Ganli thought about it and decided that she couldn't just sit and wait for her fate.
She discussed with the village chief about preparing an oxcart to take Gan Tao and the body of Young Master Wu to the town and report to the village head.
The strong young men of Yuxi Village, who were originally full of enthusiasm and ready to make a big splash, were stunned when they heard Gan Li's words. They looked at each other, not understanding what Gan Li was up to.
"Aunt Ganli, what do you mean by this? Didn't you say Gan Tao is innocent? Why are you sending her to the authorities?"
A young man asked in a deep, muffled voice, his tone filled with doubt and worry.
When others heard someone speak up, they also chimed in, expressing their own confusion.
The crowd erupted into a frenzy, with buzzing discussions rising and falling.
When Ganli brought up what had just happened, she knew that someone would question it, so she was not flustered.
She spoke calmly and clearly, explaining her intentions to everyone:
"Listen to me, everyone. I understand how you feel, and Gan Tao'er is indeed not wrong. But this matter has resulted in a death, and it can't be kept secret."
Instead of waiting for the Wu family to come knocking on our door, we should take the initiative and report to the authorities first. This will also leave a good impression of us being proactive and honest.
Moreover, this village head is newly appointed, and everyone knows about the previous village head's affairs. How could he dare to bend the law for personal gain?
Moreover, the village head has no authority over murder cases; at most, he is only responsible for guarding the prisoners, and ultimately, the case must be handed over to the county government. I have dealt with Magistrate Lu several times; he is a fair and just official and will certainly handle this impartially.”
She paused, glanced around at everyone, and spoke with a hint of slyness:
"Most importantly, the government's intervention is a form of protection for Gan Tao. Even if the Wu family wants to do something, they'll have to think twice."
The villagers, who were initially indignant, suddenly understood after hearing Gan Li's explanation and nodded in agreement.
"That's a great idea!"
"Now even if the Wu family comes, they can't do anything to Gan Tao!"
The village chief also felt that Gan Li's consideration was very thorough, and there was no better solution than this, so he made the decision directly:
"Do as Pear Girl says! Gan Quan, quickly bring the oxcart here!"
Upon hearing this, Gan Quan immediately rushed out and pulled the oxcart to the door. Several strong young men quickly carried Wu Gongzi's body out.
Ganli gently supported Gantao's shoulder and led her to the oxcart, saying:
"Peach, don't be afraid, you'll be alright." The gentle voice carried a deep sense of determination.
Gan Tao looked up at Gan Li, a faint smile appearing on her pale face:
"Shopkeeper, I'm not afraid. Thank you."
With Ganli's help, Gantao sat steadily on the oxcart.
Gan Quan drove the cart, and several young men from the village followed along. The group, carrying torches, hurried towards the town in the oxcart and soon disappeared into the night.
After seeing Gan Tao off, Gan Li turned around and went back into the house. Gan Tao's mother was still slumped on the ground, trembling.
The children were so frightened that they huddled to one side, their faces covered in snot and tears.
Gan Li looked at this group of people but felt no sympathy whatsoever. She coldly warned Gan Tao Niang:
"Let me tell you, when the authorities question you in the future, you'd better tell me the truth! If you dare to lie, you'll end up in jail!"
Gan Tao Niang was already terrified, and upon hearing this, she cried even harder, nodding repeatedly and mumbling, "I know, I know..."
Ganli breathed a sigh of relief for the time being.
Looking at the group of people in the room, she felt a surge of annoyance and turned to leave.
The news spread faster than Gan Li had imagined. Soon, all the villagers in Yuxi Village knew that something had happened and rushed over, surrounding Gan Tao's house completely.
The young men who had come with the village chief earlier, at Gan Li's behest, recounted the events in detail to the villagers, emphasizing Gan Tao Niang's wickedness and Young Master Wu's beastly behavior.
The villagers were shocked to hear this! They were immediately filled with righteous indignation and condemned Gan Tao's mother as being worse than a pig or a dog, for doing such a thing to her own daughter!
"That Gan Tao Niang is utterly depraved! She actually drugged her own daughter and put a man inside her!"
"So, that guy surnamed Wu deserved to be stabbed to death! He was a beast after all!"
"Poor Tao'er, having such a mother!"
With all that had been laid before, everyone felt that Young Master Wu deserved his death and that Gan Tao was really pitiful for having such a mother. Not only was she almost assaulted, but she also had to face imprisonment!
Even men would be skinned alive in that prison, let alone a delicate young woman.
The villagers were heartbroken, but when they heard that the Wu family might bring more people to cause trouble, they became even more furious.
A villager shouted, "We're not leaving tonight! We'll wait here and see if those bastards from the Wu family dare to cause trouble!"
Upon hearing this, the others readily agreed.
Gan Zhu's wife was among them, but compared to the anger of the others, she felt even more guilty.
She rushed to Ganli and burst into tears, blaming herself.
"Shopkeeper, it's all my fault. Yesterday I heard Tao'er ask me to pass on a message, and I was thinking of telling you first thing this morning. But my brain... how could I forget!"
If I had remembered sooner and told you sooner, things might not have turned out this way! It's all my fault, Tao'er's fault!
If it weren't for the fact that she overheard a customer praising the embroidery hanging on the restaurant wall near the end of the workday, she might have forgotten about it... If that were the case, Gan Tao might still be all alone and helpless!
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