duo, finally opened the half-closed door and said, "Come in," as she turned around and led the way.
Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong glanced at each other before following her into the dwelling. The inside was poorly lit and narrow between the walls, but surprisingly clean. Although the furniture pieces were worn out, the table and chairs were neatly placed and covered with a clean towel, which improved its look. Further inside was the entrance to a room, hidden by a curtain which replaced the door that should have been there. Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong sat near the table. The latter sat with a straight back and did not seem to be repulsed by his surroundings.
'Seems like this prince is not spoilt after all', thought Ji Yunshu.
The woman brought two bowls of water and said, "Please take your time sir, if you'd like more, I'll gladly refill it." "Thank you madame," answered Jing Rong politely. He emptied the water in the porcelain vessel cleanly.
'Well, he's really thirsty isn't he?' "Madame, are you the only person living here?" attempted Ji Yunshu. "Yes, I live alone." 'Shouldn't she have a daughter?' Ji Yunshu was perplexed. "How long have you lived here?" "For a few years," answered the woman in an indecipherable voice, emotionlessly. "May I know your name?" asked Ji Yunshu. The woman suddenly raised her head to look at Ji Yunshu, only to dodge the latter's stare, and answered, "Everyone here calls me Yu Sao." 'Seems like she's the one I'm looking for. Only, what happened to her eight year old daughter?'
Grenn’s Rants Corner
People, please prepare your heart from this chapter onward until the true end of this case…
At this moment, the boat was swaying strongly as it sailed in the middle of the river, delaying them from reaching Zhao family village! Inside the boat, Ji Yunshu stared at Jing Rong with suspicions. Jing Rong appeared as though he wanted to keep her in suspense, as his lips hooked into a smile and those pair of evil eyes of his revealed a playful light. Yet when those eyes looked upon Ji Yunshu, it became those of a strong man filled with tenderness. Caught into his gaze, Ji Yunshu felt as if a fire was slowly spreading and consuming her! Subconsciously, she moved away from his line of sight as his heated gaze made her quite uncomfortable. "Since Your Highness knows what I want to ask, why do you have to keep me in suspense?" "Teacher Ji, I see that you don't fear death much." "What does that have to do with you knowing I am here and knowing that I want to go to Zhao family village?" "Of course it does." Jing Rong replied with confidence. His expression was glowing as he continued. "Remember that night when we got chased by assassins? Since they wanted to kill us, how can they be willing to give up so easily? For me, I already have shadow guards to ensure my safety. On the other hand, you don't have any guards." The underlying meaning was his worry about her being an easy target for assassination. Ji Yunshu's expression was one of stubbornness. "If this humble one guesses right, your Highness had already dispatched a group of people to keep a close watch on me." "It's not to keep a close watch. It's for protection." He replied in a deep and extremely earnest voice. When she left the yamen and returned home the other day, she had the impression of being followed. As she expected, those people were Jing Rong's subordinates. "This humble one is very grateful of your good intentions," thanked Ji Yunshu. Yet, this made him feel guilty. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be involved in all of this. Protecting you was something that I must do." "Even if it was for such a reason, your Highness doesn't need to accompany me to the Zhao family village." "No matter what, we have to guard ourselves against any eventualities. Besides, you can't even protect yourself. First of all, you don't know any martial arts and secondly, you don't have any sure method to escape. In case you encounter those assassins again and they turn you into a corpse, I would owe you for the rest of my life." For some reasons, Jing Rong's words always made Ji Yunshu felt there was something wrong. She lowered her brows and remained silent. Jing Rong inquired, "Yet, here you are running to the Zhao family village for what? It's raining cats and dogs, but you still rushed here." Ji Yunshu retorted, "I found a child's underwear mixed among Lord Jiang's clothes." Hearing the word "underwear", Jing Rong frowned and became pensive. Then he slightly shook his head. "Lord Jiang and Madame Jiang didn't have any children." "But a child once lived in their residence. She's Yu Sao's daughter. Right now, the both of them are living in the Zhao family village. Since there hasn't been any progress with the yin yang corpse case, I want to hurry and dig out the truth of this case as soon as possible." "Why must you insist on going there yourself? There's plenty of people working at the yamen. Are they all crippled that you have to do it yourself?" 