Rebirth: Splendid Marriage in the 80s Chapter 2467: 2403: The Fire Before the Grave

“Besides, you have no idea what sort of person Mother Xinian really was; she was genuinely a kind-hearted woman and an excellent mother too. Once she joined the Meng Family through marriage, she showed me nothing but politeness and warmth, while being tender and thoughtful with Chao Jun. Those days brought them real joy together. Then Nian Che showed up, and right from the beginning, he returned home looking gloomy, kicking up a fuss, suggesting that Chenger shouldn’t have wed Chao Jun in his absence, and he went on about all their shared memories from youth.”

Back then, hadn’t they sensed something off when matters reached that stage?

Old Meng explained, “We honestly didn’t pay it much mind at the time. We figured they were simply close-knit siblings. It made sense for the brother to feel upset over his sister tying the knot without him there to witness it.”

Chiang Xiao found herself at a loss for words.

For ordinary siblings sharing a tight bond, how could they possibly skip notifying the brother about a major occasion like a wedding?

The whole thing had been strange right from the outset.

Old Meng had no desire to linger on their old feelings and summed it up quickly: “From that point forward, Chenger would sometimes slip away from home, and eventually, she started seeming distracted, not focusing on household duties like she used to, which left Chao Jun feeling a bit wary.”

“Wary? Wary of Nian Che?”

“Well… truth be told, Nian Che wasn’t even supposed to be in Capital City during that period.”

Not in Capital City?

So who exactly was Meng Chaojun wary of?

“I wasn’t too clued in on what was happening with them then,” Old Meng continued, “It was only after Chenger’s death that Chao Jun fell seriously ill for an entire half-month starting from the day she passed. I actually took care of her funeral preparations alongside Meng Sheng’s parents, and afterward…”

He stopped speaking there.

Chiang Xiao sensed he was on the verge of bringing up Nian Che.

“Nian Che visited the cemetery, but then disaster struck. Rumor has it he planned to offer a bottle of wine at Chenger’s gravesite, yet he chose a strong liquor, and as he poured it over the white candle’s flame, the blaze erupted and scorched his face.”

Chiang Xiao’s pulse quickened as she heard this.

“Impossible! That can’t be right!”

How on earth could such a thing occur?

Pouring wine onto candle flames should douse the fire, shouldn’t it? What sort of potent alcohol would burst into flames so suddenly?

It was utterly terrifying.

Old Meng shook his head and added, “That’s just what the doctor told me about the incident. He had a woolen scarf wrapped around his face at the moment; once the flames caught it, the fire raged wildly. Plus, that bottle turned out to be the type meant for fueling lamps, and he himself was quite intoxicated that day, so his mind wasn’t sharp.”

Chiang Xiao had never imagined the real story behind Nian Che’s scarring would unfold this way.

Right in front of Nian Chengcheng’s tomb? Setting his own face ablaze?

Who could anyone hold responsible for that?

If one were superstitious, they might claim he had wronged Nian Chengcheng somehow, leading to this eerie mishap.

“Might Nian Che have lashed out at Mother Xinian and the Meng family because of the injury he suffered at her grave?”

Old Meng drifted into his recollections.

He remembered the scene from when he first laid eyes on Nian Che that day.

“You mention how I’m somewhat fearful of Nian Che, and it might stem from that memory of spotting him in the courtyard from a distance. Xinian was out there playing by herself at the time. I’d come to fetch him back home, and that’s when I noticed Nian Che. He stood behind a tree, gazing at Xinian for quite a while. Then I watched as he approached her, drawing a handkerchief from his pocket.”