Chapter 224 You Kneel Down Before Me
"Let's see who dares!"
The village head rushed over and had the patrolmen line up to block the main gate.
The patrol team only has ten people patrolling a day, but now that something big has happened, everyone in the team spontaneously came to assemble. In no time, more than a hundred men stood in the courtyard, including some men who were busy building walls next door. These men stood together, confronting the Cao family.
Granny Xu was furious: "Have you ever heard of the Cao family? The Cao family at the Hekou County dock. Going against the Cao family is a dead end. I'll say it again, all of you get out of my way!"
The crowd was stunned for a moment. When they had free time, they would go to town to find manual labor jobs. Most of the jobs at the docks belonged to the Cao family, so they knew who the Cao family was. Even so, they did not move aside and stood in a row at the entrance, like a city wall.
The two sides faced off, and the air suddenly became quiet.
Cao Yingying was feeding the lambs in the backyard. She was growing to love the two lambs more and more and hoped they would grow up quickly.
She heard a noise in the front yard, and after feeding the lambs, she prepared to go and see what was happening.
Just then, Zhao Ergou rushed in like lightning: "The Cao family is here!"
"What?" Cao Yingying was overjoyed and quickly wiped her hands. "Is my dad here to take me home? That's wonderful!"
She took a step and was about to rush outside.
Zhao Ergou grabbed his wrist: "It's not your father, it's Granny Xu from Madam Cao's side."
Cao Yingying was stunned.
She waited for more than half a month, hoping every day that her father would come to pick her up. She never expected that her stepmother's trusted servant would come instead.
She pursed her lips, but still took a step and walked out.
Zhao Ergou blocked her way: "They're probably here to take you back. Your father hasn't returned. If you go back to the Cao family, won't you be forced to marry someone again?"
He tugged at her sleeve, pulled her to the back door, and pushed it open, saying, "Go hide at my grandma's house for a while."
Cao Yingying stood still: "If the Cao family could find Dahe Village, then they must be sure I'm here. If I hide, what will they do if they make things difficult for your family? I've been able to have a peaceful life here for almost a month, which is already a stolen gift. I can't run away anymore."
Zhao Ergou rubbed his temples: "Why can't you understand me? If you go out now, it's like throwing yourself into the lion's den, you know? There are so many of us in the village, we can't possibly not protect a little girl like you. Alright, just stay in the sheepfold! I'll go out and check the situation!"
He turned and walked forward, closing the wooden door leading to the backyard.
After a moment of silence in the front courtyard, Granny Xu's voice grew even colder: "I'll say it again, Zhao Chengshi from Dahe Village is suspected of abducting Miss Cao, which constitutes a crime. The Cao family is here today to arrest the criminal on behalf of the government. Anyone who dares to stop them is guilty of the same crime and will be thrown into jail!"
The villagers had never seen anything like it before, and they were all terrified.
Moreover, everyone knows that a young girl did come to Cheng Wanwan's house not long ago. She had the demeanor of a well-bred lady and the handkerchiefs she embroidered were particularly beautiful. They originally thought that the Cheng family knew how to teach children, but now they think that it might not be that simple.
Seeing the villagers' suspicious expressions, Granny Xu decided to persevere.
At this moment, Cheng Wanwan walked into the middle of the crowd and said in a cold voice: "Your Cao family are merchants. What right do you have to represent the government to arrest people? Whether it is the deputy magistrate of Hekou County or the magistrate of Ping'an County, they would never allow a mere merchant to arrest criminals on behalf of the yamen runners. So can I conclude that your Cao family has abused the name of the government, impersonated an official of the imperial court, and arrested innocent people? This is a capital offense!"
Granny Xu's eyes widened. This woman was sharp-tongued and incredibly difficult to deal with!
Since reasoning with her won't work, then don't blame her for resorting to force.
The Cao family's annual tax revenue accounted for one-third of that of Hekou Town. Even the county magistrate had to show them deference. The Cao family didn't care about accusations of impersonating an official of the imperial court or committing capital crimes.
