How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 36 Possible

Yan Ru cried so hard that tears streamed down her face, which was heartbreaking. When Master Song tried to hug her, he was pushed away.

Retreating to the corner, Yan Ru shook her head and said to Master Song, "No need. I've thought it through, Master Song. To you, I'm just a new toy. I don't want it to be like this. Please, don't force me, okay?"

Master Song's outstretched hand hung in mid-air, unable to retract for a long time. Looking at Yan Ru's pained yet resolute face, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "Yan Ru, you've suffered for yourself. I didn't think of you that way."

Yan Ru knew she had gone too far, so she wanted to do something to make amends. Therefore, she said, "Master Song, please understand me. In such a short time, I have experienced too many misfortunes. I am in great pain. If I cannot do something for my father, I am afraid I will go crazy."

Yan Ru wiped away her tears and pretended to be strong, saying, "Thank you, I'm leaving."

After saying that, she immediately set off towards the door. Old Master Song grabbed her, both angry and anxious, "Yanru, stay here. I told you I would protect you and fulfill your wishes."

Yan Ru looked up at Master Song, her eyes showing a hint of unrequited trust.

He then shook his head and muttered to himself, "Thank you, I just wanted to do it myself."

Master Song said, "Even if you wanted to do it yourself, it wouldn't be something you could do in a short time. You don't have the capital, the connections, or anything like that. How can you do it? Do you want to go out and get a job? How many silver dollars a month? The Lü family is currently under lockdown, and the Marshal's Mansion is also looking for you sisters. If you want to work, you can only go to other places. Then you'll have to rent a place, and there will be meals and all sorts of other expenses. When will you ever be able to save enough money to bribe your way through? Of course, there are also ways to make money quickly, but you're so proud, I'm afraid you wouldn't be willing to do that, and I don't want you to fall into that kind of situation."

Yanru knew that what Master Song said was partly true, but she was still unwilling to accept it. She kept saying that she could not stand on her own in society, let alone save her father.

Seeing Yan Ru's unconvinced expression, Master Song was somewhat helpless. "Life outside is really not easy. I didn't mean to exaggerate the situation to scare you. I just wanted to make you suffer less."

Yan Ru suppressed her sobs, a wave of sadness and desolation washing over her. "I must see my father, Mr. Song. I will do everything in my power to do it. Don't underestimate me."

Yan Ru knew in her heart that if she didn't put in a lot of effort to push Master Song hard, he would never help her, which is why she acted this way.

But she also knew that she couldn't keep pushing him like this, as going too far would be counterproductive.

Seeing Yan Ru's firm resolve, Master Song knew that his previous ambiguous words would no longer fool her. He sighed inwardly; Yan Ru was, after all, educated, and had learned her lesson quickly.

If there is no emotional foundation between two people, then it depends on whether the value each person can demonstrate is worth the other person's effort.

Yanru's greatest value to Master Song is her beautiful appearance, youthful body, and advanced knowledge. What Master Song can "exchange" for her is wealth and reliance. If he cannot do anything practical for Yanru, he probably won't be able to keep her.

Therefore, after thinking it through, Master Song made a decision: "I can arrange for you to meet your father, but as for other things, we should proceed slowly."

Yan Ru's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Master Song nodded, and Yan Ru finally smiled, her smile as clear and bright as the first melting of snow.

"Thank you."

The words Yanru said to Master Song most often were "thank you".

Seeing how pragmatic Yanru was, so happy to have only agreed to meet his father once, and so open with his emotions, Master Song felt somewhat relieved. After all, Yanru was just a simple child.

A surge of affection welled up in his heart, and Master Song couldn't help but move closer to Yanru.

Yan Ru blushed and wouldn't let Master Song get close. With a hint of anger, she said, "Master Song, is this why you agreed to help me? This isn't a transaction. Please don't think of me that way."

Master Song then put aside his romantic thoughts and saw that Yan Ru seemed to have fallen into a trap of self-justification, needing his help while also trying to maintain her self-respect. Even though he knew she was being pretentious, he still went along with her, which was a great honor compared to other women.

However, Yanru obviously couldn't guess what Master Song was thinking. She was just using methods to force Master Song to take the first step in her "saving her father" plan, but the methods were not very clever.

