Fu Jinghuai quietly handled Yu Hongying’s funeral and moved Fu Chen’s grave back home. He endured long enough to hand over all his research work then secretly returned to his hometown. There he took poison along with the so-called relatives who had killed Fu Chen and the imposter ending their lives together.
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After Fu Jinghuai’s death Yu Hongying never found his spirit. Some ghost friends guessed that because he had taken lives the Black and White Impermanence had taken him to hell or purgatory. But Yu Hongying stubbornly believed he had been ridding the world of evil and did not deserve punishment. She told herself she had just been unlucky not to find him or Fu Chen’s spirits and that if she did not give up she would wait until she did. Everyone knew she was deceiving herself but they felt even more for her because of it.
Every time Song Mianmian thought about this she felt frustrated and upset which was why she was so anxious to find Yu Hongying now. She had considered going directly to Fu Jinghuai but knew his character would not give her a chance to speak. She thought quietly for a moment then decided: after settling scores with the Zhao family today she would immediately find a way to call Yu Hongying in Shanghai. She was sure that with enough money she could get Yu Hongying’s colleagues or even superiors to help make it happen. If that failed she would ask Uncle Jiang Uncle Zheng and Aunt Xie for help.
In her previous life when they learned she had “run away from home” leaving a note at the Zhao house they had grown suspicious and secretly investigated for a long time. Unfortunately everyone in the area spoke highly of the Zhao family and with her “handwritten note” as evidence they had found no proof of wrongdoing. Even so they had searched for her until the day they died spending a great deal of money – their concern had been genuine. She believed that if she asked they would not only help her contact Yu Hongying but could even rescue Fu Chen directly moving him out of his adoptive family’s control or finding a way to expose the truth. It would be difficult but there was always a chance of success.
With this in mind Song Mianmian returned to wait for the big confrontation with the Zhao family at noon. When the Educated Youth Office came to deliver the reward money they would beat gongs and drums to announce it. As soon as she heard the noise from her guesthouse room she went out and walked slowly toward the Zhao home. She intended to use the office’s influence to settle things with them.
Her luck was excellent that day. As she neared the area not only had the Educated Youth Office arrived at the street where the steel factory housing compound was located but five official-looking men were also walking there with Zhao Xinde. Zhao Xinde looked dejected and worn out nothing like his usual well-dressed self-righteous appearance. Even if he had looked his usual self in Song Mianmian’s eyes he was no more than a beast.
The sound of gongs and drums had drawn a large crowd of onlookers. Someone from the compound spotted Song Mianmian and shouted out.
Ah Song Mianmian! Song Mianmian is back! She actually came back! Look it’s really her!
After Song Mianmian left yesterday Huang Jing had eaten an apple then gone to bed. She woke over an hour later to find Song Mianmian gone and felt something was wrong. She complained to the neighbors then called her eldest daughter Zhao Yufang to tell her what had happened. Zhao Yufang’s in-laws lived just minutes away. When she arrived she lied to the neighbors saying Huang Jing had lost over one hundred yuan and some coupons and that Song Mianmian must have stolen them and run away. At the time neither she nor Huang Jing had noticed anything missing from the house – she was simply trying to ruin Song Mianmian’s reputation. Huang Jing doted on her and backed her up claiming the money and coupons were indeed gone.
Huang Jing had always seemed kind to Song Mianmian so some people believed her but most said Song Mianmian had always been good and would not do such a thing. They suggested Du Qinghui – who had a criminal record – must have stolen the money and Huang Jing had no way to refute this. Then someone guessed Song Mianmian might have been taken by human traffickers. Everyone was terrified and searched everywhere until midnight continuing their inquiries that morning. They had checked every suspicious place nearby but not the guesthouse – no one thought she would stay there whether she had run away or been abducted. Someone had even reported her missing to the police but they said since she was an adult and had been gone less than twenty-four hours with no witnesses to an abduction they could not file a case.
Huang Jing had been eager to find Song Mianmian yesterday but was too tired to continue this morning. She had gone out to hide and rest due to public pressure and had just returned home. When everyone saw Song Mianmian had really come back they surrounded her asking questions in a rush.
Mianmian why didn’t you come back yesterday? What really happened?
Song Mianmian are you alright? You don’t know Zhao Yufang said you ran away with money and many people believed her.
I knew you wouldn’t run away. But Mianmian did you really run into human traffickers?
Look at her – she’s clean and calm she can’t have been in trouble. Stop talking nonsense a young girl’s reputation is the most important thing.
Among the neighbors some were kind and truly cared about Song Mianmian while others were glad to see her in trouble and wanted to make it worse. Huang Jing and Zhao Xinde wanted to smear her name without limit claiming she must have been harmed but to protect their own reputations they could only pretend to say kind words.
Just then Zhao Yufang who had been inside the house rushed out shouting at Song Mianmian.
Song Mianmian you ungrateful wretch! Why did you ruin my brother’s future yesterday? Did you do it on purpose? Just because he didn’t like you and didn’t want to marry you you deliberately destroyed his prospects! You’re so terrible why don’t you just die?
As she spoke she snatched the walking stick from Granny Lin beside her and moved to hit Song Mianmian. Before Song Mianmian had grown into her looks Zhao Yufang had only looked down on her with no resentment – a foolish servant less beautiful and clever than herself was not worth her attention. But since Song Mianmian had become beautiful two years ago resentment had been building inside her. Bound by Huang Jing and Zhao Xinde’s rules she had only dared to mock Song Mianmian occasionally never acting too boldly. Now she truly hated Song Mianmian for ruining Zhao Zilin’s future but more than that she was using it as an excuse to vent her long-held jealousy.
As she rushed toward Song Mianmian she snuck a look at Zhao Xinde and Huang Jing’s faces. If they had shown any sign of stopping her she would have stopped immediately. When she saw they looked encouraging she was overjoyed and became even more arrogant running faster.
But halfway there both her feet suddenly went numb her knees gave way and she fell flat on her face.
Everyone fell silent. They had all been holding their breath for Song Mianmian never expecting such an accident. Then they burst out laughing. But some people thought back to how Song Mianmian had stood still the whole time as if waiting to be hit and a thought crossed their minds.