Chapter 111 Cherish the Thighs

Hearing that it was someone looking for him, Qingjiu was surprised, but he was in a hurry to find his master. "What is it? We can talk later. I'm busy today. My master is definitely waiting for me."

"Hey, Qingjiu..." Zheng Ming couldn't catch up with Qingjiu. He ran to the alley entrance, leaning against the wall and panting. "This Qingjiu, although he's fat, how can he run so fast?"

Qingjiu thought that his master would definitely need him to handle things, so he ran all the way to the City God's Office, only to find that Han Jianchuan was there. After asking around, he learned that his master had gone to Qiao's place and then went to Qiao's place.

At this moment, on the second floor of Qiao's Restaurant, besides Lu Zhao, there were only Qiao Mianmian and her parents.

When Qiao Mianmian came to the food stall in the morning, she told him about what happened yesterday, but she didn't know who it was or what it was about.

Despite this, both Lin and Qiao Mancang clenched their fists in anger and were filled with lingering fear.

After hearing what Lu Zhao said, Lin cursed, "That damn bitch! She cheated on her husband and did something shameless, and now she wants to ruin my daughter! I..."

"Keep your voice down!" Qiao Mancang pulled Lin Shi down to sit. "There are still guests downstairs. What will happen to Mianmian if someone hears us?"

In fact, Qiao Mianmian didn't think she had anything wrong with it. It's just that people's words can be terrifying, especially in ancient times. One person tells another, and falsehoods can become truths, and truths can become falsehoods.

She poured tea for her mother, saying, "Please calm down. Now that we've investigated, what we need to think about is how to handle the aftermath."

This was also the purpose of Lu Zhao's trip: to deal with it openly or to handle it separately.

If the arrest is handled according to the law, it might affect Miss Qiao Wu, which is not something that ordinary people would usually do.

Lin, being a woman herself, understood the impact of gossip best. She hated the Han siblings for their lack of humanity, but she was also afraid of hindering her daughter's future.

Qiao Mancang was also undecided.

Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment and said, "If we don't arrest people according to the law, we can't severely punish the Han siblings. In that case, it's better to say that they intentionally injured someone or attempted robbery. I cursed Han Shi at my fourth sister's house before, saying that she was deliberately retaliating, which makes sense. It's just that Han Jianchuan is incompetent. He couldn't even beat a weak woman like me, so he can still arrest people."

“I think it’s a good idea,” Lu Zhao said.

Lin asked, "Won't they say things they shouldn't?"

“Once they’re in the City God’s Office, they won’t have a say.” A ruthless glint flashed in Lu Zhao’s eyes. “They know that if they say another word, their crime will be compounded and their punishment will be more severe. Don’t worry, Auntie, this concerns Miss Qiao’s reputation, so I will definitely handle it properly.”

"Then I'll have to trouble you. I really don't know what to do without your help." Tears streamed down Lin's face as she saw Lu Zhao out.

After Lu Zhao left, Madam Lin suppressed her grief, clenched her fists, and said, "May the family prosper and flourish. Come upstairs with me."

Qiao Mianmian wanted to follow, but her mother stopped her. After her two older brothers left, Lin Shi hung up a sign saying the business was closed for the day.

“Mom, I can still work,” Qiao Mianmian said.

"I've sent all your brothers out, and with no one to help, how can you possibly manage?" Madam Lin closed the door. "I'll open it again this afternoon. I'm going to make that bitch's reputation completely ruined!"

"What did you send your eldest and second brothers to do?" Qiao Mianmian asked.

Mrs. Lin didn't want to talk about this with her daughter. "You don't need to worry about this. Just go and rest comfortably. We'll take care of these things."

Some methods are underhanded, but Lin wouldn't be at ease until she got her revenge. Besides, the Han siblings themselves are shameless, so even the worst methods Lin used wouldn't be too much.

Neither her parents nor her brothers would tell Qiao Mianmian the details, and her sisters-in-law tried to comfort her, but no matter how much Qiao Mianmian asked, they would not say anything more.

Hu Qianqian, being the eldest sister-in-law, took on her responsibilities and led Qiao Mianmian to rest. "You must be very scared, don't worry. Your older brother will take you to Xia He's house from now on. This kind of thing won't happen again."

Cao Yuan also said, "Yes, Fifth Sister, don't be afraid. There are many of us in the family, and we will definitely not let anyone bully you."

Qiao Mianmian thought that she was not really scared now, except when she first saw Han Jianchuan, her heart was in her throat.

After she finished hitting Han Jianchuan, all that was left was anger. "Sisters-in-law, I'm not that fragile. You don't need to watch over me."

"Really?" Hu Qianqian was worried. She had heard stories before of girls being kidnapped by bad guys, who, although rescued quickly by their families, eventually drowned themselves in rivers.

"Really? It's not like I did anything wrong. I hit Han Jianchuan too, so there's nothing to be afraid of." Qiao Mianmian knew her sisters-in-law were concerned, but she wasn't really old-fashioned and wasn't so feudal and conservative.

Looking back on what happened yesterday, she only regrets not kicking him a few more times.

