Chapter 6 — Hoa Mi Revenge of Vengeance

Old Mrs. Tham glanced at me dissatisfiedly, but when she turned to Bach To To, her attitude turned around like she was someone else, gentle and gentle.
"Come here, To To, sit close to me. Try the To family's food, this family's chef skills are quite good."
The meal was bland and tasteless. When Bach To To picked up the food, a piece of red string appeared on her wrist, with half a jade pendant tied on the string. I recognize that piece of jade. That was half of the pair of Uyen Uong pearls that Tham Thanh Van took from the To family's treasury room. The remaining half is in Tham Thanh Van's wallet. After dinner, Mrs. Tham insisted that I take Bach To To for a walk around the garden. I had no reason to refuse, so I led her along the winding corridor. While passing by the West courtyard, the nightingale suddenly started singing. Bach To To's footsteps immediately stopped. She raised her head to look at the nightingale in the cage, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but quickly held it back. Her eyes stopped at the bottom of the birdcage for a split second, then immediately turned away. This movement happened too fast. So fast that it seemed like he was deliberately avoiding something that was forbidden to be seen.
“Does Miss White also like birds?” I'm free to ask a question.
“No… not very well.” Bach To To shook his head and took a half step back, "I just heard the pleasant singing sound."
“It's really pleasant.”
I stared at the half step she had just retreated, the corner of her mouth not moving at all.
"It was given to me by my aunt. She said that Tuong Thuy can keep the family in peace."
Bach To To's shoulders trembled slightly, she lowered her head and did not say another word. At night, I sat in my room, under the light of an oil lamp, looking at the bills that the stores sent today. The door was pushed open, Xuan Vu walked in carrying a bowl of lotus seed soup, his expression as if he had just drank a mouthful of sour vinegar.
"Madam, that Bach To To girl has moved into the East Courtyard, right next door to old lady Tham."
"Do we still need to guess about this? What's the matter with distant relatives? I can clearly see that—"
“I know.”
I interrupted her, without raising my head, "Put down the lotus seed soup."
“Come here and help me investigate something.”
"Lady Shen said that Bach To To's husband passed away last year. I'm going to investigate to see if she ever married anyone."
Xuan Vu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and walked out, biting her lips as she walked, twisting her braid into a knot. The door closed, I lowered the bills, staring at the candle flame dancing on the table. Bach To To's eyes when he saw the bottom of the birdcage were not curiosity, but confirmation. She knows there's something hidden at the bottom of the cage. In other words, she is not simply a woman that Tham Thanh Van raised outside. She was the one who knew, and was most likely even an accomplice. This chess game is much bigger than what I saw in my previous life. The nightingale arrived for seven days. On the morning of the seventh day, news came from the Patriarch's side: The old man coughed all night last night, and this morning when he woke up, he couldn't even drink porridge. The doctor was invited by the government to come and look at it again and again, and said that the old illness had relapsed and become worse, and he needed to recuperate. When I rushed to the main courtyard where the Patriarch lived, Tham Thanh Van was also there. He stood in front of the bed, his face full of worry, covering the Patriarch with the blanket. The patriarch lay on the bed, his face was gray, his cheekbones were prominent, and his whole body seemed to have been drained of a large amount of spirit. Half a month before I came to visit you, your illness was not that serious, and at that time you were still able to sit up and say a few words to me.
“Patriarch.” I walked over and knelt down on the edge of the bed.

The old man squinted his eyes at me for a moment, then reached out his thin hand and rubbed my head: "The girl has arrived. Good, good." Tham Thanh Van took a half step back, giving me room, muttering:
"The old man's energy is weak. The doctor said it could be due to the weather. Since it's summer, the heat is rising, which is not good for the old man."
“I have already arranged for someone to clean up an airy small courtyard in the East, so that the Old Lady can move there to recuperate.”
"Transfer to the hospital? Patriarch has been in this hospital for thirty years, why did he have to transfer?"
“The main courtyard is too large, it does not gather energy.”
When saying this, Tham Thanh Van reached out to smooth his sleeve.
"I've already gone to inquire, the situation in the East Court is closed, it's very good for people to recover. Later I'll have the flower beds and fish pond removed—"
"The Eastern courtyard is where old lady Tham lives. Are you planning to move Patriarch to the wall of your mother's courtyard?"
The corner of Tham Thanh Van's mouth twitched.
“I also want the good of the Old Man.”
“The Patriarch's business, let me arrange it.”
The room suddenly fell silent. Patriarch lay on the bed, his cloudy eyes turned around to look at me and Tham Thanh Van, without saying anything. Tham Thanh Van did not persist any longer. He nodded, said "It's up to you", then turned and walked out. I sat on the edge of the bed for a while longer. Waiting until the sound of his footsteps disappeared, I bent down, leaned close to Patriarch's ear and whispered:
"Father, have you heard any birds singing recently? It's very pleasant, singing during the day, singing at night."
The patriarch froze, his dry fingers moved slightly: "Bird? What bird?"
“Five-colored nightingale.”
The Old Man's lips trembled. His hand suddenly tightened around my sleeve, the force was so strong that it didn't resemble the strength of a patient at all.
“Who, who brought that cursed thing in here?”
My heart immediately jumped into my throat.
“Do you recognize this type of bird?”
The Patriarch did not answer directly. He stared at the top of the curtain for a long time, his dry, chapped lips opened and closed countless times, before finally squeezing out a sentence:
“Thirty years ago, my grandfather Thai also met one.”
“That year, the To family almost lost their home.”
After saying this, the person started coughing violently, as if something was blocking his throat. I quickly called the servant in. The doctor ran over and poured some medicine to temporarily suppress the cough. The patriarch fell asleep in a daze. I stood on the porch of the main courtyard, looking up at the gray sky. Thirty years ago, Grandfather Thai also encountered the Five-Colored Nightingale. That year, the To family almost collapsed. What then? After that, the To family struggled to survive. Grandfather Thai suppressed this matter, but did not pass it on to future generations. It turns out that deep in the roots of the Su family, there is still an old wound related to this demon bird. But Tham Thanh Van coincidentally found the exact thing, pointing the tip straight at the most dangerous place. This is absolutely not a coincidence. Returning to the West Institute, the first thing I did was run to check underneath the birdcage. The nightingale was perched on a branch, tilted its head, stared at me, and then sang. I squatted down and used my fingers to feel the edge of the wooden board at the bottom of the cage. The board at first glance appears to be a whole block, but at the edge there is a very small gap that can be pried up with a fingernail. I don't pry. Now is not the time. But we already know what's pressing down there. That afternoon, Mother Vuong brought news back from Lieu alley.
“Miss, I found out.”
She pulled out a small piece of paper from her chest, with a few words scribbled on it,

“That child is indeed wearing a long life lock.”
"It's a silver lock, the front is engraved with the name Tham Thua An, the back is engraved with eight characters."
"I asked an old man to shape the tortoiseshell. I took advantage of the child playing at the hospital gate to lure him to run over, clearly see the words on the silver lock, and then write it down."
I picked up the piece of paper and glanced at it. Eight words, eight characters, year, month, day, time, clear and clear. Tham Thua An. Tham Thanh Van's stepchild.
“What about the Gu family's eight characters?” Mother Vuong asked, "Is this easy to get? When he passed away, it was recorded on the marriage certificate."
“The marriage contract is locked in the Patriarch's room.”