'Hey, hey, hey! Have some propriety when speaking!' If she felt he was speaking like a normal person earlier, then this last line has completely exposed his usual roguish nature. Ji Yunshu pursed her lower lip, inwardly snubbing him. "The people at the yamen always did things with great fanfare, making the investigation hardly a secret to anyone. This time, the case needs to be handled with discretion." "Why would this case need to be handled differently?" Ji Yunshu was baffled for a moment, not knowing how to explain to him. She shook her head and only said, "Your Highness will understand after we get there." Jing Rong was like a curious child, but he still accepted Ji Yunshu's statement and no longer pressed her with questions. The torrential rain outside drummed heavily on the boat's shack, and showed no signs of stopping. The sound was deafening. The boatman stood at the tail of the boat and was paddling with all his might. The boat shook and swayed dangerously. As the boat sailed downstream, the waves on the river became bigger and bigger. The boat was but a mere shadow overwhelmed by the force of nature, like a fragile vessel trying to stay afloat on the raging ocean. It was on the verge of breaking, and at the mercy of the waves. Without the help of an experienced boatman, the boat would have long sank to the bottom of the river by now. Meanwhile, inside the boat, Ji Yunshu was grabbing onto the handrail, her expression became increasingly tense. Sitting in front of her, Jing Rong was, on contrary, quite relaxed. He even had the leisure to ask her a question quite inappropriate for the situation. "Did your dad die?" "…" Ji Yunshu didn't reply to him. How can he randomly curse people? She didn't know if she should described him as unsophisticated, or that his brain was wired differently. Jing Rong frowned with worry and inquired, "How are your injuries? Is it better now?" "Ah-!" Just when Jing Rong asked his question, the boat suddenly shook violently. Ji Yunshu lost her grip on the handrail and her body flung towards Jing Rong against her will. In a flash, Jing Rong grabbed her left hand and used his other hand to support her waist. It didn't take long for her to be confined in Jing Rong's arms. Her face knocked against his strong chest while her body was pasted on him. The high quality satin of his cloth rubbed against her cheek. Wet from the rain, the fabric gave a cool sensation that highlight his manly scent which kept lingering around Ji Yunshu's nose, causing her to quiver all of a sudden. She faintly shivered, and her body was like frost in december. Holding her petite figure in his arms, Jing Rong suddenly felt greedy for more. His hands moved further and pulled her tightly against him. After a while, the boat no longer rocked. He lowered his head and his lips brushed against her ear before he asked in a soft voice, "If I wasn't here, would you be alright?" 'Five years ago when my soul transmigrated to this place, you weren't present. Would it have changed anything?' But Ji Yunshu didn't speak those words as the words remained choked in her throat. She looked up and met with his eyes. As their gazes met, it suddenly felt like they were bound to each other more tightly than ever, as if a thread had tied and wrapped their hearts together, causing Ji Yunshu to be nervous. She cannot deny that Jing Rong was an extremely attractive and intelligent man! His appearance was a different from the pure, gentle and quiet beauty of Wei Yi and he didn't possessed the scholarly flair or sensitivity of Ji Pei, but his handsomeness seemed to be carved with the charisma of an official, imposing air with traces of wickedness in his traits. At this moment, a faint deep smile hung on his face. This kind of man gave people a very deep impression of security! Ji Yunshu immediately avoided his gaze. Her right hand pushed on his chest, but she couldn't break free from the prison of his arms. Yet, she continued to struggle in his embrace. "Thank you very much for your help, your Highness. The boat shook, that's why this humble one could steady himself." "Then, you should just sit next to me. I'll support you." Not waiting for Ji Yunshu to retort a word or two, Jing Rong had already pulled her to sit next to him. As he did so, he kept on holding onto her with his arm
Ji Yunshu twisted her wrist in a struggle, not daring to look at him. She only said, "This humble one is fine. Please let go of me." "No way." "Prince-" "If you want to fall and hit a wrong spot and die, I can collect your corpse, but it will be too troublesome." "…" Ji Yunshu was rendered speechless. In the end, she could only compromise.
