It seems that someone really did set the fire on purpose.

Lu Qiqi finished the tea in her bowl and said, "I'm afraid the evildoer's goal is destined to fail."

Zhao Xiaodong was puzzled. "Wasn't all that money gone? What does that person want from us?"

"Who told you the money was burned to ashes?" Lu Qiqi retorted.

No one said anything; everyone just assumed the money had been burned. Otherwise, the village chief of Tianlong Village wouldn't have been in such a hurry to find witnesses and come to Lu Qiqi to demand an explanation.

Seeing Lu Qiqi's expression, Zhao Xiaodong knew that the money was safe and sound, and he was happy for Lu Qiqi.

Great! Finally, we don't have to fill the gap anymore, and such a large sum of money has come out.

"Is the money still there?" Zhao Xiaodong asked Lu Qiqi to confirm.

Lu Qiqi nodded, "Not only that, I also used it to buy seeds."

"Actually, this money has been with me ever since I left Tianlong Village. Village Chief Niu just passed it through his hands."

This is why Lu Qiqi initially prevented Village Chief Niu from revealing how his house caught fire—to expose the arsonist.

She certainly didn't believe that the burning of the village chief's house was an accident.

This unexpected event could have happened any earlier or later, but it just so happened that Tianping Village borrowed money from Tianlong Village to pay for it.

It's obvious that someone is envious and wants to take it for themselves.

Lu Qiqi asked, "Do you know where the rumor came from?"

Zhao Xiaodong nodded. "Niu Xiaozhou said it was Niu Ergou."

Niu Ergou?

Speaking of this person, Lu Qiqi still had some impression of him. He was the one who spread the news in Tianping Village back then.

"Niu Ergou said he was paid by someone and was so blinded by greed that he helped spread the news," Zhao Xiaodong relayed Niu Xiaozhou's words.

Lu Qiqi suddenly stood up and said, "In that case, let's go and see who is instructing him."

Zhao Xiaodong drove the horse-drawn carriage, carrying Lu Qiqi, towards Tianping Village.

Tianping Village is bustling with activity right now.

Niu Ergou was caught by Niu Xiaozhou in front of his own house and punched in the face without saying a word.

He was punched to the ground, lying on his back with stars in his eyes.

Niu Xiaozhou punched Niu Ergou, still not satisfied. He squatted down, grabbed Niu Ergou by the collar, and fiercely questioned him, "I've treated you well, yet you spread rumors throughout the village, trying to make my family the sinners of the whole village. Have you lost your conscience?!"

Before Niu Ergou could react, Niu Xiaozhou grabbed his collar, and his face and neck instantly turned bright red.

He was gripping the collar so tightly that he could hardly breathe, and could only frantically grab at it with both hands, trying to push Niu Xiaozhou away.

He was almost out of breath and naturally didn't have the strength to push Niu Xiaozhou away. Just as he was about to faint, Niu Xiaozhou loosened his collar.

His breathing became smooth instantly, and Niu Ergou seemed to come back to life. After coughing twice, he lay on the ground panting heavily.

Niu Xiaozhou still retained a sliver of reason. Even if he killed Niu Ergou, he wouldn't get away with it. Besides, Niu Ergou was just someone who spread the news; he wasn't the mastermind.

If Niu Ergou had such intelligence, he wouldn't have done such a stupid thing.

When Lu Qiqi and Zhao Xiaodong arrived at Tianping Village, Niu Ergou was already lying on the ground, bound hand and foot.

Beside him was an old woman with gray hair, kneeling on the ground and crying.

"It's all Er Gou's fault, no matter what," the old woman cried hoarsely. "Xiao Zhou, you and Er Gou grew up together. For the sake of your childhood friendship, please don't send him to the authorities!"

“Auntie, please get up,” Niu Xiaozhou said, reaching out to help the woman kneeling on the ground. “Aren’t you putting me in a difficult position by doing this?”

Now, only Niu Ergou's family remains, consisting of an orphan and a widow. Unsuspecting people might think he had bullied Niu Ergou.

Er Gou's mother was trying to soften Niu Xiaozhou's heart, so how could she let it go like this? She cried even harder.

"Dad! My life is so miserable!"

A woman, seeing Er Gou's mother crying her heart out, felt sorry for her and said, "Xiao Zhou, why don't you let go of Er Gou first and listen to what he has to say? It wasn't easy for Er Gou's mother to raise him all by herself."

Lu Qiqi got off the carriage just as she heard those words.

She pushed aside the villagers who were watching the scene and said coldly, "Whether her life is miserable or not, it's not Niu Xiaozhou's fault. There's no need to morally blackmail her."

When the woman saw that it was Lu Qiqi, she immediately fell silent, burying her head and daring not to speak again.

She was on good terms with Er Gou's mother and was afraid of getting that fishy smell on herself.

Lu Qiqi glanced at Niu Ergou, who was lying on the ground with a rag stuffed in his mouth, and said, "Take the rag out."

Niu Xiaozhou removed the gag from Niu Ergou's mouth, and his mouth seemed to have solidified, becoming sore and painful with the slightest movement.

Lu Qiqi looked down at everyone with a stern voice, "Niu Ergou, I'm giving you one last chance. If you still don't tell the truth, I'll send you to the authorities."

Niu Ergou was beaten numb by Niu Xiaozhou, and he didn't have much money. It wasn't worth being sent to the authorities for such a small amount of money.

Niu Xiaozhou not only beat him up, but also tied him up without giving him a chance to explain, saying he was going to take him to see the authorities.

He was terrified; if he hadn't been empty of water, he would have peed himself!

"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll confess everything!"

Niu Ergou said with a bitter face, "It was Uncle Niu Er who asked me to pass on the message that the village chief wanted to embezzle the money and make the whole village use land to fill the hole."

"I... I was so angry that I agreed to his request. He promised to give me fifty coins if I spread the word."

"I hid the money under the bed."

Lu Qiqi said, "Why did he ask you to spread the news? Didn't you ever have any doubts?"

Niu Ergou shook his head. He had been brainwashed and his mind was filled with images of Niu Xiaozhou's family enjoying a life of luxury.

He thought about how someone from the same village, someone he grew up with, was able to get married and have children just because Niu Xiaozhou's father was the village chief.

Not only could he not find a wife, but even a widow from another village who had given birth to three children looked down on him because she thought his family was poor.

How could he not be jealous, how could he maintain a balanced mindset?

Upon hearing this, everyone erupted in curses.

"Xiao Zhou was able to get a wife because his father saved his wife's father, and he did it to repay a debt of gratitude!"

“Back then, Xiao Zhou’s wife’s father was stranded in front of your house. Your father and mother beat him with brooms until he was covered in bruises. If Xiao Zhou’s father hadn’t passed by and saved him, he would have been dead long ago.”

"Your parents did evil, and you, a boy, have also fallen into bad ways. It really proves the saying, 'If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too!'"

Er Gou's mother was so scolded that she didn't dare to lift her head and could only huddle together, afraid to move.

Lu Qiqi never expected that this matter would actually bring up grudges from many years ago.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Now that she knows the source is Uncle Niu Er, things are much easier. She wants to see why Uncle Niu Er did this!

“Let’s go find Uncle Niu Er,” Lu Qiqi said.

"Bring him along too, let them confront each other on the spot, so that no one changes their story!"

After saying that, Niu Ergou was lifted up from the ground by Niu Xiaozhou and Zhao Xiaodong, and followed Lu Qiqi to find Uncle Niu Er.