All of the Song family's assets had been converted into cartload after cartload of grain. This time, Master Song dared not be careless—he personally watched over the grain carts as they entered the main gate, until the storehouses were piled to the brim.
Outside the window, willow branches danced in the wind. Song Xilou stared blankly into the distance, and only after some time did she lower her head. In her hands was a finely carved wooden figurine—the figure on it had delicate features, riding a fine steed with a bold, unrestrained smile.
This was her, yet not her. The features were the same, but Song Xilou had never been so confident, so audacious.
Zhao Wenxuan said this was how she appeared in his dreams.
"Perhaps only in dreams." Caressing the exuberant face on the carving, Song Xilou cast one lingering look before tucking it into her sleeve.
This time, Master Song was especially particular about the grain. Many outside were saying he had lost his mind—buying up all that grain for no good reason, enough to last several lifetimes.
The storehouse was now guarded every night, led by a man named Liu Da. He looked simple and honest, but was actually quite shrewd—in just a few days, he'd kept the area around the storehouse so clear that not even a stray cat could be found.
But tonight, he seemed distracted. A fellow guard teased him: "Liu Da, you got sores on your backside? Can't sit still no matter what?"
"Nonsense." Liu Da swung a fake punch at him, and everyone burst out laughing. But Liu Da kept his head down, wearing a restless expression.
"What's really going on with you?" By now everyone could tell something was off, but the stubborn man just shook his head and said nothing.
"Brother Liu!" A call came from the storehouse entrance. Liu Da looked up and immediately stood, his honest face turning shy as he scratched his head: "Sister Xia Tao, you… you came."
Xia Tao, seeing him too shy to even lower his head, felt her own cheeks flush pink, but she mustered her courage and shoved the basket in her hands into Liu Da's arms: "For you."
Seeing his goofy grin, she stamped her foot playfully: "What a fool."
As soon as Xia Tao left, the others swarmed around him, hollering and looking thoroughly entertained. One teased: "Now I know why he's been so distracted today—am I right or what?"
"Yeah, Brother Liu—"
Liu Da couldn't hide the smile at the corners of his mouth as he roughhoused with the group. But in that brief moment, someone snatched the basket from his hands. Opening it, they found two jugs of wine and some snacks to go with it.
"This—Sister Xia Tao is too thoughtful." The men exchanged glances, then one grabbed a jug and drank straight from the mouth.
Before Liu Da could stop him, the jug had already made its rounds. Afraid his beloved's kindness would go to waste, he snatched the jug back, tilted his head back, and drained it dry.
The night wind was biting cold, but after drinking, their bodies warmed up considerably. Liu Da let the remaining jug be passed around, each man taking a sip. A few mouthfuls of wine wouldn't cause any trouble.
It would also keep them more alert on the night watch.
But that very night, Master Song was dragged out of his warm embrace.
First the grain theft, then his illness—he and Madam Song hadn't enjoyed each other's company in a long while.
Tonight, both were in good spirits. Madam Song, past thirty, had strong desires in this regard. Amid the flushed heat and rolling waves, the bed creaked and groaned for a good while. But before they could finish, a knock sounded at the door.
"What is it?" Master Song tossed a pillow at the door, his tone foul.
"Master, something terrible—the storehouse is on fire!" The servant outside paced frantically, not daring to barge into the madam's chambers, cold sweat streaming down his face.
Inside, Master Song froze in shock. Madam Song, feeling him go still beneath her, wrapped her legs tighter around him in silent urging to continue.
He snapped back to his senses, shoved her legs aside, and scrambled off the bed, nearly falling before picking himself up.
Rushing out half-dressed, he fixed bloodshot eyes on the servant: "What did you say? What about the storehouse?"
Before the servant could answer, he saw smoke so thick it couldn't be ignored even in the darkness—in that direction—"My grain!"
The storehouse's back door opened onto a hidden alley, but the smoke was so heavy that the entire Song household was roused. Even the maids grumbled while fighting the fire: "Look at this—the master bought all that grain, and now it's all going up in smoke."
With a fire this big, how could it possibly be saved? Master Song stood at the door, his body barely able to support itself, trembling hands reaching out: "Save… save the fire!"
His grain! The Song family's entire fortune was in there.
But the fire was simply too fierce. Even with every servant and maid in the household dousing water, it couldn't stop the flames from spreading. Master Song pushed away the servant supporting him and leaned against a pillar himself: "Cough—don't worry about me, go fight the fire!"
"Father." The thick smoke stung their eyes, making it hard to see. It took a moment before he recognized the newcomer as Song Xilou. He had no time to deal with her now, and his impatience was plain on his face.
"What are you doing here?"
Song Xilou smiled and stepped forward. "Father, I've come to see you." After a pause, she added, "And also to see how our Song family's grain is burning."
Her words struck Master Song right in the heart. He roared, "If you have nothing to do, get the hell back inside."
But Song Xilou just smiled, still wearing that expression of someone enjoying the show. "I just saw a group of men in black enter the Song family courtyard. Funny how the warehouse caught fire not long after."
Master Song's face filled with shock, but Song Xilou continued forward. "Seems like some important household—their attendants were calling him 'Your Excellency.'" She tilted her head in feigned confusion. "Father, have you offended someone?"
