Chapter 252: The Bundle in the Dog Hole

The horse carriage arrived at its destination quickly.

Jiang Xiaoxiao stuck out her head and saw—it was the Huang family's mansion!

She froze in surprise; why had her mother brought her here?

Just as she wondered, Jiang Wei's voice came from ahead: "We're here."

With that, she grabbed Jiang Xiaoxiao and pulled her off the carriage.

Jiang Wei stepped forward and unlocked the main door with a key.

Jiang Xiaoxiao glanced around; no soldiers were guarding the place anymore.

It seemed Xie Cishi had withdrawn the soldiers—did that mean they had left Yong'an County and returned to the Capital?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaoxiao felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

"What are you staring at? Come in," Jiang Wei called to her.

Jiang Xiaoxiao wiped the disappointment from her face and followed her inside the Huang family gate.

This was the first time she had entered the Huang family through the front door.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but study the scenery before her.

The Huang family's front courtyard was even more luxurious than the backyard—high-ceilinged entrance hall, grand gates, circular arched windows, stone corners at the turns, three ornate gatehouses on either side, and cloistered walkways all around, exuding elegance and opulence.

Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel envious; the Huang family wasn't among the great wealthy houses of the Capital, but in Yong'an County, thanks to their ancestral wealth, they could enjoy luxury and honor for generations.

"Xiaoxiao, do you want to live here?"

Jiang Wei's voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

"Ah, live here?" Jiang Xiaoxiao blinked, then shook her head firmly, "No, I still prefer our new house."

Although our home wasn't as luxurious or wealthy as this Huang mansion, at least it felt comfortable and clean—unlike this Huang house, which looked splendid on the surface but hid countless filth within, and beneath this soil, who knew how many corpses lay buried…

"I don't like it either," Jiang Wei said. "So I plan to sell this mansion."

"Ah, can we even sell it?"

It was a gift from the County Magistrate—would selling it cause trouble?

As Jiang Xiaoxiao worried, suddenly a rustling sound came from the backyard.

Her hearing had grown sharp enough now to catch it instantly.

"Someone's in the backyard," Jiang Wei's gaze sharpened—she had heard it too.

Jiang Wei pulled out an Anesthetic Gun from her space and walked toward the backyard.

Jiang Xiaoxiao immediately stilled her breath and followed.

In an unremarkable corner of the backyard, overgrown with weeds, a dog hole was hidden among the grass—easy to miss unless you looked closely.

At this moment, a figure was crawling out of the dog hole connected to the alley outside, stuck and sweating profusely as he struggled to free himself.

"Push harder—you're almost out…"

Sun Shi was using all her strength to pull Li Jinfeng out.

Li Jinfeng's belly had grown larger, her waist thicker than before, no longer slender—now she was stuck in the dog hole, unable to go forward or back.

Seeing it was Sun Shi and Li Jinfeng, Jiang Wei quietly tucked away the Anesthetic Gun and asked, "What are you doing?"

The two were caught off guard and startled.

Startled like this, Li Jinfeng kicked her legs hard—and her whole body squeezed out of the dog hole.

The surrounding weeds had been crushed flat by her legs, revealing a dusty, grayish bundle.

Jiang Xiaoxiao stepped forward, picked up the bundle, weighed it—it was heavy. She opened it: inside were silk brocades, valuable gold and silver jewelry, and two ingots of gleaming silver.

"Li Jinfeng has stolen quite a bit during her time here," Jiang Wei scanned the bundle's contents and gave a cold smile.

Outside the tightly shut front gate of the Huang mansion.

Sun Shi and Li Jinfeng, covered in grass clippings, stood nervously before the gate, hesitating whether to knock.

"Mother, maybe we should…" Li Jinfeng was about to say they should abandon the bundle—now that the Jiang family had the County Magistrate's backing, they could no longer afford to offend them as before.

But just then, the gate suddenly swung open.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and Jiang Wei walked out.

Seeing the mother and daughter, Li Jinfeng shrank back like a mouse spotting a cat, pulling her neck in fear.

"So now you're afraid?" Jiang Wei raised an eyebrow, lifting the bundle in her hand. "When you were hiding this bundle, why weren't you afraid?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Sun Shi suddenly fell to her knees with a thud.

"Jiang Shi, I know we've done many wrong things to you and your daughter—I don't ask for your forgiveness, only that you spare us this time. We don't want the bundle—please don't tell the County Magistrate. I swear I'll never show my face before you again…"

After saying this, Sun-shi pulled Li Jinfeng to kneel on the ground and kowtowed twice forcefully toward the mother and daughter.

After bowing, without waiting for Jiang Wei to speak, she dragged Li Jinfeng away.

"Wait—" Jiang Wei called out to them.

Sun Shi stopped and turned back shakily.

Her face was filled with fear and dread, yet also a grim resignation—as if she already knew Jiang Shi wouldn't let them off so easily.

"You're leaving Yong'an County?" Jiang Xiaoxiao's gaze fell on the small bundle slung on Sun Shi's arm.

It was tiny, holding little, but tightly tied to Sun Shi's arm.

Seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao ask, Sun Shi showed no impatience—she simply nodded silently and said, "To be honest, we can't stay at the Li household anymore… The Elders are furious about the money Feng'er hid—they might do something insane to her. Feng'er is pregnant now, and I fear what they'll do… So I have no choice but to take Feng'er away."

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaoxiao instinctively turned to look at Li Jinfeng's slightly swollen belly.

A pregnant woman sent back to her natal home—unless Li Jinfeng had secretly hidden this money, the Old Matriarch would never have let her stay.

Now that Li Shoude was dead, Li Shoucai held almost all power in the Li family. Jiang Xiaoxiao could easily imagine Sun Shi had no status at all—and once the Li family got hold of Li Jinfeng's hidden money, they'd surely throw her out without mercy.

A pregnant woman—even brothels wouldn't take her—where could she find peace?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn't help but sigh.

"Mother, perhaps we should…"

Jiang Xiaoxiao was about to speak when Jiang Wei raised her hand and tossed the bundle to Sun Shi: "Take the bundle. I hope you'll keep your word and never show your face to us again."

Sun Shi's eyes lit up instantly.

She clutched the bundle tightly, pulled Li Jinfeng down beside her, and knelt again before the mother and daughter, her voice trembling with tears: "I—I don't know what to say… but I truly thank you. I won't forget this kindness. If I ever get the chance, I will surely repay you, mother and daughter…"

With that, both bowed their heads twice upon the ground.

Compared to before, this time their bows carried unmistakable sincerity.