Shen Xiling smiled gently, only then remembering the matter of Xue Tuan’er.

Oh yes, there was still Xue Tuan’er.

A pet – surely Qi Ying would allow her to take it with her… But it had always eaten rather expensive things since it was small at Fenghe Garden. She might not be able to afford to keep it for a while. Even if money wasn’t an issue, she probably couldn’t spare enough time to accompany it. Perhaps it would be better for it to continue staying here…

Shen Xiling sighed, sat quietly for a moment, then rubbed her face against Xue Tuan’er’s little cat face, her heart growing increasingly sorrowful.

It turned out she still had nothing and could take nothing with her.

She looked at the little box in her hands again, smiling somewhat bitterly. After thinking it over, she still didn’t dare open the box, only gently placing it in her arms as well, thinking: Perhaps the only thing I can take with you is you.

Shen Xiling felt another wave of tears surging up, which troubled her greatly.

She didn’t want to cry anymore, nor did she want to continue being sad. She quickly tilted her head back to wait for the tears to recede, then began thinking about how to leave this place.

She felt she should still bid Qi Ying a proper farewell. He had raised her for three years, and setting aside her romantic feelings for him, she was grateful to him in her heart. If she left without a word, it would be somewhat improper. Moreover, Fenghe Garden was full of his people – even Sister Shuipei and the others ultimately answered to him. Without his approval, she couldn’t leave either.

She just didn’t know when he would return this time. Perhaps to avoid her, he would stay away for several months again…

Shen Xiling sighed silently, thinking it didn’t matter – she would start packing her things first. If he still hadn’t returned after a while, she would write him a letter to discuss this matter. If he was willing to return to bid her farewell in person, that would naturally be best. If he wasn’t willing, then at least they would have exchanged a letter as farewell, rather than leaving things hanging without resolution.

Once Shen Xiling had made up her mind, she held Xue Tuan’er for a while longer, then got up while carrying it and walked out of her room.

Shuipei truly hadn’t expected that their young miss would continue eating three regular meals a day from that day forward, not becoming unable to swallow food as they had anticipated.

She didn’t cry, nor did she show signs of melancholy. She didn’t even ask about matters concerning the young master, remaining so calm it was as if nothing had happened.

But the maids had all seen her tear-stained appearance that day, and had all seen the young master standing at her door with a complex expression. How could they truly believe all was well? They became even more nervous, constantly feeling that something major was about to happen.

But their young miss remained calm and peaceful. Though the maids felt uneasy, they had no way to send word to the young master again. They could hardly go and say “Our young miss is very calm, strangely calm” – even if the young master didn’t get angry, Qing Zhu would throw them out the door.

While the maids were fretting, two days later, Song Haotang came to Fenghe Garden again.

This gentleman’s visits always brought news of events, and this time he brought shocking news: Shopkeeper Feng had committed suicide.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xiling dropped and shattered a teacup, unable to recover for a long while. Only after quite some time did she seem to finally find her voice and ask, “…What did you say?”

Song Haotang lowered his head, his expression equally pained. He steeled himself to glance at Shen Xiling, gritted his teeth, and said, “…He hanged himself, three days ago. The funeral is today…”

Shen Xiling was still in a daze, slow to recover.

Shopkeeper Feng…

She had clearly seen him not long ago and given him a sum of silver to help with his losses. He had even said he would help persuade the other small fabric shop owners to stand with her.

How many days had passed… and he was dead.

Shen Xiling felt as if she were floating, still unable to believe it. She forced herself to steady her mind and asked Song Haotang, “If he died three days ago, why are you only telling me today, Mr. Song?”

Song Haotang looked troubled, keeping his head down as he answered, “The twenty-fourth was your coming-of-age ceremony. He killed himself the day before. I…”

Hearing this, Shen Xiling frowned tightly, truly angered, saying with a frown, “Sir, you’re confused! Such a major matter – how could you hide it from me!”

As soon as she finished speaking, before Song Haotang could respond, everyone in the hall heard a loud “crash” – Liuzi had knocked over a master’s chair. He hurriedly set the chair upright, while Shuipei and the others nearby also looked pale.

Shen Xiling’s mind was too chaotic at the time to pay attention to these oddities from the maids and servants. She only turned to Song Haotang again and asked, “Three days ago – just enough time for the wake… today is the shopkeeper’s funeral day?”

Song Haotang pressed his lips together, looked at Shen Xiling again, then nodded with great difficulty.

Shen Xiling took a deep breath and supported herself on the table to stand up.

The shocking news made her legs somewhat weak at the moment. She braced herself against the table to steady herself without letting anyone notice anything amiss. Her expression showed determination and confusion she was trying hard to conceal. Everyone heard her say, “Let’s go pay our respects.”

Shopkeeper Feng had hanged himself in his previously vandalized fabric shop, and his memorial hall was not set up at home but in this shop. Reportedly, he had sold his family’s property to cover the shop’s losses, and from some time ago, the family had been living in the small room behind the shop, in very strained circumstances.

There were neither many nor few people paying respects – mostly his relatives. His wife and eight-year-old son were both dressed in mourning, kneeling at the entrance to the memorial hall with faces full of grief.

