Crossing Over to Yamada Love

Mo Lan looked at Mo Changsheng lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). His handsome appearance was gone; his face was ashen. He was gone just like that. She had hated him so much; how much trouble he had brought to the family. How much trouble he had caused. He had made her kill someone; he had caused her grandfather and second grandfather to still be lying on the kang. She had thought that once he ran away, he should never come back. Even dying far from home would be better than being killed and brought back like this.

Do I still hate him? He's gone, what is there to hate? No matter what, he was my third uncle, and because of that relationship, I have to wear mourning clothes and keep vigil for him.

Wang, holding her granddaughter's hand, shared similar thoughts, though her own mind was more complicated. She had watched Mo Chang grow up; as a child, he was handsome and clever, but after becoming addicted to gambling, he gradually changed. And now, he'd been murdered—what a tragedy!

The Cheng family offered a few words of comfort and instructed their steward to stay and help the second branch of the Mo family. They told him to handle whatever needed to be bought or paid for. Then they took Mo Ju back with them.

As Cheng Xiao left, she looked at Mo Lan with reluctance. Tomorrow, Mo Lan would be keeping vigil for three days. She hoped Mo Lan wouldn't tire herself out. She wondered if Mo Lan could handle it. It was truly hard on Mo Lan.

Fang Yan'er and Mo Ju also glanced at Mo Lan. Fang Yan'er's eyes were filled with jealousy and disgust, while Mo Ju's eyes were filled with naked hatred.

Mo Lan ignored all three of them. They had nothing to do with her. As long as they didn't cause her any trouble, she would pretend not to see them and treat them like air.

When Mo Changhai and Mo Changhe returned, Wang gave them some instructions and then led the two old ladies and the women back to the shop.

Mo Changhai and the others can't come back; they have to stay there and help out. It'll probably be until Mo Changsheng's burial that they can return to the shop.

Upon arriving at the shop, the group still couldn't decide whether or not to tell Mo Jin the news. He was still recuperating in bed; he had suffered greatly this time, his bones hadn't fully healed, and he couldn't get out of bed. He hadn't even attended his eldest son's wedding, and now the joyous occasion had turned into a tragedy. His only son had died; if they told him, they feared he wouldn't be able to bear it.

Upon entering the courtyard, Bai Daxian came out to greet them. He looked at everyone, asked a few questions, and then turned his gaze to Mo Lan.

Mo Lan understood what he meant. He probably had something to discuss with her, and the fact that he had contacted her on his own initiative meant it was probably about Xue Lingfeng.

"Grandma, you all go in first. I need to say a few words to Uncle Bai." Mo Lan stopped and let everyone go in first.

Madam Wang nodded and led everyone into the house. The Bai family father and son were sent by Xue Lingfeng. He wouldn't harm his granddaughter; they must have something to discuss in private.

"Miss, the young master sent a message today. He originally wanted to come in person, but he knew that your brother was getting married and didn't know when you would return, so he sent someone else. The third son of the second branch has been killed by Chen's men. Because the third son had tried to find the people at the gambling den, Chen's men found him first. By the time the young master received the message and sent someone there, the third son was already dead. The young master thought that you were kind-hearted, and since he was a member of the Mo family, he allowed the officials to return his body so that he could be buried in the ancestral grave."

"The young master has already sent men to pursue those who killed Mo Laosan. They won't come to the manor and won't endanger the safety of your family, Miss. Please rest assured. The young master said he'd like to meet with you tomorrow to discuss this further. What do you think, Miss?"

Bai Da told Mo Lan about the matter, and the news was delivered at noon. However, since the young lady was with the second branch of the family, he had been waiting. As long as the young lady was safe, nothing else mattered to him. The death of Mo Laosan had nothing to do with him either. On the contrary, he thought it was good that he died, since he was the one who harmed his own young lady.

Mo Lan nodded and said to Bai Da, "Uncle Bai, I already know about this. Uncle San's body has arrived at the Second Branch. Please inform Young Master Xue not to come tomorrow. Uncle San is gone, and I have to keep vigil for three days until his burial before I can return. Let him come on the fourth day. We'll meet at the foot of the mountain at 9:00 AM."

"Yes. I will definitely inform her. Miss, please come inside and get some rest." Bai Da responded and ushered Mo Lan inside.

"Yes, Uncle, you've worked hard. You should get some rest too." Mo Lan nodded, said this, and walked into the house.

Mo Mei had already fed Mo Quan and Mo Jin dinner. She didn't go out today; she was taking care of the two grandfathers with Qin Shi. She had just sent Qin Shi back.

While everyone was inside, she was talking to Mo Quan and Mo Jin.

When Mo Mei saw that everyone had returned, she quickly stood up and offered them seats. She also poured water for everyone.

"How was it? Was it lively today? Was it a grand affair? What do you think of the new bride? You should all learn from her." Mo Quan asked first, knowing his brother was also very concerned, unable to go but still thinking about it. He was just too embarrassed to say so. So he asked on his behalf.

