Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power
Chapter 34 - 32: Trap

Chapter 34: Chapter 32: Trap

Song Xian naturally didn’t trust Xie Liangchen, but he knew she was a smart person. In the current situation, it wasn’t enough to cause her to have other thoughts.

Cheng Yanzhao, however, had a different train of thought. Song Xian was always cautious, and those who worked for him were ones who had passed through multiple challenges.

Cheng Yanzhao pressed on relentlessly, "Tell me the truth, what’s really going on?"

Song Xian didn’t want to entangle with Cheng Yanzhao. He stood up and took a box from the antique shelf. Opening the box, he revealed two jade pendants inside.

The jade pendants were split in two, and atop them were carvings of two celestial cranes.

Cheng Yanzhao picked up the two jade pendants, carefully inspecting them in his palm, confirming they were one piece. He couldn’t help but stare, taking a while to come to realization: "You found them?"

Cheng Yanzhao was acutely aware of the time Song Xian was saved, as it was Cheng Yanzhao’s father who led the soldiers to rescue Song Xian.

Before Song Xian could speak, Cheng Yanzhao turned to leave.

"Where are you going?"

Song Xian’s cool voice reached out, halting the hastily leaving Cheng Yanzhao: "I’m returning to the Capital City. I just received a letter from home yesterday, urging me back to discuss marriage matters."

Seeing Song Xian made no move to stop him, Cheng Yanzhao gave a significant smile: "I originally thought you couldn’t find them, so I wasn’t in a rush. But now that’s changed. If you intend to repay the kindness with yourself, I certainly can’t lag behind. I am the sole heir of the Cheng Family and have a family estate to inherit."

Noticing Song Xian’s sharp gaze directed at him, Cheng Yanzhao knew Song Xian never intended to repay the kindness like that, yet he couldn’t help but tease Song Xian. Fearlessly, he drew closer: "Is she that Miss Xie?"

Song Xian didn’t refute.

Cheng Yanzhao probed: "How do you intend to repay this life-saving grace? Don’t tell me you plan to offset it with ’ten days’?" Though his father did receive the news and found Song Xian, without that family’s help, Song Xian would have likely perished in the sea.

Song Xian said blandly, "I’m not certain it’s her."

Cheng Yanzhao was even more incredulous, "Isn’t there a jade pendant?"

"She fell off the mountain while picking herbs and injured her head, cannot remember past events," Song Xian took the jade pendants from Cheng Yanzhao’s hand and placed them back in the box. "Her parents have also passed away." _{free\we\bnov(e)(l).com}

Cheng Yanzhao finally understood the situation: "The Xie Family’s other members don’t know?" Without requiring Song Xian’s reply, he knew the answer. If anyone in the Xie Family had known, Song Xian wouldn’t have said such a thing.

"Never seen anyone like you," Cheng Yanzhao sighed, "finding a life-saving benefactor is just full of twists and turns."

After chatting for a while, Cheng Yanzhao recovered from his initial shock and returned to his chair: "Miss Xie is only fourteen or fifteen, isn’t she? Poor thing, without parents, living with her grandmother in Chen Family Village, still struggling for a living."

Amid Cheng Yanzhao’s sympathetic voice, Song Xian was inexplicably reminded of Xie Liangchen’s ruthlessness when dealing with Ji Yuan.

Her background is indeed pitiful on closer inspection, but she is not a pitiful person.

Cheng Yanzhao deliberated: "Counting the age, it should match, and there’s a jade pendant. Even if it’s not the family who saved you, there should be some connection." That’s why Song Xian let Chang Yue follow Miss Xie, a question in his mind seemingly answered.

Song Xian stated, "I sent someone to investigate the Xie Family matters, it’ll be clarified eventually." He had someone check the timeline of her parents’ deaths and the kidnapper, even if no one knows the internal affairs back then, there will be traces.

Cheng Yanzhao revealed a profound smile: "Giving her a sum of silver coins isn’t as good as arranging a livelihood for her, you’ve really gone to great lengths."