As for romantic feelings, there were none at all, and he felt no sense of "special honor" in Master Song's presence.

Master Song was afraid of pushing her too hard and saying something hurtful, so he compromised again, saying, "Don't be afraid. It's getting late, and I don't want to go back and forth. I'll just rest here for a while."

Yan Ru then turned around and looked at her directly, her eyes showing a hint of guilt that Master Song could see.

She hurriedly called downstairs to bring hot water to help Master Song wash up, but calling it "helping" was just a euphemism for directing the servants to do it.

Whenever Master Song mentioned sleeping together to Yanru, she would immediately blush, her face flushed with a mixture of shyness, resentment, reluctance, and fear. She would glance at him from afar and then immediately lower her head, leaving Master Song helpless.

Yan Ru was like a delicate dodder vine, reluctantly leaning against him, as if afraid that he might accidentally kill her.

After washing up, Master Song lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Yan Ru leaned against the couch and watched over him as he slept. He invited her again and again, but she was deterred by the tears welling up in her eyes. So he didn't insist and let her be.

Who would have thought that this concession by Master Song would become the norm between the two of them, and Yan Ruduo would treat Master Song in this way whenever he came over thereafter.

It is said that money can make the devil turn the millstone. Master Song has never been stingy with money when it comes to making friends. As a result, he knows all sorts of people. In order to protect the reputation of the Song family, he has also spent a lot of money to do good deeds among the poor from time to time. Therefore, in Sifang City, almost every industry can do things for Master Song.

Not to mention the police, who are people you deal with all the time. Lü Peijun hadn't actually broken the law; he was just locked up. Going to someone like Chief Zhang wouldn't work; he'd probably just extort money instead of doing anything. But the warden was different. "A local official is more powerful than a distant one." Although the police arrested him, the warden wasn't close to them, and he was a morally ambiguous man with some connections to the Song family. He might be useful.

Having made up his mind, Master Song instructed Song Fu to handle the matter, since Song Yi had already shown his face to the police last time and it was not appropriate for him to appear again.

Song Fu had always stayed by the steward's side, usually handling Song family affairs and rarely going out, so it was just right to entrust the matter to him.

Song Fu readily agreed to the job, seeing it as his chance. If he did well, he might gain Master Song's favor and rise to prominence.

After taking the stack of documents given to him by the steward and finishing his usual tasks, he returned to his room and carefully reviewed them. The steward had been with Master Song for a long time, so he had his own courtyard in the Song residence. Thanks to him, young Song Fu didn't have to squeeze into a shared room with the other servants; he had his own private room.

A thin sheet of paper recorded the warden's life story. The steward had made it clear beforehand that the Song family's name was not to be used on this trip, so Song Fu had to start from scratch to figure out how to approach and become familiar with them.

“Cheng Ping, 45 years old, married to Li, has one son and two daughters, is fond of drinking and gambling, and never accepts bribes…” Upon reading this, Song Fu couldn’t help but frown. “Fond of drinking and gambling, and never accepts bribes? Where does his capital come from? His monthly salary is only three silver dollars, and he has to support a large family. Where does he get the money to gamble?”

Song Fu continued reading, “...He was an upright man with an elderly mother at home. He was biased and often raised his eldest son with his youngest son.”

The more he looked at it, the more ridiculous it became. If the butler hadn't given it to him personally, he would have almost thought it was a joke. The following few words explained the trivial matters of the warden Cheng Ping's family. His own family seemed harmonious, but his relationship with his elderly mother and brother was a complete mess.

"Perhaps, this is a good starting point?" Song Fu pondered for a moment, then burned the paper, changed his clothes, and went out.

Cheng Ping's family wasn't exactly wealthy, especially with his elderly mother coming to exploit them from time to time. So they bought a small courtyard in the south of the city, where the whole family lived, so it wasn't very spacious.

Song Furen was tall, thin, and handsome, but he didn't look emaciated like someone who was starving. He wore glasses and carried a satchel, making him look like an honest, thin, and poor scholar.

My lips were cracked from thirst, covered with a layer of dead skin, and I staggered, taking one step and then resting for two. I was so hungry that I felt dizzy.

