DSMC Chapter 183

Actually, Yan Jiyun felt that it wasn’t just Cheng Yingxue who seemed out of place. The entire town was strange.

Leaving Jiangnan Town was his mission. Liu Jingxi had shown him through firsthand experience that leaving Jiangnan Town would not be easy. There were two obstacles: human interference and natural barriers. Anyone who wanted to get out would have to cross mountains and ridges.

He thought about it. Surely none of the players who had made it into an intermediate-level instance would immediately try to leave the town by taking the mountain paths, right? If anyone did, then they really had nerves of steel. They would be going straight up against the monsters in the mountains.

Yan Jiyun also found it rather strange that he still hadn’t encountered any other players. Of course, it was possible that his route of investigation simply didn’t overlap with theirs.

Jiangnan Town covered a large geographical area. If the one hundred players had been scattered among one hundred households, or distributed across the various villages, then finding them would truly be difficult.

This time, they had genuinely entered a Level 4 Hard instance. They would certainly be more cautious than players in easier instances, and they had probably all managed to blend into the lives of Jiangnan Town’s residents. After all, this time, the system had assigned their roles according to the character settings the players had created for themselves.

After the steward left, Yan Jiyun saw Cheng Yingxue stop looking down as she burned the paper money. She tossed all the remaining paper money in her hands into the brazier, then plopped herself down on the straw mat. She pounded her legs, showing absolutely no respect for her deceased husband in her eyes. Once the numbness in her legs had subsided, Cheng Yingxue stood up, walked over to the coffin, and carefully examined Liu Jinghao’s body lying inside.

Given Cheng Yingxue’s behavior now, Yan Jiyun couldn’t rule out the possibility that she had been the one who pushed Liu Jinghao into the pond. After the afternoon banquet ended, she had been the person most likely to have had a chance to be alone with him. At present, she was the prime suspect. Her current behavior was especially suspicious. She looked as though she were admiring something, even tapping her fingertips against the coffin lid a few times.

She let out a faint sigh. “I became a widow on the very first day of my marriage. Sigh.”

Yan Jiyun heard footsteps approaching the mourning hall. Judging by the hurried steps and crying, he didn’t even need to guess who it was. It was Liu Jinghao’s mother.

Cheng Yingxue heard the sounds too, but she calmly returned to the straw mat and continued tossing paper money into the brazier.

Yan Jiyun couldn’t help admiring her acting skills.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Jinghao’s mother appeared. She rushed to the coffin in tears, looking at Liu Jinghao’s body and muttering to herself. Her mental state was clearly no longer normal.

Following closely behind the Second Madam was the steward Yan Jiyun had just seen at the entrance. He was a man approaching fifty.

Yan Jiyun could hear that the man was breathing somewhat heavily. He had clearly just jogged over and was still a little out of breath. Although he was trying hard to control his breathing, he couldn’t escape Yan Jiyun’s keen hearing.

The steward glanced at the Third Young Madam, who was obediently burning paper money with her head lowered, then walked straight toward the Second Madam, who was still remarkably beautiful despite being over forty-five. (Third Young Madam = Cheng Yingxue; Second Madam = Liu Jinghao’s mother. First Madam is Xie Huaishuang)

The steward said with concern, “Second Madam, please restrain your grief.”

The Second Madam gently stroked her son’s face, her sobs growing much quieter. “This is my son! I raised him for more than twenty years. How could he just leave me like this?”

The steward glanced at Cheng Yingxue again, her head still lowered, then gently patted the Second Madam on the shoulder. “I will definitely find out the truth behind Third Young Master’s death.”

The Second Madam leaned slightly toward the steward and sobbed softly. “Steward, you must find out the truth for my son. You watched him grow up too.”

From these few words and their intimate gestures, Yan Jiyun detected something ambiguous between the Second Madam and the steward!

Was it possible that Liu Jinghao wasn’t Master Liu’s son at all?

It would have been absurd to claim there was nothing going on between these two. They were touching each other’s shoulders and leaning against one another. How could anyone avoid reading something into it? They were practically handing him the answer on a silver platter!

[Want to be Human] livestream channel: 

“Kitty Baby really knows how to uncover the truth. I’m betting one cucumber that this steward and the Second Madam are having an affair!”

“I’m betting two cucumbers that the dead Third Young Master definitely wasn’t Master Liu’s biological son. As expected, this is one melodramatic soap opera!”

“I’m betting three cucumbers that the Third Young Madam deliberately married into the Liu family. Her behavior is way too strange.”