Shen Xiling’s carriage only stopped nearby. To show respect for the deceased, she got out and walked to the memorial hall to pay her respects.

She was accompanied by two maids, Shuipei and Fengshang, as well as Song Haotang and Liuzi. They appeared to be a large group. Shopkeeper Feng’s wife initially thought some bullying nobles had come to the door and held her son fearfully, looking terrified. Seeing this, Shen Xiling quickly bent down to explain to Mrs. Feng, “Madam, please don’t be frightened. I was originally Shopkeeper Feng’s business… friend, surnamed Fang. I’ve come today to pay my respects.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Liuzi beside her immediately presented silver ingots and funeral candles.

Everyone thought Mrs. Feng should feel relieved upon hearing this, but unexpectedly, as soon as she heard the surname “Fang,” she began crying loudly again, even more agitated than before, with venomous hatred showing in her eyes as she shouted, “Surnamed Fang? You’re that Fang Jun?”

Before Shen Xiling could react, she heard Mrs. Feng angrily cursing, “How dare you show your face here! How dare you show your face here!”

She released her son, whom she had been holding tightly, and lunged at Shen Xiling like a madwoman, but was timely stopped by Liuzi and Song Haotang working together.

With the two men restraining her, she still tried to reach Shen Xiling desperately, extending her hands as if wanting to tear at her, cursing angrily, “He was killed by you! For doing business with you, he offended the guild people! The shop was smashed and vandalized! That was his life’s work! They even threatened him, threatened to harm our child, do you know that! Do you?”

Mrs. Feng cried and struggled loudly. Shen Xiling’s heart pounded like thunder, shocked and disturbed. Looking at Mrs. Feng, who was almost mad with pain, she could barely speak. After a long while, she said with a slight tremor, “I didn’t know the guild people would go this far. Shopkeeper Feng never mentioned it to me either – if I had known about this, I certainly would have…”

Before Shen Xiling could finish, she was immediately interrupted by Mrs. Feng’s bitter laughter.

She looked at Shen Xiling with complete mockery, then spat at her viciously, cursing, “Don’t you feel guilty saying this, you cursed wretch? You didn’t know? Of course you didn’t know! He went to your high gates and grand mansion to find you, to beg for your help, but you wouldn’t see him! You even had people drive him away! You have such a cruel heart… He was doing things for you – how could you leave him to die?”

Mrs. Feng cried herself to exhaustion and slowly collapsed to sit on the ground, weeping bitterly, “It wasn’t the guild people who killed him at all – it was you, it was you…”

Shen Xiling was completely speechless.

She didn’t know what Mrs. Feng was talking about and felt completely at a loss. She wanted to defend herself, to say that Shopkeeper Feng had never come to find her, that she wasn’t irresponsible. But looking at the miserable sight of Mrs. Feng and the child in their mourning clothes, she felt that all explanations were meaningless…

Shen Xiling turned her head numbly and saw a coffin resting in the memorial hall – presumably Shopkeeper Feng’s coffin. His body lay inside, separated from his family by the boundary between life and death. He was someone who loved his wife and children dearly, reliable in business and not weak or incompetent. How painful and helpless must he have been to choose hanging, and what had she been doing at that time…

While Shen Xiling was thinking in a daze, she suddenly heard more arguing and crying. It was Shopkeeper Feng’s young son who, seeing his mother sitting on the ground wailing, thought Shen Xiling’s group had bullied his mother. Though young, he already knew to protect his family in place of his dead father. He charged at Shen Xiling like an angry little bull, his tender face full of hatred, apparently wanting to hit her.

He was naturally stopped by Shuipei and Fengshang, but though they could restrain his actions, they couldn’t stop his hateful gaze. Shen Xiling was firmly held by such a look, feeling that another large hole had opened in her already empty heart, with icy cold wind rushing in through that hole, making her heart completely cold.

She was like an utterly evil villain, yet she had clearly done nothing.

…What was all this about?

With such chaos in the Feng family’s memorial hall, Shen Xiling naturally couldn’t continue staying there. In the end, she only had someone give Mrs. Feng a generous sum of silver as compensation, then hurriedly escaped back to her carriage.

It was already dusk, but there was no brilliant sunset glow on the horizon – only rolling dark clouds and rumbling thunder, harbingers of a torrential downpour.

Shen Xiling leaned dejectedly in the carriage while Shuipei and the others cried before her, apologizing to her.

Shuipei, usually the most composed, was also frightened and cried inconsolably, saying, “Miss, this is my fault… Shopkeeper Feng did indeed come to Fenghe Garden wanting to see you, but during that period when you were in poor spirits, I saw he looked like he was about to cry and make a scene. Afraid he would make you more worried and troubled, I took it upon myself to drive him away – I, I really didn’t think he would take his own life because of this…”

Shuipei was only halfway through when Liuzi outside the carriage anxiously interrupted, saying, “No, no, no, Miss, don’t listen to her. This is my fault – I was the first one to stop him. It’s all my fault, entirely my fault…”

The maids and servants competed to take blame, but Shen Xiling knew it wasn’t their fault.

It was her fault.

It was all her fault.

Author’s Note: Thank you for all the comments, reader support, and votes~ This chapter has about two more updates remaining.