"I’ll just stay with my sister and not run around," Xiao Qi said sensibly.
Only then did the family lead the people towards the old mansion.
Entering the village entrance, they saw the street in front of the old mansion almost full of people. There were two places where the crowd gathered the most, one at the old mansion’s entrance and the other further ahead, next to the water well where the mansion usually drew water.
Seeing Lian Manman and the others coming, everyone made way.
The most gathered around the well, and from the crowd ca the cries of Lian Duoduo and Lady Chiang. The Lian Manman family passed the mansion entrance and went straight to the well. The crowd automatically parted, and the family went inside.
Once inside the crowd, Lian Shouxin imdiately halted and gestured to Lady Zhang, signaling her to keep Lian Manman and Xiao Qi back. Yet Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang stepped forward a few more steps.
At the center of the crowd, beside the well’s edge, Lady Gu lay on her back, lifeless. Next to her body lay the bucket and yoke used by the Lian Family Old Mansion to draw water. The bucket was tipped over, water spilling out and dampening the ground beneath Lady Gu.
A large area of water stains, particularly near Lady Gu’s head, blood into a red patch. Lian Manman peeked from behind Lady Zhang and found the red patch originated from the back of Lady Gu’s head.
Lady Chiang and Lian Duoduo were hunched over Lady Gu’s body, crying bitterly. Lian Duoduo seed unable to believe Lady Gu was dead, crying and calling for her to wake up.
Lian Shouren, Lian Jizu, Lian Shouyi, Lady He, Erlang, Si Lang, Liulang all stood nearby, with Lian Shouren covering his face, and Lian Jizu’s eyes slightly red.
"What happened... has a doctor been called?" Lian Shouxin stepped forward, glancing at Lady Gu’s body, and raised his head to ask those at the old mansion.
"What do we need a doctor for? She’s gone, the body’s already stiff." Lady He, always frank, said a bit ruefully.
"My mother isn’t dead, my mother isn’t dead." Lian Duoduo lifted her head from Lady Gu’s body, her eyes glaring red at Lady He, "Hurry, call a doctor for my mother, call a doctor."
"Duoduo..." Lady Chiang tried to soothe Lian Duoduo with a hand, but Lian Duoduo slapped it away.
Seeing Lady Gu lying there, Lian Shouxin had already determined she was dead, and with so many witnesses, there was no way to mistake it, so he ignored Lian Duoduo’s words.
"What happened here?" Lian Shouxin surveyed the scene, asking.
The few people from the old mansion began narrating the course of events one by one.
It turned out that early in the morning, Lady Zhou had sent Lady Gu to fetch water. This was one of Lady Zhou’s tasks for Lady Gu, besides grinding, after everyone returned to Thirty Mile Camp. The family’s daily water usage no longer required the n to fetch it from the well, Lady Gu was responsible instead.
However, Lady Gu had been out for ages without bringing back a single bucket, or herself. Lady Chiang was getting ready to wash rice for cooking and had to take care of Da Niuniu, so she sent Lian Duoduo to the well to find Lady Gu.
Then, they heard Lian Duoduo’s gut-wrenching scream and cry.
Lady Chiang, in the outer room, was the first to hear and hurriedly put down Da Niuniu along with her tasks to rush to the well.
"Just now, Jizu’s wife said when she arrived, there was no breath left, the body was stiff, she had been dead for a while."
Lady Gu went alone to fetch water, was overdue returning ho, and was found dead by the well. The water in the bucket had spilled.
How did Lady Gu die? Even though it was still dark then, how could soone die so silently?
"How did she die?" Lian Shouxin asked again.
"Did she fall, hitting her head on the stone?" soone guessed.
Even though it thawed overall, the nightti temperatures were still very low, and the area around the well where the water spilled was covered in a thin layer of ice. Such thin ice lts easily after the sun cos out. But early morning, it wouldn’t be unusual for soone to slip and fall on the ice.
Lian Manman recalled how she beca Lian Manman. Her previous self had fallen at the well edge, passing into the underworld, leading to the current her. If so, Lady Gu died accidentally.
However, beside the well, other than the water from the mansion’s bucket spill, there was no other water or ice. And beyond that, sothing seed off, very off.
Lian Manman stepped out from behind Lady Zhang and took another close look at the scene, finally spotting what was amiss.
"Did Duoduo’s mother go alone to fetch water? With just one bucket, why use a yoke?" Lian Manman asked.
With such a large bucket, given Lady Gu’s strength, she could only manage one bucket at a ti. Using a yoke to carry two buckets was practically impossible.
"Did she go alone to fetch water?" Wu Lang asked.
Those from the old mansion nodded in agreent.
"This is strange, if she went alone to fetch water, why use a yoke?" Lian Manman asked, puzzled.
Wu Lang then walked over, picked up the yoke from the ground, and on the hooked end, found a small piece of cloth.
"Whose is this?" Wu Lang asked, holding the fabric in his hand, "Is it Duoduo’s mother’s?"
"It’s not my mother’s," Lian Duoduo said.
No need for her to say; it was daylight now, and it was clear the fabric was not from Lady Gu’s clothing.
The mysterious death of Lady Gu, the unexpected yoke, and the fabric not belonging to Lady Gu hooked on it.
"Find out whose clothing this fabric cos from, and we’ll know how Duoduo’s mother died," Lian Manman said.
"It’s Yingzi’s, that belongs to Yingzi," Lian Duoduo suddenly scread.
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