“You’re all so focused on the plot. Am I the only one wondering whether Mimi is having any trouble after eating those wontons?”

“I was wondering the same thing, but everyone’s so passionately discussing the plot that I felt embarrassed to interrupt. Will Kitty Baby be okay? He threw up after eating barbecue before.”

Yan Jiyun’s body wasn’t having any major problems for the time being, and he felt fine. Besides, he didn’t have time to worry about that right now. The Liu family’s complicated relationships had truly opened his eyes. The more he interacted with them, the more it seemed that the seemingly carefree Liu Jingxi was the only one whose affairs were relatively straightforward. His relationships weren’t nearly as complicated or tangled as those of the others. On the contrary, the people who appeared respectable on the surface might be hiding shameful secrets and sordid intentions.

Yan Jiyun glanced at his mission, “Funeral Vigil.” He still didn’t understand what he was supposed to do to fulfill it. Was he simply supposed to discover the truth behind the plot, or actually resolve the incident? Or was he supposed to find some particular clue?

This Level 4 Hard instance really wasn’t simple at all.

Tonight was probably going to be a rather eventful night.

With the steward present, the Second Madam’s sobbing quieted down considerably. However, the look she gave Cheng Yingxue was venomous.

She walked over to Cheng Yingxue and shoved her to the ground. “You jinx! You’re the one who killed my son! Why is my life so miserable?”

Cheng Yingxue brushed off her skirt and lowered her head, speaking unhurriedly. “Second Madam, the marriage arrangement was made between Master Liu and my father. I’m a newlywed who lost her husband on the very first day of marriage. Everyone in the town knows I’m already married. So who has suffered more than whom?”

The Second Madam could only continue being domineering and unreasonable. “All you did was get married, but I lost my son! He was the one I depended on!” She pinched Cheng Yingxue’s arm hard. “This is all your fault!”

The steward was on the Second Madam’s side, so naturally, he stood by and watched without intervening.

Cheng Yingxue wasn’t the type to meekly accept mistreatment either. She endured it for a while, giving the Second Madam the respect she was due. But when the Second Madam continued assaulting her like a madwoman, Cheng Yingxue had no choice but to fight back. She shoved the Second Madam away with all her strength. The Second Madam lost her balance and fell toward the front of the coffin. Fortunately, the steward caught her in time. Otherwise, the Second Madam might have ended up joining her son in the afterlife right in front of his coffin.

The Second Madam immediately started making wild accusations. “You vicious bitch! You were trying to murder me!”

Yan Jiyun was speechless. If he hadn’t been there to witness everything, Cheng Yingxue would have had no way to defend herself, even if she was in the right. It was a perfect example of how even an upright official couldn’t easily settle a family dispute.

As someone who had been single since birth and didn’t even have a girlfriend, he really had no desire to get involved in this kind of situation. 

Cheng Yingxue was just about to argue back when everyone in the mourning hall heard the sound of a walking stick tapping against the ground and someone coughing outside.

“Second Madam, I just saw you push your sister-in-law first.”

There was no need to guess. The person who had arrived was none other than Liu Jingyi.

Having lost her son, the Second Madam had started lashing out like a madwoman. “You sickly little trash! You certainly have a lot to say about other people’s business!”

“Second Madam, how can you speak to the Eldest Young Master like that?”

Yan Jiyun looked again and realized that the one who had spoken was none other than Ah-Juan.

What a complicated family. Why did he get the feeling that Ah-Juan actually liked the Eldest Young Master? She took such meticulous care of him and defended him at every turn. Surely there wasn’t anything going on between them, right?

“Since when is it your place to speak? You’re just a filthy servant!” The Second Madam had lost her son, and her temper was running wild. Whoever crossed her path became a target for her insults.

“Cough, cough, cough. Second Madam, I came to offer incense to my Third Younger Brother.” Liu Jingyi seemed to have no intention of getting involved in an argument with the Second Madam.

“Stop pretending to be so kind! It was you, wasn’t it, Liu Jingyi? You definitely wanted my son dead because you were afraid he would take your place!”

Even the steward couldn’t bear to listen any longer. The Eldest Young Master was different from the new bride; he was the First Madam’s precious son. The steward intervened to stop the Second Madam from continuing to spew insults.

“Second Madam, please watch your words. The Eldest Young Master and the Third Young Master are as close as brothers. What you’re saying is inappropriate.”

The Second Madam shoved him away. “Ha! As close as brothers? I’m going to make everything clear today!”

The steward’s expression darkened as he warned her, “Second Madam.”

