Linglong's Grudges, Chapter Sixty-Four: Three Sticks of Incense

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Cheng Jin recognized him as Zhang Ruhai, the younger of the Zhang brothers who had been sent into the city as spies the day before. He frowned and said, "I told you to gather information in the city, what are you doing running away?" Zhang Ruhai's face was deathly pale, and he stammered, "Cheng... Chief Cheng... my... my brother was arrested by the authorities... I only managed to escape because I was clever..."

Several members of the Dragon God Gang had mysteriously disappeared in the city, and Cheng Jin was already deeply troubled by this, wondering what tricks the authorities had used. Now that someone had actually escaped their search, he was overjoyed and asked, "How did the authorities find out about you? Do we have a traitor among us? Do they have many powerful experts?"

Zhang Ruhai blushed and said, "No... no... it's... it's in a brothel..." Cheng Jin was astonished. "What?"

Zhang Ruhai lowered his head and said, "My brother was arrested in a brothel..." Cheng Jin angrily asked, "What was he doing in the brothel?"

Zhang Ruhai said, "Well... going to a brothel is obviously to find... to play with prostitutes..." Cheng Jin sneered. "The government even arrests people who patronize prostitutes? Heh heh, did you get drunk and blurt out your identity?"

Zhang Ruhai hurriedly said, "No, no. It was someone else who provoked us. There was this guy who kept going against us, demanding that my brother give him that courtesan named Ruyue. My brother got angry and fought with him. That guy was no match for my brother, and he went back with a bruised and swollen face... and then... and then the government came knocking on our door a little while later..."

Cheng Jin was furious and slapped Zhang Ruhai hard across the face, knocking him to the ground. Cheng Jin roared, "I summoned you to the city on important business! Don't you know the government is targeting us lately? Don't you know your lives are in their hands? Damn it, it's one thing for the two of you to secretly drink, but you even went to a brothel to fight over women and cause trouble! Do you want to die? Damn it!" Thinking that his men were more trouble than they were worth, he figured Zhang Rushan, who had been arrested by the government, would naturally be investigated. Once his identity was discovered, he would be severely tortured, and under torture, the coward would spill everything about the gang. Thus, he would be at a great disadvantage in his battle of wits with the prefect. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He kicked Zhang Ruhai, sending him flying more than ten feet away, rolling on the ground in pain.

But despite his anger, he was helpless for the moment. Cheng Jin shouted, "Go back to the gang and wait for my orders, damn it!" He angrily ignored him and walked towards the Zhao residence.

Meanwhile, Yun'er was accompanying Shuangling as she did her embroidery. Suzhou embroidery is renowned for its exquisite craftsmanship, especially during the Ming Dynasty. Women from both official and commoner families in Suzhou were skilled in embroidery from a young age. Since Cheng Jin entered the household, the two had long neglected this art. Today, with nothing else to do, they dug out the work they had started before the New Year and began working on it while chatting idly.

Cheng Jin stormed in, and was taken aback to see them doing needlework. He chuckled, "Ling'er, you can do this too?" Shuang Ling smiled slightly and said, "Your wife isn't some useless person who just sits around eating for free!" Cheng Jin said, "Yes, yes, my wife is skillful and clever; it's my blessing..." He rambled on for a few moments, then quietly asked Yun'er, "How is she?"

Yun'er sighed softly and said, "I couldn't persuade her, so she went to buy Buddha statues and incense for someone. You decide what to do." Cheng Jin was startled and asked, "What Buddha statues and incense?" Yun'er sighed, "I can't explain it clearly; you'll have to ask her yourself." Shuang Ling glanced over and gently shook her head. Cheng Jin thought that the two of them must have already discussed what they knew about his mother, and felt quite embarrassed. He chuckled awkwardly and said, "Then... then I'll go take a look..." He quickly slipped out of the room.

As Cheng Jin walked, his heart pounded with unease: "What Buddha statue and incense? What is Mother up to?"

Before he even reached Yang Xiaoling's door, he heard the rhythmic tapping of a wooden fish drum coming from inside. His heart pounded with anxiety, Cheng Jin gently pushed open the door.

He saw Yang Xiaoling, dressed in plain white robes, her hair tied high with a hairpin, kneeling on a prayer mat, one hand holding prayer beads and the other lightly tapping the wooden fish drum. In front of her was a wooden table with a bronze Buddha statue on it, and in front of the statue was an incense burner with three sticks of incense. There wasn't a breath of wind in the room; the three sticks of incense smoke rose straight up, spreading wider as they went, filling the room with the fragrance of incense.

Cheng Jin cried out, "Mother... what are you doing?"

