第一百回 惨语断生平小楼伴佛 狂呼惊夜半烈焰冲霄 (Chapter 100: Bitter Words Conclude a Life, a Small Tower Companion to Buddha; Frenzied Cries Startle Midnight, Flaming Fire Surges Skyward)

Now, after the great fire at the Jin Family, Leng Qingqiu moved with her child to reside in a small building at the foot of the Western Hills. This building was originally a villa of the Jin Family, typically unoccupied. Leng Qingqiu tidied up two rooms upstairs to serve as a dwelling for mother and son.

Each day, aside from caring for her child, she chanted Buddhist sutras and recited scriptures, repenting for the past and praying for peace. Reflecting on her life, from meeting Yanxi to marrying into the Jin Family, all the splendor seemed like a dream. Now, with her family destroyed and loved ones gone, only an orphan and a widow remained, relying on each other for survival. Unconsciously, tears streamed down her face like rain.

That evening, after lulling her child to sleep, Leng Qingqiu found herself wide awake. She sat by the window, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky. Suddenly, she heard frenzied cries from downstairs, the sound so piercing that it made her shudder. Hastily pushing open the window, she saw flames soaring into the sky-the back garden of the small building was already ablaze.

Leng Qingqiu was terrified. Without bothering to gather her belongings, she picked up the child and ran downstairs. Just as she reached the staircase, a thick smoke billowed towards her, nearly choking her. Clenching her teeth, she rushed out the door. Looking back, she saw the entire small building engulfed in flames. Illuminated by the firelight, she spotted a figure dancing wildly by the blaze, still shouting incessantly. Leng Qingqiu looked closely and recognized the person as an old servant of the Jin Family, now driven to madness for reasons unknown. Her heart filled with sorrow, knowing there was no turning back in this life. She could only hold her child tightly and vanish into the night.