Furthermore, is it possible for a mere village woman to file a lawsuit against the Cao family in the government? Would the county magistrate listen to only the village woman's side of the story?
That's impossible!
Granny Xu waved her hand: "Charge in and search for people. Anyone who dares to stop us, just attack them!"
A bunch of troublemakers, don't even think about ruining her plans.
This time, she was determined to bring the young lady back, and to do so in a grand and glorious way, so that everyone in the entire Hekou County would know that the Cao family's young lady had been found!
Granny Xu brought eight guards with her, all of them wielding long knives, and they approached the doorway.
Wang Yongcheng and Zhao Sanniu, each holding a knife, stood in front of Cheng Wanwan.
The other villagers did not back down either; they each grabbed firewood from the ground and were ready to join the fight at any moment.
He Xiao, who was sunbathing in front of the old house, saw this scene and got up to walk over. However, he was still recovering from his serious injury and walked very slowly.
Before he even arrived, Cao Yingying came out of the house.
Cheng Wanwan looked over, her heart filled with mixed emotions. If Yingying had remained hidden, she would have tried her best to protect her. But now that Yingying had come out, she felt both worried and admiring. The fifteen-year-old girl was not hiding behind others, but bravely standing up to face everything. Because of this, Cheng Wanwan's liking for the girl grew even stronger.
Zhao Ergou stood anxiously to one side, his face full of disapproval, but he was helpless. He had no power to stop the Cao family, nor could he persuade Cao Yingying to hide... For the first time, he felt that there were so many things in life that were simply beyond his control, and he was truly too weak...
"Stop!"
Cao Yingying gave a cold shout.
Granny Xu looked up and smiled, "Miss, this old servant has finally found you! Hurry up and get in the carriage, let's go back!"
As long as we find the young lady, there's no need to rush into dealing with these villagers; we can handle that later.
She rushed over and grabbed Cao Yingying's sleeve.
Cao Yingying raised her hand and flung it away: "How dare you! Who gave you permission to touch me? Kneel down!"
Granny Xu looked on in disbelief. This little slut actually wanted her to kneel down?
She had slapped this little bitch quite a few times before. As the eldest daughter of the Cao family, she had to be mindful of this old woman's feelings in the Cao mansion, so she never took this young lady seriously!
"It seems you're not servants of the Cao family." Cheng Wanwan chuckled softly. "First you impersonated government officials, then you impersonated members of the Cao family. I think you lot are tired of living!"
Granny Xu retorted angrily, "I am a first-class old woman of the Cao family, the lady's personal servant. How can you say I'm impersonating her?"
"Since you are indeed a servant of the Cao family, why do you not show the respect due to a servant when you see the young lady? Also, the young lady tells you to kneel down, so kneel down. Why do you have any room for hesitation?" Cheng Wanwan said coldly. "If you are unwilling to kneel, then you are definitely not a member of the Cao family. Today, I will risk my life to prevent you from taking my niece away."
Her words solidified the villagers' resolve, and even the little one who had been wandering around outside rushed into the yard, barking loudly at the Cao family.
Cao Yingying's eyes suddenly turned red.
What makes her so special that her aunt protects her like this?
The more moved she was, the colder and harder her expression became.
She had been weak and submissive to a petty old woman for so many years; now, it was time for her to learn to be strong.
With Aunt Zhao protecting her and so many people from Dahe Village standing behind her, she couldn't be afraid, nor should she be afraid of a servant from the Cao family.
Cao Yingying raised her hand and slapped him across the face: "I said, kneel down!"
Granny Xu's lips trembled with anger: "You...you actually dared to hit me..."
"Just kneel down when I tell you to! Stop spouting nonsense!" Zhao Ergou kicked him. "Kneel down and listen to your young lady's lecture!"
Shen Zheng sneered: "In our Shen family, this kind of unruly servant should be given thirty lashes and thrown out, or better yet, beaten to death!"
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