[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 58
Soon, Jin Zhan returned to report. The family in mourning were the Pangs—a scholarly couple with no children of their own but a large number of students. They had spent most of their family fortune supporting these students and were thus known for their virtue.
Because of their support for the students, the Pangs often found themselves in financial straits, to the point where their provisions were frequently depleted. Fortunately, their reputation was good, and the local community was willing to give them more leniency.
Not long ago, however, Old Mr. Pang seemed to have come into some unexpected wealth. He obtained high-quality refined white flour and fine rice, paid off all his debts, and gradually exchanged rice for money, with the amounts growing larger and larger.
Sadly, their improved circumstances did not last long. One rainy night, Mr. Pang accidentally fell in his own courtyard. By the time he was discovered, he was already lying in a pool of blood, his body cold and stiff.
As Li Xuanci listened to Jin Zhan’s report, his fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. “Interesting,” he murmured to himself, then stood to leave.
Suddenly, a head popped out from behind the bed curtains, shouting, “Shiliu wants to go too!”
Jin Zhan immediately lowered his head. He hadn’t realized Shiliu was still in the room. It seemed Li Xuanci had instructed her to remain silent, but she had ultimately failed to comply.
Li Xuanci stared coldly at the disobedient Shiliu. Though he didn’t speak or show any expression, his aura was terrifying. Unfortunately, the oblivious Shiliu, solely focused on going out to play, met the King of Hell’s gaze with sparkling eyes.
If the east doesn’t light up, the west will. If one is disobedient, another will be compliant. Sure enough, Li Xuanci shot a sharp glance toward Jin Zhan. Before it even reached him, Jin Zhan tactfully withdrew.
Thus, it ended up with Li Xuanci and Jin Zhan, plus the tagalong Shiliu, heading to the Pang residence together.
Many people had come to pay their respects, indicating that Mr. Pang was indeed a good man. The group of young men wearing disciples’ mourning attire from the previous night still stood outside the main hall, their faces haggard, as if they had been standing there all night.
The mourners coming and going all cast sidelong glances, but Madam Pang, while courteous to others, refused to even look at the students.
Even in such a setting, Shiliu refused to restrain herself. She skipped through the front hall, then suddenly her nose twitched, and she moved closer to Li Xuanci.
Li Xuanci ignored her completely and continued walking inside, but the clingy pest grabbed his sleeve, tugging incessantly. She tiptoed up like a little bean, thinking herself discreet, and whispered in his ear, “There’s a brother over there who stinks! Shiliu doesn’t like him.”
Li Xuanci’s gaze followed her indication, sweeping over the various standing students before finally settling on her. His eyes were deep and intense as he said in a low voice, “Have you forgotten everything I said?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a subtle pressure, like a frozen waterfall on the verge of thawing, ready to crash down in the next moment.
Under such pressure, even Shiliu’s sieve-like brain finally had a belated moment of clarity. She simply grabbed his wrist with both hands, repeatedly calling out “Brother! Brother!” in an extremely fawning manner, finally remembering that she had been warned her tongue would be cut out if she called anyone else “brother.”
Shiliu still needed her tongue to speak, drink water, and eat little wontons—she couldn’t afford to lose it just like that.
Perhaps because they were in public, Li Xuanci let her off lightly this time, merely striding ahead into the main hall and leaving Shiliu’s short legs struggling to keep up.
Jin Zhan was already ahead, having offered a substantial amount of condolence silver. The sum was so large that it drew Madam Pang out to receive this guest of unknown origin.
Jin Zhan, who usually appeared honest and reliable, spun a tall tale with ease. In an instant, he fabricated a story about how Mr. Pang, while traveling abroad, had once shown him kindness by giving him a book and a meal when he was a runaway.
The image of a rebellious youth, stranded and starving, encountering a teacher who enlightened him with reason, offered him a meal, and ultimately inspired him to strive hard and repay his former benefactor, was vividly and three-dimensionally portrayed in Jin Zhan’s words. It was almost a shame he wasn’t a storyteller by profession.
When Madam Pang heard about the “kindness of a book,” her expression grew complex, shifting several times before finally settling into a pained smile.
Li Xuanci caught this change without missing a beat. Impatient with pretense, he cut straight to the point and laid it bare.
“Madam, do you suspect that the person responsible for Mr. Pang’s death is among these students?” he asked directly.
The woman looked as if struck by lightning, momentarily unable to react, then forced herself to cover it up, putting on a brave front as she insisted, “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t know? If you don’t know, why have you kept the vigil alone all night in the funeral hall, refusing to let these disciples fulfill their filial duties?”
“You treat other guests with courtesy and show no hostility toward this suddenly appearing disciple, which shows you haven’t lost your composure from excessive grief, nor do you bear resentment toward them for causing your family’s poverty through your support.”
“Now, you still cover for them in front of outsiders. There’s only one reason: you suspect your husband’s death is related to them, but you have no evidence and don’t know who it is, so you fear damaging the reputations of the other students and can only keep silent.”
The woman stared blankly for a moment, then a tear streamed down her face. She could no longer suppress it and began to weep softly.