The man curled up and crouched down. The crowd was violent, and he had nothing to do, so he was completely calm.

However, his quick reflexes were no less than the sudden change, and as soon as he saw that people's attention had suddenly shifted direction, he leaped to his feet and decided to make a final attempt to save his life, which was to jump into the ditch, risk being ruined, and try to sneak away from the darkness and chaos as much as possible.

He suddenly perked up, and the noise in the house indicated that someone had indeed rushed in. He had to act...... He put one foot on the chimney and wrapped one end of the rope tightly around it. Almost in the blink of an eye, he had already used his hands and teeth to pull the other end into a sturdy looper, and he could use the rope to hang down to a place no more than his own height above the ground, and then cut the rope with the knife in his hand and fall.

No sooner had he put the slipknot on his head and was about to put it under his arm, when the old gentleman mentioned above eagerly warned those around him that the murderer was about to fall—and it was at this moment that the murderer suddenly looked back at the roof behind him, raised his arms above his head, and let out a terrible scream.

"Those eyes are here again!" He screamed like a ghost crying wolf.

He stumbled as if he had been struck by lightning, and then lost his balance and fell off the breastwork. The looper was tied around his neck, and the rope was stretched as tight as a bowstring by the weight of his body, and as fast as an arrow off the string. He fell about thirty-five feet, and then suddenly stopped, and his limbs twitched horribly. He hung there, his hand stiffening in his open folding knife.

The old chimney was torn a few times, but it still bravely withstood it. The murderer was swinging against the wall, and there was no trace of life.

The clever ghost pushed aside the dangling corpse that was blocking his view, and begged for God's sake to come and get him out.

A dog that had not been seen until now wailed, running back and forth on the breastwork. It froze, and jumped over the deceased's shoulder.

It didn't achieve its goal, it fell into the ditch, it flipped in mid-air, hit its head on a rock, and suddenly burst.

Two days later, at three o'clock in the afternoon, Yongchang boarded a wagon and sped away towards the small village where he was born. He was accompanied by Jin Xiu, Mrs. Wen, and the kind doctor.

Mr. Luo and an incognito man were riding in a stagecoach in the back.

Along the way, they didn't talk much. Yongchang was so excited that his heart jumped, he couldn't believe it, he couldn't organize his thoughts, he could barely speak, and the influence of several people who traveled with him was obviously almost not under him, at least the same.

After Mr. Luo forced Lao Meng to confess, he had carefully told him and the two ladies the essence of the matter.

Even though everyone knew that the purpose of the trip was to bring the work that had gone smoothly from the beginning to a successful conclusion, the whole thing was still shrouded in a fog of doubt that kept them at ease.

With the help of Mr. Chin, this kind friend prudently cut off all channels of information, so that they could not be informed of the terrible events that had happened recently. "Yes," he said, "it won't be long before they know, and it's better than it is now, and it won't be worse anyway." ”

So, they were silent all the way, and each of them was thinking about bringing everyone together, and none of them wanted to say the thoughts that were haunting their hearts.

If Yongchang could remain silent under the influence of these thoughts as the carriage drove along a great road that Yongchang had never seen before towards his birthplace, by the time they turned into the same road he had walked on foot—he was a poor wanderer, with no roof on the road, homeless, and no friends to help him—how many memories of the past poured into his memory, and how many complicated feelings awakened in his breast.

"Look there, look there!" Yongchang eagerly grabbed Jin Xiu's hand, pointed out the car window, and shouted. "It was as if I had climbed over the fence that kept the cattle at bay, and I was stealthily walking behind the fence for fear that someone would pounce on me and catch me. Further past there is a path through the fields that leads to the old house where I stayed as a child. ”

When they finally arrived in town, the carriage was driving down the narrow streets, and it became quite difficult to keep Yongchang from getting too excited.

There was the coffin shop, exactly the same as before, except that it looked smaller and less imposing than he remembered—it was still the shops and houses he had already known, and almost every one of them he had done some little thing, this car, parked in front of the old tavern

It was the Nursery, the terrible cage of his childhood, its dark windows looking down the street with a sad face—standing at the gate was still the thin janitor, and Yongchang involuntarily shrank back at the sight of him, and then laughed at himself at how stupid he could be, and cried for a while, and laughed again—there were many faces in the doorway and in the window that he knew so well—almost everything, as if he had only left yesterday, and his whole new life was just a dream.

