Chapter 103 Going to the City
The boy's words were a little awkward, but this didn't prevent Zhao Yan from feeling the farmer's sincerity. He said, "Next time I come, I might have to test your academic performance. Aren't you afraid?"
Yu Jian was angry and annoyed, "Just wait, I can definitely answer them all..."
Zhao Yan said goodbye with a smile and left.
After he walked away, Yu Hui asked, "Should we tell Yu girl about this? After all, we are helping our uncle's family."
Wang Shuniang thought for a while and said, "Let's find a chance. Next time I go to the city, I'll bring her some honey and tell her about it."
Yu Hui nodded and asked, "Jian just said he wanted to sign up for something and someone will take him there tomorrow. I think Zhao Yan may have helped him."
"Is there any need to ask? Didn't you hear them say that we are a family? Let's invite him to our house for dinner more often in the future." Wang Shuniang felt relieved and was truly grateful to Zhao Yan.
Yu Hui had no objection this time and nodded.
On the second day, Wang Shuniang and Yu Hui sold a cart of things early according to their usual time of going into the city, and filled a basket with some eggs and honey and came to Yu Huatang.
Seeing them carrying so many things, Yu Huatang asked curiously, "Weren't these eggs supposed to be sold to Ji'an to get him a wife? Why did you give them all to me?"
Yu Hui was not very good at lying. He just lowered his head and drank a few sips of tea without saying anything. Wang Shuniang said, "Recently, a good family said that our Ji'an has some talent. They recommended him a job and heard that there is a lot of money. He went with him today."
"Cook a few of these eggs for breakfast this morning. As a girl, you should take good care of your body."
Yu Huatang felt that his cousin's wife was not telling the truth. There was no sign of the job in Ji'an yet, so why did she bring all the things that were sold at home?
Seeing that she didn't believe him, Wang Shuniang said, "Your uncle's land was seized by someone, and he went to file a complaint. Now the land has been taken back, and the man also compensated him with a lot of grain, so your uncle gave us some as well."
Yu Huatang was surprised. "Isn't my uncle over seventy years old? How could he go and file a complaint? How did he get there?"
"He was pulled there on a cart. Now there are people in the government office helping to write the petition. He doesn't have to write anything. He just needs to wait for a reply." Wang Shuniang said in a serious tone.
Yes, there are indeed many stalls in front of the government office now, which specialize in helping these villagers write petitions.
At this point, Wang Shuniang tentatively said, "This current Lord Zhao is indeed a little different. Many people have gone to complain about him."
Yu Huatang did not respond to this statement. As an official, he was indeed impeccable.
At this time, Yu replied, "Last time we went to see your previous house, there was a lot of grass growing around it. Now that it's winter, it looks better. If you really want that house, we can go and ask Xu Jinli from Xujia Village. They don't live here anyway, so if we can take it back, it would be a good idea."
"Last time in that state...some people from outside came to see it and also thought it was a pity for the house."
Wang Shuniang was afraid that he would let the cat out of the bag, so she immediately chimed in, "Yes, after all, it was your parents who built it, so it's good to be able to take it back."
Yu Huatang hadn't thought about this. Every time she passed by her cousin's house, she would stay there for a while. Now, after hearing what they said, she also felt that it would be better to buy it back.
"Cousin, if you have time, please ask me how much he would sell it for?"
Yu Hui nodded. "You sold it at a very low price of only fourteen taels. Now it would probably cost thirty taels. I heard that the owner wasn't in a hurry to sell it. They just kept it there until they met the right person."
"Why thirty taels?" Wang Shuniang said unhappily, "I was taken advantage of when I sold myself, and now I'm being charged more for buying me back. This is really taking advantage of an honest person."
Yu Huatang smiled and said, "It's not their fault. The house is only worth that much. I'm sorry to bother you, cousin."
Yu Hui nodded without saying anything, and then the two of them helped her tidy up the yard. When the sun was setting, Yu Huatang told them to stop and go back quickly because it would be dark soon.
The two men agreed, loaded the things onto the cart and left.
The next day she got up early and rushed to the Dengshi Hall, but saw a yamen runner waiting for her by the roadside.
The man said, "Miss Yu needs to go again to deal with the last incident. The Master of Lanterns has already made arrangements."
The government office was looking for someone to come to, and it was a murder case involving a young woman. She couldn't just stand by and watch, so she nodded and followed them.
On the way, she asked the yamen runner, "Could it be that there's something wrong with the tools used in the crime? Why hasn't the case been closed yet?"
The yamen runner chimed in, saying, "Her uncle is greedy for money and insists there's nothing to investigate, hoping to quickly close the case. Our officials say the He family must have given her uncle a considerable sum of money."
"That's pitiful. He was clearly killed in vain, yet he was treated like this by his family."
The yamen runner also sighed and said, "Yes, it seems that the girl worked hard in her life, and she probably didn't live a good life in the He Mansion. We all said privately that the He Mansion was just a whore who wanted to be a virtuous woman. If this living girl didn't want to marry into their family, they could just give her some money and make things clear. Why did they take her in and pretend to be a good person, gaining a reputation, and then torture her to death? It's really a sin..."
"It's really unbearable..." Yu Huatang said lightly after hearing this, and stopped talking.
When she arrived at the government office, Zhao Yan was already waiting for her at the door. Upon seeing her enter, he took a few steps forward and said, "I'm truly sorry, but the coroner has discovered a new suspicious point today, and he wants to confirm it with you. We also think you might be able to help, so we sent the bailiff to fetch you."
He looked serious and humble, and all his words were about business. He did not bring up their past relationship. She felt relieved after hearing this, thinking that she was overthinking it.
She also said calmly, "If I can help, I would be very happy to do so. Your Excellency is very polite."
"Thank you, Miss Yu." He said, "Please follow me."
Just as he was about to enter the room, Zhao Yan said, "Please wait a moment."
He pulled some handkerchiefs and gloves from his pocket and handed them over. "Even though we used ice, there's bound to be some odor. Take them with you."
Yu Huatang took it. The girl had been released for almost ten days, so it was indeed a little different. She felt a little uneasy and a little scared. After all, this was her first time.
The two entered the room. It was extremely cold, but she could still smell a hint of other scents. She stopped in confusion.
Zhao Yan encouraged her, "It's okay. The coroner and the doctor have all treated this room with various drugs. We're here too, so nothing will happen."
Yu Huatang nodded and followed him in. The coroner then said, "Miss Yu said last time that the deceased was strangled to death by iron wire wrapped in fine cotton thread. We thought so at the time, but today the doctor noticed something unusual and wanted to confirm with Miss Yu. The wound was likely caused by some kind of lantern instrument."
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