"It's lively and quite a sight. The banquet was excellent, and many people attended. Everyone was very satisfied. The new bride is also lovely; she's beautiful and well-mannered," Wang said.

"Hurry up and learn, let's listen carefully." Mo Quan wasn't satisfied and urged him to say more.

Wang looked at her daughter-in-law, gesturing for her to speak, while she herself kept her head down and remained silent. Qiu understood her mother-in-law's meaning and began to recount what had happened.

She talked for a long time about what dishes were on the table, how the new bride should perform the wedding ceremony since Mo Ju was pregnant, and so on. Mo Quan and Mo Jin were very happy to hear this, but towards the end, Qiu Shi started to stammer, unsure of what to say next.

Mo Quan and Mo Jin grinned throughout, occasionally adding a comment. They were quite satisfied; given the character of Madam Feng and Madam Cui, it was remarkable that nothing major had gone wrong and the event had been handled so successfully. However, when they saw Qiu hesitate and stop speaking at the end, the two sensed something was wrong. Something bad must have happened, otherwise Qiu wouldn't be so reluctant to speak.

"You've all had a long day, go wash up and go to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow." Mo Quan understood that his wife had her reasons for not saying anything, so he figured it was best to ask.

"Yes," Qiu replied, letting out a sigh of relief. The others also stood up, preparing to take their leave.

"Second son's wife, tell me what's going on. Did those two women say something nasty again and give you a hard time? Or did eldest son say something inappropriate again? Tell your second uncle." Mo Jin called to Qiu Shi, wanting to know what had happened; he had a bad feeling.

“No, Second Uncle, it’s not this.” Qiu hurriedly shook her head.

"What's that?" Mo Jin pressed for an answer.

"Yes, yes..." Qiu said twice, but didn't continue. She looked up at Wang, wanting to know if her mother would allow her to speak.

“It’s Changsheng, Jin’er, it’s Changsheng.” Second Aunt couldn’t help but cry.

"Chang Sheng? That beast is back? That beast! Where is he? I'll beat him to death!" Mo Jin was extremely agitated upon hearing the name Mo Chang Sheng. His eyes held hatred, anger, and rage, but also concern. After all, he was his son, his only son. How could he not feel anything for him?

"He...he's dead. He was murdered. His body was brought back. My poor Sheng'er!" The second aunt cried as she told the truth.

"What?" Mo Jin asked, his upper body shifting as he sat up. The movement of his ribs caused the small area that had just healed to become unhealthy again, but he didn't care or feel any pain. He stared wide-eyed as he asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Mo Quan's eyes widened. The third brother is dead? How could that be?

"Sigh," Wang sighed. Seeing Mo Jin's posture, she quickly went over to support him and helped him lie down.

But Mo Jin couldn't lie down. He held tightly to Wang Shi's arm, his eyes fixed on her, filled with hopeful light, and asked, "Sister-in-law, is this true?" He hoped that Wang Shi would shake her head and tell him that it was false.

Wang nodded gently. She couldn't bear to hurt Mo Jin, nor did she want to extinguish his last hope. But this matter couldn't be kept secret; he would find out sooner or later.

Wang's nod extinguished Mo Jin's last glimmer of hope. He cried out, "Longevity!" Then his eyes rolled back, and he lay flat on the kang (heated brick bed), his head sticking out.

Everyone rushed forward to help him breathe, pinching his philtrum and rubbing his chest. After a while, Mo Jin slowly woke up. He lay there straight, his eyes glazed over, not speaking or moving, as if he had gone mad.

All the people could say was to take care of his health, but they didn't know how else to comfort him. They couldn't very well say that Mo Changsheng deserved to die and that it was good he died, or tell him not to be sad.

“Jin, Changsheng brought this upon himself. What kind of people work at gambling dens? They’re all reckless. I heard they have officials above them. If they sent someone to kill Changsheng, who could stop them? It’s a miracle he didn’t bring disaster to the family. You have to think positively.” Second Aunt Chen Moshi held Mojin’s hand and kept trying to persuade him. She was heartbroken to see her brother like this.

Mo Jin began to sob. "He was a beast, he was a piece of trash, he, he deserved to die. But, but he was still my only son. He wasn't human. But I, as his father, couldn't raise him properly, so I deserved to die too. Changsheng, my son, you're gone just like that, and your father didn't even get to see you one last time. I, I..." Mo Jin cried and then collapsed to the ground.

Mo Lan also felt a little sad. Family ties are a complicated thing. Everyone hated Mo Changsheng and always said they wished he were dead, but now that he was really dead, everyone was also upset, especially her second grandfather. No matter what, he was his son, and he was afraid he would be heartbroken again.

After offering some words of comfort, everyone took their leave, leaving only the two brothers, Mo Quan and Mo Jin, weeping together. That night, the Mo family was shrouded in gloom, filled with sighs and lamentations. Those lying on the kang (heated brick bed) couldn't sleep. They had thought that with their eldest son's marriage, things would be fine. But then came the matter of Mo Changsheng, and things truly remained unsettled.