TIPS – Chapter 153

“Okay, okay, no matter what, thank you both.” The girl’s parents wiped their tears as they spoke. They were the lowest of the poor, with no means to seek justice for themselves when trouble arose, nor the strength to stand tall.

Now that someone was standing up for them, they were naturally moved and deeply grateful.

Seeing the pitiful children, Song Jingwei took out a pouch of copper coins and handed it to the girl’s parents. “Take this and buy something for the children to eat. As for your family’s matter, please be patient. We’ll go handle it first.”

The girl’s parents were once again overwhelmed with gratitude upon seeing the bag of coins. This was probably the most touching yet heartbreaking thing they’d experienced in a long time.

After leaving the girl’s home, Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi went to the local administrative office to register and report the case.

Normally, even after registering the case there, it would still take some time before it reached the county office. So Song Jingwei invoked his friendship with the county magistrate to urge the staff to expedite the process.

The people at the office vaguely remembered Song Jingwei, but what shocked them more than his connection to the magistrate was his relationship with Song Man, the accused in the case. The defendant was Song Man—yet the plaintiff turned out to be his own son?

Surprised as they were, they didn’t dare delay or neglect the matter. They quickly dispatched someone to report the case posthaste.

“Young Master Song, it will likely take three days before there’s a result. During these three days, please keep a close eye on the suspect—do not let them escape the county.” Once someone left the county, it became significantly harder to bring them to justice.

“Alright, we’ll return in three days,” Song Jingwei replied with a nod.

While they were handling the case in town, back at home, Song Man and Song Jinmei were already feeling uneasy, trying to think of a way out.

Song Man was somewhat calmer. He didn’t believe Song Jingwei would be truly heartless enough to send him to face official punishment. But Song Jinmei wasn’t as optimistic. Because of the things she had done to Song Jingwei, she believed he must hate her to the bone.

Still, they couldn’t just sit and wait for doom. Before Song Jingwei returned, they had to come up with a plan.

Noticing that no one from the main Shen household was home, Song Jinmei, emboldened by desperation, came up with a wicked idea. She waited until Yang Shi and Shen Dongming were avoiding them and snuck into their room.

She hadn’t discussed this with Song Man—she thought her father was too timid and wouldn’t dare do such a thing. So she decided to act on her own. And she succeeded quite easily.

Yang Shi and Shen Dongming rarely locked their door and didn’t guard against the other family members. More importantly, there wasn’t much money in the room to begin with.

The little bit of silver that Song Jingwei had given them over time had been saved up little by little. In Song Jinmei’s eyes, it was barely anything.

Staring at the small bag of silver in her hand, she muttered disdainfully, “As expected of paupers. Even this little money is hidden away so tightly.” If she hadn’t searched carefully, she wouldn’t have even found it.

After sneaking out, she hesitated by the door. Should she go back and get her father so they could leave together, or should she just run off by herself?

After much thought, Song Jinmei decided to go alone. If she went back to get Song Man now, she might not be able to leave at all—he wouldn’t be easily persuaded, and this small amount of money wouldn’t last for the both of them anyway.

In short, going solo was the more practical choice.

Avoiding the courtyard, Song Jinmei reached the main gate smoothly. Just as she was about to open the door, she suddenly saw two large dogs glaring at her.

It shouldn’t have been a problem—she could just open the door and leave. But the moment she moved her hand, the dogs started barking furiously, scaring her so much she froze in place.

“Stupid dogs! Stop barking! Shut up!” Song Jinmei said in a panic, afraid the noise would draw the main Shen household members. But then she remembered Yang Shi and Shen Dongming weren’t home, so she mustered some courage and tried opening the door again.

“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!” The two dogs lunged forward aggressively.

“Ah! Get away! Go away!” Song Jinmei screamed, her face pale with fear.

Far off, Yuan Jinyun walked over holding Benben in his arms. He glanced at the two furious dogs, then at Song Jinmei, and asked, “What’s going on with you? Why are they barking at you?” Everyone knew the two dogs from the main Shen household were clever and gentle—they never acted aggressively without reason. So something was clearly off.

“How would I know? They just suddenly tried to bite me…” Song Jinmei said, still shaken. “Quick, make them go away… I… I need to go out.”

“What are you going out for? It’s almost noon. Why not wait until after lunch?” Old Master Yuan suggested sincerely. He didn’t like this girl either, but since this was Song Jingwei’s family matter, as an old man, it wasn’t his place to interfere.

“No, I have to go out right now,” Song Jinmei insisted, trying again to unbolt the door.

“Woof woof woof! Woof woof woof!” The two dogs snarled and barked again, growling menacingly.

“…” Song Jinmei was nearly in tears from fear and didn’t dare touch the door anymore.

Just as the standoff continued, Yang Shi returned and knocked on the copper ring on the door.

The old master walked over and said, “Open the door, they’re back.”

Song Jinmei shook her head. She didn’t dare open it.