And so, they walked into the alley where Cheng Ping lived.

The autumn harvest was over, and people only ate two meals a day. It was getting dark, and many people gathered under the big tree at the entrance of the alley to chat. People came and went, talking about this family and that family, which became the topic of conversation.

The people here know each other almost every time they come and go. If a stranger comes, they'll definitely get a second look.

Song Fu staggered into view. He carried a satchel, which wasn't very bulging, and wore a long gown, giving him a scholarly air. However, his clothes had a large patch, and the cuffs of his trousers showed signs of wear and tear from repeated washing. On his feet were straw sandals paired with snow-white socks.

A plump old lady found it amusing and asked, "Hey, what does that student do?"

Song Fu swallowed hard, as if trying to quench his thirst, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Auntie, I've come to find someone."

In recent years, quite a few people have come looking for their relatives. I heard that the grain harvest in the countryside is not good, and many people can't make a living after paying taxes, so they come to the city to seek refuge with relatives in order to survive.

Although the young man was dressed in tattered clothes, they were tattered T-shirts, so one could only assume that he must have suffered some kind of misfortune.

Since it concerns themselves, someone else asked, "Looking for someone? Which relative did you go to? Are you from the countryside? Are you going to die?"

Song Fu was a little reserved, swallowing hard. "I'm so grateful to the kind soul who would like to ask for a drink of water. I've been traveling for several days and have been without food and water since yesterday. I don't need any food, just a sip of water to moisten my throat."

The plump old woman took pity on the handsome young man, slapped her thigh, and said generously, "Come with me, and I'll give you a drink of water."

"Oh my, Auntie Pang is so generous, letting me come to your house for a good drink too!" someone teased, their eyes filled with ill intent, as if Auntie Pang bringing Song Fu home for a drink was something shameful.

Fortunately, the plump old lady was not weak. When she heard people talking about her, she immediately retorted, "Pah, you lazy bum, you're too disgusted to even come near my door. You want to drink water? Go piss yourself!" As she spoke, she grabbed Song Fu and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm a decent person. Your uncle is still at home."

Song Fu let her pull him along, feeling both amused and exasperated, and obediently followed behind the plump old woman.

Fortunately, the fat aunt's house wasn't far away; I arrived after passing a few houses from the alley entrance. It seemed more than one family lived in this courtyard. The three houses on the left were kept very clean, and neat rows of vegetables were planted where flowers should have been. There were also three houses on the right, with piles of junk in front of the doors, leaving only a narrow passageway. The areas where flowers and plants should have been were overgrown with weeds.

Seeing him looking at the house on the right, the plump old lady pulled him back again, "Don't look around like that, that family is not to be trifled with. You wait here, I'll get you some water."

The plump old lady didn't bring Song Fu into her house, but told him to wait at the door. Song Fu readily complied and stood obediently at the door.

During this brief moment, Song Fu noticed that the window of the house across the street seemed to be slightly open, and someone was looking in their direction. He pretended not to notice, turned his body to the side to avoid their gaze, while still being able to observe them.

Before long, the plump old lady brought out the water ladle, which was filled to the brim. Song Fu thanked her profusely and eagerly gulped it down in several large mouthfuls.

After drinking it, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had come back to life. After a long while, as if he had just realized what was happening, he respectfully offered the water ladle with both hands.

"I am truly grateful for the old lady's sincerity. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay her kindness tenfold."

"Hey, why are you talking about that?" The plump old woman waved her hand, even a little embarrassed. "Don't say that, kid. Hurry up and go find your relatives. It's getting dark, poor thing."

"Speaking of this, I have to trouble you again, ma'am. Have you heard of Xin Laohei? He lives nearby and is a single old man."

The plump woman thought carefully for a moment, "I don't know. Sigh, I also moved here from the countryside. It's all thanks to my husband that we were able to get these rooms. Even though I'm talking under that tree, I'm not really familiar with the people here. Maybe if you ask around, maybe you'll know something about the gambling area."

Upon hearing this, Song Fu quickly bowed and thanked him before getting up to leave.

Just then, as it was time to get off work, several burly men walked into the fat old lady's house. The one in the lead saw a stranger standing in the yard and asked, "Who is this? What are you doing standing here?"