Free Web NovelChapter 393: Chapter 154: Clamor
It was late by the time Chen Song returned home that night.
When he arrived, the house was silent. The only sounds were the tireless chirping of insects in the grass and cicadas in the trees.
The house was pitch black. Thinking his family was already asleep, Chen Song quietly filled a basin with water and gave himself a quick rinse outside.
Once he was done, he entered their room and felt his way toward the bed in the darkness. Suddenly, a voice spoke up. "Did they find the murderer?"
Chen Song jumped. "You’re still awake? I thought you were all asleep."
"I have too much on my mind. The more I think, the more awake I feel. The more I try to sleep, the harder it is to drift off."
The room was relatively cool, but it still felt a bit stuffy to Chen Song. Since they were a long-married couple who had seen it all, he simply stripped down to his shorts and climbed into the mosquito netting.
It was even stuffier inside the netting. Uncomfortable, Chen Song took a cooling mat, spread it on the floor, and lay down. Sleeping on the floor was much more comfortable.
Xu Su Ying glared at him in the dark. "Honestly. You don’t know how to enjoy the finer things in life."
"I’m just a simple man. I can’t really handle luxury. A cooling mat to sleep on is good enough for me. I’m perfectly happy."
After some light banter with his wife, Chen Song turned on his side to face the bed. "Honey, what’s troubling you? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help."
Xu Su Ying moved to the edge of the bed and looked down at him. "You really can’t help with this."
"Try me."
So, Xu Su Ying told him what De’an and Zhao Jing had said earlier that day.
Don’t be fooled by how they talked about it; they might have made the Imperial College sound like a bad place, but it’s the most prestigious academy in the nation. An ordinary family would bankrupt themselves without a second thought for a chance to get their son or son-in-law in.
But now De’an and Zhao Jing had this opportunity, and they had to give it up.
"On the surface, they’re worried about being at the bottom of the pecking order and getting bullied. But the real reason is that they’re afraid of inadvertently exposing me, afraid that my... original family will find me."
Xu Su Ying scratched her head in frustration at the thought of her original body’s background.
The original owner of this body was already dead by the time she’d transmigrated into it. The girl had lost too much blood and had been submerged in water for a full two days. She used her last ounce of strength to swim to shore, and luckily, Chen Song rescued her just before she lost consciousness for good. He then did everything in his power to get her to a physician, and that was the only reason she managed to survive.
But while she survived, she had none of the original owner’s memories. She only knew from the items left behind that the girl had come from a rich or noble family.
Her claim of amnesia was both a lie and the truth. She truly had no idea how the original owner ended up in such a state, but she was certain it was connected to an attempted murder.
She didn’t dare make a single rash move, choosing instead to lie low in Qingshui County and live a quiet, unassuming life.
Some time ago, Chen Song had returned from the Prefecture with a piece of news. Apparently, the Chengyi Bo Mansion in the Capital City had been searching for a young lady who went missing twenty years ago while visiting her maternal grandparents.
The description of the girl’s clothing when she disappeared, her appearance, and the Jade Pendant she carried—it all matched the original owner of her body perfectly. As she suspected, the original owner must be that missing young lady.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the time to go to their door and reclaim her identity, which would provide a much better future for her children.
’But the mole hasn’t been found, the person who tried to murder the original owner hasn’t been caught, and what’s more, I haven’t even figured out what the situation is like inside that mansion. Rushing in blindly would be suicide, wouldn’t it?’
De’an was aware of this matter. He didn’t know the full details, but she had let things slip in conversations with Chen Song, and De’an had guessed that his maternal grandparents’ family was in the Capital City and was both wealthy and powerful.
’Does he really not want to go to the Imperial College?’
’Of course he does.’
’But he bears a strong resemblance to me. If someone were to find our family through him, it could bring a catastrophe down upon us all. The regret then would be unbearable.’
’So the best solution is to bide their time, gather their strength, and wait until they are powerful enough. Only then can they go to the Capital City.’
’After all, it’s already been so many years. A little more time won’t hurt.’
’Besides, if they go after they’ve already made a name for themselves, they’ll be in a much better position to handle whatever comes their way.’
Xu Su Ying just felt like she was holding her children back. "De’an is being considerate of us, and Zhao Jing is no different. He’s so perceptive and clever; he wouldn’t have missed these concerns. Because of me, the boys have to settle for second best and choose the prefectural academy. It just doesn’t sit right with me."
Chen Song’s lip twitched. "You haven’t been this sentimental in ages, and now you decide to start?"
A bamboo fan was tossed down from the bed. Chen Song laughed, picked it up, and began fanning himself nonchalantly.
