Chapter 52: For the world, it is not worth regretting

Say you'll observe mourning, then observe mourning.

When the hired messenger arrived on horseback, its hooves ringing in this small mountain village, Du Shanü received the so‑called death notice, and burst into loud tears before the villagers who had come upon hearing the news, until she fainted.

When she awoke again, she wore mourning clothes, bound her hair with raw hemp, and coiled it into a mourning bun.

Without a word, it was already enough to invite speculation.

Although the recent tax troubles had everyone harried, the consistently kind‑hearted Old Village Head Huang still heard of this from others and made a special trip.

The old man, upon entering the house, saw Du Shanü clad in mourning garb, her face wan.

Old Village Head Huang started, and with difficulty stepped into the dim house:

"Du family girl? You, how did you end up like this?"

"Before, others said you went mad after falling into the water, your mouth full of nonsense; your maternal uncle didn't believe it, and just then your maternal aunt hurt her leg, so she didn't come to see you......"

"But now, seeing you, how......"

"It actually seems true?"

"No way? No way?"

"It shouldn't be!"

"The Du family's eldest—he's watched him grow up! Chunju, that little lass, is his own kin, even closer!"

"These two are ordinary in circumstance, appearance, and temperament; if there's anything special about them, it's that they bore a lovely daughter known for miles around......"

Inside the earth‑brick house it was pitch dark, yet the sole glint of light, caught on tears, flashed and was enough to dazzle for a moment.

Du Shanü fell to her knees with a thud, sobbing:

"Maternal uncle, do you still remember how my mother once went with my father to Zhoufu to make a living?"

"Back then, she worked as a wet nurse on a wealthy family's estate......"

Old Village Head Huang strained his memory for a while, then vaguely recalled that it had indeed happened——

The Du family had always been dirt‑poor; three generations back a gambler sold off their only scrap of mountain land.

For a farming family without fields, making a living is even harder.

Earlier, while the parents‑in‑law were still alive, this couple left their child at home with them and went out to work as a helper and a laundrywoman to earn a living.

Later they supposedly mentioned finding a slightly profitable sideline, but whether it was wet‑nursing, he wasn't sure......

Old Village Head Huang's vision was dim, and at that moment his head buzzed from the crying, making him even more muddled.

Du Shanü covered her face, peeking through her fingers at the window until she could faintly see several moving silhouettes outside, then she burst into tears:

"Back then, that household favored the concubine and cast aside the wife, bringing in a charming concubine; the concubine, relying on her youth and extreme jealousy, seeing the mistress pregnant, dared to poison her!"

"That mistress's family background was once decent, but she could not endure the lord and concubine's repeated torment in the rear courtyard; she sensed something amiss and, before giving birth, instructed the wet nurse prepared in advance: if she came to harm, the nurse must protect the child in her womb......"

Just those two lines already explained the whole cause and effect.

Clearly it never named who the lord was, who the mistress was, who the wet nurse was, or who the child was......

Yet in the vague, it was already enough to let imaginations run wild.

Du Shanü wept, continuing:

"Speaking of which, it's truly karma—good rewarded, evil punished!"

"That lord back then lost…… lost his status, claiming to live in seclusion, yet he indulged in women and never repented!"

"That concubine not only killed the mistress, she also threw the inner residence into chaos, leaving the lord without any heirs for his whole life! The sole survivor turned out to be the very child the kind‑hearted wet nurse had taken away years ago!"

Old Village Head Huang called himself a village head, but he was really just a peasant household.

Although he could read a few characters, he was still a rough field‑hand, never having heard such terms as 'lord,' 'concubine,' 'inner residence,' or 'heirs'; seeing Du Shanü speak so knowledgeably, he was obviously already six‑tenths convinced.

Du Shanü sniffled a few times, then went on:

"Maternal uncle! Do you know why, back then…… why my parents gave me the name 'Killer Girl'? They didn't dislike me; it's that, back then, someone truly wanted to kill a girl!!!"

Old Village Head Huang staggered at her wail; though he held a cane, he could barely keep his footing, stepping back several times until his back hit the hard earth wall, then he barely regained his senses.

The silhouettes outside the window still stirred, and Du Shanü kept adding fuel to the fire:

"Maternal uncle! Do you know…… do you know why I suddenly seemed like a different person, instantly able to repair the mill and make money?"

"It's all because that 'lord' from back then, old and remorseful, finally realized he had no sons, wanted to acknowledge his daughter, and so secretly came to find me, telling me all these money‑making ways......"

That sentence also explained why her recent conduct had seemed so odd.

Old Village Head Huang's trust instantly rose a notch, yet he still couldn't stop trembling, muttering his question:

"Well, then, why don't you go with them?"

"Our village has nothing; they can afford a concubine, so their background must be good, maybe they'll find you a fine match and later summon a son‑in‑law......"

Light and shadow swirled, darkness grew.

Du Shanü fell silent, choked up, and finally let out a sharp, clear cry of hatred:

"Maternal uncle! I hate, I hate!"

"After all these years of not acknowledging me, now that times have changed, my mother might have been reborn several times—what good would recognizing me do?!"

"I had merely wanted to wait a bit longer, to see whose heart was sincere—who could have imagined, who could have imagined......"

"Who could have imagined, that the person would actually be dead?"

Old Village Head Huang leaned back further until his shoulder hit the wall, then he came to.

Before him, the young lass had a lovely face, weeping with tears like pear blossoms—truly pitiful.

Old Village Head Huang poked his cane, finally steadied himself, and sighed:

"So that's how it is, so that's how it is......"

"But don't be afraid—you're a person of Zhang Riverbank Village, you haven't changed your surname, and later I and my clan will surely protect you."

"Your mill is quite useful; as long as you run it well, you'll always have food, and your days will only grow more prosperous."

The old man's gentle reassurance kept sounding, and Du Shanü finally gradually stopped her tears.

Old Village Chief Huang had just wanted to take a breath, but inexplicably heard Du Shanü say:

"Uncle, no matter when, you are still my uncle...... I want to ask you for another favor."

"The matter of my birth father's passing is no small thing. Although I hate him, he is still flesh and blood, and now that I have finally earned some grain and money, I wish, I wish to scatter condolence rice for him; please help me spread the word, so people will come."

Scattering condolence rice is a local folk custom.

In short, it means that when a family suffers a death, they give rice to those who participate in the funeral, help out, or come to pay respects.

They hope to use the rice's yang energy to dispel the yin energy and misfortune brought by the funeral, preventing evil spirits from following.

They share the deceased's blessings and the family's good fortune with relatives, friends, and neighbors, and also pray that everyone will have enough food and clothing, that the household will prosper, and that all will be safe and smooth.

Du Shanü now proposed to scatter condolence rice, and Old Village Chief Huang was the first to be startled:

"Du... good child! Do you know that nowadays everyone is saying that the grain tax will be collected soon? You have hard‑earned some silver, grain, and rice from running the mill, and you are a young lady; you should properly protect yourself—why are you putting yourself through this!"

"If you give away all the grain at home, how will you live from now on?!"

Old Village Chief Huang now completely trusts Du Shanü; it is clear that she has no blood relation to him, yet he can speak like this—he has truly come to regard Du Shanü as a junior.

But Du Shanü paused slightly, then turned only toward the light outside the window, bowed low, and said:

"Now that I know my origins... for the sake of the world, death is not regrettable."

?? Honest woman is just like this! She says she wants the world, so she must have the world! Not a bit less will do!