Chapter 41: Liver and Intestines Broken into Pieces

  When Rui Xuan sent Mei Xia away in the depths of a small alley, she didn't know that it was Mei Xia's last back view left for her; The farewell sentence before leaving turned out to be Mei Xia's last words left for herself!

  When I saw Mei Xia again, this flower-like girl and her mother had become two cold and desolate corpses.

  The bodies of Mei Xia and her mother were found in Sleeping Ice Lake.

  At the end of summer and beginning of autumn, the Lotus Pond was covered with fallen lotus leaves and flowers. It was the season when lotus seeds were harvested in large quantities. Two lotus pickers were paddling their boat in the pond when they found Mei Xia and her daughter deep in the pond.

  It is unknown whether they were drowned to death by the devils and then thrown into the lake, or they were released and could not bear themselves jumping into the lake to commit suicide. All that is known is that when they were found, the mother and daughter were both dead, quietly lying on their backs in the water, with a green canopy of lotus leaves above them, and fallen lotus petals scattered over their bodies, guarding the last bit of dignity as women.

  When Xiaolin and Rui Xuan rushed to the Mei family ancestral hall, the bodies of Rui Hua and her daughter were already placed on two door panels in the hall, wrapped in white silk. In the hall, a large group of Mei family members were gathered together, discussing something in a low voice. When they saw Rui Xuan rush in, they suddenly fell silent.

  Rui Xuan's eyes landed on the two bodies on the door panel, and suddenly, tears rained down. She stumbled and staggered towards the central hall, throwing herself at the door panel, collapsing to the ground, and wailing while embracing one of the bodies. To be more precise, it wasn't crying, but howling - a heart-wrenching, ear-piercing howl that stabbed into people's hearts. The two bodies wrapped in silk on the door panel were her two beloved family members: one was her younger sister, who had been inseparable from her since childhood; the other was her niece, whom she loved dearly and was also her future daughter-in-law. At the beginning of the year, during the Spring Festival, Rui Xuan was still chatting with her about Snow White's marriage; just a few days ago, Mei Xia was still having dinner with her, wearing her beautiful wedding dress and bidding farewell. The mother-daughter duo's voices and smiles were still vivid in her mind, but now, the beautiful woman had turned into an icy corpse, separated from her by life and death. How could Rui Xuan not be heartbroken?

  "Madam, please control your grief! It's not good if the little devils hear your crying!" someone nearby whispered.

  "What's there to be afraid of! My loved one died like this, can't I even cry? Even when my own family member dies, I still have to consider the face of a little rascal, is that still human?" Rui Xuan suddenly changed from her previous gentle and elegant demeanor, becoming fierce and violent, like an enraged lioness.

  No one dared to say anything. Everyone quietly retreated from the hall. Even Xiaolin silently stepped aside, making enough space for Rui Xuan to vent her grief and anger.

  In front of Rui Xuan, it seemed that Mei Xia's farewell smile and her determined footsteps on the bluestone slab still lingered. Now thinking back, Rui Xuan suddenly realized: Mei Xia had already made up her mind to die heroically when they parted ways!

  So she would indulge in the family's food, for it was her last meal; so she would wear her wedding dress and have Rui Xuan help her with her hair, for it was her last appearance to leave for this world; so she would put aside her shyness as a young girl and call Xiao Lin and his wife "dad and mom", for it was the last bit of filial piety she could give to her loved ones; so she would speak with all sorts of emotions, leaning on Rui Xuan's bosom, telling her so many things, for it was the last time she could express her true feelings to her loved one; so she would leave behind a thousand tender memories, giving her hairpin box to Xue Hua, for the sentimental girl knew that her departure would bring endless longing and nostalgia to the person who held her in their heart, and that was the only thought she left for her loved one.

  At this moment, Rui Xuan truly felt that Mei Xia, a delicate and beautiful girl from Jiangnan, had such a strong and chaste heart under her seemingly gentle and lovely appearance!

  Thinking of this, Rui Xuan's heart was even more like a knife cut, she used her hand to punch the hard stone slab in the hall, she hated and regretted, hating the devils for being so brutal, regretting that she couldn't fight to save Mei Xia. She could only desperately hit the stone slab, letting the physical pain numb the trauma of her soul. She cried for a while, then hit for a while, hitting for a while, crying for a while. After a while, Rui Xuan's tears seemed to have dried up, she gradually calmed down, with red and swollen eyes, hoarsely asking the people around the Mei family: "How do you plan to handle the aftermath of Rui Hua and her daughter?"

  "Madam, we are discussing with the Mei family members and plan to spend some money to bribe the city gate guards. Tonight, we will secretly transport you and Miss out of the city and find a place to bury her quietly."

  Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt a burst of golden stars in front of his eyes, and his cheeks were scorching hot with pain. His body was caught off guard, stumbling several steps.

  A crisp slapping sound made everyone present gasp in shock.

  "You dare to speak out! How did your wife treat you when she was alive? The Mei family has raised you from an orphan and a young apprentice, step by step, into the steward of the Mei estate. You don't know how to repay kindness, but instead say such heartless words, you're simply a white-eyed wolf! What's the difference between your treatment of Ruihuan and her daughter, and that of the little devil? The old couple who adopted lotus risked their lives to bring Ruihuan and her daughter into the Mei estate, but you're so timid and afraid of trouble. You're still a man with a head and face! Ruihuan was furious, scolding loudly, and Meicheng was so scared that he shrunk his neck, trembling like a sieve."

  Rui Xuan scolded Mei Cheng and then turned her sharp and sorrowful gaze towards the Mei family members, "When I was alive, I treated you Mei family members with kindness, asking about your well-being when you were old, and showing concern for the young. During holidays, I would give out gifts; during happy events, I would proactively offer help. Now that Rui Huan and her daughter are facing this great calamity, their corpses are right in front of you, and yet you Mei family members dare to say such heartless words in the ancestral hall, in front of your ancestors' spirit tablets! Aren't you afraid of heavenly retribution and being spat upon by the people of Lei Jiang?" Rui Xuan's voice choked with emotion as she spoke, a feeling of heartache and helplessness rising up.

  The Lu and Mei families were in-laws, with the Mei and Lu estates adjacent to each other. The back gardens of both houses shared a common wall, and people from both households often walked through them. The relationship between the two families was so close that everyone in the Lu and Mei households referred to Rui Xuan as "Madam" and Rui Hui as "Second Madam". Rui Hui was relatively gentle and warm towards everyone in the Mei household, and the servants were not too afraid of her. She was also quite casual when dealing with things and speaking. However, Rui Xuan was capable and forthright, often stepping in to resolve matters that Rui Hui could not handle. As a result, everyone in the Mei household had a certain level of respect for Rui Xuan. Especially Mei Cheng, the steward, who had not infrequently been scolded by Rui Xuan.

  Now, he is even more fearful and nervous, covering his swollen cheek, stuttering to explain: "Madam, we were still discussing... weren't we? We also want to give you and Miss a grand funeral, but first, we're afraid the Japanese won't allow it, they might not even let us leave the city; second, there's no time, the weather is still so hot, you and Miss passed away suddenly, we couldn't even prepare the coffin, if we can't bury you properly, your bodies will rot, that would be an even greater sin. Also, after all... after all, you and Miss left because of that reason, if we buried you in the ancestral tomb, our clansmen would think it's disrespectful to our ancestors..." Mei Chengyu said, his voice getting smaller and smaller until he was just muttering to himself.

  "It was one of the Mei family members who spoke nonsense!" Before Rui Xuan could unleash her wrath again, a stern and aged voice suddenly boomed from the doorway.