Song Xian didn’t argue with Cheng Yanzhao, giving him an answer to spare himself from constant nagging.

Cheng Yanzhao was satisfied, but he still felt a mist before him: "Can she compete against Second Master Xie? There’s likely someone else behind the Xie Family’s second branch."

Song Xian knew, someone intended to use the people from Chen Family Village to regain control.

Those eager to make a move were Song Yu and Song Min.

"If there’s nothing else, leave!" Song Xian’s face darkened, urging him to leave, while his focus returned to the documents on his hand.

...

Chen Family Village.

Xie Shaoshan’s robe was soaked through with sweat. Even during times of war, he hadn’t experienced such hardship. To gain trust, he helped pick and move herbs, and drove the mule cart to the Papermaking Workshop, all done personally.

Old Mrs. Chen and Xie Liangchen always viewed him coldly.

He considered leaving several times, yet seeing Old Mrs. Chen and Xie Liangchen whispering, he gritted his teeth and stayed.

Without uncovering this secret, he couldn’t leave.

"Second Master Xie, we’ve made our decision, we won’t give even a single coin."

Hearing Xie Liangchen’s words, Xie Shaoshan almost ground his teeth to dust, though anger boiled inside, he replied, "It was wrong of Second Uncle before. I just hope to be of help, even if you give me silver coins, I won’t take it."

With the mule cart, effort was spared.

Old Mrs. Chen and Xie Liangchen rode the mule cart to and from Chen Family Village and Paper Workshop. Old Mrs. Chen looked at the mule ahead, then at Xie Er beside the cart, her heart sighing. Having a beast of burden was indeed advantageous.

Luckily she hadn’t driven Xie Er out with a fire poker.

But where there’s advantage, there’s disadvantage. Old Mrs. Chen’s eyes shifted to the bundle in her granddaughter’s arms; her granddaughter still had the energy to buy a bunch of things at the market.

Xie Liangchen swung the small whip in her hand: "Grandmother, in the future, our family should get a better carriage, one that wouldn’t jolt so much."

"Okay." Old Mrs. Chen agreed, who doesn’t dream? She wanted to ride in a sedan chair.

Running around all day, they brought back two strings of silver coins from the Paper Workshop.

Old Mrs. Chen sat cross-legged, hugging the silver coins.

"Grandmother, put the silver coins aside," Xie Liangchen said, "It’s too heavy, don’t get crushed."

Old Mrs. Chen wouldn’t put them down; she even dreamed of being crushed so much by silver coins that she couldn’t breathe. If one day she was crushed by money until she broke, it would be a blessing.

As it turned dark, the mule cart returned to Chen Family Village.

The people of Chen Family Village gradually returned home. Chen Yongsheng came to Old Mrs. Chen’s home to chat, looking at the silver coins on the table. Before he spoke, Xie Liangchen said, "Second Uncle, there’s something to discuss with you. Can the silver coins earned today not be distributed to everyone?"

Before Xie Liangchen had even spoken, Chen Yongsheng had thought of this. General Song mentioned they would have ten days to collect herbs, and collecting herbs naturally required capital. Liangchen’s intention was for the entire Chen Family Village. Since it’s everyone’s business, Liangchen couldn’t shoulder it alone.

Chen Yongsheng had already discussed with everyone during the herb collection. Not only could they not take these silver coins, but they also needed to do their best to help.

Chen Yongsheng retrieved a bundle from his side and placed it on the table, opening it to reveal the copper coins gathered by everyone.

Chen Yongsheng showed a bit of apology: "The year has been bad; everyone has only this much in hand, all to be used for buying herbs." Though it’s feared it might be a drop in the bucket.

Old Mrs. Chen did not put it down, dreaming to be crushed by money to the brink of collapse was her wish.

Thus, when Chen Yongsheng offered no hesitation: "Aunt, selling herbs was by Liangchen’s prescription. How can we just sit by and do nothing? Besides, aren’t those shared grains bought with silver coins?"

With the paper workshop in business, they received two full strings of coins at the end of the day.

"""