Chapter 81: Can a Daughter's Heart Be Known? (Part 3)

"Ah!" As the little girl struggled, Han Gang suddenly let out a low cry, hissing through his teeth.

Han Yunni immediately stopped pouting. She turned to look at Han Gang, whose brows were tightly furrowed and sweat beaded on his forehead. Her face tense with worry, she asked, "Third Brother, what's wrong?"

Han Gang didn't answer. He pressed his right hand to his waist, his expression one of indescribable pain.

"Third Brother, are you okay?" Han Gang's reaction made Han Yunni's voice tremble with the threat of tears.

"I fell off a horse a few days ago and twisted my muscles..." Han Gang lied without batting an eye. It was easy to deceive a young girl whose heart was entirely set on him. He closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle massage from Han Yunni's soft little hands on his waist. Gradually, the faint fragrance from the little girl began to ignite the fire within him, making his breathing grow heavy.

"Are you feeling better?" Han Yunni looked up, her eyes full of concern, completely unaware of the allure of her actions.

Han Gang was now a strong and healthy young man, and he had normal physiological needs. However, the little girl was still too young. Though Han Gang was not a moralist, he found it hard to bring himself to touch a thirteen-year-old girl. Moreover, he was worried about the lack of safety measures. If the little girl were to become pregnant, her underdeveloped body would not be able to safely deliver the child, leading to a tragic outcome for both.

Could Han Gang bear it? Not at all.

With no outlet for his desires, Han Gang wondered if he should really visit the brothels behind the Huimin Bridge. But what if he got sick? Although there were no incurable diseases said to be transmitted from apes to humans, other illnesses were certainly not lacking. Han Gang always took great care of his health.

Of course, a thousand years later, there were many ways to indulge, even without the conventional means. Han Gang was well-versed in both theory and practice. But looking at Han Yunni's still childish face and her earnest focus on massaging his injury, he couldn't bring himself to act. Han Gang felt a mix of frustration and helplessness, never imagining he would become someone worse than a beast.

Han Gang sighed inwardly, consoling himself that good things should be savored slowly, not rushed like Zhu Bajie eating the ginseng fruit. He forcefully hit his head, causing the girl in his arms to look up in confusion. Well, well, he thought, I should take more cold showers!

He lifted his head, gazing at the ceiling beams illuminated by the firelight. Tomorrow was the beginning of spring, more significant than the New Year's Day of the first month. It was an important festival. The day after, he would set off east to report to the capital. Tomorrow, he had time to enjoy the festival celebrations of this era.

The candle wick crackled, the yellow flame flickering as if performing a dance on the half-burned candle.

Yan Suxin tightly closed her sore eyes, her eyeballs aching. In the flickering candlelight, focusing on the shoe she was embroidering was very straining. Even now, the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to cover with powder.

She put down the embroidery hoop and pinned the needle to the corner of the silk. On the deep blue satin, a peony with golden threads was almost complete, with only the two bottom leaves left. The famous golden belt peony from Luoyang seemed to be growing on this palm-sized piece of silk.

With one more day's work, the longevity shoes would be finished, but the charcoal for heating had run out today. Yan Suxin was troubled, rubbing her temples. She had no extra money and could only support herself and Zhao'er through her embroidery skills. It was already hard to put food on the table, let alone find money to buy more charcoal.

"Sixth Sister?" A little girl with delicate features sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Hearing the voice, Yan Suxin quickly turned and tucked her back into bed. "Zhao'er, go back to sleep... don't get up."

"Isn't Sixth Sister sleeping?" Zhao'er, holding the edge of the quilt, blinked her big eyes.

"I'll sleep in a bit. Zhao'er, be a good girl and listen to Sixth Sister, go to sleep quickly."

The little girl obediently nodded and closed her eyes. At seven years old, Zhao'er had no blood relation to Yan Suxin, but her mother was also a servant in the Chen family and had always taken care of Yan Suxin. After her mother died of illness two years ago, Yan Suxin took her in.

Zhao'er was likely a daughter of the Chen family, but her paternity was unknown and unacknowledged. When the Chen family fell, she was fortunate to escape being sent to the brothel. Similarly, Yan Suxin, being just a servant, was not listed as a concubine in the family register and was not sent to the brothel with the other wives and concubines.

