The dead are gone, and more words are of no benefit. Wufu pinched a stick of incense in front of Old Man Shen’s memorial tablet as a sign of mourning and tribute.
Following Shen Hongyu to another room to sit down, she looked around. The room was shabby, with hardly any decent furniture, but everything was neatly arranged. A wooden plank bed was covered with dry straw, and at the foot of the bed was a small blue cloth bundle.
Shen Hongyu brought over a big bowl with a chipped corner filled with water and placed it in front of Wufu, saying, "There’s no tea at home, only water."
"Thank you." Wufu picked up the bowl and drank down the clear water in one gulp.
Shen Hongyu was somewhat surprised but said nothing.
"What are your plans now?" Wufu asked, looking at the small girl with swollen red eyes, a flicker of pity in her gaze.
Shen Hongyu sneered: "What else can I do, just keep living on."
Wufu did not miss the fleeting look of bewilderment and helplessness in her eyes—after all, she was just a child.
She took out a purse from her bosom, loaded with the one hundred taels of silver she got from selling the Jade Ornament. She had intended to give a share to Old Man Shen and keep some for herself, but now that Old Man Shen was gone, he had left behind a little granddaughter.
Wufu changed her mind, pushing the purse over and saying, "Your grandfather found the jade that he gave to me, and I had said I’d give him a share after carving and selling the jade ware. Did your grandfather ever tell you about this?"
Shen Hongyu pursed her lips and glared at the purse before slowly nodding her head.
How could he not have told her? He’d said quite a bit, and instructed even more, yet she never took it seriously—people in this world are cold and selfish, who would keep a promise? It was only the grandfather who trusted people.
Yet, it turned out there was indeed someone who kept their word.
"I took the raw stone home to carve, and it wasn’t until today that I finished and sold it. From that piece of jade, I kept a hairpin for myself, and sold the rest. Here is one hundred taels of silver, all for you." Wufu stuffed the purse into Shen Hongyu’s hands.
The purse felt heavy in Shen Hongyu’s hands, an ordinary purse embroidered with a plum blossom, yet it weighed on her heart like a thousand catties.
If her grandfather and father had found good jade and sold it earlier, if they had had so much silver, would her family not have broken apart? Would her mother not have left, and would she not have become an orphan?
Shen Hongyu’s eyes reddened again and tears welled up, dropping down with a splash.
"Don’t cry. Hide the silver well and don’t flaunt your wealth. Live for a few more years, and when you’re old enough, find an honest young man..." Wufu suddenly faltered, seeing that she was speaking to a child about marriage.
She changed the subject: "Do you have any other relatives? I heard that your mother remarried; do you know where she is?"
Little did she know, these words were like lighting a fuse, instantly igniting Shen Hongyu.
"No, I don’t have a mother; she’s dead." Shen Hongyu’s cheeks turned fiery red in her agitation, her eyes filled with more hatred than anything else.
Seeing this, Wufu knew the child was in a stubborn state, probably feeling abandoned by her mother, and that was why she harbored such hatred.
She felt a bit of a headache; she really had no experience dealing with children.
"What about other relatives then?" Wufu asked again. The child was so young and needed a community. How else could a young girl survive on her own?
Shen Hongyu opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a loud voice echoed from outside the courtyard, and her expression changed drastically. She grabbed the purse and threw it back into Wufu’s hands, saying, "You keep it."