Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Fire Burns the Yu Family (V)

After receiving her graduation certificate, Yu Manyi hadn’t gone back to the hole to collect things for a while. Since the day they had a big scene in the hall, the Yu family had been in a deathly silence. Even at noon, there were hardly any people around, let alone this early in the morning.

During the plum rain season, the entire house was shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see the doorframe clearly. Yu Manyi rummaged through her wardrobe and pulled out the largest long dress she had, the hem covering the top of her feet, almost resembling a winter style.

The dress had no waistline, no cuffed sleeves, and no slits at the ends. She wasn’t wearing it for fashion; she was using it to cover the things she was about to bind around her legs, waist, and arms.

It was just before dawn, and the mist in the courtyard was thick. As she walked through, the mist parted to make a path, only to close up behind her. The mist was hiding her movements.

She found the wall through the fog and leaned against it, sitting down. She used to kneel to fetch things from the hole, but that day she had knelt so hard that her knees were bruised and still hadn’t healed, so she didn’t dare kneel again.

There was movement on the other side of the wall. It seemed that the young postman had done his job well and arrived before her. Yu Manyi reached into the hole, retrieving the things she needed one by one. As she took one, he silently replaced it, and the two of them had developed a more astonishing sense of tacit understanding than before.

Following her instructions in the letter, he had bought the strongest and oldest brew from a wine shop in the southern part of the city. Even the best-drinking boatman would get drunk after one night with this liquor. Yu Manyi silently tied the tops of the three wine bottles with hemp rope, securing them to her legs, then covered them with her dress.

There were also four bottles of kerosene, stored in metal flat bottles. The kerosene was small in size, and Yu Manyi carefully bound them one by one to her arms. The cold metal pressed against her skin, covered in the morning mist, making her feel extremely cold.

"I’ve also arranged the boat," the young postman's voice finally came from outside the wall, sounding much steadier than usual, "When do you need it?"

"Tomorrow night," Yu Manyi replied.

"Alright," he said, "We’ll take the same route as last time. I’ll use my bicycle to take you to the dock."

"I know the way."

"The bicycle is faster."Yu Manyi didn’t argue further. She only felt it was absurd. The young postman, the shopkeeper, and even the students from her literacy class... these people who had only crossed paths with her, each one of them treated her so well, while her own flesh and blood were scheming behind her back.

She tried to stand up, maintaining her balance as best as she could, as there were so many things hidden beneath her dress. The iron and ceramic containers were pulling downwards, and the hemp ropes were tied so tightly that they dug into her flesh, making the flow of blood feel restricted.

Yu Manyi leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she heard the young postman speaking from the other side of the wall: "Sister Manyi..."

"What?"

"Are you going to burn down the Yu family with these things?"

Yu Manyi's expression remained cold as she looked out through the wall, only seeing the greyish-blue surface of the wall through the thick fog. The young postman was on the other side, and she didn’t understand the meaning of his question.

She had sent him the letter, gambling that he would stand with her. But a person's heart is hard to read, and now, with a high wall between them, she couldn't even make out his expression.

The other side of the wall was silent for a moment, before the young postman finally continued, "Sister Manyi, my mother always says that a woman's heart is kind."

"Is that so?" Yu Manyi's tone was ambiguous.

"But I think," his voice came through the high wall, "kindness makes one weak."

The words on her letter were so forceful that it reminded me of a seven-character poem I saw on a stone tablet."

Yu Manyi could tell that he didn’t intend to betray her, so she turned around and slowly began to walk back. She walked carefully, but the tools on her arms and legs still clinked occasionally, making a ringing sound.

Amid the solemn clinks, a faint voice from the outside recited a poem. He probably didn’t know that Yu Manyi had already left. He stubbornly continued reciting:

"All things are born to nourish man, but man has nothing to repay the heavens...""All things are born to nourish man, but man has nothing to repay the heavens! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Those who are disloyal may be killed! Those who are unfilial may be killed! Those who are unkind may be killed! Those who are unjust may be killed! Those who are disrespectful, unwise, or untrustworthy, kill! Kill! Kill!"

