She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 27.1

“Linniang, hurry and go take a look! Xu Zhang has died suddenly—” Sister-in-law Zhou rushed through the door, delivering this dire news to Lin Dongruan.

Lin Dongruan replied, “Auntie, I will go see right away.” Qiang Ning chased after her. “Sister, my water hasn’t finished boiling yet.

Why are you leaving so suddenly?”

“There is no time.” Lin Dongruan did not wait any longer. She briefly straightened her clothes and said, “It is rare for a man in his prime to die so abruptly. If it wasn’t a natural sudden death, I’m afraid we may have to report it to the authorities.”

Qiang Ning said, “Then I will go find you later.” Lin Dongruan nodded and left immediately. Once she was gone, Qiang Ning did not hurry to follow.

“Have all the people I asked you to arrange been put in place?” Qiang Ning stood where she was, idly poking at the brightly burning firewood. “Find more long-tongued women from the village; let’s see if their insults can wake her up.” Sister-in-law Zhou’s face was tense, and she nervously picked at her hands. “This… is this really a good idea?” Qiang Ning took the last piece of firewood to catch the flame and said, “I am doing this for her own good.

Though she can live a peaceful and self-contained life, she is ultimately not someone meant to be trapped in the mountains. This kind of life—wearing coarse clothes and taking meals to the fields—is truly too bitter.” Sister-in-law Zhou was uneducated and didn’t quite grasp Qiang Ning’s poetic phrasing, but she understood the general meaning.

“So, is Linniang preparing to leave? It makes sense… with Linniang’s soft temperament, to suffer such accusations for no reason—if she stays in Wusang Town any longer, I’m afraid she’ll be cursed until she can’t even straighten her back.”

“No matter, I will take her away.” Qiang Ning cast a sidelong glance at Sister-in-law Zhou and said, “As for you and your daughter… stay in Wusang Town for the time being. I will leave you enough money to live on. When you are nearing your end and only Ruoruo is left, tell her to come to the capital to find me.”

Sister-in-law Zhou was both shocked and delighted, finding it almost hard to believe. “If Ruoruo can find a good family and a good path in life, then my husband Geng and I will die without regrets.” She knew how bitter and exhausting the life of a woman in Wusang Town was, and she did not want her daughter to live that way.

Fortunately, they had encountered a noble from the capital. Since the other party intended to take Ruoruo away from the mountains, she would naturally cast aside all past grudges for the sake of her daughter’s future. “That butcher dared to come to the door to rob us; his death is not to be mourned. I hope that when you return, you do not speak of these things to Ruoruo, lest she come seeking me in the future with a grudge for her father’s death.”

Qiang Ning’s words carried a faint hint of a threat. “You know that this Princess will not show mercy a second time. If I find her to be ungrateful, you know what her end will be.” Sister-in-law Zhou spoke tremblingly, “I wouldn’t. How could I dare tell Ruoruo that her father was a common robber?” Riches and honor were Qiang Ning’s compensation to their family. For the sake of her daughter’s future, she would certainly never reveal the truth.

Seeing Qiang Ning enter the house to look for wine, Sister-in-law Zhou followed her and explained, “My husband Geng was blind to have offended a noble person. It is your magnanimity, Your Highness, to spare us orphans and widows; it is already a heavenly grace.

From now until I die, I will surely remind Ruoruo every day of your kindness. When she goes to the capital in the future, she won’t have the slightest resentment toward you. I hope you will remember her and the promise made today.”

Qiang Ning casually took out a butterfly-patterned mountain dark jade pendant strung on a crimson silk cord. This was a jade pendant of the First Rank. Currently, those of the First Rank at court—excluding the Emperor’s four high-ranking concubines—were only a few, such as the Grand Tutor, Grand Master, Grand Marshall, and the Director of the Secretariat.

After Lin Dongruan, the Imperial Preceptor, had resigned and returned to the fields, even fewer remained. If Ruoruo took this pendant to the capital in the future, no one would dare neglect or harm her. Dukes and Marquises used black cords for their jade; the First Rank used mountain dark jade.

