Chapter 32

The whole place fell silent for a moment, then erupted.

"Stealing things and even trying to poison someone's dog—Jiang Zongbao is really too bad!"

"Good thing the dog didn't eat it, otherwise it would have turned into a corpse by now!"

"I told you, the Du clan aren't blind—how could they possibly take a liking to him? Jiang Li is a hundred times better-looking than Jiang Zongbao, at least..."

Yan Pozi and her son's faces turned ashen; they knew the tide had turned.

She gritted her teeth, then Yan Pozi suddenly trembled as she knelt before the Jiang Clan Head, tears streaming down.

"It's the old woman's poor teaching that raised such a good-for-nothing; please, Clan Head Elder, consider that Jiang Zongbao's grandfather died for the peace of Dragon Spring Village, and don't expel Zongbao from the clan..."

Jiang Zongbao's grandfather, Jiang Changhe, was a man of iron backbone; over a decade ago, a large band of refugees came to the village, doing all kinds of evil to seize food, and even raped several women.

It was Jiang Changhe who led everyone in a desperate resistance, and finally managed to drive them all out of Longquan Village.

However, Jiang Changhe also suffered severe injuries because of this and eventually died from them.

Now Yan Pozi brings up this past incident, obviously hoping to ask a favor for her grandson.

The Jiang Clan Head then hesitated a bit.

The village head Lin You Tian, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke: "Uncle Jiang, actually this matter isn't that serious to begin with. Although the two branches have long since split households, breaking the bone still connects the tendon—we are still one family. Young people, who hasn't made a mistake now and then? We should also give them a chance to mend their ways, shouldn't we?"

Cao Shi wiped her tears and hurriedly said, "Yes yes yes, Jiang Zongbao will surely reform, surely reform!"

Lin You Tian then looked at Du Ruo, wearing an expression of earnest admonition.

"Jiang Li's wife, you are a Gui Nü from an official's household; you ought to know filial piety best. Your grandmother is old and frail, cannot withstand any shock; if she were to fall ill because of this, your guilt would be great."

No sooner had his words finished than Yan Pozi's body swayed.

Jiang Dabo hurriedly supported her, anxiously shouting: "Mother, Mother, what's wrong with you? Mother, don't scare me! It's all because of that good-for-nothing Jiang Zongbao, who made you angry! Mother, don't worry, Jiang Zongbao will surely be fine..."

Du Ruo watched coldly from the sidelines.

Heh, they're all quite good at acting.

Lin You Tian acted as a mediator, while also blaming her for being unfilial to her elders; Yan Pozi, who just moments ago was full of vigor, now seeing the situation unfavorable began to feign illness; Jiang Dabo outwardly appeared worried about his mother, but in fact was putting pressure on the Clan Head.

She dared to bet that if the Clan Head refused to relent, Yan Pozi would dare to faint right before his eyes.

People always sympathize with the weak, so public opinion would then swing toward the main branch.

Never mind, let's let them off for now.

After all, there's plenty of time ahead; there will always be a day of reckoning!

Du Ruo then went along with the situation, bowing to the Clan Head and pleading: "Clan Head Grandfather, the older cousin indeed made a mistake, but he has already been punished; please, Clan Head Grandfather, show him leniency."

By now, there's nothing else we can do.

The Clan Head sighed: "Since you've pleaded for him, I'll give him a lighter punishment. However..."

He snorted coldly, "Expulsion can be waived, but Jiang Zongbao's conduct is reprehensible; he must be severely punished! Once his wounds have healed, he must immediately roll to the ancestral hall and kneel for twelve double-hours (i. e., a full day), during which he is not allowed to sleep, nor be given any food—do you hear?"

The several members of the main branch all breathed a sigh of relief; compared to expulsion, this punishment really amounts to nothing.

"Yes yes yes, I'll certainly comply," Cao Shi hastily promised.

Jiang Dabo supported Yan Pozi, Cao Shi helped Jiang Zongbao, and the family of four finally squeezed out of the crowd, leaving like a bereft dog.

After the show was over, the crowd gradually dispersed.

As the Clan Head was leaving, he said, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, Du Ruo, feel free to come find me; I may not be able to help with other matters, but I can still uphold justice."

Du Ruo repeatedly thanked him, worried that the old man might bump into something on the way, and also had Jiang Cheng personally see him home.

Under the night sky, two men emerged from behind a large tree not far from the small courtyard, one of them laughing heartily.

"Brother Jiang, your wife may be ugly, but she's quite formidable—she can ward off evil. If you ask me, just make do; women, after all, look the same when the lights are out."

The young man's eyes flickered slightly, and he said nothing.

The two leapt over the courtyard wall.

The mess on the ground had already been cleaned up; the evening breeze blew past the osmanthus tree, causing the indoor kerosene lamp to flicker on and off.

The dog lying in the corner, eating mosquitoes, perked up at the sound.

Once it could see who was coming, the dog's tail immediately shot up, and it excitedly ran to the young man, lifting its head and whining 'woo-woo-woo'.

"Brother Jiang, your luck is terrible—your wife being ugly is bad enough, and even your dog is so misshapen; it's truly a tragedy beyond compare." Wang Buji said with a look of disdain.