The sound of the wooden fish abruptly stopped, and Yang Xiaoling slowly turned around, saying gently, "Get out. I don't want to see you again."

Cheng Jin said, "I'm your son! If you won't see me, who else will you see?" Yang Xiaoling sighed softly and said, "I don't want to see anyone. If you still consider me your mother, then don't bother me anymore. Let me stay here and cultivate in peace..." She turned her head back, and the sound of the wooden fish began again, ignoring Cheng Jin.

Cheng Jin never expected his mother to say such a thing. The suddenness of the event left him stunned, standing by the door, unsure of what to do.

After a long while, Cheng Jin said in a hoarse voice, "Mother... just admit it's my fault. Don't be like this... knocking on this broken wooden fish all day is so boring!" He rushed forward and snatched the wooden fish mallet from Yang Xiaoling's hand.

Yang Xiaoling slowly turned her head again, her delicate face expressionless, and said slowly, "Then what else do you want from your mother?"

"What else! What else!" Cheng Jin slammed the wooden fish mallet to the ground, shouting, "I... I've endured humiliation and hardship for so many years, all for... for avenging my family's blood feud, to rescue my mother and sister from their misery. I... I've suffered for so many years, I... I've finally avenged my family, I've rescued my loved ones, I have such a large fortune! What else do I want? What else do I want? I just want my family to live happily ever after, not... not for my mother to keep hitting this broken wooden fish all day!" He kicked the wooden fish away, sending it crashing against the wall of the room, landing on the ground with several thuds, still rolling around.

Yang Xiaoling said slowly, "You've already rescued your mother, she's fine now. Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?" She silently walked over and picked up the wooden fish and mallet from the ground.

Cheng Jin cried out, "No...it's not like that...this...this...what's so good about this?" Yang Xiaoling gave a bitter smile and said, "You've already rescued your mother. She doesn't have to be bullied every day anymore, she doesn't have to be trampled on by thousands of people anymore, she can be an innocent person again. What else are you dissatisfied with?" A few tears silently streamed down her face. Yang Xiaoling quickly turned around and gently wiped away the tears on her face.

"No! No!"

Cheng Jin cried out, "Mother, what did you just say yesterday? You said you would always be mine, that you would always be with me, you said that, didn't you?" He rushed forward and hugged Yang Xiaoling tightly from behind.

Yang Xiaoling struggled violently, crying out, "Let me go!" Cheng Jin said, "I won't let go! Mother, what's wrong with you? Don't do this!" Yang Xiaoling sighed, "Xiao Jin, do you really want your mother to die in front of you before you're satisfied?"

Hearing his mother mention "death" again, Cheng Jin had no choice but to release her arms, saying, "My sister and aunt are still waiting to see you! Don't you really want to see them?" Yang Xiaoling was slightly stunned, and murmured, "I do want to. But I'm too ashamed to see them again, please don't say anything more!"

Cheng Jin couldn't understand why his sister and aunt... She looked up at her mother, but her mother felt ashamed to face them. She said anxiously, "Mother, why are you doing this? What's the point of living such a simple life when you have such good fortune? Why? The big house I found will be ready to live in soon. Then we'll have delicacies every day, fine silks and brocades, and a whole bunch of maids to serve us..."

Yang Xiaoling murmured, "Why? Why?" She walked to a chair, sat down, exhaled, looked up at Cheng Jin, and said, "Your mother comes from a family of martial arts practitioners, and your maternal grandfather was skilled in both literature and martial arts. The Yang family is a family of scholars..." Cheng Jin said, "I know."

Ignoring his interruption, Yang Xiaoling continued, "What does a woman want in life? Isn't it just to marry a good husband, have a few good children, be a good wife and mother, and live a peaceful life with her family? That's all. I used to think my life would be like that. Your father is capable and loves me very much; he's a good husband... You and your sister are both very well-behaved and good; I'm very satisfied. Back then, I was thinking I should find a good son-in-law for Yan'er, and in a few years, I'd find you a good wife, so I could finally hold my grandchildren in peace... But who knew..." As she spoke, her eyes reddened again. Cheng Jin quietly handed her a handkerchief, which Yang Xiaoling took and gently wiped her eyes.

Yang Xiaoling said, "What's the most important word for a woman? Do you know? It's 'chastity'! It's 'chastity,' do you understand?" She couldn't help but chuckle bitterly a few times, saying, "Xiaojin, you know what kind of humiliation your mother has suffered all these years. As a woman, I should have died long ago..." Chengjin cried out, "Mother..."

