After Transmigrating Into An Idiot - Chapter 8

Biting someone was impossible…

Song Jianshuang gritted her teeth. A little impatience could ruin a great plan. The bigger picture mattered. She would not argue with this fool.

If this fool really was the variable Father had spoken of…

Song Jianshuang’s gaze sharpened slightly. She could bend and stretch when needed. She could do that too.

Qiu Liang had thought Song Jianshuang would argue with her for a while. After all, she was a young lady from the capital. Qiu Liang had not expected this woman to actually go boil water and serve her.

She had merely wanted to win a momentary verbal advantage and test Song Jianshuang’s intentions.

Unexpectedly, Song Jianshuang really did go to the kitchen to boil water!

Qiu Liang was a little unable to recover. This woman truly wanted something from her.

And what she wanted was Qiu Liang herself!

No matter how she thought about it, it felt absurd.

She walked over to the bronze mirror and carefully examined the person reflected in it.

The face was still the exact same face as her own. The only differences were the hairstyle and clothes.

Qiu Liang could not understand. Although she was not lacking in confidence, she was not narcissistic enough to lose sight of reality either.

Her appearance could be considered delicate and pretty, but she was also overly thin and pale. One look and anyone could tell she was a malnourished bean sprout.

Was that woman Song Jianshuang blind, or had she been possessed? Her standards were somewhat too low.

Whether it was the original fool or the current her, neither should be enough to make a beauty she had only met a few times fall deeply in love.

Qiu Liang frowned slightly. She still believed in another possibility more.

What Song Jianshuang wanted might not necessarily be her as a person. It was very likely connected to the original owner’s true background.

Or perhaps, in the future, Song Jianshuang would learn about her ability to foresee the future, treat her like a precious treasure, and only then would those scenes she had seen before happen.

At this moment, Qiu Liang made up her mind. She absolutely could not let Song Jianshuang know about her ability to foresee the future.

Whether it was for self-preservation or because of everything she had guessed.

However, there was still one thing she needed to confirm: could she glimpse the future through physical contact with anyone, or was that person fixed, with no choice but Song Jianshuang?

Or even…

Qiu Liang recalled that every time she had glimpsed the future, it had been after Song Jianshuang performed a divination, and the scenes she saw had all been related to the hexagram.

If the necessary condition was Song Jianshuang, and specifically the divination Song Jianshuang cast, then things would be rather troublesome.

This golden finger was far too much of a scam!

If she wanted to do anything in the future, could it be that she would not be able to leave Song Jianshuang?

If that was the case, she would rather abandon this scam of a golden finger.

In the side room, Qiu Liang thought while bathing. If Song Jianshuang wanted nothing from her, there was no need for her to repeatedly come calling, offering both silver and cloth.

Since the other party’s purpose was not simple, then if Qiu Liang kept acting coy, she would be the fool. Another chance to earn money had arrived.

In the bedroom separated by only one wall, Song Jianshuang was also thinking. Judging from their several exchanges, Qiu Liang, who was pretending to be stupid, was not easy to fool. She might not even cooperate with her.

Next, she had to be even more cautious. But time waited for no one, and opportunities slipped away in an instant. Tonight, she had to figure it out.

Thus, after bathing and changing clothes, Song Jianshuang put on a smiling face again, while Qiu Liang no longer showed that foolish, dazed expression.

“Miss Qiu, please sit.” Song Jianshuang smiled gracefully.

Her black hair was still damp, her lips were rosy, and her gaze was gentle. She looked like a fairy beneath the moon, captivating the soul, beautiful enough to move the heart.

Qiu Liang rolled her eyes inwardly. Luckily, she had seen the future in advance and knew this woman wanted to use beauty to seduce her. Otherwise, she really might have fallen for it.

The heavens had really favored Song Jianshuang too much. It was enough that she had given her a face beautiful enough to topple a kingdom, yet they had not forgotten to give her a clever mind too.

However, none of that mattered. Her self-control was steady.

Qiu Liang sat upright and poured herself a cup of tea without the slightest sense of being an outsider. As for the empty cup Song Jianshuang handed over, she ignored it completely. It was not as if this woman did not have hands. Couldn’t she pour it herself?

The smile on Song Jianshuang’s lips stiffened. Seeing Qiu Liang’s attitude, she simply stopped pretending.

“Pour me a cup of tea.” Her expression cooled, and a trace of gloom appeared on her usually composed face.

Qiu Liang rolled her eyes. “One tael of silver per cup.”

Since the purpose was not pure, then they might as well speak plainly. No one should treat the other as a fool.

Song Jianshuang took a deep breath. Her good upbringing prevented her from biting someone on the spot.

She closed her eyes briefly, then reached out and poured the tea herself.

She was furious.

Once she got a result tonight, if Qiu Liang was not the person she was looking for, she would immediately throw this fool out. Even one more glance at her was irritating.

Perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere in the room, even the heavens came to help. A sudden clap of thunder sounded outside, and raindrops rushed to crash down. In moments, they flowed into sheets. Heavy rain poured.

Song Jianshuang inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction. If she threw this fool out into the heavy rain, it would be even more relieving.

