How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 123 The Huang Family (7)

That night, Master Huang, dressed as a servant of the Song family, secretly followed Fang Lao Jiu through the side door.

"Hey, did you make some money today, buddy? Back so early," said the gatekeeper. Fang Lao Jiu often sneaked out to gamble, so he was quite familiar with the gatekeeper.

"Don't even mention it, it's bad luck, I didn't win a single game today."

"Oh? Did you choose an unlucky day today?" the servant said, noticing someone standing behind him with an unfriendly expression.

"Who is this?" the servant asked.

Fang Lao Jiu came over and whispered in the servant's ear, "The people at the gambling den, I didn't bring enough money today. They don't believe me and insist that I come back to get more."

"Pfft, then let him stay here. You hurry up and get it back. I'm watching, your wife hasn't come back yet."

Fang Lao Jiu turned around and glanced at Master Huang, then said loudly, "You wait for me here. I'll come out and give it to you as soon as I get the money."

"No, if you run away, who am I supposed to settle accounts with?" Master Huang said, grabbing Fang Lao Jiu's arm tightly. He was wearing a cloak over his head, which concealed his expression.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't run away. This is the Song family, how could I possibly be short of your money?"

"No, I have to go with you to get the money."

The servant also reassured him, "Don't worry, he'll just go back to get some money and come back. He would never lie to you, otherwise how would he survive in Sifang City?"

Master Huang snorted coldly, grabbed the servant's hand, and said, "Are you going to pay it for me?"

The servant quickly pried his hands away, saying, "What do you mean I'm going to pay it back for you? Don't talk nonsense."

"Oh, brother, please help me," Fang Laojiu said, feigning pitifulness.

"I can help you in an emergency, but not in a long-term one. I'm sorry, I can't help you anymore," the servant quickly said, urging the man on.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fang Laojiu said, "Well then, how about this, do me a favor and let him come with me to get the money. He won't be here for long before he leaves."

"No," the servant refused without hesitation. "Master said that outsiders must not be allowed into the South Garden."

"Oh, my little brother, just see if the master usually comes over. Besides, he'll only come in with me for a little while and then come out. It won't cause any trouble."

The servant insisted, "No, no, I can't do that."

Master Huang was getting impatient; he wanted to knock the servant unconscious and take him inside.

Fang Lao Jiu realized Master Huang's intention and quickly said, "Young man, don't worry, we'll only be gone for a quarter of an hour. If we don't come out in a quarter of an hour, just tell the steward to kick our whole family out. Please, just do us a favor."

The servant hesitated, seeing Fang Laojiu pleading so humbly, "This..."

Taking advantage of the servant's hesitation, Fang Lao Jiu grabbed Master Huang and ran inside, before the servant could even give chase.

"Come back...you...you're getting me into trouble!" The servant dared not shout loudly, afraid of disturbing others, so he could only continue to watch at the door with trepidation, vowing in his heart never to open the door to Fang Laojiu again.

Master Huang shook off Fang Laojiu's hand, and Fang Laojiu quickly apologized, "It's just a temporary measure, please don't take it to heart."

"Humph."

Master Huang was already seething with anger, and the fact that his sister had to put on such a show to come see him only made him more unhappy.

Fang Lao Jiu had no choice; he still had to live in the Song family mansion and dared not offend Master Song.

Madam Song's Buddhist shrine is in Nanyuan, where Fang Laojiu's family also lives. Most of the flowerbeds there are already in bud, and it will surely be a beautiful sight of blooming flowers and lush greenery in a while.

Unfortunately, Mr. Huang had no interest in appreciating her at all. In twenty years, this was the first time he hadn't seen his sister for so long.

The Buddhist hall was quiet, with only the sound of the wooden fish drum reaching the ears.

A wisp of sandalwood smoke drifted through the air, giving the room a tranquil atmosphere.

"You seem to be in quite a good mood."

"Thud," the wooden stick fell to the ground.

The first wife turned around in disbelief; her brother was right in front of her.

She rose and ran towards Master Huang, the First Madam weeping with joy, "Brother, why have you come?"

Looking at his weathered first wife, Mr. Huang sighed, "It's been so many years since we last met. How have you been?"

Tears streamed down the First Madam's face. "It's good, it's bad. As long as I know you're all doing well outside, it's all worth it."

