Je vends des vêtements et j'achète du vin à boire avec toi

Chapitre 107

Qiao Li nodded and said, "Based on what you just said, Long San must know that we have seen through his trick of having someone impersonate you. Tell me, what else did he say? So that we can take precautions."

“He said, he said…” Feng Ning hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted her teeth and said, “Long San said that my mother is not my biological mother. For some reason, he killed my biological mother, took me away, and brought me to my father’s side.”

"Bullshit!" Qiao Li roared. "Nonsense! If I had killed your mother, why would I have brought you here? Do you think bringing a baby is an easy thing?"

Feng Ning stared at her in surprise. Seeing this, Qiao Li sighed and softened her tone, saying, "Feng Feng, I am indeed not your biological mother, I am your aunt. Back then, your father was preoccupied with the family feud, so he left your mother and returned to the countryside of Huzhou. After giving birth to you, your mother's health deteriorated. Before she passed away, she entrusted you to me, instructing me to take you to find your father and take care of you and your father for her. Your father was afraid that if you knew the truth, he would blame him for neglecting your mother, so he made an agreement with me not to tell you about this. Who would have thought that Long San would use this to fabricate facts and frame me?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning bit her lip and whispered, "Mother, none of this matters. Father and you are deeply devoted to each other. No matter how eloquently Long San speaks, he will not succeed. However, Lan Hu is currently in his hands. Mother previously asked Lan Hu to kill that imposter, and I'm afraid Long San will use that as an excuse as well. So, Mother, you must help me rescue Lan Hu."

Qiao Li smiled slightly and poured Feng Ning a glass of water: "You child, you really know how to find excuses to persuade your mother to do things. Don't rush, have some water first, calm down, and we'll discuss it properly."

Feng Ning tilted her head back and drank the water, then poured herself another cup and asked, "Mother, have you thought of any ideas?"

Qiao Li looked at her and smiled slightly: "I have thought of a way."

Feng Ning was overjoyed: "Mother, tell me quickly, what should I do?"

“Once you disappear, the Long family will naturally be thrown into chaos, and they won’t have time to kill Lan Hu.”

"What Mother means is that now that I've escaped, the Long family has to be wary of me causing trouble, so they won't be making a move against Lan Hu for the time being, is that right?"

Qiao Li nodded: "You'd better hide well. Where do you live in this city?"

"It's just two alleys behind the inn. I was afraid of attracting attention, so I found a quiet little place."

“Very well, take me there now, and we’ll talk in detail there.”

Feng Ning nodded and left the inn first, with Qiao Li following at a distance to the small house. The house was indeed small, containing only a small bed, a small table, and a chair, nothing else. Qiao Li looked at it and frowned: "Why is it such a place?"

"I...I don't have any money." Feng Ning said, and then took the opportunity to say to Qiao Li, "Mother, do you have any money on you? Give it all to me."

Without hesitation, Qiao Li actually took out all the silver from her bag, poured the silver onto the table, and kept the bag. She examined the place inside and out, and then sat down on the only chair in the room.

With the money, Feng Ning seemed a little happier. She sat on the edge of the bed and asked, "Mother, how long do I have to hide? Should I just wait here while you and Father go back to the Long family, rescue Lan Hu, and then tell him to come here to find me?"

"How long will you hide them? Of course, you'll hide them for a very, very long time, until your father never sees the two children standing in front of him again." Qiao Li's tone was a little strange, and Feng Ning's heart skipped a beat.

"What do you mean by that, Mother? Don't worry, Mother, I won't go looking for Father. Lan Hu is back, and I'll go far away with him. I definitely won't go looking for Father."

"How can I trust you? The slightest thing doesn't go your way, and you resort to threatening me with your father. I knew you were her offspring, so naturally you'd always be against me. You want me to rescue Lan Hu? How could that be possible? Lan Hu failed to kill that imposter and left behind evidence. What I need to do is make him disappear. How could I possibly rescue him? If he dies, you die too, and everyone involved disappears. Even if the Long family and your father say something, besides that forgetful idiot, who can prove anything happened?" Qiao Li smiled coldly, her words shocking Feng Ning.

"Mother, what do you mean by this?"

"The time is almost up, you'll soon find out what that means." Qiao Li had just finished speaking when Feng Ning suddenly cried out in pain and collapsed onto the bed.

"Mother, Mother, you, you actually, poisoned me..." Feng Ning cried out in agony, clutching her stomach.

Qiao Li watched coldly from the side, and said in a deep voice, "If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for knowing too much."