In her mind, images flashed nonstop of Qiu Liang drenched like a drowned rat, miserably hiding from the rain. A smile returned to the corners of her lips.

“You look so happy. Did Miss Song think of something good?”

Qiu Liang slowly drank her tea. The temperature was just right, cool and thirst-quenching.

Song Jianshuang’s expression paused. She took out three copper coins, opened that yellow-covered book, and finally looked at Qiu Liang. “I’ll have to trouble Miss Qiu to cast a hexagram for me.”

When people performed divination, people were the foundation. Father had said that as long as she asked the question in her heart and let the person suspected to be the variable cast the coins, she would know whether she had found the right person.

After the words fell, however, Qiu Liang did not even glance at the copper coins and continued drinking tea.

This woman really took her for a fool.

Everything was so mysterious and strange. It would be ridiculous if she obediently did as told.

Song Jianshuang pressed her lips together and took out an ingot of silver. “Ten taels for one divination.”

This fool who opened her eyes at the sight of money really gave people headaches.

Fortunately, she had brought plenty of silver.

Qiu Liang lifted her head and looked at the roof beams, drinking a sip of tea from time to time. She did not even look at the silver.

She was not a fool. With Song Jianshuang acting like this, this was most likely a one-time deal. Since that was the case, if she did not take the chance to squeeze out more silver, she would be letting down this second life she had transmigrated into.

“Twenty taels.”

Qiu Liang remained unmoved and continued staring at the roof beam.

Song Jianshuang almost could not resist throwing the silver at her.

“Thirty taels. You had better know when to stop.”

Only then did Qiu Liang move her gaze back to Song Jianshuang. “If I’m not misunderstanding, Miss Song is the one asking something of me right now, right? So I should be the one setting the price. One hundred taels.”

Song Jianshuang sneered inwardly. Although she was not short of silver, her family’s silver had not been blown in by the wind.

Her father’s fate in prison was still uncertain. If Qiu Liang was not that variable, she would have to keep searching, and who knew how much silver she would have to spend.

“Don’t push your luck.”

She suppressed her anger, her face cold, like a cat with its fur bristling, as if she might pounce over and bite someone at any moment.

Qiu Liang almost felt afraid.

Only almost.

She was not afraid. She had already died once.

“One hundred taels, or I leave.”

Their gazes met, as if they were locked in a silent contest.

After a long while, Song Jianshuang bit the corner of her lip hard, put away the silver ingot, and replaced it with a banknote worth one hundred taels.

“Leave as soon as you finish casting.” She truly did not want to look at Qiu Liang for even one more moment. This fool would drive her mad sooner or later.

“Miss Song is straightforward. As a person, one should be a little more generous. This is what asking someone for help should look like.” Qiu Liang knew to stop while she was ahead. More than one hundred taels—tomorrow, she could leave the Qiu family. From then on, the sky would be high and the sea vast.

After putting away the banknote, Qiu Liang heard Song Jianshuang say, “Begin.”

She picked up the three copper coins on the table and shook them down one by one.

“All done. Miss Song need not see me out. Farewell.” Qiu Liang tucked away the warm banknote and turned to leave.

Tomorrow, she would be free.

Song Jianshuang did not look at her. Her gaze fell on the book as she found the corresponding hexagram.

The thirty-seventh hexagram: Family.

Family, family—Wind over Fire, Family!

Song Jianshuang carefully interpreted the divination words, then abruptly closed the book in her hands.

Entering the sea and obtaining a pearl, flowers blooming and bearing fruit—the person sought had appeared.

The variable was Qiu Liang!

She hurriedly stood. Outside the door, night was deep, and rain poured like water from a basin. Where was there still any sign of Qiu Liang?

Song Jianshuang’s heart said this was not good. Judging by the way Qiu Liang had looked impatient to leave the moment she got the money, she was most likely not planning to remain in the Qiu family for long.

If that fool left Song Family Village and the Qiu family tomorrow morning, where would Song Jianshuang go to find her?

Because of this worry, she did not even bother looking for an umbrella before rushing into the rain. But when she quickly reached the courtyard gate, she stopped again and cautiously looked toward the neighboring house.

The sounds of rain and thunder covered many noises. At some unknown point, several strangers had appeared at the Qiu family’s doorway.

Song Jianshuang carefully walked under the eaves, moved a little closer, and listened attentively.

At the entrance of the Qiu family courtyard, Madam Bai was hugging her younger son, Qiu Ming, and crying in a heap. They were surrounded by several burly men.

Qiu the Lame leaned against the wall, his gaze falling on Qiu Liang, no one knew what he was thinking.

Qiu Liang stood to the side, blank and foolish, playing the role of an idiot.

Madam Bai cried and shouted, “You heaven-cursed bastards! Give me back my son’s hand! This old woman doesn’t want to live anymore!”

As she shouted, Madam Bai lowered her head and charged toward one of the burly men.

The burly man lifted his foot and kicked, mercilessly knocking Madam Bai to the ground. He shouted, “Enough nonsense. I’ve seen plenty of shrewish women like you who only know how to make trouble. Even if you die here today, you still have to hand over the silver. Otherwise, your son won’t be able to keep his other hand either.”