Chapter 46

"Finally finished!" Zhou Chong in the bedroom suddenly threw down the writing brush, then picked up the last chapter of the *Journey to the West* he had written, and after checking it a few times to ensure there were no typos, he finally put it down with satisfaction.

After more than twenty days of effort, Zhou Chong finally completed the manuscript of *Journey to the West*. This morning was the last chapter. Not long ago, Xu Shenzhong returned to Suzhou, taking away the first thirty chapters of *Journey to the West* that he, Zheng Jing, and another person had copied. When bidding farewell, Xu Shenzhong held Zhou Chong's hand and insisted that he give him a set when *Journey to the West* was published. Zhou Chong had already agreed, and he believed this promise would soon be fulfilled.

"Brother, hurry up and have lunch, Auntie and Sister have already prepared it!" At this moment, the petite Duo'er bounced into the room, calling out. Baiqiu, who was not only afraid of Zhou Chong but also dared not enter his room, only poked his head in from the threshold, peering in secretly and ready to run at any moment.

"Alright, let's go have lunch. This afternoon, I'll go out and bring you something delicious!" With *Journey to the West* completed, Zhou Chong felt a weight lifted from his mind. Seeing Duo'er, he was even happier. He picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. He planned to deliver the manuscript of *Journey to the West* to Xie Lingyun this afternoon so he could get the money sooner.

"Oh~ That's great, more delicious things to eat! Duo'er wants to eat candied haws and malt sugar!" Hearing about the treats, Duo'er, sitting on Zhou Chong's shoulder, hugged his head and shook it excitedly. Although the wound on Zhou Chong's thigh had healed, he was still dizzy from her shaking and had to struggle to calm her down.

Zhou Chong carried Duo'er out of the courtyard, preparing to go to Auntie Wang's place for lunch. However, Duo'er suddenly remembered something and called out loudly, "Brother, Auntie asked us to call Manager Xu, he hasn't come for lunch yet!"

"Manager Xu hasn't come?" Zhou Chong was extremely surprised. Manager Xu was always the first to arrive for meals, and he had never been late. It was very strange that he didn't come for lunch today.

With this question in mind, Zhou Chong took Duo'er to the front courtyard where Manager Xu lived. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Manager Xu sitting in a chair, holding a piece of paper in one hand and wiping his tears with the other. When he saw Zhou Chong, he quickly crumpled the paper and threw it behind him, then forced a smile and said, "Young Master, why are you here?"

Seeing the tear marks on Manager Xu's face, Zhou Chong was puzzled. Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, Manager Xu quickly wiped his face and smiled, "Young Master, I was so engrossed in reading a story that I didn't realize it was already noon. Let's go have lunch quickly!"

Manager Xu stood up and walked away, clearly not wanting Zhou Chong to ask further.

Seeing Manager Xu's unusually serious demeanor, Zhou Chong didn't press the issue and followed him to the inner courtyard. However, when Manager Xu wasn't paying attention, he whispered a few words to Duo'er. The little girl quickly ran back to Manager Xu's room and then ran back, stuffing a crumpled piece of paper into Zhou Chong's hand.

Duo'er was small, and Manager Xu was preoccupied, so he didn't notice her actions. On the way, Zhou Chong secretly opened the paper and was startled to find that it was a suicide note from a woman to Manager Xu.

The woman, who called herself Suniang, addressed Manager Xu as "official," a term of respect for men that, in the Songjiang region, was generally used by wives for their husbands. What puzzled Zhou Chong was that Manager Xu had never been married, so how could he have a wife?

Continuing to read, Zhou Chong was even more shocked. Suniang was pregnant with Manager Xu's child, and her situation was dire. If Manager Xu didn't find her, she might lose the child and be sold to a brothel.

However, Suniang was a strong-willed woman. In the end, she told Manager Xu that if he didn't come, she would understand his difficulties, but she couldn't bear the loss of her child and would rather die to prove her resolve. She also hoped that Manager Xu would bury her, as they could not be together in life, but she wished to be buried with him in death.

The letter, though crumpled, clearly showed tear stains, both new and old, indicating that both the writer and the reader had shed tears.

Although Zhou Chong understood the general situation after reading the letter, he still had one question: Who was Suniang? She called Manager Xu her husband and was pregnant with his child, yet she was in a dangerous situation, about to lose her child and possibly be sold to a brothel.

"Could it be that Manager Xu seduced another man's wife, got her pregnant, and now her husband's family has found out and wants to abort the child and sell her to a brothel?" Zhou Chong speculated.

