Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs

Chapter 46

The fire raged from midnight until dawn, finally extinguishing itself at daybreak, leaving only four walls of earth standing.

Xiaonian and Xiaodou were sent to Grandma Zhao's house across the street. With too many things in the yard, Lu Yao and Zhao Beichuan stayed behind, sitting on mats watching the fire all night.

"Crackle." Burnt wood from the roof fell down.

Lu Yao snapped back to reality, forcing himself to muster some energy. "Let's see if there's anything left inside that we can still use. Don't waste it."

Life must go on even without a house; wallowing in despair was not a solution.

They stepped over charred embers into the house. The two large wooden chests on the eastern side of the room had turned to ash, but the silver and copper coins hidden under the hearth remained intact. Fortunately, ancient coins were made of iron and silver, so they survived the fire unscathed.

In the kitchen, the cabinet holding bowls and pots had burned down, scattering broken pottery all over the floor. The only things left undamaged were the new iron pot and the stone millstone carved by Lu Guangsheng.

Lu Yao couldn't help but give a bitter smile. "At least we still have the iron pot; otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to eat."

Zhao Beichuan carried the pot outside, while Lu Yao held the heavy earthenware jar, feeling a bit more reassured.

When they built this house, it cost them only seven or eight strings of coins. Now they had over forty taels of silver, enough to build several houses without worry!

The kitchen at the back also burned down. Lin Daman's family, wrapped in quilts, spent the night freezing outside.

Lu Yao found the fire suspicious. The new house was far from the old one, so even if the front caught fire, it shouldn't have spread to the back. He couldn't resist going to check where the fire started.

The pile of wood that had been stored there was now ashes, crunching underfoot.

Zhao Beichuan came over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"This fire seems odd. I suspect someone deliberately set it." Lu Yao poked the ground with a stick, noticing a piece of broken pottery.

"Look at this!"

Zhao Beichuan bent down, picked it up, and sniffed it. "It seems like a jar used for oil."

Enraged, Lu Yao threw the stick to the ground. "Let's report this to the authorities!"

There were only a few people who might have a grudge against them: Song Changshun, Fang Laosan, and Gao Qinghe, whose leg Zhao Beichuan had pierced with a spear. Whoever did this would pay dearly!

Zhao Beichuan clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth. This beast! His family almost died in the fire. If he found the culprit, he wouldn't let him off easily!

They hurried towards the village, only to see many people rushing to the Song residence.

Lu Yao stopped an old man and asked, "Uncle, what's happening?"

"The Song family is dead!"

"Ah?" Lu Yao was shocked and quickly released his grip.

Zhao Beichuan said, "Go back first. I'll check what's going on."

Lu Yao nodded and went to Grandma Zhao's house with the earthenware jar. The children hadn't slept much last night and were still asleep, sobbing in their dreams, their faces covered in soot.