However, this is a completely uncompromising and pleasant reality. They drove straight to the door of the number one hotel. Here, Mr. Lin made all the preparations to receive them.

He was smiling and amiable, and did not mention the idea of eating his own head—yes, he did not make the bet once, not even when arguing with an old postman about which way to get to London recently, and he was sure that he knew best, though he had only walked it once, and that time he had slept soundly.

Dinner was served, the bedroom was cleaned up, and everything was arranged like a trick.

Still, the first half hour of chaos passed, and at this time, the silence and restraint they had seen along the way spread again.

Mr. Luo did not have dinner with them, but stayed alone in a room. Two other gentlemen came and went away in a hurry, and the two men were also talking to each other in that brief interval, looking very anxious.

On one occasion Mrs. May was called out and came back almost an hour later, when her eyes were swollen with crying.

Jin Xiu and Yongchang were originally ignorant of the secrets that had been revealed recently, and now this situation made them nervous and very uneasy.

They sat silently and stunned. Even if they occasionally talk a few words, their voices are very low, as if even their own voices are afraid to hear them.

It was finally nine o'clock, when they thought that they would never hear any more news that night, when Mr. Qian and Mr. Lin walked into the room, followed by Mr. Luo and a man.

They told him that this person was his elder brother, Young Master Mei!

Young Master Mei, the person who used to be known as Lao Meng, turned his hateful gaze to Yongchang, who was amazed, and sat down by the door, even now, he couldn't hide this hatred.

Mr. Luo held a few documents in his hand and walked to the table where Jin Xiu and Yongchang were already sitting next to him.

"It's a chore," he said, "and the statements have been signed in London in the presence of many gentlemen, but the point must be reiterated here." I don't mean to embarrass you, but before we break up, I'll have to listen to you say it yourself, and you know why. ”

"Go on," said the man who had been called, turning his face to the side, "hurry." I'm probably done pretty well, don't embarrass me anymore. ”

"This child," Mr. Luo pulled Yongchang to his side, put one hand on his head, and said, "It's your half-brother." It was the illegitimate son of your father and my good friend Mei Renhou, who took pity on his mother and died when she gave birth to him. ”

"Yes," Young Master Mei glared at the trembling Yongchang, perhaps he had heard the child's heart beating. "That's their illegitimate child."

"You use that word!" Mr. Luo said sternly, "It is an insult to those who have long been beyond the gossip of the world, and it will not bring shame to anyone alive except you." None of this is mentioned. Was he born in this town? ”

"In the town's nursery school," replied in a rather gloomy tone, "didn't you write it there?" As he spoke, he pointed impatiently at the papers.

"I'm going to confirm it here." Mr. Luo looked around at the audience in the room and said.

"Then listen! You guys! Young Master Mei turned to Mr. Luo and said, "He wrote you just a few lines and sealed it, and there is a note on the document sleeve that will not be sent out until he dies." Among those documents was a letter to the slut, and the other was a will. ”

"How is the letter written?" Mr. Luo asked.

"Letter? —only a piece of paper, scribbled and scribbled, and he made up a lie to the girl, saying that he had an untold secret—which would be revealed someday—so he did not marry her at that time. She remained as confident in him as she had always been, until she had lost something that no one could give back to her. At the time, she was still a few months away from giving birth. He told her all about his intentions, and as long as he was alive, he would not discredit her. There must be something wrong with his brain. ”

"Tell me about the will." Mr. Luo said that Yongchang was already in tears at this time.

Young Master Mei didn't say a word.

"The gist of the will is the same as that letter," said Mr. Rowe, for him, "and I have spoken of the misfortune that my wife has brought upon him, and of your stubborn character, of your wicked heart, and of the evil desires that have been formed prematurely, and that you are his only son, but what you have received is hatred of your father." He divides most of his property into two equal parts: one for you and the other for their children, as long as the children are born safely and reach the legal age of majority. If it is a girl, the inheritance of the money is unconditional. But if it is a boy, there is one condition, that is, he must not do anything unseemly to tarnish his surname during his minority. He said that he made such a will to show his trust in the child's mother and his own faith, which was strengthened as death approached. In case his hopes are frustrated, then the money will be yours, for at that time, and only when both sons have become goods, will he recognize your right to apply for his property first, and you have not taken anyone to heart in the past, and have struck him with indifference and disgust since childhood. ”