Chapter 483: Chapter 475: Unveiling Half the Truth

It’s said that Ding Shouxin, from his youth, immersed himself in the studies of saintly books and was a talent who truly advanced through the imperial examination by his own abilities, and naturally, he too believed in that set of principles which speak not of strange forces and gods.

Hence when Mrs. Ding suddenly mentioned that the Ding family was experiencing abnormalities, he did not understand at first. Are misfortunes not all due to the foolish deeds of the third brother’s wife?

This is why people say that if a charlatan wants to successfully deceive someone, it is best to target women; they believe in ghosts and divinities more than men and are easier to hoodwink. By simply hitting the mark slightly, they can be easily conned.

Mrs. Ding was one of those women who believed in ghosts and divinities. She hadn’t thought in that direction originally, but when she discovered that the lady from the Qin family, who was staying at the old Qin residence, was a layman—and even a believer—of the Daoist Temple, she immediately suspected that her own family might have been cursed.

And the one who may have cast the curse was likely that Junior Temple Master named Buqiu.

With cold sweat dripping profusely, and seeing that Ding Shouxin still had a puzzled expression, she said, “My lord, it’s better to offend a petty person than a Taoist, who knows what tricks they might have up their sleeve? How would we laypeople know?”

Ding Shouxin was taken aback, and then his expression turned dark and incredulous.

“My lord being roughed up could be explained as Governor Xiao wanting to repay a favor, but the recent misfortunes befalling our Ding family are not just a simple matter of reputation,” Mrs. Ding’s voice trembled as she said, “The number of people who have fallen ill in the house recently, from the masters to the servants, isn’t just one or two, right? Take the Old Lady and your third brother’s wife, either sick or injured, in addition to the other servants. And what about the shop affairs? It was running smoothly, so how did it suddenly come to a halt? Even if there was trouble, who didn’t know that was Ding family’s shop?”

Everyone caught on after this hint.

Mrs. Ding San let out a sharp scream, “Big sister-in-law, are you saying our Ding family has been cursed?”

No wonder she fell and sprained her ankle so inexplicably; the road was perfectly smooth, yet she stumbled and fell, something that had never happened before and still wasn’t fully healed. Now every movement tugs at the tendons, causing distressing pain.

Is all this misfortune really due to a curse?

Mrs. Ding San was also a woman and believed in that set of supernatural beliefs. The thought that her misfortunes might be the result of being cursed made her feel awful.

“What curse, all this nonsense,” Ding Shouxin slammed the table, pushing down that sliver of anxiety and unease within him.

“Uncle, recently there has indeed been something not quite right with our family. One after another person is falling ill. My foot—I was walking just fine, and then suddenly I sprained it, and then there are the issues with our shop. A coincidence when it’s one thing, but when so many misfortunes occur at once, it’s no longer a coincidence, right?”

If Qin Liuxi were here, she would have to give credit for how on point their intelligence is—how could they not realize the folly of trying to outcompete the Qin family in the past?

Mrs. Ding frowned and said, “My lord, among those of the Buddhist and Taoist sects, there are indeed some with real skills. To make Governor Xiao owe them a favor, it shows that this Taoist is not just any common charlatan.”

It must be said that they were close to the truth, if not ten, then nine out of ten.

The look on Ding Shouxin’s face kept changing.

“What do we do then? If something really happened, we wouldn’t know,” Mrs. Ding San was on the verge of tears.

Ding Laosan said, “Big brother, there seems indeed a possibility to this. In recent months, Qingping Temple’s incense offerings seem quite prosperous. From time to time, I hear people say that the master in the temple is quite powerful, seems to also be a healer, and they do good deeds as well, like offering porridge and free clinics recently.”

Ding Shouxin was annoyed, “Qingping Temple hasn’t been established for just a day or two; it’s been years. Whether that Daoist Temple has real skills or not, don’t you all know?”

Mrs. Ding San timidly glanced at Old Mrs. Ding and said, “Uncle, she believes in Buddha, and most families do; when going to offer incense, they only go to Buddhist temples or convents, when would they go to a Daoist Temple?”

Is it his fault?

Ding Shouxin glared at her fiercely.

Old Mrs. Ding, with a stern face and her prayer beads clicking rapidly in her hand, said, “Go find someone to check our house to see if it’s been haunted.”

Ding Shouxin said, “Forget it, no use bustling about. Tomorrow I’ll have to grovel when I visit them—offer an apology meekly. They should be willing to be magnanimous, right?”

Old Mrs. Ding felt a tightness in her chest.

When the Qin family was powerful, they had to humble themselves. Now that the Qin family has fallen, they still have to bow and scrape. What kind of fate is this?

Miss Qin, Old Mrs. Ding closed her eyes, thinking of the strange girl she met back then who was sparing with her words—a quiet girl harbors deeper thoughts. She hated her quietly, thinking that the most dangerous are those who never show their ferocity.

Qin Liuxi: You’re the dog, your whole family are dogs!

Ding Shouxin hurried back to the main house, his face as dark as could be, and said to Mrs. Ding who followed him in, “Bring out the deed for that shop on South Street in the Prefecture City.”

Mrs. Ding was taken aback, “My lord, what is this about?”

“Going to apologize requires a goodwill gesture, doesn’t it?” Ding Shouxin ground his teeth.

Mrs. Ding thought to herself, if a gesture is needed, why shouldn’t you bring out your hidden savings? Why does it have to be my shop?

“My lord, there’s no need to give them something from the Prefecture City. They wouldn’t be able to manage it well if it’s too far off. Why not give something from Li City? We have other properties as well.” Mrs. Ding did not want to part with that shop – it might not have been large, but its location brought in a good flow of people, making any business there profitable.

Ding Shouxin glared at her. “Just bring it out when asked, no need to be so heart-wrenchingly reluctant. You were just saying that our family has been facing continuous misfortune and might have been cursed. Without offering something substantial, do you want this bad luck to continue? What if misfortune befalls me next? Governor Xiao has already taken note of me unfavorably, which is no small matter. If I hope to climb the ranks in the future, with other magistrates transferred away, it might still not be my turn. By the time it is, I will be too old to be considered for any good appointments. Forget about that third-rank imperial decree you dream of.”

Mrs. Ding shrank back, saying, “Understood.”

Ding Shouxin, seeing her dawdle, felt another flare of annoyance and said, “After the New Year, don’t bother returning to the Prefecture City. Manage the affairs of the old house here.”

” My lord?” Mrs. Ding’s face paled.

Ding Shouxin said with a dark expression, “You’ve seen how shallow Ding Laosan’s family is. Stirring up their mother to make trouble, if allowed to continue running amok, who knows what disaster they might bring upon our house. You stay here and watch over things. On one hand, you can take care of our mother, and on the other hand, you can manage the household. Two birds with one stone.”

“But who will attend to you if I’m not there?”

“Mrs. Feng will do.”

Mrs. Ding, with a heart full of hatred, twisted the handkerchief in her hands as if wringing out a pickled vegetable, thinking to herself that all he ever did was trying to elevate that lowly woman.

“My lord, you know our son and Man Niang are getting older. As their mother, shouldn’t I be the one to find them matches? We can’t possibly leave that to Mrs. Feng, that wouldn’t be proper,” Mrs. Ding said, restraining her irritation. “After this, I believe mother and the rest will be more cautious, and another stern talking-to should set Ding Laosan and his lot right.”

Ding Shouxin frowned and said, “We’ll discuss this later. First, prepare the gifts and rituals for tomorrow’s visit. I’m going to the study.”

Mrs. Ding watched him leave, her face contorted with rage. She threw a teacup from the table onto the ground in anger.