Jiang Mingzhu hadn't expected things to turn out this way. She had just heard a commotion outside, and her brother said that their mother could handle it, but she was still a little worried.
In a daze, I overheard the village widow, Ninth Sister-in-law, saying that my mother had deliberately injured her dog.
Jiang Mingzhu could no longer contain herself and hurriedly came out.
Seeing that those people were coming aggressively, she simply lied, but unexpectedly, she did not help her mother and instead made her bear a vicious crime.
Jiang Mingzhu was anxious, and tears were about to fall when she suddenly heard her brother's voice, "Don't cry, your brother is here, what are you afraid of?"
After gently comforting the girl, Jiang Mingyi took a step forward and said, "Auntie said your dog is the most docile dog ever, but I'd like you to open your eyes and take a look at these footprints in the snow."
His words drew the attention of the other villagers, who then noticed the numerous messy footprints on the snow.
Those little footprints were clearly left by a dog.
"Oh, I just remembered, my big yellow dog was barking loudly when it smelled the delicious aroma of your stewed chicken. Could it be that it attracted all the dogs in the village?"
"It smells really good. I was wondering why my dog kept barking. Luckily I kept it on a leash, otherwise it probably would have run over too."
Ninth Sister-in-law glared at the person who spoke, "You mean, my Ah Hua came over because she smelled meat? Which eye of yours saw that she was lured over by the smell of meat?"
"So, Auntie, are you saying that I scratched my sister's face just to frame your dog?" Jiang Mingyi's eyes turned cold. Although he knew that it wasn't the dog that hurt Zhu'er, this person's unreasonable behavior prevented Zhu'er from getting a proper rest, which was really going too far!
Jiang Mingyi already felt guilty enough for not protecting Zhu'er. Let alone framing her now, he would do anything to save Zhu'er's appearance, even murder and arson!
Ninth Sister-in-law had never noticed that Jiang Laosan's son, who didn't even know who his own mother was, had grown up so much. He looked at her with an imposing manner, which frightened her so much that her heart pounded.
Just then, a cry came from the east room, "Your Majesty, Bao'er is scared. The dog bites people, it's so fierce, Bao'er is scared."
The child's heart-wrenching cries made Aunt Li feel even more distressed. "Jiang Jiu's family, could it be that even a child as young as Bao'er would lie and deceive people?"
Ninth Sister-in-law was dumbfounded. Looking at the young man who wasn't very tall but had exceptionally cold eyes, she swallowed hard. "My Ah Hua won't hurt anyone."
However, her voice wasn't as loud as before, which clearly showed that she was feeling guilty.
"Then Auntie, do you think my brother and I are lying? Why don't you bring your Ahua over and see if the wound on my sister's face was scratched by it? If it was, Auntie, what do you think we should do?"
Ninth Sister-in-law panicked. All she saw was her big male dog bleeding profusely and looking like it was about to die. She went completely insane.
Who would have thought that Ah Hua, who was injured, would hurt someone else?
“Brother, since Ninth Sister-in-law has asked you to uphold justice, you must uphold justice. Zhu’er is such a young child and has suffered so much. I’m afraid that she will be left with a scar on her face. How will I find her a husband in the future? What if she really can’t get married because of this? How can I face my husband?”
Actress Gu An'an immediately burst into tears, grabbing Jiang Yongshan's arm and wailing, "Big brother, you have to stand up for Zhu'er! Zhu'er is our Jiang family's daughter, are we just going to let her be bullied like this?"
Jiang Yongshan hadn't expected this turn of events. He looked at his nephew standing there, then his gaze fell on Gu An'an, who was wiping her tears with her arm. "This, this matter..."
Aunt Li interrupted Jiang Laoda, saying, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Jiang Jiu's wife is right. Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Since it was Ahua who injured Zhu'er, then she should compensate for the money spent on medical treatment."
Pay compensation? Ninth Sister-in-law panicked. She clearly came to ask Gu An'an for compensation, so how come she's the one who has to pay compensation now?
"I...I have no money."
Gu An'an laughed when she heard this. "Sister-in-law came to my house earlier, threatening to beat and kill, but now that your dog has injured my Zhu'er, you're the one who's broke. Brother, you've been called here to uphold justice. What do you think we should do?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yongshan glared angrily at Ninth Sister-in-law, "It is only right that murderers should pay with their lives and those who injure should pay compensation. You can discuss this yourselves. Zhu'er is injured, so go back to your room and rest. Don't get involved in these matters."
These words, seemingly impartial and ostensibly out of concern for Jiang Mingzhu, were actually just a way to get rid of her. Without Jiang Mingzhu's battered and bruised face, it would be easier for Ninth Sister-in-law to cause trouble and make unreasonable demands.
How could Gu An'an not understand this?
She immediately plopped down on the ground, saying, "My life is so miserable! I've never even seen my husband since I married into this family. Now that I've been bullied, there's no one to stand up for me. What's the point of living? I might as well just die!"
As she spoke, she stood up and was about to ram herself against the wall when Aunt Li noticed something was wrong and stopped her.
Seeing Gu An'an crying her eyes out, Aunt Li said righteously, "Jiang Jiu's family, your dog injured someone, and you should always seek justice. When your dog was injured, you mobilized the whole village to seek justice for you. How come now that it has scratched someone, you don't care about that anymore?"
"Yes, Er Ya isn't even engaged yet. What if she gets a scar on her face and can't find a good family to marry into in the future?"
"Ninth Sister-in-law, you should at least show some consideration, shouldn't you?"
"Poor Er Ya, why is she so unlucky?"
"Who can argue with that?"
Seeing the gossiping villagers, Ninth Sister-in-law knew she couldn't escape this ordeal. If she didn't pay today, she feared she would be sued later.
What could she do, being a widow with no children?
Seeing this, Jiang Yongshan coughed and said, "How about this, Lao Jiu's family, you can give Er Ya's family one tael of silver as compensation."
"One tael of silver!" Ninth Sister-in-law's eyes widened; this was robbery!
Gu An'an sneered, "You think one tael of silver is too much? Then how about this, I'll slash your face with a knife, and we'll be even, okay?"
"Go ahead and do it, I don't have any money anyway!"
Gu An'an wasn't afraid of this rascal at all. "Okay."
She turned around to pick up the entrenching tool, which still had some bloodstains on it. This made Ninth Sister-in-law's heart tremble. "Gu An'an, you, you mustn't do anything rash!"
Some villagers, eager for a spectacle, said, "Didn't you agree to this yourself, Ninth Sister-in-law? One cut is worth one tael of silver, what a bargain!"
Ninth Sister-in-law: "..." She thought Gu An'an was exaggerating!
"Are you scared?" Gu An'an looked at the person who was almost holding their breath. She twirled the entrenching tool in her hand. "It's alright, it'll be quick, just one shot. I promise I'll leave a scar on your face, and from now on, all the children in the village will be scared away from you."
Ninth Sister-in-law: "..." Gu An'an, you're not human, you're simply not human!
"I'll pay, I'll pay!" She was afraid of being disfigured; even though she was a widow, she still cared about her appearance!
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