Despite what Qiao Mianmian said, Hu Qianqian and Cao Yuan still took turns watching over Qiao Mianmian.

Qiao Mianmian had no choice but to go along with them.

We weren't open at noon, and there were fewer customers in the evening, so we had to sell some of the vegetables we bought.

Despite Qiao Mianmian's insistence, the business will still open in the evening.

At this time, the He family, especially Han, waited and waited, but her younger brother did not return, and she felt very uneasy.

She paced back and forth in the courtyard. After He Yuanzong helped his father relieve himself, he said he was hungry.

"Eat, eat, eat! All you ever think about is eating!" Mrs. Han had no appetite for cooking. "There are still some sweet potatoes left over from this morning in the pot. Just eat two of them."

After being scolded, He Yuanzong went to get a sweet potato, feeling wronged, but he still went inside and gave one to his father.

He Chujie touched it and found it cold. He took a couple of bites and then stopped eating. "Yuanzong, where's your uncle? I haven't heard him speak today."

"I don't know. Mother said that my uncle went to do something important. If he succeeds, I can eat meat every day."

He Yuanzong finished a sweet potato in a few bites. "Dad, why aren't you eating? You'll get hungry if you don't eat. Please eat."

"Father isn't hungry, you eat." He Chujie handed over the cold sweet potato. Ever since he couldn't get up, Han's attitude had become increasingly cold. He knew in his heart that Han resented him for being useless.

He also blamed God for being blind, saying that his son was clearly well-behaved and filial, so why couldn't God have made him smarter?

Seeing his son enjoying even a cold sweet potato, He Chujie felt guilty. "Yuanzong, your pillow was specially made for you by your father. It's a keepsake from me. You must keep it safe, okay?"

"I know, Dad. You've said it so many times, I remember it." He Yuanzong was sleepy after eating and quickly fell asleep on the edge of the bed.

Han was called to the backyard by a woman, and the two spoke quietly to each other.

"I'm not trying to be harsh, but how long can Yuanzong's father's body hold up? If Yuanzong were smart and capable, you could rely on him for the rest of your life. But can he?"

"Your auntie has been through it all and knows how tough things are for you, that's why she came to find you. Old Li, who carves tombstones, is a bit older, but he's not that old. Do you think he'd be interested in a widow with a family like you?"

Han frowned as she listened. Although she no longer had feelings for He Chujie, he was still alive. To call her a widow was unpleasant to hear.

"Don't frown. You've seen Old Li's brick house, haven't you? Once Yuanzong's father passes away, you can move there with Yuanzong. Of all the people, only Old Li wouldn't mind that you have a mentally challenged son."

“Listen to your aunt’s advice. If we women don’t rely on men and sons, we’ll only suffer our whole lives. While you can still have children, give Old Li a son or daughter, and he’ll hand over all his assets to you, right?”

"Think it over carefully. If you agree, give your aunt a definite answer so she can give you a reply."

Watching the woman leave, Han leaned weakly against the wall.

At the time, I saw that He Chujie's family was well-off and he had a skill; his family could eat meat every few days.

She had a young brother and a sickly father, so she couldn't find a good husband and took the initiative to seduce He Chujie. But fate played a cruel trick on her; she had only been married into the He family for a few years when He Chujie injured his back and could no longer do heavy work.

Han raised her hand to touch her face, the calluses on her hand scraping her cheek painfully.

When she entered the city, she secretly glanced at Lin. More than ten years had passed, and Lin's complexion was rosy, much better than hers.

Why should the Lin family live such a good life while she has to live such a miserable one?

Han's unwillingness to accept defeat stirred her heart.

Remarriage is an option, and the imperial court encourages widows to remarry. There's nothing wrong with planning for one's own future; she's just doing it a little earlier.

"If a man doesn't look out for himself, he'll be damned by heaven and earth," Han thought to herself, and slowly convinced herself.

While Han was completely convincing herself, she was unaware that rumors were already circulating that she was pregnant out of wedlock.

The two Qiao brothers disguised themselves as peddlers and went to the village where Han's mother lived, and then came to Hejia Village.

Upon seeing Lu Zhao bring his men to Hejia Village, the two brothers quietly left.

In the village, any unfamiliar face that comes along is talked about, let alone someone like Lu Zhao in official robes.

As soon as they entered the village, all the villagers followed them to He Chujie's door.

When Madam Han saw the official arrive, her smile froze. "Official, what... what's going on here?"

"You must be He Hanshi?" Lu Zhao said with a stern face. "You instructed your brother to deliberately injure someone, and now your brother has confessed to everything. You will come with us."

"No, have you misunderstood something?" Han's legs trembled. "My brother is a reckless person. Everyone in the village can testify to that. You can't believe what he says."

She looked pleadingly at the villagers at the door, "Please, everyone, say something for me, I'm really not a bad person."

"You'll know whether it's true or not when you come with us to the yamen." Lu Zhao gave his men a look, and immediately two men grabbed Han and walked out.

Han kicked her legs and shouted, "Sir, I'm innocent! I'm not a bad person!"

