Chapter 25: Caught in Adultery
Song Hemei's lightly mocking tone rose, laying bare all those unspoken tacit consents, tearing away the self-deceptive cover-ups her parents had maintained.
"Need I be more explicit? How Shao Wen'ang's hands touched me, how he untied my robes. Mother, daughter dear—how is this any different from being a whore?"
Mother Song's eyes flared with rage, her finger trembling as she pointed at her. "You—you're trying to anger me to death! How can you speak such self-deprecating, self-debasing words? I am your mother—would I ever harm you?"
Song Hemei provoked her with words, steering her attention elsewhere, but still felt a pang of sorrow from the disappointment of the previous day.
She laughed sarcastically: "Leaving me in someone else's home, sending the Song family carriage away, making me submit to that disgusting man—yes, I should have been obedient, offered myself to him, served him well, won his heart back. Isn't that right, Mother?"
Mother Song's lips trembled with rage. She stammered "you" over and over without completing a sentence, and tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
Seeing her mother like this, Song Hemei felt uneasy herself.
All her vengeful thoughts were essentially mutual torment. Until the matter with the Shao family was resolved, they would only keep gouging at each other's hearts like this, until one side submitted first.
Her mother was probably also feeling guilty under such questioning, a mix of anger and worry driving her forward.
She grabbed Song Hemei's arm and began pounding her on the back.
"How dare you say such things! Are you trying to kill me, child?"
"Xiqiu—" Father Song suddenly spoke, stopping Mother Song.
He was behind the screen, seemingly glancing toward the interior: "First ask about the important matters."
Song Hemei's questions had managed to divert her mother's attention, but such a small trick couldn't fool her father, who had been in business for years.
This one sentence dragged everything back to the main point. Mother Song stopped hitting her, finally seeming to come to her senses. She hastily wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, her expression tense as she asked: "Xiao He, tell me the truth—where did you go last night?"
Song Hemei stiffened her neck, staring straight at her: "Nowhere. I was at the Shao residence."
"You still dare to lie? Did you really think something like this could be hidden? The Shao family sent Jin'er and Yin'er back, saying you had fought with Lord Shao again. Those two girls have already confessed that you left the residence early. You, you've learned to stay out all night! Do you even care about your reputation as a maiden?"
Song Hemei let out a cold laugh: "If a good reputation means I have to match with someone like him, then I'd rather not have it!"
She paused briefly, then suddenly caught the meaning in her mother's words: "Jin'er and Yin'er are back? Could it be that the Shao family doesn't intend to recognize this marriage?"
Her eyes lit up, her tone rising at the end, the joy hard to conceal.
Madam Shao flicked her handkerchief sharply: "This is not the time for that!"
Just then, Qiu Wan spoke up: "Mother, Second Sister has just returned home. Let her go back and rest first before questioning her further."
With that, she stepped forward to support Mother Song and whispered in her ear: "Second Sister is also in a fit of anger. If you keep arguing like this, there really will be no end to it."
Mother Song was breathing heavily from anger. She raised a hand to gently pat her chest to calm herself, but said nothing, only looked toward the screen, waiting for Father Song to decide.
The hall was silent for a moment before Father Song spoke: "Enough. Go down now. Spoiling a child is truly like killing them! Go back and be confined to your room. Grind down that temper of yours!"
Upon hearing this, Song Hemei didn't intend to argue or linger. She bowed to her mother, and as she came out from behind the screen, she saw her father turn his back to her with a sharp flick of his sleeve. She ignored him and walked straight out the door.
Qiu Wan followed a few steps behind her. As she was about to leave, Father Song instructed: "Eldest daughter-in-law, please advise Xiao He more."
Qiu Wan nodded in acknowledgment. By the time she caught up, Song Hemei had already stepped into her private chambers.
Even Jin'er and Yin'er were guarding the door, not allowing entry. She hesitated and stepped forward, but before she could speak, a voice came from inside the room: "If it's Sister-in-law, please come in."
Qiu Wan was startled by the voice, but she steadied herself and walked slowly inside.
Song Hemei was sitting upright, already expecting her sister-in-law's visit.
She had thought over the whole situation and felt that her sister-in-law might not have told their parents that she had been with Yu Yeqing yesterday. She might not even have told them she had been with a man at all.
After all, when faced with such a situation, they would surely be both suspicious and forcing themselves not to dwell on it, preferring to soothe her with the hope of maintaining the status quo, covering up any undesirable outcomes they were unwilling to face.
Seeing her sister-in-law enter the room looking uneasy, she couldn't help but find it amusing.
Since she had already tipped off Yu Yeqing in advance, she must have intended to use this as leverage. But who had ever seen a blackmailer so timid?
Song Hemei lowered her eyes and spoke first: "Sister-in-law, please sit."
Only the two of them were in the room. Qiu Wan twisted her handkerchief and slowly sat down across from her.
Song Hemei didn't look at her, afraid that if she did, her sister-in-law would shrink back and swallow her intentions—that would be bad.
