Chapter 404: Chapter 397: I’m Just a Sucker for Looks 39 (Bonus for 50 Monthly Votes)
"How did you find out?"
Mrs. Xiao was quite shocked by the news and hurriedly pulled Wang Chunhua to ask.
Three women huddled together, chatting with great enthusiasm about gossip.
Especially Wang Chunhua, who likes to stir things up even when there’s nothing happening, and Mrs. Xiao, who is utterly bored staying at home all day, once they start talking, it really never ends.
Anning sat on the side, listening and occasionally interjecting a word or two.
Moreover, while Wang Chunhua spoke excitedly, she took the opportunity to have the maids go to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Wang Chunhua illustrated her words with gestures, "Isn’t it because something happened at their home? Didn’t you know? General Xuanwei’s younger brother has been exceptionally bright since childhood, well-known, it seems. He has an impressive memory, is very studious, and now, though he is not old, he’s already achieved the rank of Scholar. I heard he’s also good-looking and very lucky."
Mrs. Xiao said, "Well, this child sounds quite commendable."
Wang Chunhua chuckled: "But unfortunately, this person died."
"Ah?"
Mrs. Xiao exclaimed, "How did he die?"
Anning also hurriedly set down the melon seeds she was cracking to join in: "Yes, how did he die?"
Wang Chunhua appeared very proud: "How else? He drowned; they say he went out with friends for an excursion, and while everyone else was fine, he fell into a river. The water in that river was very shallow, not even waist-deep, but still, he managed to drown. How coincidental is that?"
"It is quite coincidental."
Mrs. Xiao and Anning nodded in agreement.
"What happened afterward?"
Mrs. Xiao asked again.
Wang Chunhua continued: "After he was found drowned and brought back, Duchess Dingguo couldn’t bear it and fainted. When she regained consciousness, she was covered with boils, seems like she caught some disease, and now she’s barely clinging to life. Even Duke Dingguo has broken a leg, and now their entire family is shrouded in gloom and doom."
Anning frowned, "What about General Xuanwei?"
Wang Chunhua shook her head: "I don’t know about that, it seems like General Xuanwei wasn’t at the Duke Dingguo Mansion. No one knows where he went. I’ve bribed a kitchen maid and a small steward at the Duke Dingguo Mansion. It’s said that General Xuanwei has disappeared. Some say his stepmother did something to him; in any case, he can’t be found."
"This really is a disaster."
Mrs. Xiao put her palms together and recited a few lines of Buddhist scriptures: "Duke Dingguo only has two sons; now that the younger is dead and the older can’t be found, his daughter-in-law is also unwell, and with his own condition, how is this family supposed to survive?"
Wang Chunhua felt vindicated: "They deserve it. Who told them to exchange someone else’s fate? I’m afraid Duke Dingguo’s younger son had a sin-laden fate, destined to suffer in this lifetime. They tried to swap it for someone else’s life of riches and honor. He couldn’t endure such a good life; no wonder he died."
Anning slightly narrowed her eyes: "Duke Dingguo’s younger son wasn’t anything good; I don’t think Duchess Dingguo is of good stock either. You know, Duke Dingguo’s first wife was actually the elder sister of the current one. She didn’t live long after passing, and Duke Dingguo didn’t even finish the mourning period before clamoring to wed her sister. Moreover, not seven months after marrying his current wife, she gave birth to a son, claiming it was premature. But who knows? I suspect there was already an affair, and it’s possible that the original wife was murdered by them."
"Ah?"
Wang Chunhua hadn’t considered these matters, but now, hearing Anning’s words, it seemed very plausible.
Mrs. Xiao also said, "You young people don’t know many things; this isn’t much, I’ve heard of many such things over the years."
Anning carefully pondered in her heart, then suddenly exclaimed: "Oh no."
Wang Chunhua and Mrs. Xiao were also startled.
"What’s wrong? What’s not good?"
Anning waved her hand: "It’s nothing, just some troublesome matters."
Not wishing to elaborate, the other two didn’t inquire further.