Uncle Three was very anxious. The day after he pressed his handprint, the next day he went to the town to find a matchmaker, and on the fourth day, the engagement banquet was set. There were only a few people in the Yu family at that time. The groom's side was represented by the matchmaker and a housekeeper who stood in for the groom, while the bride’s side was represented by Old Master Yu and Uncle Three.

On the third day, Yu Manyi seemed to have come to terms with everything. She looked as though she had accepted her fate and even helped in the kitchen when preparing for the engagement banquet. Recently, the Yu family had let go of many servants due to salary cuts, leaving only a handful who could still do work.

They all knew that the family she was marrying into was the one that had driven Miss You to her death. When working alongside her, their gazes were filled with sympathy. However, Yu Manyi appeared completely unaffected. She quietly sat at the counter, helping, and even wrote the words "Together till old age" and "Good fortune and happiness" on the white rice cakes with brown sugar for the illiterate maid.

When she was done writing, she realized that her handwriting had changed without her noticing. She used to write in a soft, delicate, and neat style. But now, her strokes were bold and vigorous, writing the cheerful words in a way that seemed to have an almost murderous aura. When the steam from the pot rose and touched the words, the strokes blurred and melted into the surface of the cake.

As the evening set in, the matchmaker arrived, and social interactions began. The lanterns, which hadn't been lit in a long time, were finally turned on at the Yu family residence. The only one working was Qi Shu, who came down from the ladder. Yu Manyi crossed her arms, lifted her head, and saw him. She said, "Qi Shu, once you’re done, go sit outside like you usually do, and don’t come in to join the hustle and bustle."

Her tone wasn’t particularly polite, and Qi Shu, thinking she was about to marry into a bad family, felt a burning frustration inside. He nodded in agreement. Before leaving, he glanced back and noticed that the second young miss had lost quite a bit of weight. Her brows and eyes were as dark and striking as they were when Fourth Young Master was her age, but the lower half of her face resembled Fourth Young Mistress when she had just married into the Yu family.

Yu Manyi stood beneath the lantern, her arms crossed, looking up at the glowing lanterns. The flickering light cast shadows that outlined the sharp contours of her profile.

She wore the purple Mandarin duck dress that Song Qi had said was a patched-up garment, and in these past years, the Yu family hadn’t bought her any proper new clothes. She stood under the light for a while, and when she saw that there was no one around, she went back to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, only one servant from Second Mother’s room was left. When she saw Yu Manyi returning, she immediately said, "Second Miss, the dishes are all served, and the wine is still warm. Please check..."

"You go," Yu Manyi said. "I’ll serve the wine. Third Mother sent word from town that she’s leaving the hospital and needs help. You all go to serve her."

"I’ll send the two from Third Young Mistress’s room," the servant replied. "We’ll stay to serve the engagement banquet. Though there aren’t many people, but...""Go if I tell you to go," Yu Manyi slightly furrowed her brows, her tone a bit impatient. "Go, and those who really don't want to go can stay. It’s up to you all."

Her aggressive aura made it so that no one dared to rebut her. The servant muttered a few words and left, and Yu Manyi watched her disappear outside the kitchen before immediately pouring the warmed wine from the stove and then taking out the one she had bought, filling the empty wine pot.

She sat in the kitchen for a while, watching the wine warm up. The yard had finally quieted down. She rubbed her forehead and went outside again, looking around. She noticed that the few servants working in the houses had gone to pick up Third Mother, and only a few who usually followed Third Uncle and Old Master Yu were still in the yard.

Yu Manyi scanned their faces one by one, smiled at them, and then returned to the kitchen.

The sky had grown even darker, and the yard was completely black. Yu Manyi heard the sound of a carriage outside. She took the wine pot to the dining table, and then the voices of the matchmaker and Third Uncle came from outside, exchanging loud greetings.

Old Master Yu asked, "Why are there so few people tonight?"

Someone replied, "Third Young Mistress is leaving the hospital, so people were sent to help her."

"Bah," Third Uncle said, "What a show! Don’t you know that today is Manyi’s engagement day? Luckily, you few are sensible. After the meal, I’ll reward each one of you!"

