Have You Written Your Will Today?
Chapter 59 In this world, good people die young

Chapter 59: Chapter 59 In this world, good people die young

Shen Hua felt unwell, eager to escape.

But within the Shen Residence, relying solely on Yicui was far from the mere nightmare it seemed. For her, every day and night was an agonizing ordeal.

The hand beneath her sleeve tightened more and more. Yet the air seemed to grow thin as Shen Hua struggled to breathe.

The young lady’s face, appearing from the side, was as white as paper, and pain flickered in her eyes. Before anyone could react, a bright red streak flowed down from the corner of her mouth.

Drip by drip, it fell upon the hem of her clothing, blooming into a series of blood flowers.

Her throat, mouth, and the tip of her nose were all laced with a sweet, metallic taste.

"Miss Shen!" Everyone was shocked and discolored in horror.

Yicui shivered, feeling cold all over. In the chaos, someone cried out, "Go! Hurry and fetch a doctor!"

Cheng Gui turned and dashed out immediately.

"Stop!"

Shen Hua chided, her voice weak and faint. As she spoke, the taste of copper in her mouth grew stronger. She swayed and was steadied by Nanny Cheng.

Leaning weakly on Nanny Cheng’s shoulder, she paused for a moment, then whispered.

"Even Doctor Ni is at his wit’s end, what can the Medical Staff at the clinic do?"

Yicui, panicked and in tears, brightened up with a desperate hope, "Right, we must seek the Marquis."

To ask Cui Yun to plead with Doctor Ni Kang on their behalf.

Miss Shen had recently been taking medicine prescribed by Doctor Ni Kang and seemed to be spirited. Yicui clung to hope, but witnessing Shen Hua vomiting blood...

But as a mere maid, without a token, she couldn’t even hope to see Cui Yun, let alone enter the gates of the Marquis Mansion.

Nanny Cheng: "Go quickly! Those two attendants were sent by the Marquis. Take them with you. At the very least, they have a way to meet the Marquis that we do not."

"No need." Shen Hua spat out blood, feeling more comfortable. She calmly took out a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth.

Doctor Ni Kang had said last time that he would come to take Shen Hua’s pulse in five days, which meant three more days to wait.

This was not her first time vomiting blood; a few more days would make no difference.

"Fetch a basin of water."

"Miss Shen." Nanny Cheng started to protest.

Shen Hua recalled something and said, indisputably, "A few days ago, I specifically went to a fortune teller on the street who said that the first day of the first lunar month was the most suitable day to go out."

"For ordinary funeral affairs, the mourning period is usually three days or more. Am I supposed to stay cooped up at home during this time?"

"I have important matters to attend to; I cannot afford any delay. Yicui, get ready, and come out with me later."

Having said this, Shen Hua turned back to her room without looking at the various expressions of the crowd. She sat in front of the copper mirror and applied rouge. Her movements were swift, a far cry from the past when she would spend two hours meticulously dressing from head to toe.

She covered the ghastly pallor of illness on her face and added a touch of lipstick. Her complexion seemed much improved afterward.

When she re-emerged, Yicui was already well-prepared.

The pear garden was located at the deepest part of the alley, and the Yan Family’s residence was the closest to the entrance of the street. They had to pass it to come and go.

"The old servant has inquired everything clearly, Miss Shen should take a detour. The Wang Family is the closest to the Yan Family, with a small path in between. You should take that way," said the old servant.

"What the old servant says may not be pleasant to hear, but there’s not a speck of falsehood in it. Before I served you, the young lady living next door earned her living by hunting."

She was no less capable than a man, always catching game whenever she went up the mountain.

"For many years, she had lived without incident, but there was one time it rained, the mountain paths were muddy, and she stayed overnight in a dilapidated temple."

The temple was long neglected and inside it were enshrined deities. More than a decade ago, it was frequented by worshippers. Only after eight people died overnight did it become a derelict temple no one cared about.

Dust and cobwebs covered the statues of the deities.

"What exactly happened that night remains an unsolved case by the government. It caused a sensation at the time, but as time passed, the public soon forgot, until... when the young lady came down from the mountain, she was mad and simple-minded, screaming at the sight of anyone. Everyone said she had been possessed by ghosts."

Nanny Cheng rambled on incessantly.

She has aged, and with her years grew an intense superstition.

Sister-in-law Yan’s death was not a simple one, perhaps she died holding a grudge. If Miss Shen, being in frail health, offended her...

The alley she spoke of was so narrow that carriages could not pass through. Normally deserted, Shen Hua had no choice but to go on foot.

For this trip, aside from Yicui, she was accompanied by two other attendants.

The alley was somewhat dark, and Shen Hua walked at the front.

It wasn’t until they reached the depths that the faint sound of weeping, carried by the chill wind that swept through, caused Shen Hua to suddenly feel a chill down her spine.

Up ahead, a figure knelt on the ground, back towards Shen Hua, burning paper money and mumbling indistinctly.

"I’ve prepared some paper money for you, take it for your journey ahead."

"Oh Dan Niang, I’m just like you, forced to share a room with you. Now that you are dead, I beg you, do not seek me out."

With severe hearing loss, Father Yan failed to notice the movement behind him, simply burying his head in grievous weeping. He was airing his grievances.

"I came here behind his back, and Xiong, he’s been drinking again. Now that you’re gone, with no place to vent his illness, he turns to chasing and beating me."

"Without you there to shield me, what if he beats me to death? No, in a few days, I will have to find him a new wife, that way, I won’t bear the brunt of his frustrations anymore. Women like you are meant to be disaster relief for men after all."

Such words, he actually had the heart to say them out loud.

Shen Hua felt like vomiting upon hearing them: ...

She looked at the old man’s stooping hunchback emotionlessly, all the while his hoarse voice echoed in her ears, sounding like that of a drake.

She thought, Sister-in-law Yan must have been insane to have an affair with Father Yan.

And the filial piety of Yan Xiong was also fake.

As for his illness, and the death of Sister-in-law Yan...

Shen Hua felt not a single ripple in her heart.

Her heart had grown too hard to soften anymore.

What did it have to do with her?

Brother and Mama had been good people all their lives, yet met with an unkind end. It seems in this world, the good die young.

There, after Father Yan finished burning the paper money, he started to sob as he got to his feet.

Shen Hua could then see his full figure clearly.

His entire face was like a piece of dried bark, uneven and rough. His features couldn’t be considered ugly, but neither were they attractive, and put together they were oddly uncomfortable to look at.

Shen Hua continued to stare at him expressionlessly.

Father Yan, however, was startled! Upon a closer look, he realized she was just a girl who was of no great consequence.

His male chauvinism meant he had little respect for women. And yet, he was the type who acted strong outside but was weak at home.

"Which family’s girl is this unruly, eavesdropping like a thief!"

Shen Hua, who didn’t want to get involved in the affairs of others: ???

Fine.

You’re done for.

With a tight face, she said nothing more and turned to leave.

Father Yan’s eyelids twitched, dreading that he might have caused trouble. He hurriedly hobbled after her, but with attendants there, how could he catch up?

"Miss Shen? What’s wrong?"

As Shen Hua emerged from the alleyway, she ran into Sister-in-law Wang who was just about to leave her house.

Before her, Father Yan watched as Shen Hua, who moments ago was fierce and imposing, almost instantly changed her expression. She let out a pitiful sob, then hastily pointed a trembling hand at him.

"Seeing that Sister-in-law Yan is gone, he has shifted his attention to the many girls of this alley, shamelessly saying he dares to covet them."