“It’s fine, I’ll watch the dogs. Don’t be afraid,” Old Master Yuan said. He was still holding Benben and couldn’t go open the door himself.

Song Jinmei’s eyes darted around, and after swallowing hard, she tried again. This time, however, the two dogs didn’t bark at her—instead, they sat down obediently.

Joy bloomed in Song Jinmei’s heart. She quickly pulled back the bolt on the door, and before Yang Shi could even step inside, she slipped past and bolted out.

“Hey?” Yang Shi was startled to see the girl dart out like a gust of wind. She stood there confused for a moment before suddenly remembering her daughter-in-law’s instructions. Panic surged through her as she shouted, “Old man! Stop that girl—don’t let her run off!”

As luck would have it, Shen Dongming was nearby. He heard his wife’s shout just in time to see Song Jinmei making a run for it.

The moment Song Jinmei saw Shen Dongming, she immediately changed direction and ran the other way. If it hadn’t been for Yang Shi’s shout, no one would have come after her! Rage bubbled in her chest as she cursed under her breath: “Damn it! This whole family is full of demons!”

“Where are you going? Why are you running?” Shen Dongming shouted as he chased after her.

Panting, Song Jinmei ran as fast as she could, deeply contemptuous of the farmer chasing her. Isn’t it obvious? she thought. If I’m running, why would I stop to tell you why I’m running?

Still standing by the door and peeking outside, Yang Shi anxiously asked, “Old man, what on earth is going on?”

Yuan Jinyun then told Yang Shi everything he had just seen and heard, concluding, “Looks like there really is something off about that girl.”

“There’s definitely something wrong,” Yang Shi agreed. “Jingwei told us early on to keep an eye on them and not let them run. I thought he was being overly cautious… I mean, why would someone run away for no reason…” She was full of regret now. If she had just listened to her daughter-in-law, Song Jinmei wouldn’t have gotten the chance to escape. “Right! I’d better go check on his father!”

Song Man hadn’t run off. He was still in the guest room, sighing heavily. When he heard that his daughter had fled, his eyes widened in shock.

“She… how could she just run away?” What hurt him the most was that his daughter had abandoned him without a word.

Outside, Shen Dongming finally caught up with Song Jinmei after quite a while. After all, Song Jinmei was a pampered young lady—there was no way she could outrun him across such uneven fields.

Just as Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi’s ox cart pulled up to the front gate, they saw Shen Dongming returning, out of breath and dragging back a disheveled young woman.

Song Jingwei immediately jumped down from the cart and asked, “What happened?”

Wasn’t that disheveled woman Song Jinmei? They’d only been gone for a morning, and she was already stirring up trouble?

Shen Dongming took a couple of deep breaths before explaining to his returning daughter-in-law, “The moment she saw us, she took off running. I… I just chased her down and brought her back.”

Song Jinmei was still struggling, shouting, “Let go of me! What right do you have to catch me?”

Song Jingwei looked at her and asked, “Why were you trying to leave?”

He expected at least some sign of guilt or hesitation, but to his surprise, Song Jinmei replied righteously, “Why shouldn’t I leave? I don’t want to stay at your house anymore, is that not allowed?”

She added, “Let me go! I’m not staying here any longer!”

“You’re even willing to abandon your own father?” Song Jingwei asked. At that moment, Song Man walked out from inside, apparently having heard him. His expression didn’t look good.

They had relied on each other for so many years, and yet she had tried to leave him behind without a word. What about all those years of father-daughter affection?

“…!” Song Jinmei also saw her father. She immediately turned her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

“Meimei, are you really going to abandon your father?” Song Man asked sorrowfully.

“…” Of course Song Jinmei still cared for her father. No matter what, he had raised her. Ever since her mother died, he had doted on her deeply. These thoughts brought tears to her eyes. She sniffled and choked out, “Dad…”

Seeing his daughter cry finally gave Song Man some relief—at least she still had some feelings for him.

“Meimei.” He stepped forward to support his daughter.

The members of the Shen family watched as the two of them embraced and cried.

If it had been someone else, this scene might have moved them. But seeing it between Song Man and his daughter, it just didn’t stir any sympathy.

Thinking of the poor family involved in all this, Song Jingwei fought to suppress his anger and said, “Everyone, get inside the house.”

If anything needed to be discussed, they’d do it behind closed doors.

“No, no! I’m not going back in! I don’t want to stay here!” Song Jinmei immediately shook her head and began struggling again. But Shen Dongming held onto her tightly and said, “My daughter-in-law told you to go back, so back inside it is!”

“Dad! Tell them to let me go—I don’t want to go back in!” Song Jinmei pleaded with her father.

“Well…” Song Man looked at Shen Dongming, but the man’s expression was resolute. Then he looked at Song Jingwei.

But no one paid him any attention. In the end, Song Jinmei was still dragged back into the house. She watched helplessly as the doors were shut.

Panic welled up in her heart. Even though that money didn’t mean much to her, it was still stolen.