Tie Dan's dog face drooped, and he leapt up, swatting him with a paw, causing him to stagger.

"Hey? This guy's got quite some strength! Indeed, not only are women not to be judged by appearance, but dogs are the same too!"

Jiang Li's gaze shifted from the dog and swept lightly over the surroundings.

It was still that dilapidated courtyard he had left before, yet something seemed different. Where the walls had once been bald and bare, now a row of unknown flowers had been planted; at a point a few feet away from the flowers, two clotheslines had been added; the doorway bore a big red 'xi' character, which, under the alternating moonlight and lamplight, looked all the more vivid and eye‑catching……

"Big brother!" came Jiang Cheng's delighted call from behind.

Jiang Cheng had come from outside; he had just escorted the old clan head safely home, and upon entering the courtyard he discovered his elder brother had returned, which excited the boy tremendously—he almost slipped as he ran over.

Jiang Li patted his younger brother's tender shoulder and asked, "Is everything all right at home?"

Jiang Cheng had intended to say everything was fine, to reassure his older brother, but for some reason he suddenly pouted out of the blue and tears fell.

"Not good." The boy sniffled, his voice half resentful, half aggrieved as he choked out, "The old residence keeps coming over to cause us trouble—not only stealing our food, but also, also falsely accusing the elder sister‑in‑law……"

He suddenly remembered something, quickly wiped his tears dry, and dashed into the house.

"Elder sister‑in‑law, big brother's back! Big brother's back!"

The first to come out was not Du Ruo, but Jiang Wan.

Earlier, Du Ruo and Jiang Cheng had frightened Jiang Wan, telling her to stay in her room and not come out; after the trouble was settled, the little girl also calmed down and prepared to sleep.

Upon hearing that her older brother had returned, the little girl's drowsiness vanished completely; she kicked off the covers, put on her shoes, and ran out of the room.

Sure enough, she saw Jiang Li in the hall.

Jiang Wan had never seen her own parents since birth; it was Jiang Li who raised her, teaching her her first bite of food, her first step, and her first word.

To her, Jiang Li was both father and brother.

Big brother!

Jiang Wan flung herself into her older brother's arms.

Jiang Li stroked his sister's sparse hair, the corner of his mouth twitching up: "Big brother's not around—did Wan'er take her medicine on time? Has she been obedient?"

"Mm, Wan'er is very obedient, she listens most to her big sister-in-law."

Speaking of the big sister-in-law, Jiang Wan hurriedly struggled to her feet, turned and ran to the west wing's door, and the siblings eagerly knocked on the door together.

"Big sister-in-law, come out quickly—big brother's back! Big brother's back!"

With such a commotion, Du Ruo naturally heard it.

Jiang Li……how could he suddenly be back? Wasn't he supposed to be a constable? Constables shouldn't be that busy, should they?

She paced around the room twice, her heart all over the place—she didn't know if she was nervous or excited, anyway she felt quite flustered. Especially thinking about having to share a room with that muscular guy, even sharing a bed and pillow, she felt waves of apprehension.

The knocking from the two little ones outside grew louder, so Du Ruo steadied herself and went over to open the door.

Jiang Wan grabbed Du Ruo's hand and, using all her strength, pulled her outward, saying, "Hurry up, hurry up—big brother surely wants to see his big sister-in-law too."

Thus, after some tugging and pulling, they reached the hall, and Du Ruo looked up.

She saw two young men standing in the hall, both about twenty years old. One of them was exactly the muscular guy she had seen on the county city dam last time—her nominal husband, Jiang Li.

The other……

Du Ruo froze in place.

This man was truly strikingly handsome—at least a meter tall, his nose like a hanging gallbladder, his lips like a cold moon, firm as if carved by knife and axe, yet he also had a pair of bewitching phoenix eyes; the upturned corners softened his sharpness, making his whole demeanor much gentler.

Perhaps because he was rushing, his dark robes were slightly wrinkled, and a few wayward strands of black hair fell from his forehead, adding a unique wildness to his handsome appearance.

In her previous life, Du Ruo had seen plenty of handsome men—pretty boys, muscular hunks—all just the same to her. She was a looks-obsessed person; the only guy she'd ever dated, though a jerk, was undeniably good-looking, yet no one had ever made her curious about what lay beneath his clothes.

But at this moment, Du Ruo's mind suddenly harbored an evil and lascivious thought……

"Big sister-in-law?" came Jiang Wan's voice from beside her.

Du Ruo snapped out of her daze, realizing she had been staring blankly at this strange man; her face flushed hot, and she hastily looked away.

"I didn't lie to you, did I? Big brother really is good-looking, right?" Jiang Wan said proudly, tilting her little head.

Du Ruo gave an awkward laugh: "…Yes, yes, he's really good-looking."

How embarrassing—how could she act like a lovesick fool in front of her legitimate husband, showing no sense of being a married woman?

Jiang Li already disliked her, and now he probably hates her even more.

Du Ruo, filled with regret, quickly put on a virtuous façade, stepped forward, bowed to the muscular guy, and called out, "Husband."