Chapter 44: Missing Bodies

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After Song Yi confirmed it, Song Yu no longer made fun of Song Xue. Instead, he carefully examined the beautiful ropes. He felt that each of them was unique and beautiful.

Watching from the sidelines, Song Xiuyan made up his mind. He would do everything he could to keep Ding Yao and his younger siblings safe. He wanted them to live as happily as they did now. Still, he found it strange that no word had been sent regarding the dead bodies.

They had left the bodies lying in the middle of the mountain road. Logically speaking, someone should have encountered them by now. The mountain roads were usually busy, with people waking at dawn to peddle and ferry their goods from the villages to the nearby towns. If the bodies were untouched, someone would have discovered them already.

Song Xiuyan had agreed with Ding Yao the previous night to pretend they knew nothing if the bodies were discovered. If anyone asked, they would say they had not seen anything along the way home. Song Xiuyan found it unsettling to receive no news despite the late hour.

By noon, Song Xiuyan could not fight the urge to learn if anyone had discovered the bodies. He went out, but before he did so, he charged Song Yang with taking care of their younger siblings.

The village children suffering from roundworms were mostly cured. Those with larger bellies had more roundworms than their smaller counterparts. The villagers all stared bug-eyed at the parasites. No parent wanted their children to suffer such a fate. One after another, parents flocked to Ding Yao with their children, hoping she would help them. Some families had three or four children, and soon a long line formed.

Despite the harrowing situation, Ding Yao remained calm. She had dug up a lot of medicinal herbs. Even though Song Xiuyan did not allow his younger siblings to help them, they had still acquired more than enough herbs to treat everyone.

Mixing the herbs was no issue, but boiling so many at once was impossible.

Hence, Ding Yao set a limit on the number of patients she would treat each day: no more than twenty. The village children quickly registered themselves for treatment, forming a three-day waiting list.

Song Yu was so amazed that his mouth hung open. It was as if all the children in the surrounding villages had come to Ding Yao for treatment of their roundworms. His sister-in-law’s name spread far and wide, with money flowing into their coffers in an endless stream. No one dared call her a jinx upon their family anymore. Instead, she became their lucky star.

Song Xue’s idea was similar to Ding Yao’s save for a few differences. If her roundworm medicine had gained traction, she would have had to make plenty of sugar pills from the scavenged medicinal herbs.

Anyone who wanted to rid themselves of roundworms would only need to take a few sugar pills. Not only were they easier to transport, but also more marketable to the general public.

Song Xiuyan returned in the evening. He had enquired through various channels but had heard nothing regarding dead bodies found along the mountain path. Someone must have disposed of the bodies after they left. Whoever had done the deed probably did not want to alert the police or draw attention to the assassination attempt. Although dead men tell no tales, their bodies were a well-spring of information to the trained professional. Some secrets could not be hidden from those who knew where to look.

That was as far as Song Xiuyan could guess. Those people seemed unwilling to act against him or his family out in the open. At least, not yet.

Song Xiuyan called Song Yang and Ding Yao into the study and told them all he had gathered.

Song Yang asked curiously, “Big Brother, do you think the people who disposed of the bodies were part of the same organisation who sent those black-clothed men after you?”

Song Xiuyan shook his head. “I don’t know.” Back then, he was more concerned for his family’s safety than verifying his surroundings or potential enemies hiding in their surroundings.

While he was out, Song Xiuyan procured more ingredients for Ding Yao to make her Wolf Repelling Powder. It followed a simple recipe.

With her mask firmly in place, Ding Yao baked the ingredients in a pot before grounding them into powder. A dash of lime powder to create the burning effect, and voila! A fresh batch of Wolf Repelling Powder was ready for use. The process took her a little less than two hours with Song Xiuyan and Song Yang’s help.

Ding Yao divided the Wolf Repelling Powder into several portions and kept the rest in a jar to prevent it from getting wet.

Song Xiuyan went out again the following morning, only returning around noon. After lunch, Song Xiuyan asked Song Yang and Ding Yao to meet him in his small study. “Ding Yao, I’m going out with Song Yang later. I’d like you to stay behind and watch over my younger siblings. Don’t let them go out. We should be back by dusk,” he said with a certain solemnity.