"Third Young Master, you asked me to check on that family, and I’ve asked," the matchmaker said warmly. It seemed that she was playing both sides at the Yu family. "This woman from the Shen family is so clueless, you should divorce her. Then, we can marry a proper wife, and I guarantee we’ll have a big fat son next year!"

"Father," Third Uncle's voice was full of joy, "Now the Yu family has heirs!"

Yu Manyi listened to the voices gradually drawing closer, lowered her eyes, and filled each cup with wine, only her own cup was filled with plain water. Then she sat on the side chair, raised her head, and waited obediently for them to return.

When she was truly obedient before, no one ever praised her, but now, the obedient demeanor she pretended to have was enough to deceive Old Master Yu and Third Uncle. The matchmaker, who had seen much, was somewhat wary of her sudden change, but as she poured one cup of wine after another and shared her thoughts with her, Yu Manyi accepted it all.

"I didn't want to marry at first because I still had feelings for my cousin," Yu Manyi said, sitting with the matchmaker, smiling gently. "I remembered him for four years. He said he wouldn't marry, so he just let me adjust. But now, I’ve figured it out. I really have. For us women, it doesn't matter who we marry..."

She leaned closer and whispered, "What matters is that the husband’s family has money. That’s the real deal. Whoever has money, whoever can support my maternal family, that’s who I’ll marry. The more they support, the less I’ll worry about my position in my maternal family."The matchmaker deeply agreed: "Miss Yu, you've truly understood the essence of marriage. That Miss You just couldn't understand... I have some colleagues in the matchmaking business who say she was so intense because she had someone in her heart. Who do you think she had in mind? Who could be better than this old master from the North?"

"Yes," Yu Manyi softly replied, "How could she not understand? Who else could she have in her heart?"

Yu Manyi's wine was aged and fragrant, and she was also skilled at persuading people. After a few rounds, the people at the table started feeling drowsy. She weaved through the group in her purple dress, pouring more wine and handing it to the surrounding servants.

She smiled and said, "Drink up, it’s your own family’s young miss getting married, why so serious? You’re lucky not to have gone to pick up my Third Mother. After dinner, my Third Uncle will reward you all one by one. Come, drink!"

The servants didn’t drink much, but the alcohol was strong, and Old Master Yu and Third Uncle quickly became drunk. They retreated to the steps outside to cool off in the night air.

As the most drinkable matchmaker murmured a few words and slumped over the table, Yu Manyi’s smiling face slowly lost its warmth.

She put the wine cup back on the table with a soft "clink" and went over to push Old Master Yu and Third Uncle. When she saw they didn’t respond, she lifted her purple gown and started removing the four iron-bottled fire oils from her legs.

Several servants were outside talking. Yu Manyi glanced at them, then started pouring the fire oil from the dining table. The oil spilled onto the floor, slithering and spreading, its thick texture different from that of water, pooling in a large area. She emptied one bottle, then opened another, pouring from the dining room to the empty back door, into the kitchen, and into the hall where she had once knelt and stamped the contract.

The fire oil kept flowing, like a river that moved the entire body. Yu Manyi waited a bit longer, until the sky turned darker, and the fog started to rise again. She took out a prepared bundle from a flowerpot, and checked it one last time—

A diploma, a money pouch, and a change of student clothes. She had always relied on the Yu family for her daily needs, but in reality, they hadn’t given her much. The things she truly deserved were the ones she earned herself. They raised her as if they were raising a horse or a sheep—giving them food and water, but only to use them when needed, to make the horse pull the cart or shear the sheep for wool.

She grabbed another package from the flowerpot and tucked it into her bosom, then stood up straight. She reached into the bundle and took out the matches she had used when visiting You Xiaoqing’s grave. Striking one, she held the flame up and looked back—Yu family, wooden house, wooden windows, lanterns, the back garden, the cellar, the hall, the restaurant, and the river of fire oil on the ground…

"Boom!"

The fire ignited in an instant, quickly spreading along the fire oil that had been poured everywhere. It crossed the threshold, licked the doors and windows, and rushed up the wooden columns to the rafters. The fire crackled loudly behind her, but Yu Manyi didn’t turn back. She swiftly ran along the familiar path, reaching the fake mountain in the back garden, then climbed it with both hands and feet.