However, he quickly dismissed this idea. First, it didn't make sense. If the husband's family knew, they would have confronted Manager Xu immediately, and the wife wouldn't have had time to write a letter. Even if the husband hated his wife, he would likely just divorce her, not sell her to a brothel. Second, and most importantly, with Manager Xu's physique, which woman would be attracted to him?

After dismissing the idea of Suniang being another man's wife, Zhou Chong was even more puzzled. He thought Suniang might be a mistress that Manager Xu kept outside, but he couldn't understand why she would be forced to abort the child and be sold to a brothel. He didn't know that in Songjiang, there was a special brothel called Biyuan.

Manager Xu was distracted, and Zhou Chong was full of questions, while the young Duo'er was carefree, occasionally teasing Baiqiu, who followed them, and laughing "giggly."

They arrived at Auntie Wang's courtyard and, under Zuo'er's invitation, began to eat. With Manager Xu's storytelling and the income from *Journey to the West*, the Zhou family's living conditions had gradually improved. Although the food wasn't as good as before, they could now have meat with every meal, which satisfied Zhou Chong's basic needs, and Manager Xu could eat his fill.

However, today, Manager Xu clearly had no appetite. He usually ate the most, but this time, he only took a few bites before putting down his bowl and saying, "Young Master, I'm full. I'll go deliver food to Wu Shan!"

Wu Shan's injuries were severe, and even after lying in bed for half a month, he still couldn't take care of himself. He had no family, so Manager Xu usually took care of him and delivered his meals.

Seeing Manager Xu eat so little, Auntie Wang and Zuo'er were puzzled and were about to ask, but Zhou Chong stopped them with a look.

At this moment, Manager Xu stood up, took a small basin to serve food for Wu Shan, placed a few dishes on it, and was about to leave when Zhou Chong finally spoke, "Uncle Xu, if you have something on your mind, just say it. We're all family, don't keep it bottled up!"

Hearing Zhou Chong's words, Manager Xu forced a smile and said, "Young Master, you're joking. I eat well and sleep well at home, what could I possibly have on my mind?"

Seeing Manager Xu still trying to hide it, Zhou Chong finally lost his patience. He took out the letter from his pocket, slapped it on the table, and looked straight at him, "Manager Xu, how long do you plan to hide this from me? Can you bear to watch Suniang die to prove her resolve?"

Seeing the letter in Zhou Chong's hand, Manager Xu was shocked and stammered, "H... How did you get this letter, I... I clearly..."

"Clearly what? Do you think you can hide something this big from us?" Zhou Chong interrupted.

At this moment, Auntie Wang also asked, puzzled, "Chong'er, what letter are you talking about? What is Manager Xu hiding from us, and what about Suniang and her death?"

"Yes, brother, what are you talking about with Uncle Xu? I don't understand," Zuo'er added.

Zhou Chong didn't know how to explain, so he handed the letter to Auntie Wang and Zuo'er, letting them read it themselves. Manager Xu tried to stop them but was silenced by Zhou Chong's glare.

After reading the letter, Auntie Wang and Zuo'er also looked puzzled. Auntie Wang asked, "Uncle Xu, who is this Suniang? How can she be pregnant with your child, and why is she being forced to abort it? What is going on?"

Zhou Chong, Auntie Wang, and Zuo'er had all read the letter, and Manager Xu knew he couldn't hide it anymore. He began to cry, explaining that he didn't have the means to redeem Suniang. Thinking about his only child being aborted, he couldn't help but shed tears.

As Manager Xu cried and spoke, Zhou Chong and the others finally understood the situation. Auntie Wang and Zuo'er, hearing that the usually honest and steady Uncle Xu had been to a brothel and had a mistress, blushed and lightly scolded, "Men are no good."

In contrast, Zhou Chong was quite understanding. Men have physiological needs, and it was normal for an unmarried man like Manager Xu to have a mistress to satisfy those needs. He was also surprised by the advanced nature of the brothels in the Ming Dynasty, where such professional services were concentrated, showing the potential of state-supported industries.

However, understanding was one thing, and Zhou Chong soon found himself in a dilemma. If he saved Suniang, he would have to redeem her, but the family's finances had just improved, and the 300 taels from *Journey to the West* were about to come in, which he needed for future use. Even if he used all of it, he wasn't sure if it would be enough to redeem Suniang.

But if he didn't save her, Suniang was carrying Manager Xu's child. If he didn't act, he couldn't just watch her die, knowing that it would be a double tragedy. Given Zhou Chong's character, he couldn't be so cold-hearted.

Save her? Or not save her? Zhou Chong was truly at a loss.