After the Chen family's downfall, the officials who participated in the feast retained only a small portion of the Chen family's and their allies' assets, while the remaining wealth, worth over 500,000 guan, was divided among themselves.

The most popular were the land and real estate, especially the Chen family's properties. The Chen family had been rooted in Qinzhou for nearly a century, owning fertile land and prime locations for their residences and shops. Their century of accumulation made them more deeply rooted in the region than many noble families.

When Prime Minister Yan Shu was alive, his family was extremely wealthy, as reflected in his poem, "In the courtyard of pear blossoms, the moon is bright; by the pond of willow catkins, the wind is gentle." But by the time of his son, Yan Jidao, despite having a prime minister brother-in-law, the Yan family showed signs of decline. With Fu Bi now over sixty, the Yan family would likely fall into decline after his death. Yan Jidao, though skilled in writing poetry, lacked the ability to preserve the family's wealth.

Prime Minister Xiang Minzhong, during the reign of Emperor Taizong, was immensely powerful, but his family declined by the time of his son, and his grandson was even more pitiful. If not for the fortunate marriage of his great-granddaughter to the crown prince, who later became empress, the family would have had no chance of revival.

The Cui and Pei families of Shandong, who had held high offices for generations, were destroyed during the turmoil of the late Tang and Five Dynasties periods. In the Song Dynasty, noble families could easily rise to wealth but also fall just as easily. Real estate and land changed hands frequently, as the saying goes, "A thousand years of land changes hands eight hundred times." Truly enduring wealth belonged to the local gentry, who could maintain their family's prosperity for generations.

The Chen family was such a century-old family. Therefore, when the Chen family's servants and maids were left to the officials of Qinzhou to share, no one wanted to take them. They were valuable assets, but no one was willing to take the risk.

Most of the Chen family's servants were born into the family and had served for generations. No one could be sure if any of them harbored thoughts of revenge. There were plenty of loyal and reliable servants available, and it was safer to hire locals than to keep potential enemies close. In the end, they were all dismissed.

Yan Suxin took the opportunity to escape with Zhao'er. After leaving the Chen family, she rented a house in the southern part of the city. The small savings she had carefully hidden, combined with her excellent embroidery skills, helped them survive the New Year.

During this time, Chen Ju was publicly executed in the market, his body cut into pieces. The accomplices of Chen Ju were either beheaded or exiled.

Yan Suxin was actually very happy. The mortal enemy who had destroyed her family was subjected to the most cruel punishment, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. But when Li Shizhong threw down the token, and the executioner began to cut Chen Ju into pieces, the cheers of the crowd in the market echoed in her ears, leaving her feeling lost and disoriented.

She still remembered the winter day ten years ago. Her mother, crying, had forcefully choked her. Hot tears dripped onto her face. Her mother, from a noble family, had never held anything heavier than a spatula. But that day, her mother's hands were strong, so strong that she couldn't break free, and she soon fainted. When she woke up, her mother was hanging from the ceiling, a lifeless body. The day before, news of her father's death had arrived from the south.

Yan Suxin had thought it would take decades to gather enough evidence to avenge her parents and bring the Chen family to ruin. But unexpectedly, after just ten years, she had gained Chen Ju's trust, and someone else had completed her mission. Losing the goal she had been willing to die for left a void in her heart, making her feel like a ghost. Yet, she also felt a great sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

These conflicting feelings almost drove Yan Suxin mad. She was grateful to Wang Shao, Han Gang, and others who had destroyed the Chen family, but she also resented not being able to take revenge herself.

If only she could have sent Chen Ju to hell herself, how wonderful that would be.

The candle wick flickered, the flame gently swaying. Yan Suxin trimmed the excess wick with scissors, and the flame burned steadily again. By the candlelight, she picked up the satin and continued her embroidery.

After an unknown amount of time, the candle wax had filled the candle holder, and Yan Suxin finally finished the last leaf. Putting down the embroidery hoop, she felt a sense of relief as her mind detached from the needle and thread. But then, the sound she had been ignoring came to her ears.

The slightly rapid breathing of Zhao'er behind her startled Yan Suxin. She quickly felt Zhao'er's forehead with the back of her hand, finding it slightly warm. It was indeed due to illness. Yan Suxin gently stroked Zhao'er's forehead, her heart filled with fear and anxiety over the sudden illness.