Two days later, the group finally arrived in Lai'an County, Chuzhou.
Lai'an County is not a big place. Although it is named after the county, it does not have the solid city walls and moats found in some large counties. There is only a circle built more than ten years ago under the leadership of the county magistrate, and each household worked hard to build it. A half-height earthen wall.
Shen Tianshu raised his hand and gently pushed open the car window. Seeing people entering and exiting in twos and threes through the so-called "city gate", he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart.
Shen Tianshu was very familiar with this "city gate". In her previous life, she had never been a lady who never left the gate. She spent almost half of the time running around outside every year, and she always came in and out from here.
This kind of "city wall" is in name only, and basically an adult man can climb over it directly.
This may also be one of the reasons why the Jiang family suffered an inexplicable murder.
Fan Yuru didn't know why he didn't ride in the carriage today, but followed Shen Tianshu's car on horseback.
Seeing Shen Tianshu open the window, he said: "Mrs. Tong, we have arrived in An County. I have sent people to prepare the accommodation in advance. It is getting late today. Let's settle down first. Tomorrow we will go to the Jiang family to pay homage. Please use it." The money for the incense candles and paper has already been bought by others. As for entering the Jiang Mansion, I still need to contact you."
"Thank you, Mr. Fan." Shen Tianshu closed the car window, took a deep breath, and clenched his fists involuntarily.
Seeing this, Minghui hurriedly said: "Girl, the injury on the palm of your hand hasn't healed yet, so don't injure it again!"
She was at Cao's house the day before yesterday. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms without even realizing it. When she returned to her room and washed her hands, she discovered that her palms were already stained with blood.
After listening to Minghui's words, Shen Tianshu tried his best to relax and lean on the pillow, spreading his hands aside.
Minghui took the opportunity to put some medicine on her palm and whispered: "I know that the girl is not feeling well, but she cannot ignore her own health."
Shen Tianshu was a little distracted, and after a long time he said: "You can go out and buy some things for me later."
Lai'an County is a small place, with only one inn. The conditions are not very good, and there are usually not many guests.
The reason why the inn has remained open and not closed has something to do with the Jiang family. After all, most of the guests in the inn are people who came to pay homage to the Jiang family because of their kindness.
Fan Yuru simply asked someone to rent a three-bedroom house, which was much more spacious and comfortable than living in an inn.
Shen Tianshu was arranged to live in the second main house. After entering the house, she first wrote a list and asked Minghui to buy things according to the list.
Minghui took it and took a look and saw on the list: mung bean cakes and crab shell yellow sesame cakes from Dongsizhai, mutton siomai from Sun's Yang Restaurant, milk buns from Laocheng Cake Shop, pork knuckles from Wang Ersao Braised Pork Shop... They are all about food, and they even have designated shops.
But judging from Shen Tianshu's mood these days, it doesn't look like he suddenly wants to eat and drink.
Do you want to buy it for Mr. Fan and the people accompanying him?
"Girl, this is..." Minghui asked carefully.
"Go and buy a copy of each item and bring it with you tomorrow."
"Yes, I'll go right away." When Minghui heard that it was for worship, she was glad that she didn't reveal her suspicion just now, and hurriedly took the money and went out to buy.
Although several shops were on different streets, luckily Lai'an County was not that big. Minghui asked a few people for directions and quickly bought everything.
When she came back, she passed by Jiang's house. Although the door was closed, Minghui still took a few more glances out of curiosity.
Jiang's House can be said to be the largest house in Lai'an County, and the courtyard walls are as far as the eye can see.
But when she thought of the murder three years ago, Minghui couldn't help but shudder, feeling as if there was a hint of blood in the air.
Without looking back, she quickened her pace and returned to her residence.
Early the next morning, Fan Yuru led people to escort Shen Tianshu out of the city and went to pay homage in front of Jiang's grave.
Fan Yuru was shocked when she saw Shen Tianshu. She never expected that she was actually wearing mourning clothes.
Shen Tianshu was not in the mood to explain and got into the carriage silently.
When Fan Yuru saw this, he didn't ask any questions and waved his hand to set off.
Walking south out of the city, the Jiang family's ancestral tomb is halfway up a mountain in the south.
The Jiang family has been a wealthy local family since the previous dynasty. Over the years, the ancestral graves have been expanded again and again.
Shen Tianshu still remembers that every Chinese New Year in his previous life, his grandfather would take the whole family to the ancestral graves to worship their ancestors, which would take most of a day each time.
Now there are more than a dozen tombs on the mountainside, and there is no need to worry about insufficient space in the future, because the Jiang family will no longer have descendants...
The carriage stopped on a flat land halfway up the mountain. It was still some distance away from the Jiang family's ancestral grave, but the carriage in front couldn't pass, so he had to walk over by himself.
After Shen Tianshu got out of the car, he realized that the Jiang family's ancestral graves were very different now from when he could still come to worship his ancestors in his previous life.
The mountain road has not only been rehabilitated, but also paved with gravel to make it very smooth.
The Jiang family's ancestral tomb was directly enclosed with a low wall, and it didn't look like the overgrown weeds she had imagined.
Standing at the entrance of the cemetery, Shen Tianshu took a deep breath before stepping in.
Shen Tianshu was very familiar with this place since he came here every year to pay tribute in his previous life. After entering, he immediately discovered a dozen new tombs.
The standing stone tablets are engraved with the names of her grandfather, parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, and even her own name...
Shen Tianshu felt that his heart was numb with pain. He took heavy steps and walked to his grandfather's grave first.
She knelt in front of the grave, stretched out her hand to gently brush away the dust on the stone tablet, and looked at the word "Jiang Sui" on it. Her heart ached, and her tears rolled down like broken beads, but her throat was so tight that she couldn't even say "grandfather". Dare to call out.
Shen Tianshu cried heartbreakingly in front of the grave, but there was no sound at all, which made it even more heart-wrenching to watch. Even the guards waiting outside the cemetery felt that they couldn't bear it, and turned around without saying anything more. look.
Fan Yuru did not follow him into the cemetery. He stood at the entrance of the cemetery with his hands folded, but his eyes never left Shen Tianshu.
Watching her wipe the tombstones clean with her own hands, and place the things she sent Minghui to buy yesterday in front of the tombs.
The crab shell yellow sesame cakes that my grandfather loved, the mutton siomai that my father loved, the mung bean cake that my mother loved most, the pork knuckles that my eldest brother never got tired of eating, the second sister-in-law Wang’s pork knuckles, the milk steamed buns that my sister-in-law sent to buy every now and then...
Finally, Shen Tianshu knelt in front of the tombs, burning incense, candles and paper money.
I am full of words and remembrances, but none of them can be expressed in my mouth, I can only recite them silently in my heart.
Although I don’t know why I came back from the dead, maybe this is God’s arrangement so that I can find out the truth and let my family die in peace.
No matter who the other person is, I will never give up...
It took more than half an hour to burn all the incense paper money, and Shen Tianshu's legs were already numb.
Minghui stepped forward to help her get up, but she swayed and fainted directly in Minghui's arms.