Feng Ning gasped for breath: "So you really did kill my mother."

Qiao Li was stabbed and cried out, "That was my only chance to stay by Feng Lang's side. Unfortunately, she wouldn't die peacefully. She actually woke up and tried to take the child from me. I only managed to take you. The fire burned the other one to death with her." She suddenly paused, "Wait, that child didn't die. What about her?"

Feng Ning frowned and panted as she sneered, "Of course they won't die. You think you can kill me and get away with it? Father isn't that stupid!"

“Of course your father isn’t stupid. He’s just too kind. He’s suffered a lot. He needs someone to support him, take care of him, and keep him company. And I can do all of that. I’m more suitable to stay with your father than your mother.”

As Feng Ning listened, she seemed to finally succumb to the poison. She struggled and cried out, "My whole family will haunt you even as ghosts!" Then she rolled her eyes and fainted.

Qiao Li was startled by her words. What a coincidence! It was Qiao Ling's distant cry to her when she was trapped in the fire years ago. Qiao Li dared not linger and turned to rush out the door. She walked quickly with her head down when she suddenly saw someone blocking the alley. She looked up and saw it was Feng Ning again. Feng Ning's face was very unpleasant. She said, "You didn't even check me. How can you be sure I'm dead or not? You just left like that?"

Qiao Li was shocked and instinctively glanced back at the small house before turning back to ask, "You're not dead?"

"Dead." Feng Ning answered quickly, but then added, "But didn't I say I'd haunt you even as a ghost?"

Qiao Li's face turned deathly pale. She didn't dare fight back. She turned her head, intending to go around to the back of the alley, but unexpectedly, she saw Feng Ning again. Only one sentence escaped her lips: "I'll haunt you even as a ghost! I'll haunt you even as a ghost!"

Qiao Li screamed, then turned her head and met Feng Ning's face again. She looked at both sides again and again, and they were indeed exactly the same. The same clothes, the same hairstyle, the same facial features, the same voice. Qiao Li was so scared that her legs went weak, and she pressed her back against the wall, staring at the two people.

The one blocking the way suddenly said, "Alright, stop reading. It's just the same sentence over and over again. Aren't you annoyed?"

The one behind replied, "It's not annoying, it's so much fun. I think I acted so well, even my death was very realistic."

"Who told you to pretend to be dead? Just ask the questions properly, why pretend to be dead? It's boring."

"It's more realistic when she's dead. Look at her now, it's hilarious."

Qiao Li was startled and suddenly realized what was happening. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Feng Ning behind her say, "It's because you're incompetent, with only rudimentary skills. I was afraid you'd get stabbed to death by her, and I was also afraid you'd lose your composure and reveal your weaknesses, so I stepped in. You see, facts prove that I'm smart and capable."

"You're so boring. If you're going to act, then act. Why do you have to ask her for money?"

"Why not? That money is mine now. My Long San works so hard to earn money, I'll help him earn some."

The two women actually started arguing, completely disregarding Qiao Li. Qiao Li gritted her teeth, took out a dagger, and was about to stab the fake Feng Ning. She wanted to subdue the one with better martial arts skills first, then the one with worse skills would be easier to deal with.

But just as she was about to make her move, she heard a "whoosh" as the dagger was cut through the air. Then she felt a sharp pain in her hand, and the dagger slipped from her grasp and fell heavily to the ground.

Qiao Li clutched her aching hand and looked up to see Long San leaping down from the roof. The fake Feng Ning stamped her foot and said coquettishly, "Why did you stop her? It was perfect that she came at me; I could beat her up without any qualms. Now that she's stopped, it's not right for me to strike first."

“Feng’er…” Long San called out softly with a sense of helplessness.

Qiao Li stared warily at the three of them, her mind racing, trying to figure out how to escape or find an excuse. She had been exposed, but she didn't care about anything else, as long as her beloved Feng Lang believed her.

Zhen Fengning was still struggling with the issue of money: "Then why would she give you money?"

Fake Feng Ning glanced at Long San, who quickly replied, "It's illogical to have so much silver in a dilapidated hut. If someone discovers the body and reports it to the authorities, the cause of death will be linked to robbery. Although the method is crude, it's very helpful in clearing oneself of suspicion. Moreover, this is why she didn't do it at the inn."

"Nonsense! This is all your trickery. Long San, you are too vicious! You must have used some cruel means to deceive and blackmail my daughter. Feng Lang will not believe you!" Qiao Li cursed loudly after being exposed.