The drunken servants were finally awakened by the sudden blaze, shouting loudly as they rushed to the ceramic jars in the yard to get water. But those jars no longer contained water. Yu Manyi had already emptied them the previous night and replaced the water with low-proof alcohol from the storage room. They might throw some water for a while, but soon they would realize the fire was growing even stronger.Last year, when she climbed up the wall, she found it difficult, but this year it became easy. Last year, when she jumped down, she was afraid, but at this moment, she felt that the wall wasn’t so high anymore. The only thing she hated was how the dress made it difficult for her to move, but she didn’t have time to change.

She jumped down from the mist and heard someone calling her from not far away. She raised her head, and to her surprise, the little postal worker wasn’t waiting in the agreed place. He was hiding behind the wall, his face flushed with anxiety.

“Miss Manyi!” He ran over with one foot on the bike and the other foot on the ground. “Such a big fire! I couldn’t wait at the door, I thought you were going to be with them…”

“I told you to prepare the boat. How could I be with them?” Yu Manyi said calmly.

She quickly climbed onto the back seat of the bike and held her package tightly in her arms. The little postal worker asked, “Should I take you straight to the dock?”

“No,” Yu Manyi replied, “Take the road through the You family.”

The little postal worker hesitated for a moment but quickly turned the bicycle in the direction Yu Manyi had indicated, heading towards the You family’s location. The fire at the Yu family had already started causing a stir in the neighborhood, but the mist was so thick that the neighbors could only see a shadowy glow of fire in the night sky. They couldn’t tell exactly where the fire had started.

The little postal worker was used to riding quickly through the streets and alleys, even faster than the time with Song Qi. The commotion caused by the fire hadn’t yet reached the direction of the You family’s house, and soon the entrance to their house appeared through the mist, with the yard eerily silent, as though no one was there.

“I heard the You family doesn’t dare to come out at night,” the little postal worker muttered. “I heard they… Miss Manyi?”

He had thought that Yu Manyi just wanted to take one last look at where Miss You had been, but he never expected that as soon as the bicycle stopped, Yu Manyi jumped off the back seat and walked towards the high wall of the You family.

The You family’s wall wasn’t as high as the Yu family’s, and one section was especially sunken. According to Song Qi, this was the gap through which they had taken the You family’s concubine to escape. The You family was so foolish that to this day they still didn’t know they had escaped from here. They just thought the student had grown wings and could fly away from anywhere.

Yu Manyi took the package from her arms and tore open a slit in the paper. The little postal worker turned his head and found that it was filled with the spirit money he had bought for her back then.

Yellow, copper-like spirit money was stuffed into the entire package, almost bursting out.“Miss Manyi,” he said, “If we don’t leave now, we’ll be caught. What are you waiting for?”

“Waiting for the wind,” Yu Manyi said. She paused, raised her head to look at the pitch-black sky, her voice laced with deep hatred: “Sister You, give me the wind.”

The little postal worker didn’t understand, but You Xiaoqing clearly did. Not long after Yu Manyi finished speaking, the thick mist was suddenly blown away by the wind, the white fog torn apart in layers, as though the night sky was being ripped open with countless holes.

Wind, the wind!

The mist on the ground was swept into ripples as the wind suddenly rose from the flat ground, blowing Yu Manyi’s scattered hair. She seized the moment, using her body to shield from the wind, striking a few matches that were gathered together, lighting a brilliant flame in her hand.

She used that flame to ignite the paper money in her hand, then, following the wind’s force, threw it fiercely into the gap in the outer wall of the You family.

The package had already been torn open, the flames igniting the spirit money soaked in fire oil and dried. The money scattered in handfuls. The strong wind carried the burning spirit money, sweeping through the You family’s estate! The mist was entirely dispersed, and above the You family’s dark courtyard, there were clusters of burning spirit money!

From across the high wall of the estate, Yu Manyi looked up and heard the night watchman’s mournful wail from inside: “They’re back! They’ve come back! They’ve come to take lives!”