"What are you doing here? Aren't you ashamed?" When Liang's wife saw her husband, she didn't want him to get involved, but she couldn't explain things clearly in front of so many people, so she could only quickly send him away.
Liang Lao Er stamped his foot, his beard bristling with anger. He grabbed his wife's hand and solemnly said, "My darling, I swore an oath before my father-in-law and our ancestors. If you suffer even the slightest injustice, may I, Liang Huai'an, be damned..."
"Pah!" Liang Lao Er's wife spat. "Who made me suffer? What nonsense are you spouting here! Go home right now!"
Liang Lao Er's wife reached out and covered her husband's mouth, fearing that he might do something foolish in a moment of impulsiveness.
"Uncle Liang, don't worry, I will give Aunt Liang an explanation for this. I took Aunt Liang's money, so I can't fail to do it!" Seeing that Uncle Liang was angry, Sun Miao'er quickly said a few nice words to appease him.
Liang Lao Er wouldn't listen to a word. He shoved his wife's hand away, strode up to Jin Shi, still holding the butcher knife, and said in a loud, booming voice, "Sister-in-law, I heard you've got your eye on my wife's things?"
"Brother, what are you saying?" Jin tried to take the butcher knife, but as soon as she touched the blade, she realized she couldn't lift it and withdrew her hand. "How could I dare to covet my sister-in-law's things? I was just saying it casually, just saying it casually..."
Liang Lao Er didn't give her a chance to explain and walked straight towards the Sun family's house. "Whether they hid it or not, I can tell at a glance!"
"Hey! Brother Liang, how could you do this? This is my yard, how can you just barge in like this!" Madam Jin chased after them, but tripped over a wooden stake on the ground and almost fell.
The villagers, eager to watch the spectacle, flocked to the Sun family's courtyard, waiting to see what a great show it was—far more exciting than anything performed on the stage!
Sun Miao'er and Liang Lao Er's wife followed slowly behind. Liang Lao Er's wife, whose original plan had been disrupted by her husband, didn't know how to deal with it for a moment. "Niece, my husband is a tiger, so fierce and impulsive. Look at him, if he doesn't find anything, your aunt will kill him!"
"Don't worry, Aunt Liang, there's always a way out. Maybe Uncle Liang will help us. Let's follow him and see what happens." Sun Miao'er stood calmly at the back of the crowd, where the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard.
As expected, Liang Lao Er searched the Sun family's house but found nothing.
Just as Sun Miao'er had guessed, even if Jin had stolen the cloth, she would never have kept it at home. Given her money-grubbing nature, she would never have thrown it away and wasted something so good. She must have moved it by now.
The search of the Sun family's home in front of the villagers was exactly the opportunity Sun Miao'er had been looking for.
Liang Lao Er shook his head and sighed. He had just finished searching the inner room and was about to leave when Jin Shi refused to let him.
He sat down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum, shouting, "Help! Everyone, look! In broad daylight, Liang Lao Er barged into my yard and came into my house! How am I supposed to save face now? He saw everything inside! I don't want to live anymore! God, just take me away! Yuan Hu, I'm so sorry!"
Although Fushui Village is a rural area and doesn't have many formalities, the current dynasty still values etiquette and law. Liang Lao Er is an unmarried man, while Jin Shi is a married woman. It wouldn't sound good if word got out that an unmarried man was entering a woman's house.
Liang's wife secretly thought things were going badly. She had known all along that his impulsive act would ruin everything. Now, Jin had caught him red-handed. There was no way he could explain himself now. Jin was a difficult woman to deal with, and her husband was too stubborn to think straight. They were really going to fight to the death.
As the crowd gathered and grew increasingly intense, Jin cried uncontrollably, "This Liang Lao Er not only ruined my reputation, but also falsely accused me of theft! I'm an innocent person, and now I'm a thief! You'd better give me an explanation today!"
Just as Liang Lao Er was about to kick Jin Shi away, he felt the sharp gaze from his wife. He immediately restrained himself, standing there motionless, coldly watching Jin Shi cry and scream. After all, no matter how big the world was, his wife was the most important. Anyone who bullied his wife was going against him. What was reputation? Could it feed him? Could it protect his wife?
"Auntie, why are you in such a hurry? We didn't find anything. Since we didn't find anything, everyone is here, with more than a dozen pairs of eyes watching. No one will turn black into white; they're all witnesses for you!"
Sun Miao'er's voice came from the crowd along with footsteps. She had already seen Jin Shi throw a tantrum, but this trick was useless against Liang Lao Er. He only listened to his wife. Jin Shi wanted to force Liang Lao Er to hit her, but there was no way she would do that!
Jin scolded, "Don't pretend to be kind with your crocodile tears! It was you, you little hussy, who set this trap. Don't think I don't know you're up to no good!"
"Auntie, what are you saying?" Sun Miao'er's eyes were completely innocent, and her pure and clean face was too easy to deceive people. "You just said that you couldn't live if your innocence was slandered, and now you're making baseless accusations against me in front of the villagers. Does that mean I can't live either?"
“I’m not plotting anything bad. When have I ever harmed anyone? Was it for money or murder?” Tears welled up in Sun Miao’er’s eyes. “I worked so hard to take on these jobs to earn some money for my grandmother’s medical treatment, to send Xiaoman to school, and to redeem Xiaoning from her servitude. But before I even made any money, I was targeted by thieves. Do you think it’s easy for me? Besides, reputation. So Auntie does care about reputation after all. Does Auntie want me to talk about those things from back then in front of the villagers today? Auntie cares about reputation, but who has ever cared about my mother’s reputation?”
"Shut up!" Upon hearing those words from back then, Madam Jin's expression changed, and she snapped sharply. She was panicked. She didn't know where this girl had heard these old stories from back then, and she was even more afraid that her past deeds would be dug up, and then she would really have no place to stand in Fushui Village!
The villagers were unsure which side to take, but they had indeed found nothing in the Jin family's house, and the Sun family girl's story seemed very convincing. Suddenly, someone in the crowd spoke up, "This tael of silver is no small matter. Why don't we ask the village chief to make a decision?"
"Yes, let's invite the village chief. He's a reasonable and respected person; he'll definitely be able to find out the truth!"
Everyone agreed.
The Sun family was in complete chaos, with everyone claiming to be right. People had only wanted to watch the show, but the amount of money involved was substantial, and the thief couldn't be found. Everyone was afraid that their own family would be the next victim.
Jin got up from the ground and shouted, "Then go! Go and invite the village chief! Get my innocence cleared! If this has nothing to do with me, none of you will escape! I'm going to the yamen to sue you!"
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