Chapter 153 Lin Shiyuan is a reassuring figure

They looked at Qingling.

Yao Qingling's fist was clenched tightly under her sleeve, and her palm was already damp.

She added, "It's getting late, and it's too late to report to the authorities now. I'll send someone first thing tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Madam Yao is right. That woman is ruthless; I'm afraid she might poison us while we're sleeping."

“Madam Yao is educated, so we will listen to her.”

“Madam Yao was once the young mistress of the Duke’s mansion; she is more knowledgeable than we are.”

The villagers started talking about it.

They were trapped in this village, and Yao Qingling was the most distinguished person they had ever met, a powerful figure. In matters of utmost importance, people instinctively obey the will of the strong.

But the words "young mistress of the Duke's mansion" stung Chu Lao Er's nerves.

He immediately realized that Yao Qingling was a powerful figure, someone connected to the government.

"She's the young lady of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. The Prefect himself even presented her with a plaque, which is why her shop's business is so big. Humph, it's all due to collusion between officials and merchants."

“She reported it to the authorities to clear herself of any involvement in the widow’s death. The prefect will definitely side with her. I’ve already offended her by demanding compensation from her, and now the authorities, trying to appease her, will punish me. I haven’t gained anything, and I’ll get punished instead? No, I can’t let her report it to the authorities!”

After a moment's thought, Chu Lao Er shouted, "We can't report this to the authorities!"

Yao Qingling had slowly walked to the entrance of the manor. She stepped onto the steps and looked back at Chu Lao Er: "Why? Didn't you say you were going to report it to the authorities?"

The villagers and the man's family all looked at him: "Yes, why didn't you report it to the authorities? Only if the government sent people out to arrest her would our village be safe."

Chu Lao Er's eyes gleamed, and he stiffened his neck, saying, "The government doesn't have time to bother with our trivial matters."

"Have you forgotten that when Yongning Temple was massacred overnight, the government sent people there?"

The villagers also hesitated.

Yes, when things got so big back then, what were those officials doing?

Many of the worshippers at Yongning Temple were important people, yet they didn't interfere.

Now it's just a wounded woman who committed murder. Widow Chu and Mao Ya are just unfortunate people; the government won't stand up for them.

Those people will only blame us for delaying things when they come, and we'll have to treat them to good food and drink. If we want them to send troops to protect us, we'll have to pay them money.

All these things must be plundered from these villagers, right?

The villagers realized what was happening, glanced at Yao Qingling, and still pinned their hopes on her to take the lead in receiving the officials.

But they were too embarrassed to say it directly, so they tentatively asked, "Madam Yao, if you go and report to the authorities, will your estate receive any people who come?"

Qingling said, "The murder didn't happen on the estate, and I'm just telling the truth. You guys picked her up, and I only kindly paid for her medical treatment. I know nothing else, yet I've gotten myself into this mess. Aren't I wronged?"

He paused, then glanced meaningfully at Chu Lao Er's family.

The Chu family has stopped causing trouble. Under the condemning gaze of many villagers, they simply maintain an attitude of "I did nothing wrong".

“The village held a school for a few days, and you enlightened people; you are all reasonable people…”

Qingling spoke first, disclaiming any connection and flattering the villagers.

She knew these people wanted the soldiers to arrest them, so she added, "My village has a large population; I can arrange for people to take turns on night watch, so we can protect ourselves."

The villagers were now observing each other; they didn't care if the officials came, and they weren't willing to give money to the officials for other people's affairs.

"We won't report it to the authorities. We'll arrest her ourselves... There are so many people in the village, we can take turns keeping watch at night. Starting tomorrow, everyone will take turns searching the mountains. She's just a woman, and there are so many of us, what are we afraid of!"

Chu Lao Er clenched his fists, looking fearless.

Yao Qingling raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure you don't want to report this to the authorities?"

Chu Lao Er glared at her, spat towards the entrance of the manor, and left with his family.

They ignored the two corpses on the ground.

Tao Ye was furious and pointed at their retreating figures, shouting, "Hey, isn't Widow Chu your relative? Take her away!"

No one responded to her.

After watching the excitement, the villagers left to gather at the ancestral hall to arrange for people to patrol the night.

The torch, like a slithering snake, lingered at the doorway for a long time before finally disappearing.

When the commotion subsided, the entrance to the manor suddenly became dim, with only the lanterns hanging under the eaves and the lamps hanging in front of the carriages providing illumination.

Under the moonlight, the two silent corpses appeared even more terrifying.

It's terrifying.

Tao Ye and Lou Yue both huddled behind the men.

Only Lin Qiao sniffed, approached the smaller corpse, and lifted the cloth.

"Lin Qiao!" Tao Ye called out to her, "Why... don't touch her..."

Lin Qiao looked at Mao Ya, whose eyes were closed and whose face had turned ashen, and felt very sad.

Mao Ya is about the same age as her.

Mao Ya told her that girls in the village could get married at the age of twelve or thirteen. She wanted to marry into a good family and take her mother to enjoy a better life. But she was still a long way from turning twelve, and good families wouldn't want a widow and her child; she couldn't wait to grow up.

She wanted to work as a maid in a wealthy family and asked Lin Qiao if she could talk to the young lady and let her work as a maid as well.

Lin Qiao had agreed, but she hadn't had a chance to...

Lin Qiao's shoulders trembled slightly.

She gets along really well with Mao Ya, and Mao Ya even makes crickets out of grass for her to play with... She hasn't learned how to make them yet...

Mao Ya, how come she died before she could even grow up, just like her friends in Wuzhou?

"Lin Qiao." Lin Shiyuan placed his large hand on her head and gently rubbed it. "She and her mother are together; they haven't separated. Her mother will continue to take care of her."

"Mmm." Lin Qiao nodded, choking back tears. She turned around and hugged Lin Shiyuan's waist, secretly wiping her tears on him so no one could see.

But children's thoughts are often hidden from view, and everyone saw that this strong little girl who loves playing with guns was crying.

Yao Qingling sighed softly and instructed the villagers behind her, "Take the mother and daughter back to her home."

Lin Shiyuan turned his head: "No."

Yao Qingling looked at him in confusion, and Lin Shiyuan said, "The marks in the house will be destroyed."

As soon as he finished speaking, he added, "Never mind, let's send it back first."

The widow Chu and her daughter were murdered. The villagers had all gone inside to check on Chu Lao Er's family, and the evidence of the crime in the house had long been destroyed.

The villagers brought two planks, carried the body up them, and took it to the widow's house.

"I'll go take a look." Lin Shiyuan followed behind.

Yao Qingling didn't go with them. She turned to the villagers and said, "You all need to be careful and follow Taoye's instructions. You are not allowed to leave the village tonight."

After she finished speaking, she swayed slightly, and Lou Yue and Tao Ye quickly supported her.

Lou Yue took a pill from her cloth pocket and fed it to the young lady, then said urgently, "Quickly help the young lady inside."

Qingling quickly washed up and then rested.

Moreover, he slept very soundly, without waking up in the middle of the night, and without being unable to sleep because of this matter.

She knew that with Lin Shiyuan around, she didn't need to worry so much.

She didn't know when it started, but she began to see this man as another source of reassurance.