Hu Sanmu wrapped Ma Pozi's body in a straw mat and dragged it to the back mountain, then dug a hole in a secluded place and buried the body hastily.
After doing all this, he was so tired that he was sweating all over and sat on the ground gasping for breath for a long time.
"Mammy, I'm sorry." He gasped, "I didn't expect that girl would suddenly come to me. I wanted to protect you, but you were caught red-handed. I really can't plead for you. Although I forced you to take the medicine, I believe you can understand my difficulties. Please don't blame me or feel unwilling. Go well, be reborn into a good family in the next life, and don't live under the guise of others."
The moonlight was bleak, the mountain wind was howling, the dark shadows of the trees were dancing wildly in the wind, and the cries of crows could be heard in the distance, which made people tremble with fear.
Hu Sanmu's hair stood up, and the wind blew the sweat off his body, making him cold and wet to the bone. He didn't dare to stay any longer and trotted back to the mansion with the shovel in his hand.
The fourth aunt didn't dare to sleep alone, so she asked Xie Nanjia to find all the candles and light them, and she insisted that Xie Nanjia sleep with her.
As soon as the two lay down, they heard footsteps in the yard.
The fourth aunt hugged Xie Nanjia tightly in the quilt, not daring to breathe.
Xie Nanjia comforted her: "Don't be afraid, Auntie, it should be Hu Sanmu who has returned."
After waiting for a while, Hu Sanmu really came over following the light. He replied through the door that he had dealt with Ma Po and asked Fourth Aunt if she had any other instructions.
The Fourth Aunt was really frightened, so she told him not to go home tonight but to stay in the gatehouse to keep watch.
Hu Sanmu took the order and went to the gatehouse.
The Fourth Aunt finally felt relieved and said to Xie Nanjia that a woman cannot live without a man.
Xie Nanjia doesn't think so. In her opinion, Hu Sanmu is the biggest danger.
If Qin wanted to kill the Fourth Aunt, it was impossible for her to entrust the task to Ma Po alone. She asked Hu Sanmu to help catch the thief just to test him.
She had been observing Hu Sanmu secretly since he stepped into the mansion. Through his calm and composed response, she concluded that Hu Sanmu must be an insider and might even have received orders from Qin. Since Ma Pozi failed in her first strike, perhaps Hu Sanmu would be the next one to attack.
In this case, the reason why Hu Sanmu called her over to serve the Fourth Aunt might not be as simple as not being able to find a more suitable candidate.
Xie Nanjia guessed that Hu Sanmu wanted to use her as a scapegoat, put the blame on her for the death of the Fourth Aunt, and then kill her to atonce for Hu An's life.
It was a great irony in Xie Nanjia's opinion that the Fourth Aunt felt at ease leaving such a dangerous person to guard the gate.
However, she did not object. She felt that this would go along with the situation and clear the obstacles for her return to Beijing.
The chaotic night finally passed. After dawn, Xie Nanjia went to the woodshed alone while Fourth Aunt was still asleep.
Mrs. Liu had been staying awake all night in the woodshed. She was disheveled, with dark eye sockets, looking like a living dead person who had just crawled out of a coffin. When she saw Xie Nanjia coming over, she could not speak clearly. She cried in pain from her hoarse throat and hugged Xie Nanjia's legs, crying uncontrollably.
Xie Nanjia looked down at her and said calmly, "I reminded you a long time ago not to look down on Fourth Aunt, but you refused to listen. Now that you are in trouble, you should know who holds your life in your hands. Even if Fourth Aunt is a slave, she is still the Marquis's slave. You are not the kind of humble servants who can treat her harshly. If she wants to deal with you, it's no different from stepping on an ant."
"I was wrong, I know I was wrong..." Mrs. Liu kowtowed and bowed, begging Xie Nanjia to help her speak well of her in front of the Fourth Aunt and forgive her this time.
Xie Nanjia said: "My aunt asked me to tell you that if you can do one thing for her, she will believe that you are innocent."
"I'll do it, I'll do everything." Mrs. Liu agreed hurriedly, hoping to leave here as soon as possible.
However, when she heard that what the Fourth Aunt wanted her to do was to return to the capital to deliver a letter to the Marquis, she hesitated.
Everyone knew that the Fourth Aunt was an eyesore to the Madam, and that was why the Madam found fault with her and sent her to the farm. If she helped the Fourth Aunt deliver the letter to the Marquis, she would not end up well if the Madam found out.
But then again, when she returns to the capital, she can go directly to see the lady, tell her everything that happened here, and make her position clear. Maybe the lady will treat her differently because of her loyalty, and then she won't have to come back to this damn place again.
After much thought, she decided to take a risk. No matter what the final result was, it was better than staying here.
Xie Nanjia watched her eyes rolling around coldly. He could guess what was going on in her mind at a glance, but Xie Nanjia didn't expect her to really deliver the letter, so he didn't care about her calculations.
The two of them had their own thoughts. Finally, Mrs. Liu accepted the task. Xie Nanjia let her out of the woodshed, asked her to go back to the house to pack some clothes, and then took her to the gatehouse to find Hu Sanmu.
Hu Sanmu buried a dead body with his own hands. No matter how brave he was, he couldn't help feeling scared. He tossed and turned until the rooster crowed twice before he fell asleep.
When he was awakened by Xie Nanjia, he was so sleepy that he could not open his eyes. When he heard that the Fourth Aunt wanted Liu Pozi to return to the capital to deliver a letter, he suddenly lost all sleepiness and his triangular eyes widened into cow eyes.
"Xiu'er, it's not that I don't care about my aunt, but when my aunt came, Madam had instructed that no one could return to the capital without her order. If my aunt does this and Madam finds out, we will all be implicated."
Xie Nanjia said, "We have to make decisions in an emergency. Someone has died here. Shouldn't we let the Marquis know? My aunt said that if the lady blames us, she will bear all the responsibility. She is very suspicious now. If we stop her, she might think we are Ma Po's accomplice. You have seen how she behaves when she makes a fuss. Can you handle it?"
Hu Sanmu fell silent, thinking about how to stop this.
Xie Nanjia said, "Why don't I ask my aunt to come and talk to you in person? You know her temper. She won't stop until she scolds you like a dog."
Hu Sanmu hurriedly stopped her: "Forget it, forget it, I'll go open the door."
Xie Nanjia said, "Mammy doesn't know the way, so Auntie told you to prepare a donkey cart for her and take her to the main road from the county town to the capital."
"..." Although Hu Sanmu was very reluctant, he finally took Liu Pozi to the barn on the farm to harness the donkey cart, and sent the people out according to Xie Nanjia's instructions.
After they left, Xie Nanjia also went out for a while and hurried back two incense sticks later.
Fourth Aunt was still asleep when she went to the kitchen to light a fire and cook. She fiddled with it for a long time and finally managed to light the fire until she was covered in dust and the smoke made her cry.
She sat at the stove door, watching the flames slowly burning, and murmured to herself, "Son, I will be able to go back to see you soon. You must wait for me safely."
(End of this chapter)