Chapter 254: Hongli
Wen Zhenyi was a little surprised: "Tell me about it."
"Mr. Hong's name is Hongli. I heard he was a gravedigger in his early years. He made a lot of money and wanted to get married and have children. I don't know if it was because he did too many bad things, but he married many wives but didn't have any children."
Wen Zhenyi had just heard County Magistrate Lei say that he had a son: "So what's going on with this son he has now?"
"He married a woman who was pregnant out of wedlock. The child was not his, but was registered in his name, recognizing him as the father."
"He really didn't have another son or daughter?"
Ah Xiang nodded. "He helped this woman become his legal wife, but he still didn't give up and continued marrying women into his family. When he couldn't handle it anymore, he started torturing these women, killing some and leaving others disabled."
"People will still be punished for their evil deeds."
"His son's relationship with him also began to deteriorate drastically because of his torture of his mother, to the point where they had no further contact. If he hadn't still cared about her kindness in raising him, he would have disowned him long ago."
"Don't you think about the son of an official?"
"Because his son is an official, he has become even more aggressive in recent years, targeting women from poor families. Some families have sold their daughters for money, and he uses various means to force those who are unwilling to marry."
Wen Zhenyi glanced at the three siblings behind him and said, "Axiang, help me do something, but don't let anyone know."
Ah Xiang nodded: "Master, you speak."
Wen Zhenyi whispered a few words in Axiang's ear.
Ah Xiang listened and nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I will do it now."
"Be careful, don't let anyone catch you, or we'll all die."
"I understand." A Xiang turned around with a serious expression and went back to the county town first.
Qian Xiuxiu saw Axiang leave and tugged at Wen Zhenyi's clothes: "Sister, where is the other sister?"
"She has things to do."
"Will she come back?"
"Xiu Xiu wants her to come back?"
“She’s amazing.”
Wen Zhenyi touched her head and said, "She will be back soon, don't be afraid."
"Xiu Xiu is not afraid."
Wen Zhenyi brought them to the gate of the county town and saw Old Lady Ma and Geng Ru from a distance: "Grandma, aunt."
Qian Xiu'gu hurried forward and saluted the two of them.
The two children also saluted respectfully.
Old Lady Ma looked at the three of them and said, "They are all good children."
Wen Zhenyi walked over to Geng Ru and asked quietly, "Aunt, have you rented a house yet?"
"Why don't you discuss this with us?"
Wen Zhenyi looked in the direction of Qian Xiugu and the others: "It's too late."
"You're really thoughtful. If Xiang hadn't been there yesterday, I'm afraid..."
"How can you explain things in this world clearly?" Wen Zhen looked at the sky and saw that it was already past noon. "Aunt, I'm going to County Magistrate Lei's house. I'll leave them to you. We'll talk when I get back tonight."
Geng Ru shouted at her back, "You haven't even eaten yet."
"I'll just buy some buns on the way." Wen Zhenyi ran away as soon as he finished speaking.
Old Ma watched her running away and said, "This child is very considerate."
"That's right." Geng Ru said, looking at the three children beside her: "I bought daily necessities for you in the yard. If you still need anything, you can buy more later."
"Thank you, ma'am." Qian Tu thanked her sincerely.
Wen Zhen bought a bun along the way and ate it while walking towards County Magistrate Lei's house.
Here, Lei Yingying and Lei Jiayang opened the courtyard gate and looked outside, and from time to time they asked the servants to inquire about the news.
The servant came running back from a distance: "Here she comes, Miss Wen is here."
Wen Zhenyi saw the two people waiting at the gate like two door gods. He looked behind him and saw no one else. "Are you waiting for me?"
Lei Yingying said angrily, "What else?"
"It's still early."
"We're just worried you'll forget."
"How could I forget what I promised?" Wen Zhenyi said as he stepped into the door. "Where is your kitchen?"
Lei Yingying grabbed her and said, "Don't be busy yet. My grandmother and mother want to see you."
Wen Zhenyi felt a headache. He had to be very alert when talking to these elders. "I didn't bring any gifts today."
Lei Yingying rolled her eyes at her: "Who wants your gift?"
Wen Zhenyi was dragged to the flower hall by them as if he was forced to do something.
As soon as Lei Yingying entered the flower hall, she called out, "Grandma, Mother, Miss Wen is here."
Mrs. Lei frowned when she heard her shouting: "It's not polite."
Lei Yingying immediately shut up and stood aside obediently.
Mrs. Lei looked kind and smiled at them: "It's better for the child to be lively."
"She's getting married soon, and I'm afraid she'll get herself into trouble."
"With us watching, no one dares to mess with her."
Wen Zhenyi whispered to Lei Yingying, "Your grandmother is very good."
Lei Yingying blinked mischievously: "Yes."
Madam Lei looked at the two little girls whispering to each other below and asked, "Are you Wen Zhenyi?"
"Shinichi meets Madam Lei, Madam Lei."
"This child is good-looking and looks like a blessed one."
"Thank you, Madam Xie Lei, for your compliments."
When Mrs. Lei saw that Wen Zhenyi was very graceful and generous, and although she came from a farming family, she was not timid, her impression of her became even better.
Mrs. Lei smiled and said, "This child is a good cook. Let her cook a table for you today."
"Then I'm in for a treat." Mrs. Lei said with a smile.
Wen Zhenyi exchanged a few more pleasantries with them, then said goodbye and went to the kitchen.
Lei Yingying chased her out: "Yi Yi, Huanhuan's marriage is cancelled."
Although Wen Zhenyi knew about it yesterday, he didn't know the final result: "When did it happen?"
"Early this morning, the news spread throughout the county."
"Haven't you ever been to see Huanhuan?"
"I went there today after receiving the news."
"How is she?"
"No sadness, no joy, just quite peaceful."
Wen Zhenyi sighed: "If you have time recently, go spend more time with her. Whether the man or the woman proposes to break up the engagement, the woman will be the one who gets hurt the most."
"I know, but I don't know if this is good or bad."
Wen Zhenyi couldn't give a definition. In the end, it would take a long time for this matter to subside, unless something else happened to suppress these rumors.
The Lei family's kitchen is not very big. It only provides three meals a day for the Lei family. There are not many servants in the mansion. There is only a cook and a lady who does the rough work in the kitchen.
The two of them greeted Wen Zhenyi and said, "Miss Wen, everything you need is here. Is there anything else we can help you with?"
Wen Zhenyi checked the ingredients one by one, and they were all very fresh. In order to cater to Madam Lei's taste today, he planned to mainly use light dishes with heavy flavors as a supplement.
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