The boatman who had been rowing outside peeked in to look inside the boat cabin when he heard sounds of an argument. "Is everything okay, Sirs? Make sure to sit tight. We have some big waves coming up ahead. Although the Zhao family village is not far, the river is far from calm when it comes to downpours like today, so you…" The boatman endlessly chattered from outside, but the downpour gradually drowned out his voice. It took them the time for a joss stick to burn before they finally reached the Zhao family village's pier. Fortunately, they arrived safe and sound! Jing Rong held Ji Yunshu until they got off the boat, then he released her hand.
Grenn’s Rants Corner
Jing Rong: Looks at my Yunshu, getting all flushed. Me: How confident! Are you sure she’s not inwardly hating you? JR: How could it be? I’m such a handsome and desirable man. Me: ….schemer… JR: What did you say? Me: …Nothing~ JR: *plotting against the translator* Me: …..
Jing Rong, true to his words, gave yet another piece of silver to the boatman, which caused the latter to grin and bow down several times. As he did so, he kept on repeating to them to "have a pleasant day."
The village was deserted due to heavy rain, and the occasional passer-by would be running as quickly as they could to get to their destination as soon as possible. Although Jing Rong and Ji Yunshu had umbrellas, they did little to prevent their coats and footwears from being drenched. Soon enough, a biting cold climbed from their feet into the rest of their body.
The two stopped at the doorstep of a derelict straw house. Ji Yunshu knocked at the door, and it took a long while before the shabby door was opened with a loud creak.
A hoary old woman with a hunched back appeared and looked at both Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong.
"You are?" "Excuse me, old madame, may I ask where can I find Yu Sao?" Ji Yunshu asked.
"Oh, you mean Ah'Yu?" The woman said as she pointed in a particular direction, "Follow that path and walk around the forest. You'll find a wooden hut there. That's Ah'Yu's home." 'She lives in the forest?'
"Thank you, old madame." Ji Yunshu said.
The woman looked at her with a affectionate smile and said, "You two aren't from here, are you? Are you related to Ah'Yu?"
"Yes, you could say so," answered Ji Yunshu, her composure unbroken by the blatant lie.
The woman gave a slight nod, sighed and said, "Ah'Yu has had a hard life with many difficulties. Her husband passed away early and it's been hard for her ever since, especially in the last few years. If you can help out, you should." The sympathy the old woman showed was simple, but yet thought-provoking precisely because of its simplicity. Ji Yunshu assented and left her some silver before leaving.
Jing Rong was silent the whole time, properly fulfilling the role of a servant accompanying his master. The two walked in the rain next to each other, and their figures, one tall and the other short, composed quite the picturesque scene under the paper umbrella.
Jing Rong turned his eyes and asked without thinking. "Weren't you here for your father's funeral procession?"
"……" 'Hey, how did you jump to this topic, and did you really need to ask that?' Ji Yunshu really would have liked to stuff something into Jing Rong's mouth to prevent him from talking any further. However, since that was evidently impossible, instead, she pretended that the noise from the rain had muffled Jing Rong's question.
The two of them arrived to a place where the trees began to thicken. However, it resembled smoldering ruins more than a lush forest. The few trees which had been planted were uprooted by the heavy rain and winds. The road that meandered through them was an unpaved muddy path, with many unpleasant surprises for the traveller who chooses to set foot upon it.
'Even the poorest of people wouldn't want to live in such a desolate and remote place, wouldn't they?' Ji Yunshu thought.
