The next day, after dinner, my uncle asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

This question was directed at Su Yi.

Su Yi respectfully replied, "I've only finished one exam; there are still two more to go. The teacher means that I should go to the county school to prepare properly."

Su Ming agreed, "That's fine. The town is a bit lacking. In the past, teachers would recommend that students with good grades go directly to the county."

Father Su nodded, "I came back this time just to tell you all that how far he can go in the future depends on his own fate."

I went back for two days and then came back. All the land in Maocao Village was given to my uncle's family to farm, so there was nothing for me to do at home.

Su's father also taught his eldest uncle how to raise chickens and how to feed earthworms.

They also promised that if the chickens couldn't be sold, people should contact them and they would definitely help them.

Su's father and his eldest uncle grew up relying on each other, and even Su's father's marriage was arranged by his eldest uncle, so naturally they had a deep bond.

He didn't want his family to prosper while his brother remained stagnant, so he wanted to lend a helping hand.

Upon arriving in town, a major event occurred.

On my way home, I pass by my family's general store. For some reason, today the store was bustling with activity, surrounded by a large crowd.

And from time to time, sharp screams from a woman could be heard.

Without thinking, everyone rushed into the crowd.

Then they saw a woman with a gold hairpin in her hair, who looked sharp and mean, pointing at Changsheng's face and arguing relentlessly.

"Now I understand. What do you mean 'dead'? It turns out he stole money from his family to open a shop here."

"If you don't hand over this shop today, I'm not done with you."

The woman who came was Changsheng's stepmother. She had seen Changsheng yesterday when she happened to pass by and had already made a scene. Today, she brought her husband with her.

The man next to him is Changsheng's good-for-nothing father. He doesn't dare to utter a single word, letting his wife wrongly accuse his own son.

Su Yi: "Who are you going to hold a grudge against?"

Passersby whispered, "The Su family is here. That must be Su Yi. He's really handsome."

"This is going to be interesting."

When the stepmother, Madam Qian, turned around, she saw a handsome young man. He was not old, but he looked like someone you couldn't afford to offend.

She forced herself to say, "What's it to you? Is it wrong for me to teach a lesson to the thief in my house?"

Su Yi raised his voice and asked again, "Excuse me, what did he steal from your house?"

Summoning her courage, Qian raised her head and said, "He stole money from home three years ago to open a shop, and that's the evidence."

An older woman who frequently shopped at Su's shop pointed at the signboard and asked, "Do you recognize what's written on it?"

Although Qian was illiterate, she was still defiant: "I don't care what he writes, this is my house anyway."

Liu Huan stepped forward, arms crossed, and sneered, "I had no idea how my Su family's shop became yours?"

Qian was a little confused. What? The Su family?

She refused to admit it, vowing to make that little beast suffer a terrible fate even if he didn't die today: "What nonsense are you talking about? This is my son's, so naturally he belongs to my family."

Seeing that the commotion had died down, the onlookers started to jeer, "Manager Su, someone's eyeing your shop!"

Over the past two years, Daishi has also learned some skills in dealing with customers. He quickly realized what was going on and replied with a smile, "That depends on whether she has the ability."

"I apologize for the embarrassment today. Everything in the store is 20% off."

As soon as he finished speaking, those who wanted to buy things went in without hesitation and picked out what they wanted.

Qian was yelling like a madwoman at the door, but dared not go in to stop them. "What are you doing? This is my house, you little beast, say something!"

Su Yi beckoned to the beggar next to him, gave him a few copper coins, and the beggar bowed and scraped as he ran away.

"Father, say something!" Seeing that Changsheng wouldn't listen to her, Madam Qian went to pressure Changsheng's father.

Who reported the incident?

It turns out that the person who sent the beggar to fetch the beggar was actually a constable from the yamen.

Two constables dressed in red and black armor stood at the entrance of the shop.

Su Yi introduced himself, "I am Su Yi. These two people caused trouble and assaulted me at my family's shop early this morning. I beg you to help me."

If Su Yi had introduced himself before, the constables might not have recognized him, but now that he said the name again, they would know it all too well.

Isn't Su Yi the top scorer in this year's county examination? He's definitely a scholar!

The constables, naturally obliged to do him this favor, immediately stepped forward and tied up Qian and her husband together.

"What are you doing? Officers, why are you tying me up?"

At this point, Qian became frightened. Ordinary people are afraid of seeing officials, because they either want their lives or their money.

The constable's tone was harsh: "You're causing trouble in someone's shop. Tell me what happened, and behave yourself."

Madam Qian regretted it. She had only come to ask for money at her brother's request, and had never thought of going to the authorities.

"Little... Changsheng, please explain to everyone that this is all a misunderstanding."

Changsheng avoided eye contact and pretended not to see, while Qian cursed him all the way to the government office.

After the Qian couple were detained for two days, the government officially accepted the case.

As the victims, the Su family naturally has to provide corroborating evidence.

As usual, the village head asked, "Who comes here, and what brings you here?"

"Your Excellency, I am Su Yi of the Su family. My father runs the Su Family Grocery Store in the east of the city. The other day, this woman caused a huge disturbance in the store for no apparent reason, and even broke some of the items. I had no choice but to report the incident to the police."

After spending two days in jail, Qian was disheveled and filthy. Upon hearing this, she lunged at Su Yi, "You're lying! I didn't break anything!"

The village head frowned. "Silence! This is disrupting the investigation. Drag this woman out and give her five strokes of the cane."

After returning from the beating, Qian became obedient and only dared to say she was wronged when it was her turn to speak.

"Su Yi, do you have any evidence?"

"Your Honor, the student has witnesses and physical evidence."

The visitors were the customers who had bought things that day, along with the broken pieces of the earthenware pot.

Madam Qian hurriedly denied it: "I didn't, sir. I thought it was my son Changsheng's shop. You've wronged me, sir."

"And who is this Changsheng?" the pavilion chief asked.

Su Yi continued, "Your Excellency, Changsheng is a servant I bought a few years ago. He was under a contract with no future. That day, this woman came to my house and caused trouble, so I had no choice but to investigate. Please take a look."

A document detailing the various crimes committed by Qian and her brother was handed to the village head. His first reaction was that the handwriting was beautiful.

After seeing the contents, his face turned terribly gloomy, and Mr. Qian in the audience had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, the village head slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Qian, you and your brother conspired to kill the first wife who was about to give birth, and then killed the second son born to the first wife. Do you have anything to say about this?"

Upon hearing this, Qian turned pale, but because she was so dirty, it was impossible to tell.

However, her slightly trembling hands revealed her unease.

"I am innocent, sir! I don't even dare to kill a chicken, how could I dare to kill someone? If you don't believe me, ask my husband."

The village head looked around and asked, "Is Changsheng here?"

Changsheng knelt down tremblingly, "This humble subject, Changsheng, greets Your Excellency."

His chest heaved, completely unaware that his mother was also...