I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Arson

“Still worrying, Brother?” Yang Tongchuan sat down beside his elder brother.

“You’re not asleep either. I’m worried Little Auntie will come back tomorrow to stir up more trouble. I was wondering if I should take the family away to hide for a few days.”

When the brothers left earlier that day, it was clear Little Auntie had no intention of giving up the house. She had even threatened to take the whole family to the tea merchant’s front door to “prove her resolve through death.”

Yang Tongshan was worried that if things escalated, his family would end up having to clean up the mess. After all, Mother Yang was firm in appearance but soft at heart; she was easily swayed by a bit of coaxing.

“Where could we hide? You know her temper. If she can’t find us, she’d dare to tear our front door down and move herself right in.”

“True. Tell you what—tomorrow I’ll have Niu Sanli stay at the house for a few days. If she goes crazy, at least there’s a man at home to hold the line. Besides, he’s fast on his feet; if anything happens, he can reach me in time.”

“Alright. I’ll swap shifts with my colleagues for the next few days and try to stay off patrol. If anything happens, Yanzi can come to the yamen for me, and Sanli can go to the new shop for you.”

“Mhm, let’s start with that. Sigh, how did we end up with such relatives?”

Earlier in their room, Mingle had told Tongshan about the things Little Auntie used to say to insult her. Tongshan was fuming. He had initially hoped to help out of a lingering sense of kinship, but now, faced with a relative who constantly hurt his own family, that last shred of affection had vanished.

The next day, Niu Sanli moved in, staying in a small storage room next to the east wing. Before leaving, Yang Tongchuan unchained Zhenlaifu, and the front gates remained bolted. Fortunately, the day passed in peace.

That evening, Yang Tongshan returned earlier than usual, bringing a pair of pearl earrings for Mingle. They were long-overdue pawn items that were supposed to be sold at the Treasure Gallery, but Tongshan thought they suited Mingle perfectly and paid for them out of his own pocket.

“Such large pearls, they must have been expensive. You’re always wasting money… do they look good?” When Mingle liked something, her eyes lit up.

“Beautiful. You look good in anything.” Seeing his wife’s smile brought Tongshan a great deal of comfort. Mingle had recently stopped taking those fertility decoctions, and her overall state of mind was much better.

While the couple was talking, a frantic pounding erupted at the front gate.

“Auntie! Auntie! Something happened to my mom!” It was Tong Shenghu’s voice.

When Yang Tongchuan arrived home, he saw his parents, his brother, and Niu Sanli all rushing out with Tong Shenghu.

“What now?” Tongchuan’s head was throbbing. Why did the Tongs run to them every time something went wrong?

“Little Auntie set the house on fire.”

Yang Tongshan realized he still hadn’t fully grasped the depths of his aunt’s madness. Tongchuan, on the other hand, thought she was bold—daring to commit arson. Originally, only Shanshan was going to prison; now, mother and daughter would likely go in together.

Tongchuan stopped the group. If they all charged over there, it would look like they were starting a riot. They agreed the parents should stay home while the young men went to investigate.

At Tong Shanshan’s residence, Tongchuan first smelled a charred scent, but there was no thick black smoke, indicating the fire had been extinguished.

“Constable Yang is here. Perfect, I was just about to report this to the authorities.” The speaker was a lawyer Tongchuan recognized; he had handled cases for prisoners before.

“What happened?”

“We came today with the title deed to reclaim the property, but they refused to leave. The old lady set several rooms on fire. Fortunately, we spotted it quickly, and the flames didn’t spread.” The lawyer was astonished; he hadn’t seen such a crazed woman in a long time.

A large crowd filed inside. Tongchuan stayed outside to pry information from the lawyer. What he learned was dire: the tea merchant’s family intended to crush the Tongs completely. Now, they weren’t just facing adultery charges, but arson as well.

“Tongchuan! Quick, arrest him! He’s trying to steal my house!” Little Auntie was dragged out of the house in a wretched state. Shanshan was being held by two nannies, while Chef Tong and Shenghu followed behind with their heads hanging low.

“Tongshan, save your aunt! She’s your blood, your mother’s sister!” Chef Tong grabbed Tongchuan’s hand, pleading. “They’re going to send your aunt and your sister to the great dungeon!”

“Uncle, greasing palms requires real silver and gold. If I go there with nothing but my mouth, who’s going to listen to me?” Tongchuan thought to himself: Truly, birds of a feather flock together.

“You cover the cost first! When your younger brother has money in the future, he’ll pay you back!” The Tong family had so much debt now they didn’t even care about adding more.

Tongchuan ignored the two delusional men. Seeing that his brother hadn’t come out yet, he hurried inside, ignoring the bizarre Tong clan.

“Brother!” Tongchuan called out.

“In here!” Yang Tongshan’s voice came from a charred woodshed. He had been negotiating with the manager for a long time. The manager’s attitude was firm; they weren’t interested in talking anymore and intended to settle it at the yamen.

“Brother, this family is beyond saving.”

The only thing Tongchuan could do now was ensure they didn’t suffer too much once they were inside. The prison didn’t feed idle people. Where they would be sent for labor was something Tongchuan could still influence.

“I know. Let’s go back. Sanli, you head straight back to the shop; thanks for your help today.”

“Being useful to the manager is Sanli’s blessing.”

After Sanli left and Tongshan bid farewell to the manager, the brothers prepared to depart. “When we get back, don’t tell Mother the whole truth yet. Wait until the case is mostly settled.”

“Alright. I’ll look out for things at the yamen, don’t worry.”

By the time the brothers came out, the eccentric Tong family had already been hauled off to the yamen. Tongchuan intentionally didn’t go to the office that night to settle things, hoping Little Auntie would sober up a bit in the cell.

However, when he arrived at the yamen the next morning, the way everyone looked at him was different.

“What’s going on?” Tongchuan grabbed a fellow constable he was on good terms with.

“Your aunt and cousin were brought in last night. The moment they arrived, they started screaming that they were Constable Yang’s relatives and anyone who touched them was a dead man. The jailers thought they really were your kin, so they didn’t do anything and waited for word from you. As a result, when you didn’t show up, those two women made a ruckus all night. They only just quieted down.” The constable sighed; the night shift colleagues hadn’t slept a wink because of the noise.

“F***.” It had been a long time since Tongchuan had cursed.

He went to the cells first to apologize to the head jailer, specifically stating: “Question them as you should, just keep them breathing.” The jailer was no fool; out of respect for Tongchuan, he wouldn’t kill them, but he wouldn’t be gentle either.

Then, Tongchuan rushed to Constable Wang to explain. Fortunately, Wang didn’t say anything harsh, merely telling Tongchuan to stay out of the matter. Tongchuan understood—the tea merchant’s family had already “presented their gifts” to Constable Wang.

At lunch, Chef Tong came to the yamen to find Tongchuan. The night before, Little Auntie had taken all the blame for the arson herself, allowing Chef Tong and Shenghu to leave unscathed.

“What are you doing here at this hour?” Tongchuan thought: Why didn’t you come a little later? You could have traded in for a new wife by then.

“We’ve moved all of Shanshan’s things out. The house can be returned to them. Can the people be released now?” Chef Tong either really was that stupid or was playing the part. Only now did he realize it was time to move—it was far too late.

“My dear Uncle… you burned their house down and you expect them to just let people go?” Tongchuan suddenly understood why his brother had wanted to take the family away to hide. Talking to the Tongs was impossible with a normal person’s logic.