"Sigh," Master Huang sighed heavily, "Why are you so stubborn? If you didn't get stuck on this, wouldn't everything in the Song family be yours? Why did your own brother have to come to your door for help and be humiliated by your husband?"

The first wife then realized what had happened and, remembering the note that Master Huang had passed to her some time ago, felt a bad premonition. "What's wrong with you? Where is my child? Is he still alive? Is he doing well? And... does he still blame me?"

Suppressing his disgust, Mr. Huang said, "I've run into some trouble lately. As for your child, I've never met him and don't know if he's doing well. As for him, you know he wishes he'd never met you or me, so why would he let me run into him? I suppose he's intentionally avoiding me."

The first wife covered her face and cried, "He still blames me, he still blames me."

Mr. Huang had no intention of comforting his weeping first wife; he had come for that million. "How much savings do you have here?"

The first wife wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

“I’ve run into a problem. If your nephew doesn’t have a million, he might be in trouble.”

The first wife turned around and weighed her options, saying, "I don't have money, but I do have valuables. It's just a matter of whether you dare to take them."

Master Huang frowned and said, "Just tell me."

"East of Sifang City, there is a mountain called Qingdai Mountain. Inside the cave in the mountain is a tomb containing some of our village's treasures. If you have the guts, go and dig them up and sell them."

Master Huang exclaimed in surprise, "Our village still has treasure? Didn't you already..."

The first wife had regained her composure by now. "A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Besides, these men are just one of the men I've chosen. Why would I reveal all my valuables?"

"Haha..." Master Huang laughed smugly, "It's all thanks to you, sister. Heaven is on my side. You did the right thing. Men are unreliable; only those you keep in your own hands are truly reliable. Oh, no, your brother here is also a good family member."

The eldest wife understood that her brother loved money more than anything, and that he must have really had nowhere else to go to risk coming to the Song residence to find her. That's why she told him that she had hidden treasure.

only…

“Brother, I have no objection to you wanting those treasures. Your son is my own nephew. How can I, as his aunt, stand idly by when he is in trouble? But in the same way, I would also appreciate your help in finding your nephew.”

Master Huang snapped out of his smugness and hesitated when he thought about the missing child. But knowing that his first wife wouldn't help easily, he said, "Don't worry, I will find the child for you. Whether he's dead or alive, I will give you an explanation."

The question "Is he dead or alive?" immediately tugged at the heartstrings of the First Madam, who couldn't bear to hear any bad news about the child.

"One month, I'll only give you one month."

Master Huang exclaimed in surprise, "He's been missing for twenty years! A month? How could I...?"

"That's your problem. I saved your son. If you can't find my son, then I'll break my vow and go out to kill him," the first wife suddenly said fiercely.

Master Huang was startled and quickly agreed, "Alright, alright, but that child was taken away by his own father. To find the child, I need to find his father first. You don't know this in the Buddhist temple, but things haven't been peaceful since the Qing Dynasty fell. Now it's the new government and various warlords in power. The situation is so chaotic; finding someone who went missing twenty years ago is no easy task. A month is really..."

The first wife wasn't quite sure what the situation was like outside, but it hadn't been peaceful even before the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and it seemed that things hadn't improved in recent years. So she said, "I only need a clue in a month. As for finding the child, three months, no more than that. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. I've only told you about one now. If you can help me find the child, I'll tell you about another one. And if you find the child's father, I'll tell you about the last one as well."

Master Huang agreed without much hesitation.

At this moment, Fang Lao Jiu came in and urged, "Uncle, let's go quickly, the gatekeeper will call someone over soon."

Therefore, Master Huang said goodbye to his first wife, "Then I'll be leaving first. Don't be too withdrawn. You still need to go out when you need to."

"Understood." The First Madam turned and went back to the Buddhist hall. Not long after, the sound of the wooden fish being struck rang out again.

Master Huang shook his head, wondering how his sister, who had spent the first half of her life killing and robbing, could have become a devout Buddhist in the second half. Could it really be that love changes a person's nature?

For some reason, the image of the drunken, madwoman in the other courtyard came to mind, and Master Huang shuddered. Impossible, absolutely impossible. Old habits die hard, and his sister was definitely not a kind person.