She had just made up her mind to remarry, so why were people coming to arrest her?

Han struggled desperately, and when she saw her son run out, she shouted for help.

He Yuanzong didn't understand what was going on. When he saw his mother being taken away, he tried to chase after her, but Qingjiu threw him over the shoulder. He was still crawling on the ground calling for his mother.

As Han was dragged along the way, the villagers who had come to watch the spectacle began to murmur among themselves:

"I knew Han was a sly fox all along, and it turns out she's a man-eating devil. She's really bold, daring to instigate Han Jianchuan to commit violence!"

"If she dares to cheat on her husband, what wouldn't she dare to do?"

"This is all her retribution. She kicked Chu Jie's first wife away back then, and now she's getting what she deserves. Poor Yuan Zong, such an obedient person, and her father is like that."

"Alas, their parents have committed terrible sins, bringing ruin to their son. They can't blame anyone else for what happened to their family."

...

The villagers only dared to follow her to the village entrance, but when Han heard Lu Zhao explain the whole story, she knew she was doomed and fainted from fright.

The case of the Han siblings was handled quickly. They were brought to the City God's Office that day, and the prefect made a judgment the next day. Because Lu Zhao was involved in the whole process, the Han siblings were given twenty lashes and exiled to Sichuan.

Upon hearing the news, Madam Lin was overjoyed. That noon, she not only refused to accept Lu Zhao's money but also cut a large portion of pig's head meat for him.

"Thank you so much. I know it's because of you that the case was resolved so quickly." Madam Lin placed the wrapped braised meat on the table. "This is a small token of my family's appreciation. Please take it home and enjoy it."

Lu Zhao was embarrassed to accept the money, saying, "It's my duty to investigate cases and arrest people; it's just something I should do. Auntie, there's no need for special thanks."

Qiao Mianmian also came over and said, "Yes, yes, Lord Lu, please accept it. It's just some food, nothing valuable. It's all thanks to you that we got results so quickly. If you don't accept it, my mother won't sleep tonight."

If there were a mirror, Qiao Mianmian would know how alluring her smile was. She always said that having connections in the government makes things easier; without Lu Zhao, how could things have been so easy?

It's just some food; she'll make more if she wants. This is a great opportunity sent by God, and she'll cherish it.

Lu Zhao was at a loss for what to do. Seeing that her master's ears were red, Qingjiu chuckled and said, "Miss Qiao, you gave too much braised meat. My master is too shy to accept it."

"Not too much at all!" Madam Lin stuffed the meat directly into Qingjiu's hand. "This is braised pork I made today. It's just been taken out of the pot and it's still hot. Make some dipping sauce when you get back, spicy or whatever you like. I know you like fatty meat, so I specially chose this kind."

"Alright, I won't say any more to you, I'm going to get busy."

Unable to refuse the Qiao family's hospitality, Lu Zhao finally accepted the braised meat. When they reached the door, he stopped again and said, "Miss Qiao, my colleague asked me to have someone bring some rouge. I can't just eat your things for free, so I'll send some to your family later. You can choose whichever you like."

He spoke so quickly that he didn't even dare to look at Qiao Mianmian for more than a second before leaving immediately.

Qiao Mianmian hadn't expected Lu Zhao to still remember Rouge. Actually, she was just killing time and finding something to do, but since Lu Zhao said it was bought in Bianjing, she was curious to see how good it would be. She would make some other food and send it over as a token of her gratitude.

As for the Han siblings, the Qiao family tacitly stopped mentioning them. Qiao Mianmian quickly forgot about it because she learned something.

That day, Zheng Sanhua specifically sought out Qiao Mianmian, "My father went to the Lu family twice, but he couldn't get a word in with Qingjiu either. What should I do with Qingjiu being so heartless?"

Qiao Mianmian was surprised to learn that Zheng Sanhua had taken a liking to Qingjiu. "Why...why did you choose Qingjiu?"

"Isn't Qingjiu (a type of Chinese liquor) good?"

Zheng Sanhua countered, "He's guileless and kind-hearted. He's also strong and healthy. Wouldn't it be reassuring to take him out?"

“That’s true, but Qingjiu probably doesn’t have that idea.” Qiao Mianmian thought about Qingjiu’s daily routine. Every time she saw her, she would either talk about food or praise Lord Lu.

She had never heard Qingjiu mention any woman, let alone anything about marriage. It seemed that Qingjiu only cared about food and Lord Lu.

“I know he has no interest, that’s why I came to you for advice. Lord Lu brings Qingjiu to dinner every day, so you must know Qingjiu better. I’m asking you, what can I do to make Qingjiu pay attention to me? Or rather, to get him to notice me?” Zheng Sanhua felt that her father was no good. She didn’t know how long it would take for her father to explain things to Qingjiu, so she had to come up with a solution herself.

Qiao Mianmian thought for a moment, "Qingjiu is indeed very simple. I know how to win him over!" She leaned close to Zheng Sanhua's ear and whispered a few words, "Remember? Just do as I say, and he will definitely notice you."