Furthermore, the Eldest Princess’s love for butterfly patterns was well known. These three points were enough to prove that the person being sought was her. People would be falling over themselves to personally lead Ruoruo to her to claim a reward, so this token was the best choice. Qiang Ning tossed the jade pendant to Sister-in-law Zhou.

“In these chaotic times, tell Ruoruo not to lose it. If she loses it, I might not honor today’s promise.” Qiang Ning made the joke casually, but for Sister-in-law Zhou, it felt as if she had lost half her life from fright. Sister-in-law Zhou took out a handkerchief and wrapped the pendant in layer upon layer, as if it were not a piece of jade, but a divine relic that could reach the heavens. “Found it.”

Qiang Ning found the wine Lin Dongruan had hidden. Without a hint of regret, she opened several bottles and poured them over the dry thatch surrounding the house. She raised her hand and gestured to Sister-in-law Zhou, “Go get some burning firewood.” Sister-in-law Zhou quickly brought some over.

Qiang Ning took it and used the firewood to ignite the thatch she had just soaked in wine— “Ah! What are you doing!” Sister-in-law Zhou was horrified. Tongues of fire swept through the thatch like a surging tide. Qiang Ning watched expressionlessly as the fire grew larger, walking around the house and placing the firewood upon it.

The dryness of summer was a natural accelerant; the moment the sparks touched, the fire spread. Qiang Ning wore a beautiful and eerie smile, her pupils reflecting the flickering firelight. “She might choose to stay despite the rumors and slander, but if the house is gone, she truly will have nowhere to go.”

When Lin Dongruan arrived at Xu Zhang’s house, she saw a dense circle of villagers gathered at the door. When they saw her arrive, the original clamor immediately died down. Those who were whispering covered their mouths, casting glance after glance at Lin Dongruan while speaking to those beside them. Lin Dongruan ignored them. To identify the cause of death, she stepped inside first. As soon as she entered, she smelled an indescribable odor. She felt a sudden surge of nausea and stepped back out after only a few paces.

Someone came up and grabbed her arm. She turned and found it was Feng Fang, the pretty widow who lived next door to Xu Zhang. Feng Fang’s clothes weren’t even properly fastened, her chest half-exposed. “**Linniang, you’ve finally come. This Xu Zhang suddenly suffered a ‘stroke on the saddle’ (death during intercourse); it scared me to death.” A “stroke on the saddle” meant sudden death during sex. Lin Dongruan felt a deeper sense of revulsion.

Her brow furrowed; she could not stay in this courtyard under any circumstances. Feng Fang chased her out the door, asking loudly and triumphantly, “Oh? Linniang, you are a doctor, how could you not have looked after Xu Zhang’s body properly? I’m telling you; it’s not my fault he died from overexertion! Who told you not to keep a good eye on your own man?” Lin Dongruan leaned against the door; her heart filled with nausea.

“You…” Feng Fang waved her hand and walked away with a swaying, graceful gait. The midsummer heat always made one feel irritable. The sun had reached its peak, and the crowd outside was noisy, pointing and gossiping at Lin Dongruan: “Linniang is at such an age and still not married; could she have some foul disease?” “Wasn’t she engaged to Xu Zhang? Why was Xu Zhang still looking for widows outside? Could it be that Linniang herself isn’t good enough and couldn’t keep her man?”

“Looking at her thin and frail frame, she doesn’t look like a woman who is good for bearing children. No wonder Xu Zhang would rather have a widow than her.” “Hey? Do you think… Linniang killed Xu Zhang?” “Yes, yes! Even if she is a doctor, how could she not know if her own man was ill?”

“In those years she spent away, who knows what business she was up to? Maybe she went to a brothel and was ruined by those nobles, and only then came back to our small place to find an honest man to live out her days.” “Exactly. She caught those foul diseases while she was away.” “Or maybe she is a jinx, having cursed both her man and her children to death.” “Right, right, Auntie Zhang, you are so clever to have realized it all at once.”

“Such a person doesn’t deserve to be a doctor. The medical hall should be ashamed to let her sit and see patients.” “Don’t go to that medical hall anymore; we’re afraid of catching a disease too.” “Look at her! Her man is dead, and she can’t even squeeze out a single tear.” Slander and rumors did not require the participation of facts. Even in Lin Dongruan’s presence, the villagers she had once helped showed no regard for her.