Wang Chunhua, pulling Mrs. Xiao, started discussing the matter at the Duke Dingguo Mansion again. Anning went out for a walk and asked the kitchen to prepare the meal early.
Soon, the food was ready, and Anning called Wang Chunhua and Mrs. Xiao to eat together.
Now, with the spring sunshine at its peak and the weather particularly fine, the three decided not to dine inside.
Anning had already had someone tidy up the Xiao Family’s garden, and set up a meal in the pavilion by the water.
When they arrived, the maids had just finished arranging the dishes.
Anning helped Mrs. Xiao sit down and said to Wang Chunhua: "I know you love meat, and it just so happens that I got some deer meat the other day. I had the kitchen prepare some. Try it first."
"I really came at the right time."
Wang Chunhua smiled and took her seat.
Anning also had someone bring over some osmanthus wine that she had brewed earlier, and Mrs. Xiao and Wang Chunhua, who were getting into the spirit of the conversation, were now also interested and clamored for a drink.
So, the three of them ate and drank, and in no time, they were quite drunk.
When Wang Chunhua got drunk, she became somewhat unruly and pounced on Anning: "Look how good you have it, your mother-in-law is so kind to you. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, spends all her time wishing I were dead. I get annoyed just seeing her. It would be so much better if I lived at your place; I don’t even want to go back."
Mrs. Xiao also drank a bit much and became groggy with the effects of the alcohol, leaning to one side and reacting somewhat slowly.
"If you don’t want to leave, then don’t leave. Just stay at my home and we’ll talk."
Anning was somewhat at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
She hurriedly called the maids to help Mrs. Xiao and Wang Chunhua into the house and ordered someone to brew some tea to sober them up.
After cooing them into drinking the sobering tea, Anning had Wang Chunhua lie down in the guest room, and she personally escorted Mrs. Xiao back to the main room.
Once she had taken care of all these matters, Anning left Qing Xing to attend to Wang Chunhua, and she herself went to the Xu Family.
Whenever Wang Chunhua mentioned General Xuanwei, Anning started to have a bad feeling.
Afterwards, she counted on her fingers and divined the source of the problem.
She hurried to the Xu family home as fast as she could.
Xu Bao’er was at home just then.
Anning quickly pulled Xu Bao’er into the room: "Baobao, where has Xu Xingsheng gone?"
Xu Bao’er was stunned for a moment, then after a while, she said: "Father sent him out to check the accounts. He said that the other day a batch of goods came into the house, and all of this needs to be accounted for, and he also needs to oversee it."
Anning frowned: "You must find someone to call him back right away, it’s very important for him to return immediately."
Xu Bao’er didn’t understand why, but she still hurriedly had the servants go find Xu Xingsheng.
After making the arrangements, Xu Bao’er asked Anning: "What’s all this rush about?"
Anning patted her forehead: "I’m afraid something might happen to him."
"Ah?"
Xu Bao’er exclaimed in shock: "What’s happened? What kind of trouble is there?"
Anning whispered in Xu Bao’er’s ear: "Do you remember Wu Ni? You know about her brother’s situation. Just the other day, I had just reversed the fate swapping that involved Wu Ni’s brother, and today I found out that the person who swapped Wu Ni’s brother’s fate is Xu Xingsheng’s own younger brother."
Xu Bao’er was so frightened that she couldn’t speak for a long time.
Her hands were shaking: "What do you mean? How could his family do such a thing? Is he, is he also a bad person?"
Anning patted Xu Bao’er’s hand to comfort her: "No, I had looked into it before you two got married. He is a good person, and this matter should have nothing to do with him. His stepmother couldn’t wait to get rid of him, and he has been struggling on his own from a young age. He doesn’t know about the household affairs and has never been involved."
Xu Bao’er finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But then her heart became tense again.
She still remembered Anning mentioning something about backlash.
It seemed that if the fate was swapped back, then the family that swapped fates was bound to suffer misfortune, and could even meet a terrible end.
Regardless of what Xu Xingsheng’s relationship was with his family, they were still bound by blood and were sure to be implicated.
Xu Bao’er held Anning’s hand tightly: "Sister, you must help my husband. If anything happens to him, how could I go on living?"