Indeed, after a long silence, Qiu Wan finally spoke: "Xiao He, I know everything about you. But rest assured, I haven't told Father-in-law or Mother-in-law. I haven't even told your elder brother."
She licked her lips, which were dry from nervousness: "I came to see you for no other reason. I'm a bit short on silver right now, and I was hoping we could... coordinate our funds."
The implication was clear: if she didn't produce the silver, there was no telling whether she would keep this matter quiet.
Song Hemei's eyelashes fluttered slightly. She deliberately made her voice sound aggrieved: "Didn't I just give you some silver a few days ago, Sister-in-law? I really don't have any more now. Father is going to confine me, so where would I get any income?"
Seeing her like this, Qiu Wan's tone grew more urgent: "Xiao He, don't play games with me. You're so generous with that Young Master Yu—you didn't hesitate to buy him ginseng, antlers, and all sorts of expensive tonics. But when it comes to me, you have nothing? I am your own sister-in-law! Am I less dear to you than some outsider?"
Song Hemei slowly processed this. Could it be that her sister-in-law only knew the gist of things?
She felt a bit lucky that she hadn't admitted to anything about Yu Yeqing. She raised her head, put on a stern face, and deliberately tested her: "Sister-in-law, you're not talking nonsense, are you? When did I ever give Young Master Yu any silver?"
She grabbed her sister-in-law's wrist: "Is this why Mother and Father are so angry today? Did you tell them something? Ginseng, antlers—these things can be verified. Whether it's a medical clinic or a pharmacy, we can go ask the shopkeeper whether such things were purchased or not!"
Qiu Wan was flustered by her reaction. When people panic, they become uncertain, and when they lose confidence, they tend to drag in anything they can to prove they are right.
"Xiao He, my own younger brother saw it with his own eyes. How could it be false?"
Song Hemei stopped pulling at her and stared intently at her: "So that's it... No wonder you're in such a hurry for silver. You're filling a hole in your maiden family's finances. Is this the 'cutting ties with my maiden family' you spoke of before you were married? I'm going to tell my elder brother!"
She made as if to stand, but Qiu Wan quickly grabbed her, her eyes trembling, her voice rushed and soft: "Don't—don't—"
Song Hemei stood before her, looking down at her for a long moment, then slowly sat back down on the round stool.
When it came to threats, Qiu Wan didn't understand them—but she did.
To catch a thief, you need the stolen goods; to catch adultery, you need to catch them in the act. From the very start, not catching her and Yu Yeqing red-handed meant the game was already lost.
Song Hemei deliberately didn't speak immediately, letting the unease spread in Qiu Wan's heart. Only when Qiu Wan couldn't bear it any longer and softly called out "Xiao He" again did she finally let out a slow sigh: "Sister-in-law, you're putting me in a very difficult position."
She paused, then took her sister-in-law's hand in hers: "My relationship with Young Master Yu is perfectly pure. If you were to spread such baseless rumors, wouldn't that ruin my reputation?"
Qiu Wan immediately shook her head. Finally quick on the uptake, she knew she had to show her loyalty: "No, no—how would I dare speak of something so serious? Since it's a misunderstanding, it must not be true."
Song Hemei felt reassured. She gently patted her sister-in-law's hand: "Since you're thinking of me, I will think of you too. I won't tell my brother about your younger brother's matter. But you should be careful too. He is a habitual gambler. When a person gambles too much, they lose not just silver, but also their conscience and their wits. I know you care about your brother, but there must be limits."
She let go of her sister-in-law's hand, got up, took another ten taels of silver from a small box, and handed it to her.
Half-truthfully, she said: "I really don't have that much silver on me. Even if I did, I absolutely would not let you use it to cover for that scoundrel. But I know you must have emptied out all your private savings. This small amount for face powder is not much—keep it for your daily expenses."
Qiu Wan's eyes reddened, still shaken. She was grateful she hadn't followed her younger brother's advice and directly exposed this matter, or it would have harmed both herself and others.
"Xiao He, you're the only one who truly cares for me."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Song Hemei's lips, but she didn't respond.
Qiu Wan sniffled and said a few more sentimental words before realizing she had stayed too long. Somewhat awkwardly, she clutched the silver and stood up to take her leave.
Song Hemei was smiling as she saw her off, but suddenly remembered something and called her back.
"Sister-in-law—" She swallowed. When she was about to speak, an inexplicable discomfort arose. "If Young Master Yu asks about me, please tell him the truth."
She paused, then added: "Tell him the misunderstanding has been resolved, and he doesn't need to worry about me."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt an indescribable feeling slowly rising within her—familiar, yet she couldn't immediately identify it.
But there was no denying that this feeling gradually stained her face with a blush. Even though she maintained a composed expression in front of her sister-in-law, the pounding sensation in her chest was impossible to ignore.
It even made her feel guilty, as if if she were looked at a moment longer, someone would see the origin of that emotion she herself couldn't quite name.
But as soon as the words were out, she regretted them.
Would Yu Yeqing worry about her?
Or would he be glad that their connection had been exposed, finally allowing him to end the entanglement between them?
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