Yang Xiaoling smiled bitterly, "But I didn't die. Li Deng treated me like a slave, constantly humiliating me in various ways, you saw it all. Your mother is useless, her body can't obey her own commands, she made so many lewd gestures, all of which my son saw..." As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again, and Yang Xiaoling took a handkerchief and wiped away her tears.

Cheng Jin said softly, "Mother...it's not your fault...no one blames you. I'm your son, I won't look down on you, I really won't, believe me, Mother..."

Yang Xiaoling shook her hand and continued, "But my daughter is still in Zhao Kunhua's hands, my son is still in Li Deng's hands, and my little daughter...even if I wanted to die, I wouldn't dare to die..." Unable to hold back any longer, she finally burst into tears.

Cheng Jin stepped forward and gently stroked her back. Yang Xiaoling flinched and said, "You...you shouldn't touch my body anymore!" Cheng Jin was stunned, not knowing what to say, and slowly withdrew his hand.

Yang Xiaoling's sobs subsided slightly, but she continued, sobbing, "I'm so grateful to you for redeeming me from Li Deng. I thought, since I'm already a ruined woman, as long as my children are safe and sound and can live a happy life again, I'm truly willing to serve you, Young Master Cheng, like a slave. My body has always been so promiscuous, what's there to be ashamed of? Let it continue to be promiscuous." Cheng Jin hurriedly said, "No...no, not promiscuous, no!" He deeply regretted teasing his mother in such an obscene way yesterday.

"But who knew...who knew...you actually...actually..." At this point, Yang Xiaoling was overcome with grief, covered her face with her hands, and began to sob uncontrollably. Cheng Jin was at a loss, wanting to offer words of comfort, but he didn't know how to begin.

Yang Xiaoling cried for a while, sobbing, "A person as worthless as me has been raped and humiliated by different people for eight years. There's not a single clean part of my body left. They played with my body day and night, and in the end, even my own son raped me like that... Tell me, what do I have left? What do I have left?" The more she spoke, the more heartbroken she became, and her sobs gradually grew louder.

Cheng Jin was at a loss, shouting in his heart, "No! It's not that serious! It's really nothing!" But at this moment, he didn't know how to say it.

After a while, Yang Xiaoling gradually stopped crying and said in a deep voice, "Now my daughter has been rescued, and my son... hehe, I don't need to worry about him anymore. I can die now..." Cheng Jin cried out, "No!" Yang Xiaoling smiled bitterly, "I've heard people say that a calm mind can cleanse one of worldly dust. Buddha said that the human body is just a stinking bag of skin. If this stinking bag of mine can be pure and free from desires, and have no dust in my heart, perhaps I can atone for the sins of my past life and regain my pure body. Xiao Jin, won't you even help your mother with this?"

Cheng Jin was speechless, cursing Buddha's ancestors to the eighteenth generation in his heart, and stammered, "This... it doesn't necessarily have to be this way, does it?" But now his mother only wanted peace of mind, and in this respect, he was no match for Buddha. But why did his mother suddenly become like this? Was it simply because she discovered that she had been raped by her own son? Or was it because she no longer worried about the safety of her children and could now abandon all worldly affairs?

Yang Xiaoling sighed, "If Xiaojin is willing to help his mother, then please don't bother me anymore. Let me have some peace in my remaining years." Chengjin cried, "Mother..." Yang Xiaoling closed her eyes and said, "Go. If you have the ability, find a way to rescue your little sister who is still being bullied by Li Deng. Alas, she shouldn't have come into this world. Go." Chengjin had

no choice but to accept that his mother's mind was made up and could not be persuaded in a short time. He could only think of a long-term plan. He said, "Mother, I'll go first. You can use the maids outside as you like. They are all my people..." He slowly walked out.

Just as he was about to step out the door, Yang Xiaoling suddenly said, "I swore that I would never let any man touch my body again. If I can't even get this last bit of purity, I don't want to live this miserable life." Chengjin suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and gritted his teeth, "Yes!" He walked out and gently closed the door. The sound of the wooden fish inside the door rang out again.

Watching Cheng Jin walk out dejectedly, Zhao Shuangling and Yun'er exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Zhao Shuangling said, "Since she's made up her mind, husband, please don't force her anymore..."

Cheng Jin looked up at her and sighed, "I dare not force her." He thought to himself that she had endured such humiliation from his father, who tormented her day and night, yet she had never yielded. This showed how stubborn she was. Her words were so resolute; it seemed unlikely she would change her mind. This matter was extremely troublesome. Dissatisfied, he let out another long sigh.

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Linglong's Grudges, Chapter Sixty-Four: Three Sticks of Incense

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