All sorts of malicious words were spat out just to wound her dignity. Under the scorching sun, Lin Dongruan might have been suffering from heatstroke. She looked up weakly. “I was not well-acquainted with him. Why should I shed tears for him?” The villagers let out a long, collective “Ooh,” and spoke all at once: “Look! Seeing Xu Zhang dead, she wants to quickly distance herself. What a poisonous heart.”

“Linniang looks soft and weak, but her heart is truly deep.” “I wonder if the dead Xu Zhang feels heartbroken.” “Only Xu Zhang didn’t mind her and was willing to marry her, but look at her, she can say such heartless words.” “Tsk tsk, one may know a person’s face but not their heart.” Lin Dongruan was stunned in her confusion. She looked up at these people—they were all familiar faces. Some had taken medicinal herbs from her courtyard for free during times of poverty; others frequently came to the medical hall for treatment, repeatedly praising her for her benevolence and skill… and some, she had even saved their lives.

Even if they did not repay her kindness, they should not have uttered such hurtful slanders. How could it be… Them… The villagers would rather bask in the scorching sun just to watch her misfortune. The high sun shone on them, condensing their shadows into short patches, much like the kindness she had given that would never return in equal measure. Lin Dongruan covered her forehead and looked up at the sun.

She suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, but her heart was cold, making her shiver. These did not seem like the villagers she knew. The common people suffered, working with their backs to the sky and faces to the earth; their hearts should be pure and honest, not like this… why… Why treat her like this? Even though she had lived here for many years, she had never truly found a sense of belonging in her hometown.

“Let’s go, let’s go, this is too much bad luck.” “Don’t get close. Who knows if Linniang has some strange illness on her?” “She really shouldn’t have.” “Let’s go home too; watching this drama feels unlucky.” “Linniang is so poor, I wonder how she will bury Xu Zhang.” “It’s her own fault for wasting money and not saving. All the money she earned at the medical hall was given to those beggars for medicine.”

“A wasteful woman is a jinx to her husband.” “She has a younger sister who is a tag-along; don’t let yourselves get stuck with them.” “Hahaha, who would dare marry those two sisters now? Who would think their life isn’t hard enough already?”

“Her sister looks like a temptress; who knows if she came out of a brothel before.” “Do not speak maliciously of my A-Ning.” Lin Dongruan stood up, her gaze turning cold. “She has done nothing wrong. If you discuss her behind her back like this, the karmic debt of your words will only grow heavier.”

Those who spread rumors knew exactly what they were doing. Once Lin Dongruan spoke, several of them immediately stopped their chatter. Of course, there were still a few stubborn ones who continued to argue with her: “Then explain how such a large sister appeared out of thin air? How is that possible?” “She was born so beautiful, she’s either a demoness or a brothel girl… Ah! You, you…” The last man who had insulted Qiang Ning stopped mid-sentence and let out a sudden cry of agony, clutching his mouth in pain.

He opened his palm in a daze, only to see a copper coin lying there. Blood poured from his mouth. He spat on the ground, and several teeth were mixed in the bloody water. “Linniang, you were the one in the wrong, how could you hit someone!” The onlookers accused her. Lin Dongruan had somehow produced a string of copper coins from her sleeve.

She had just struck that man with one, and the remaining twenty-seven were still flowing uncannily through her fingertips, shifting like a serpent. The ignorant villagers had never seen such an eerie thing and immediately scrambled back several paces.

Looking at Lin Dongruan, someone in the crowd spoke in fear: “Have you forgotten? Linniang was always mysterious; she could even tell in advance when it would rain or blow.” “She’s a demoness! She has dark magic!” The common folk did not understand divination or horoscopes. For those they respected, they would call them an “immortal”; if that person was no longer liked, they would say they were a “demoness descended to earth.” Lin Dongruan did not argue with them.

With the string of coins hanging loosely from her wrist, she said coldly, “If you dare say those words in front of A-Ning, beware of a terrible end.”