Chapter 99: His Desire for Revenge Ran Too Deep

“You will agree,” Lin Jingyue said with a meaningful look. “Because you hate your stepgrandmother.”

“And she was your stepmaternal grandmother too.”

“She was not worthy.”

“Mm, no, she wasn’t.”

The two of them stared at each other, then both looked away at once.

Song Shiyun gave Jiang Xun a long, searching glance, then lowered his eyelids slightly, a peculiar curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. “You want me to help you investigate how your mother died?”

Lin Jingyue was not surprised that he had guessed it. “Yes. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We can work together.”

“Oh? Then what are you prepared to offer?”

Jiang Xun let out a scoff. “If you find out, I’ll let your cousin off.”

At that, the corner of Song Shiyun’s mouth twitched hard.

He cursed inwardly at that useless burden, but on the surface he broke into a broad smile. “Family doesn’t split hairs. I’ll do my best to get to the bottom of it.”

Lin Jingyue gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “Then I’ll wait for your good news.”

She stood up. “I’ll tell my master about your insistence on making conditions before helping me investigate.”

Song Shiyun: “...”

“You’re already an adult. Tattling is something children do,” Song Shiyun called after her back.

Lin Jingyue said nothing, only waved.

“Ha, he’s definitely furious,” Jiang Xun said gleefully at the doorway.

“You don’t know, the person he fears most is not Old Master Song or his own father, but Old Master Huo. Hahaha!”

“Is that so? Then I know how to deal with him in the future.”

The veins on Song Shiyun’s forehead bulged wildly. “If you two are going to talk, at least go farther away. I’m not deaf!”

“Oh my, he actually heard us. Let’s go, let’s go,” Lin Jingyue said coyly, covering her mouth in laughter.

“He’s too vengeful. Let’s get out of here,” Jiang Xun said, deliberately lowering his voice.

The two of them left laughing.

Song Shiyun was left behind, twitching with rage.

On the way back, Lin Jingyue sat on the back seat of Jiang Xun’s bicycle, holding onto his jacket.

“Are you still planning to go back to Anshi for the New Year this year?” Jiang Xun’s voice drifted back on the breeze.

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll think about it later.” Lin Jingyue wanted to investigate what had happened to the Xu family years ago, but she also felt she probably wouldn’t gain anything, so she had not made up her mind.

“In fact, you could...”

“Ride your bike properly.” Lin Jingyue rolled her eyes at his back.

“Later.” Before the college entrance exam, she would not go to the capital, and even if she did, she could not possibly meet Jiang Xun’s family.

She had no intention of getting married yet.

She was only eighteen. Wasn’t it nicer to enjoy a few more carefree years?

Jiang Xun smiled helplessly. “Then if you do go, I’ll go with you.”

A roundabout tactic.

“No need. Just go back in peace.” Lin Jingyue refused again.

Jiang Xun looked as if he were about to faint from grief.

The two of them bantered all the way back to the educated youth compound. Lin Jingyue opened the parcel sent by Song Qinglan and found that it was all food and clothing.

A cashmere sweater, an overcoat, a padded jacket, cotton shoes, cotton socks, malted milk, canned goods, biscuits and chocolate, along with White Rabbit milk candies, brown sugar, white sugar, orange-flavored candies... all sorts of snacks.

It had been prepared quite thoughtfully.

She lifted her eyebrows slightly, hoping Song Qinglan’s intentions were all harmless.

For instance, perhaps she had come because of the Jiang family, or perhaps she was thinking of future investments.

And not because she wanted to use her to get something.

Otherwise, this gesture would have been wasted.

Lin Jingyue put everything away without the slightest burden on her conscience.

Old Master Huo returned a week later. He had gone south to visit friends and had not told Lin Jingyue because he had left in a hurry.

Lin Jingyue told him everything that had happened after Song Qinglan’s arrival, focusing especially on probing into Old Master Song.

At first, Old Master Huo was unconcerned, but later he blew his beard and glared.

“I said that old codger wasn’t reliable! Back then we went through fire and blood together, and I advised him not to wrong his first wife, but he even called me old-fashioned!” Old Master Huo slapped the table and sprang up.

Only then did Lin Jingyue learn that Old Master Huo had also fought on the battlefield, and that he, Old Master Song, and Old Master Jiang had once been comrades.

“That old rascal is no good. You don’t need to acknowledge him!”

Lin Jingyue peeled an orange. “That’s what you said, sir. People say a teacher for a day is a father for life, so I’ll listen to you. If anyone says I’m being unfilial...”

“I’ll beat him to death!” Old Master Huo snorted.

He looked at Lin Jingyue. This cunning little girl really was sharp.

A teacher for a day, a father for life.

Wasn’t she just giving him a higher rank for free? Hah, he was suddenly looking forward to seeing that old Song fellow fume himself into near-apoplexy.

“Girl, don’t worry. I’ll back you up. You needn’t fear anyone in the capital. If you want to recognize kin, then recognize them; if you want revenge, then take it. Whoever dares make things difficult for you, I’ll cut him down!” Old Master Huo said with great force.

“As for what you asked that stinking brat Song Shiyun to investigate, I’ll keep him on it. If he can’t dig it up, then he can get lost. He was only my student for two years anyway. We don’t need him.”

Song Shiyun, who had just stepped through the door: “...”

Who understood the feeling of sudden, bone-chilling desolation?

“Mm-hmm, thank you, Master. I understand. I’m not afraid. I have Master backing me up.” Lin Jingyue spoke sweetly and ingratiatingly.

Strangely enough, Old Master Huo ate that up completely, pulling her over and fussing over her with no end of concern.

Song Shiyun looked down at his own legs.

Why were your legs so cheap?

...

Time passed very quickly. After the first snowfall, the weather turned bitterly cold.

Although Lin Jingyue was from the south, in her previous life she had flown all over the place and had seen heavy snow several times.

She had also experienced the snow scenery of the northeast, so it was not all that novel to her.

She looked at Xia Nan standing in the courtyard with arms spread wide. “In a moment you’ll be so cold you go numb.”

And she was wearing so little.

“Haha, I’ve never seen snow this big before. It really does look like goose feathers.” Xia Nan turned back excitedly.

“Then keep looking,” Lin Jingyue said, shivering, and hurried back to the kang.

She made herself a cup of malted milk and curled up on the heated bed to read and write. It was quite comfortable.

But Heaven, apparently displeased with her leisure, soon had the loudspeaker at the brigade office announcing that she was to come answer a phone call.

Resigned, Lin Jingyue got off the kang, put on a thick cotton coat, and wrapped a scarf around herself.

Oh right, she had promised to knit a scarf for Jiang Xun and still hadn’t started. Damn it.

Bundled up tightly, she went to the brigade office.

“Hello?”

“Xiao Lin, it’s me.”

“Ah, Auntie Guo. Hello.” Lin Jingyue smiled.

Something must have been stirring over in Anshi.

“Xiao Lin, you asked me to keep an eye on the Xu family’s girl. I learned something recently, and I don’t know whether it’ll be useful to you.”

“Whether it is or not, thank you for thinking of me, Auntie Guo.” Lin Jingyue was never stingy with sweet words.

The person on the other end chuckled. “Your grandmother, the old Madam Wu, passed away yesterday. They said she suddenly fell gravely ill, and by the time they got her to the hospital it was already too late.”

Lin Jingyue froze for a moment, and an instant of strangeness crept into her heart.

Little aside: in truth, for many people, even genuine feelings are mixed with self-interest, and that is even more true between relatives.