Chapter 243

243. Chapter 243: Hiding a Wild Man

"That day under the big locust tree, if you hadn't pointed out Shoude, my son wouldn't have ended up in this state..." Old Man Li glared at Yun Ying with hatred, his eyes filled with resentment.

He always felt that if Yun Ying had admitted to the crime of child trafficking herself that day and hadn't pointed out Li Shoude in front of everyone, his son wouldn't have been taken away by the government soldiers and wouldn't have died...

"I, I was also forced..."

Yun Ying hid the hatred in her eyes and hurriedly spoke to defend herself, "This, this was all forced by the people of the Jiang family! They tied me up with ropes in the kitchen and threatened me with a kitchen knife. If I didn't tell the truth, they would have killed me..."

By the end, Yun Ying wiped away tears, secretly hating herself for being bewitched by that man at the time; otherwise, she wouldn't have been caught by that little bitch Jiang Shi.

"Pah!"

Li Family Old Woman spat in her face and said in a flustered rage, "Do you think I'm easy to fool! You say Jiang Shi tied you up and forced you to tell everything, why would she do that? What good would that do her?"

"It's true!" Yun Ying hurriedly explained, "At that time, the young master of the Huang family specifically asked for that little girl from the Jiang family, so I went to her house, but I didn't expect to be knocked unconscious by Jiang Shi. There was another man in her house helping them; I couldn't escape at all..."

"A man?"

Li Family Old Woman instantly grasped the key point, "You mean there's another man at the Jiang house?!"

Yun Ying nodded repeatedly, "That man lives at the Jiang house. I've never seen him before; he doesn't seem to be from our village..."

"Good, that bitch Jiang Shi actually dares to hide another man behind our backs! My third son has only been gone for a few years, and she can't stand the loneliness and goes looking for another man. What does she take my third son for! I must go and tear that wanton bitch to pieces!"

Li Family Old Woman was so angry she jumped up and was about to run to the Jiang house.

"Come back!" Old Man Li shouted at her, "What are you going there for? She has already broken off kinship with our family, and even Er Ya doesn't use our family name anymore. What's the use of you going to find her?"

"How is it useless!" Li Family Old Woman retorted unconvinced, "Even if she has broken off kinship with our family, she is still the daughter-in-law my third son married! My third son has been away in the army for these years, life or death unknown, and she's already fooling around with another man. I must beat that wanton bitch to death!"

Listening to Li Family Old Woman's frantic cursing, Old Man Li's eyes rolled, and he suddenly said, "Alright, I'll go with you. Let's call the Li Zheng, and Second Daughter-in-law, you go call a few more villagers."

Zhu Shi, who was nearby, understood Old Man Li's meaning instantly. This was to make the matter of Jiang Shi keeping a wild man known to everyone, so she would have no face to live.

"Alright, Father, I'll go right now." Zhu Shi was full of schadenfreude and hurried out the door.

Meanwhile.

In the Jiang family courtyard.

Not long after Qiulian Niang left, a low-key, luxurious horse carriage drove onto the main road of the village and finally stopped in front of the Jiang family gate.

This carriage looked somewhat familiar.

Jiang Xiaoxiao sized it up twice and then slapped her forehead. This was the same carriage the Cishi Lord had sat in when he went to their soap shop last time!

She hurried to open the door.

Just as she reached the entrance, the curtain was lifted, revealing the face of Du County Magistrate, as well as the Cishi Lord sitting behind him.

"Little girl, don't make a sound, we're just here to take a look." Du County Magistrate held up a finger to make a shushing gesture, speaking in a tone used to coax children, fearing that Jiang Xiaoxiao would shout loudly and attract the villagers.

Jiang Xiaoxiao wasn't a real child, so she naturally understood the ins and outs. She immediately raised her little face and greeted them sweetly inside, "Mother, someone is here to buy our soap. Please come in."

Du County Magistrate nodded with satisfaction, seemingly very pleased with Jiang Xiaoxiao's savvy.

The gate was thrown open, and the carriage drove into the Jiang family courtyard.

As soon as the carriage entered, Jiang Xiaoxiao nimbly closed the gate.

Finally, she looked around to see if there was anyone else.

The soap workshop was in another direction, and high courtyard walls were built all around it, so people outside couldn't see the situation inside, and naturally, people inside couldn't see what was happening outside.

So she was very relieved; no villagers should have discovered that the dignified Cishi Lord had come to her house.

Shen Que, on the second-floor balcony, had seen the carriage driving into the village long ago and had come down early to welcome them.

Seeing Shen Que standing in the courtyard safe and sound waiting for them, the stone in Xie Cheng's heart finally fell into place.

Shen Que smiled politely, "Lord Xie, you've been well, how have you been lately?"

"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. I've brought what you wanted." After saying this, Cishi Xie beckoned to Du County Magistrate on the side.

Du County Magistrate, holding a small, exquisite box, stepped forward two steps and handed it to Shen Que opposite him.

Jiang Xiaoxiao's gaze instantly fell on the small box, and she couldn't stop being curious: what was inside?

It seemed that Cishi Xie's visit this time wasn't as simple as just confirming Shen Que's safety...

With the item in hand, Shen Que didn't rush to check it but instead invited the two to sit down.

There was still half a plate of osmanthus cake on the table. Although only half remained, it looked excellent and gave off an enticing fragrance.

Even Du County Magistrate, who was used to all kinds of pastries, couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao went to the kitchen and brought out a fresh plate of osmanthus cake, along with a pot of hot tea and three tea cups.

She set down the tea cups and obediently poured tea for the three of them. Just as she was about to sit down on the side, she was called to the kitchen by Jiang Wei.

Jiang Wei was chopping pork inside. Seeing her come in, she didn't even lift her head and said, "The fire in the stove is about to go out; help me keep an eye on it."

Jiang Xiaoxiao could only obediently come to the stove and throw in a few pieces of firewood, but she still couldn't help but whisper, "Mother, aren't you curious about what they are saying outside?"

"Not curious." Jiang Wei glanced at her with a calm expression, "Knowing too much about some things is not a good thing for us."

Jiang Xiaoxiao pouted and said nothing.

Her little plan to eavesdrop outside had been seen through by her mother; her mother had deliberately called her into the kitchen.

Jiang Wei chopped the pork into pieces in a few strokes. She added a few eggs and some flour and began to knead the meat into balls.

Jiang Xiaoxiao's attention was immediately drawn to it—meatballs!

In an instant, countless meatball delicacies flooded her mind—deep-fried meatballs, spicy hot pot meatballs, and they could also be made into soup with various vegetables, tasting delicious. They could also be steamed and dipped in sauce. Stir-frying, boiling, or stewing, they were all delicious... Just thinking about it made her mouth water uncontrollably.

"Mother, I'll help you knead the meatballs too!" Jiang Xiaoxiao offered to help without a second thought.

Jiang Wei slapped her hand away, pointed to the water well outside, and said, "Go wash your hands first."

Jiang Xiaoxiao could only obediently go to the water well outside to wash her hands.

However, as soon as she left the kitchen, she heard her gate being slapped violently.

"Jiang Shi, open the door quickly! I know you're at home!"

There were noisy footsteps outside, and it seemed there were quite a few people. (End of chapter)