Because Song Jinmei’s reaction was so extreme—and far more dramatic than Song Man’s—Song Jingwei began to suspect that she had done something else wrong. Otherwise, why would she run the moment she saw them?

After getting a clear account of the earlier events, Song Jingwei turned to Song Jinmei, who was still being held, and said, “Speak. What did you do while there was no one at home?”

Sure enough, he saw a flicker in Song Jinmei’s eyes, but her mouth remained tightly shut, and she didn’t answer.

Song Jingwei directly said to Yang Shi, “Go back and check the house. She has no money and tried to run away—clearly, she stole the family’s silver.”

“Ah?” Yang Shi widened her eyes in shock, then hurried back into the house and went straight to where she usually kept the silver. As expected, it was gone. She ran out and said to her daughter-in-law, “The silver is missing!”

“Hmm. Search her,” Song Jingwei said.

Yang Shi was the only woman present, so she was the most suitable one to do the search.

Hearing this, Song Jinmei suddenly went wild, struggling fiercely and shouting, “No need to search! I took the silver!” She managed to break free, pulled the pouch of silver out from her chest, and disdainfully threw it back at them. “It’s just some money! Didn’t our family give you all this money in the first place?” She pointed at Song Jingwei’s nose and cursed, “You ungrateful, treacherous brute! Everything you’ve eaten, worn, and used—wasn’t it all given by your father? Have you ever earned a single coin yourself?”

“I haven’t earned a single coin, but I’ve never wronged you either. Everything you’re going through now is retribution.” Song Jingwei bent down and said, “Good and evil always get repaid. If you’ve done shameful things, be prepared for the consequences. Don’t blame others for not giving you a chance.”

As for the disgraceful things that father and daughter had done, there were far too many. It seemed they had done so much that they didn’t even care anymore—none of it felt like a big deal to them.

“You… you went to the town today, did you…” Song Man looked at Song Jingwei uneasily, hesitating to finish his sentence.

“I did. And you know exactly what you did,” Song Jingwei replied.

Hearing this, Song Man knew their deed had been exposed. He immediately put on a pitiful face and said, “Father was forced into it… It was all just to survive! Now that I know I was wrong, all the money is gone too, so…”

“So you think your punishment is complete?” Song Jingwei sneered.

“…” Song Man didn’t respond. Whatever the case, all he hoped now was that Song Jingwei wouldn’t turn him in.

“Stay where you are and behave.” Song Jingwei tossed out the words and stopped paying them any more attention. He said to Shen Dongming and his wife, “No need to deal with them anymore. In a few days, send them away.”

Song Man and Song Jinmei felt uncertain, but they took Song Jingwei’s words to mean he intended to send them somewhere far away.

That was just what they wanted—hopefully, with some money too.

So Song Jinmei immediately said, “Father gave you so much money back then. You should at least give us half.”

Song Jingwei paused slightly in his steps but didn’t look back and simply walked on.

“Hmph!” Song Jinmei tidied her clothes, full of anger, and muttered to Song Man, “I told you he wouldn’t dare do anything to us. Just wait…”

Wait until they made a comeback—and then they could settle the score with this annoying little brother.

“Meimei…” Song Man was still concerned about the escape plan that Song Jinmei hadn’t shared with him.

“Dad! It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you, but think about it—if I had told you, would you have had the guts to run?” Song Jinmei said confidently. She had long wanted to complain about her father’s cowardice.

Song Man was speechless. He had many strengths, but he feared death too much.

The father and daughter were already planning how to make a comeback after being sent away, and how much silver they could get when leaving the Shen family’s main house—unaware that their case had already been reported to the county office.

A case of a son accusing his own father—this was one of the first in history.

Three days later, Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi went to town again. The staff at the administration office informed them that the case had reached a conclusion. Holding the official documents, they followed Song Jingwei back to Chashan Village to arrest the culprits.

When the group arrived at the Shen family’s main residence and stood before Song Man and Song Jinmei, the father and daughter were dumbfounded.

What was going on? Weren’t they supposed to be given money and sent far away?

The two of them stared wide-eyed at Song Jingwei. But when they heard the officer read out the charges, their faces turned ashen.

“Guards, arrest the two of them!” After the reading, the officer gave a wave, and two men came forward to seize Song Jinmei and Song Man and prepared to take them away.

Before leaving, the officer turned to Song Jingwei with a respectful tone and said, “Our Lord Zhang has a message for you. According to the law, you’re entitled to inherit part of the Song estate. Would you like to…”

“No. Donate that money to the common folk. Tell Lord Zhang—he’ll understand.” Song Jingwei replied.

He trusted Zhang Benqing. Giving the money to him meant at least eighty percent would be used properly. That was enough.

“Very well, I’ll pass on your message. He might need a couple of your calligraphy pieces.”

“That’s no problem.”

“Great, great. Then we’ll take our leave.” With that, the officer led the group and departed.