Ji Yunshu looked at Jing Rong and said, "Milord, high-grade silk which is mired can never recover its beauty. May I suggest you to wait for me here?" "Swallow these words of yours, I don't want to hear them." Jing Rong said without a single change in his expression. "But…" "Aren't you here to investigate? We could already be in there by now if weren't for your meaningless proposition." "Oh, really, shame on me I guess," thought Ji Yunshu. Jing Rong lifted his robe and led the way into the squalid track filled with yellow dirt and pebbles. His imposing figure slowly vanished into the shadow of the woods. Ji Yunshu followed him, stepping on Jing Rong's large footprints, it seemed like it wasn't as slippery as she would have imagined. The pathway opened up after a while, and Ji Yunshu saw a derelict dwelling on the verge of crumbling under the heavy rain. To call it a shack would be an euphemism. Knick-knacks outside of the house, scattered by the wind gusts and covered in filth, completed the desolate picture.
"Is there really someone living here?" uttered Jing Rong. "Let's go have a look inside," suggested Ji Yunshu. She walked towards the entrance, but turned back after two steps to slip an advice to Jing Rong, "Milord, we are here to visit relatives, but they've moved away without telling us. Since we are without a place to rest, we came here to ask some water and a place to stay momentarily." "What?" said Jing Rong with eyes wide in amazement.
"Milord, please remember what this humble one said." Ji Yunshu did not explain any further and approached the doorstep. The door, if it could be called one, was no more than a layer of wooden planks disorderly nailed to the frame. The occasional slit between two planks revealed a glimpse of the interior, which was dimly lit by the dwindling light of a single oil lamp. Ji Yunshu curled her fingers and knocked on the door. She waited for a while, but no one came to answer her. Jing Rong was rather irritated. "Move aside, this door is not solid enough to withstand a hard kick."
'You should go kick yourself in the head! Can we avoid getting into the habit of resorting to violence?' Ji Yunshu glared at him, "Have you thought about what'll happen to these poor people after you break their door? Do you want them to freeze to death in the winter? On top of that…" Ji Yunshu was about to continue lecturing him when the door suddenly flung open.
A pair of eyes, aged by the vicissitudes of life and buried within disordered hair, were the first things that the two saw. Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong only realized that they belonged to a woman after they saw her face in its entirety. The facial muscles were flaccid, and wrinkles ran, interwoven on the skin. Time and age conferred a natural air of askance to the owner of that visage.
"Who are you?" said the woman with a weak voice.
Ji Yunshu answered in a soft voice, "Madame, sorry to disturb you. My brother and I are here to visit relatives, but they moved away without telling us, so we don't have a place to stay for now.
We'd like to know if it's possible to have a brief respite in your house, and have some water to drink."
Ji Yunshu's soft voice and charismatic looks probably convinced the woman that they meant no harm. She scrutinized the duo, finally opened the half-closed door and said, "Come in," as she turned around and led the way.
Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong glanced at each other before following her into the dwelling. The inside was poorly lit and narrow between the walls, but surprisingly clean. Although the furniture pieces were worn out, the table and chairs were neatly placed and covered with a clean towel, which improved its look. Further inside was the entrance to a room, hidden by a curtain which replaced the door that should have been there. Ji Yunshu and Jing Rong sat near the table. The latter sat with a straight back and did not seem to be repulsed by his surroundings.
'Seems like this prince is not spoilt after all', thought Ji Yunshu.
The woman brought two bowls of water and said, "Please take your time sir, if you'd like more, I'll gladly refill it." "Thank you madame," answered Jing Rong politely. He emptied the water in the porcelain vessel cleanly.
'Well, he's really thirsty isn't he?' "Madame, are you the only person living here?" attempted Ji Yunshu. "Yes, I live alone." 'Shouldn't she have a daughter?' Ji Yunshu was perplexed. "How long have you lived here?" "For a few years," answered the woman in an indecipherable voice, emotionlessly. "May I know your name?" asked Ji Yunshu. The woman suddenly raised her head to look at Ji Yunshu, only to dodge the latter's stare, and answered, "Everyone here calls me Yu Sao." 'Seems like she's the one I'm looking for. Only, what happened to her eight year old daughter?'
Grenn’s Rants Corner
People, please prepare your heart from this chapter onward until the true end of this case…
