When someone’s son was as filial and honest as Tuo Zhengde, any mother would naturally be unwilling to see him misunderstood as being involved in some case. If Mother Tuo had been able to speak, she would surely have rushed out by now, grabbed Fang Mingyan’s hand, and praised her son through a stream of tears and mucus.
Tuo Zhengde seemed a little embarrassed. He hurriedly said, “My mother is just like this. Lord Fang, please don’t take offense.”
Fang Mingyan waved a hand. How could he take offense at an old village woman? Besides, Mother Tuo had not said anything, nor had she rushed out to hit him.
Mother Tuo lived in a small room. The door stood open a crack, allowing them to make out some of what was inside.
It was truly pitiful.
Although Tuo Zhengde was filial, he was a grown man—and a butcher at that. It was unrealistic to expect him to care for an elderly woman year-round with perfect attention. As long as things were more or less in order, that was enough.
Fang Mingyan was a good man. Although he had come today on official business, Mother Tuo looked so pitiful that he reached into his robes, took out several pieces of broken silver, and handed them to Jiang Yunxin.
Fang Mingyan gestured toward the room with a lift of his chin.
Jiang Yunxin understood.
Although Tuo Zhengde’s mother was quite old, she was still a woman. With her lying on the bed, it would be inconvenient for several grown men to enter. Besides, they were carrying weapons and looked menacing enough to frighten the old lady.
At least on the surface, Jiang Yunxin looked like a refined young woman.
“This really isn’t necessary,” Tuo Zhengde hurriedly protested.
“This is for your mother, not for you,” Fang Mingyan said. “It would be good to buy her a couple more changes of clothes.”
Tuo Zhengde was deeply moved and thanked him repeatedly.
It was not as though he had never seen officials from the capital, and not all of them were fierce. But an official who gave money after investigating a case and finding nothing at all—this was the first he had ever encountered.
Jiang Yunxin’s opinion of Fang Mingyan shifted somewhat. She had not expected him to be so kindhearted. She agreed at once, took the money, and went over.
When the door opened, a foul odor immediately drifted out.
An elderly woman with graying hair lay on the bed. Tuo Zhengde had indeed taken good care of her; the quilt and bedding were quite clean. As for the smell, the truth was that the entire pig-raising courtyard reeked of it. Anyone newly arrived would find it unbearable, but after becoming accustomed to it, they probably no longer noticed.
Furthermore, once people reached a certain age, they naturally developed a certain odor. Many people called it “old person smell.” No matter how carefully their family cared for them, it would still be present.
This was because, after a person reached a certain age, their metabolism gradually weakened. Some substances secreted by the skin could no longer be processed in time, resulting in a stronger odor.
For the sake of their health, the elderly also tended to bathe less often, which accelerated the growth of bacteria on the surface of the body and further intensified the smell.
Mother Tuo looked very old. Then again, elderly villagers always looked older than people of the same age elsewhere. Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her pair of cloudy eyes was fixed on Jiang Yunxin. There was also some unknown fluid at the corners of her mouth.
The moment she saw Jiang Yunxin enter, Mother Tuo glared at her with both eyes.
Jiang Yunxin felt a little uneasy. The gaze made her uncomfortable. She could not help feeling that there was something malicious in those eyes. Though Mother Tuo was old, her features were not kind or benevolent. She must have been a formidable woman when she was young.
“Old Madam,” Jiang Yunxin said, “this money is a gift from our lord…”
As she spoke, Jiang Yunxin slowly approached, intending to place the money beside the old woman’s pillow.
Mother Tuo opened her mouth and began making a string of “ah, ah, ah” sounds. Jiang Yunxin could not understand her at all, but guessed that she was probably praising her son. Thus, she responded with a series of “Mm, mm, mm,” nodding as she did so.
Comforting an old person was actually much the same as comforting a small child. All one had to do was go along with her.
When a tiny baby was learning to speak, she would babble on and on, and no one knew what she was saying. The adults only had to talk along with her. Feeling that she had received a response, the baby would be delighted.
Jiang Yunxin thought that Mother Tuo was probably the same.
Thus, Jiang Yunxin put down the money and said a few of the usual comforting words one used with the elderly. Mother Tuo kept talking, clearly anxious to express something, while also patting the side of the bed. Perhaps her legs and feet were inconvenient and she could not move around, which was why she could not get up from the bed.
After Jiang Yunxin finished speaking, she heard Tuo Zhengde’s voice outside, seemingly thanking them on his mother’s behalf, and prepared to turn around and leave.
Just as she turned, Mother Tuo suddenly found strength from somewhere and sat up. Then she lunged at her.
The room was extremely cramped. Apart from the bed on one side, all sorts of things were piled haphazardly on the other, leaving only a single passage for entering and leaving.
Jiang Yunxin heard movement behind her as she turned, but she was not agile enough to react in time. By the time she heard the noise and turned back, there was no chance to dodge. All she could see was a terrifying face drawing closer and closer, its mouth opened wide like a bloody maw.
Mother Tuo looked as though she intended to bite her.
Jiang Yunxin’s entire body went rigid. She thought, I’m done for.
No way—why is she trying to bite me? Will I get rabies? There are no vaccines in this era. What am I supposed to do if she bites me…?
Her body stiffened in an instant, but countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Then someone grabbed her by the collar at the back of her neck and yanked her backward, pulling her two or three steps back until she collided with a solid chest.
Jiang Yunxin turned her head.
Fang Mingyan was standing behind her, looking at her expressionlessly, one hand still gripping the back of her collar.
Their eyes met. Fang Mingyan released her, then took a step back and said, “Stand properly.”
Jiang Yunxin hurriedly straightened up and patted her chest, letting out a relieved breath.
At the same time, there was a loud thud as Mother Tuo fell off the bed. Her legs were not entirely without strength, but they were clearly damaged. She could only struggle helplessly on the floor.
Tuo Zhengde was standing at the doorway with Fang Mingyan. He hurriedly apologized to Jiang Yunxin while going to help his mother, restraining her struggles and awkwardly lifting her back onto the bed.
That movement had used up all of Mother Tuo’s strength. Once she had been placed back on the bed, she could only lie there, panting heavily. She no longer had the strength to make another attempt.
After settling his mother, Tuo Zhengde hurriedly asked Fang Mingyan and Jiang Yunxin to leave.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Tuo Zhengde cautiously explained to Jiang Yunxin, “My mother isn’t quite right in the head. She suffered a shock in the past, and her condition comes and goes. She doesn’t always recognize people either. Miss, I hope I didn’t frighten you.”
“It’s all right, it’s all right.” Jiang Yunxin waved her hands repeatedly.
Would she really quarrel with an elderly woman who was no longer in her right mind? Even if she had indeed been startled just now, there was no reason to hold it against her.
Still, Jiang Yunxin could not help glancing at the room, whose door had already been closed.
Mother Tuo’s gaze had truly been terrifying. It had been filled with hatred, as though she wanted to bite a piece of flesh right off Jiang Yunxin. But why would she hate her so much? Jiang Yunxin had come to give her money. Even if the old woman was in a bad mood, there was no reason for her to treat Jiang Yunxin with such hatred.
Jiang Yunxin was the sort who liked to mull things over. And the more she thought about it, the more certain she became that something was wrong.