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It was a night in September last year when Su Yuntang had just returned from assisting a woman in labor, exhausted to the point of nearly being unable to walk. As she pushed open the wooden door of the small courtyard, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps behind her.
Turning around, she saw Zhang Mama. In the light of the lantern at the entrance, Su Yuntang was taken aback to see how haggard Zhang Mama looked, her eyes swollen and red, clearly having just cried.
“Mama, why are you here so late?” Su Yuntang's heart tightened as she hurried forward to offer support.
Before she could get close, Zhang Mama had already knelt on the ground, crying out, “Second Miss… I… I…”
Su Yuntang's heart skipped a beat as she sensed something was wrong. “Mama, is something wrong with my sister?”
Zhang Mama bowed her head to the ground and began to wail loudly. “The Eldest Miss… she’s gone…”
“Gone?” Su Yuntang momentarily failed to comprehend. “Where has she gone?”
“The Eldest Miss… passed away… just two days ago.” Zhang Mama sobbed, barely able to speak coherently. “The Long Family said she contracted a fever and couldn’t be saved…”
Su Yuntang felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her body frozen in place as her mouth went dry and a buzzing filled her ears. After a long moment, she suddenly snapped back to reality and rushed forward, gripping Zhang Mama's shoulders tightly.
“It’s impossible! Mama, this can’t be true! My sister has always been healthy; even if there were minor issues, I regularly prepared medicine for her. How could this happen so suddenly? I don’t believe it! I need to go to the Long Family; I need to see my sister!”
Zhang Mama pulled Su Yuntang into her embrace. “It’s too late, Second Miss… The Long Family has already arranged the funeral; the Eldest Miss has been buried. Lord Long said… said that the Eldest Miss had a fever and it might be contagious, so…”
Su Yuntang's legs gave way beneath her as she collapsed onto the ground, crying into Zhang Mama's arms.
That night, the lights in the small courtyard remained lit until dawn. Zhang Mama had been sent away by the Long Family back to her hometown. However, with no relatives or property there, Su Yuntang couldn’t bear to leave her without support and decided to keep her with her.
Though Zhang Mama was elderly, she was still relatively strong and could help watch over the courtyard and two shops.
A few days later, Zhang Mama began to recover from her grief and gradually recalled some strange details.
“Second Miss, I can’t shake the feeling that the Eldest Miss’s death is very suspicious.”
After another sleepless night, Su Yuntang snapped back to attention upon hearing this. “What do you mean, Mama?”
Zhang Mama recalled, “Just a few days before her passing, the Eldest Miss went to the main courtyard to pay respects. Normally, she wouldn’t take more than an hour to return. But that day she came back unusually early and seemed flustered; her hands were chillingly cold. When I asked her what was wrong, she refused to say anything. Just a few days later, she suddenly fell ill and passed away… I wonder if these two events are connected…”
Su Yuntang pondered over the words of the old matron. What had her sister seen or heard in the main courtyard of the Long Family that had caused such panic? Why was she unwilling to share it with the matron? Was she afraid that the matron would also be implicated?
She paced back and forth in the room for a long time before suddenly blurting out, "In her previous letter, my sister mentioned a marriage alliance with the Hu Long family. The eldest daughter of the salt merchant Hu Family, Hu Qingxi, is soon to marry the second son of Cao Bang from the Long Family..."
Zhang Mama's mind raced as she quickly grasped Su Yuntang's intentions. "You mean..."
"I need to find a way to enter the Hu Family and then marry into the Long Family alongside their eldest daughter, so I can uncover the truth behind my sister's death."
"No!" Zhang Mama grabbed Su Yuntang's hand tightly. "That's too dangerous! If the Long Family finds out..."
"Don't worry, Mama." Su Yuntang gently patted Zhang Mama's hand. "I will act cautiously and won't put myself in danger."
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