Master Song's heart pounded violently. An indescribable sense of malice surged from deep within straight to his skull. He looked up—the person across from him wore a beaming smile, and behind her, a great blaze seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Song Xilou pretended not to notice his restless, twitching hand. She smiled and added fuel to the fire. "The Song family has worked diligently all these years. If you've offended an official, that would be truly disastrous."
"Offended an official…"
Master Song suddenly raised his head, grabbed Song Xilou by the arm, dragged her forward a few steps, and pointed at the great fire. "If you say one more word, I'll push you in—believe me."
But Song Xilou was unafraid. She narrowed her eyes, stepped forward, and brought her head close to Master Song's ear, whispering softly, "I believe you."
She laughed, her face lit by the flames behind her as if fire burned in her eyes. Then she grabbed Master Song's hand and gave him a smile so brilliant it was almost blinding.
"Ah—"
A woman's scream drew everyone's attention. Following the sound, they saw their young miss, Song Xilou, cry out and fall into the great fire—while Master Song's hand remained frozen in that pushing position.
"Thud." That was the sound of a wooden bucket dropping from the hands of a terrified servant.
The master of the Song family was killing someone—and it was his own daughter.
After Song Xilou was pushed into the fire, a burning beam fell from the lintel above the door. Some wanted to rush in and save her, but the fire outside only grew fiercer.
"Miss—" The maids and servants shouted across the flames, but the hands they reached out were quietly withdrawn. Those who had momentarily felt a pang of conscience lost their hot-blooded courage. The beam falling from the lintel had blocked the path to survival.
Anyone who went in would surely be reduced to ashes—there was no chance of coming out alive.
No one would give up their own life for another. And even if someone braved death to go in now, what would it accomplish? The miss had been pushed in by the master himself—even if she were rescued, she wouldn't get a good outcome.
The fire burned so fiercely that nothing inside could be seen. Song Xilou kept running deeper into the warehouse. Had anyone been watching, they would have noticed that there was a stretch of path from the warehouse door to the interior that had no fire—but from outside, only the raging flames were visible, and no one noticed.
The area seemed to have been cleared beforehand—no flammable materials in sight. Song Xilou walked along, gathering the unburned grain into the palm space as she went. Fortunately, the grain at the back of the warehouse had not caught fire.
She continued until she reached the back of the warehouse, where she faintly heard someone calling out. Following the sound, she found a hole that had been knocked through the wall, blocked by grain so that no one had discovered it.
Following the calls, Song Xilou dug through the grain and saw the opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. The shouting outside continued, then paused when the hole was opened. A moment later, a face poked through:
"Good heavens, you scared me half to death!" The head belonged to a burly, rough-looking man who was now slapping his own chest with loud thumps. Combined with his fierce face and his terror-twisted expression, it was quite comical.
Song Xilou held back, but the corners of her mouth still curled up despite herself. She laughed and said, "Brother Dongliu, pull me out quickly."
The big man shouted "Alright!" and reached out a hand, gently pulling Song Xilou out of the burning warehouse with ease. Where they stood was a small alley behind the Song family warehouse—no matter how bustling the streets beyond were on any given day, this place was remarkably quiet.
Dongliu was the older brother of the female beggar who had once tricked Song Xilou. Back then, Song Xilou had been soft-hearted and given her a tael of silver. But afterward, the girl had latched onto her—every time Song Xilou went out, she would follow along, grinning and saying, "Miss, my name is Dongya."
The siblings Dongliu and Dongya—one begged on the front street, the other swindled on the back street—but Song Xilou had investigated them and found they weren't bad people. Besides, she had been in a hurry to buy Nanny Wu's freedom, so she had acknowledged the two siblings.
It turned out Dongliu had handled the Nanny Wu matter beautifully. Song Xilou thought it over for a long time and had Dongliu knock a hole in the back of the warehouse, slip in, and clear a path.
Dongliu was tall, muscular, and naturally strong. In no time, he had cleared a fire-resistant open space, which they then covered with sand Song Xilou had prepared in advance.
That was what allowed Song Xilou to escape the clutches of the Song family.
Sitting in the carriage, Dongya was buzzing with excitement, chattering noisily without pause. Song Xilou, worn out by the racket, rubbed her brow and let out a sigh.
Seeing that she seemed unhappy, Dongya's eyes rolled around: "Miss, what's the use of telling me to swap Xia Tao's wine?"
That Xia Tao liked Liu Da was something Song Xilou had known since her last life. Liu Da loved his drink, and Xia Tao often went to Li Ji's wine shop outside to buy wine for him. Song Xilou had spent five taels of silver to have the shop assistant replace her wine with Thousand Mile Drunk.
Thousand Mile Drunk was mild on the first sip, with the kick coming later—the same taste as the osmanthus wine Xia Tao usually bought for Liu Da. Naturally, Liu Da wouldn't suspect the wine sent by his sweetheart.
At this moment, he was probably still sprawled on the ground, snoring away.
Song Xilou lifted the curtain and looked at the scenery flying past outside: fate was ultimately different from her last life after all.