However, having lost the son she had relied on, the Second Madam wouldn’t listen to anyone now. In particular, she had always regarded Liu Jingyi and Liu Jingxi as thorns in her side, constantly wishing for Liu Jingyi to die of his illness and for something terrible to happen to Liu Jingxi. That way, her own son could naturally inherit the family business.

But fate had not gone her way. The one who had died was her son. Now she was a mother who had outlived her child. She had endured humiliation and swallowed her grievances in the Liu household for more than twenty years, only for this to be the outcome. She refused to accept it. She was unwilling to let it go, and she no longer feared anything. Someone with nothing left to lose had nothing to fear.

Liu Jingyi said, “Uncle Zhang, it’s fine. Let Second Madam speak.”

The Second Madam was in no state to think rationally. The moment she opened her mouth, she poured out the resentment she had accumulated over the years.

“Jinghao studied diligently and obeyed everyone from childhood onward. Why did you have to suppress him at every turn and refuse to let him participate in managing the family business? Close as brothers, my foot! Every one of you is pretending to be kind! You simply can’t stand seeing my son and me do well!”

Liu Jingyi remained completely expressionless. The steward wanted to say something more, but he realized that the Second Madam wasn’t listening to a word.

The Second Madam continued, “Liu Jingyi, Master previously said that Jinghao could help manage the mines. Why wouldn’t you let him go?”

Liu Jingyi coughed lightly. “Why wouldn’t I let him go? He isn’t mature or steady enough yet. Even if he went to the mines, he wouldn’t be able to command the respect of the people there.”

Yan Jiyun’s mind was filled with questions. ‘Managing the mines? The Liu family owned mines too?’

If the mines in Jiangnan Town belonged to the Liu family, then surely they weren’t so poor that they needed to marry Cheng Yingxue to preserve their reputation. Was there some other deal involved?

The Second Madam wanted Liu Jinghao to participate in managing the mines, allowing him to gain a foothold in the Liu family’s core business.

However, Yan Jiyun didn’t think Liu Jinghao’s death had anything to do with the mines. It would have made more sense for Liu Jingyi to suffer an accident or for something else to happen to him, wouldn’t it?

Wait a minute. Liu Jingyi had been involved in a collision with someone earlier. Could that have something to do with this, or had it simply been a coincidence?

The Second Madam demanded, “How could Jinghao fail to command people’s respect? The restaurant he managed used to run at a loss, didn’t it? Now he’s turned it around and made it profitable. What did he do wrong?”

Liu Jingyi glanced at the copper basin on the floor and said, “Second Madam, are you sure you want to know the truth about how he turned things around? Do you know what he did to the restaurant?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Jingyi broke into another violent fit of coughing. Ah-Juan kept patting his back to help him.

The Second Madam didn’t actually want to know the truth. She felt that it would be more complicated than she could imagine, and she was unwilling to believe it.

Yan Jiyun was eager to hear the truth, but Liu Jingyi just kept coughing.

Ah-Juan cried out in alarm, “Eldest Young Master, why are you coughing up blood?!”

[Congratulations, player, you have triggered Main Mission 1-1: “The Liu Family’s Restaurant”]

Yan Jiyun realized that the game had become even more devious. The main quests were no longer a simple sequence of Mission 1, 2, and 3. Now, each main quest had its own branching subquests!

The Liu family really did have plenty of secrets. There had to be more to Liu Jinghao’s death. What had he done to offend someone?

There had been so many guests at the wedding that day. It was also possible that someone had deliberately stayed behind, sought Liu Jinghao out, arranged to meet him, and then murdered him.

Things were becoming increasingly confusing.

After coughing up blood, Liu Jingyi was taken away by Ah-Juan without even getting the chance to offer incense to Liu Jinghao. His appearance had been as brief as it was fleeting.

The Second Madam suddenly seemed to remember something and ran out of the mourning hall. The steward, worried about her, followed. Once again, only Cheng Yingxue and Yan Jiyun, who was hiding in the shadows, remained in the mourning hall.

What a show!

Cheng Yingxue sat back down on the straw mat. She gazed toward the doorway, her thoughts impossible to read.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through, and the main doors creaked. Yan Jiyun shrank his neck.

After the wind died down, Yan Jiyun heard faint noises coming from outside the side hall. He quietly jumped out through one of its windows.

The person was deliberately walking on tiptoe. They had probably arrived before he did.

Yan Jiyun chased after them.

He absolutely had not been frightened by the wind. Absolutely not!