The twins were so engrossed in their mourning that they were startled by the person lying on the wooden plank that they fell backward, causing Erni to fall down with them.
"Second Brother!"
"Second brother, you're awake!"
At this moment, Zhenfu lay weakly on the wooden board. His family members surrounded him, asking him a barrage of questions, but he still seemed lost in thought.
With a wave of her hand, Old Lady Li chased everyone away. She gently patted Zhen Fuyu's arm with heartache and said, "It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake."
After she finished speaking, she turned around and silently wiped away her tears. She had thought they were hiding peacefully in the cave, but she never expected that the three men had suffered so much.
Zhen Wanwan knew that her mother was blaming herself again. She went over to comfort Old Lady Li for a while, and then asked Zhen Fuyou about what happened yesterday.
"Second Brother, what happened to you yesterday? How did you end up like this?" Zhen Wanwan asked, puzzled. They had searched the cave thoroughly, inside and out, but couldn't find anything wrong.
Grandma Li and Wang Cuihua sat quietly to the side, listening. The children, unusually, were not noisy and played with their fingers on their own.
When Zhenfu heard her younger sister's question, fear and anger resurfaced in her heart.
He said, "Yesterday, when we were moving grain, we unexpectedly discovered the imperial court's disaster relief documents. Because the contents were so shocking, we didn't know what to do for a while, so we all gathered in the cave to discuss it."
Suddenly, Zhenfu's expression turned ferocious and angry as she said, "Because everyone has different opinions, they started arguing. Some people want to keep all the disaster relief grain for themselves, while Chief Escort Lin firmly disagrees and wants to return all the grain."
He lowered his head, his eyes filled with obvious hatred: "Then, when everyone wasn't paying attention, Zhang Laoliu deliberately handed out water laced with drugs. Perhaps the drug wasn't strong enough, because my brother, the镖头 (bodyguard), and I woke up halfway through."
"Seeing that group of people looting the food like madmen, we..."
The people present were all women, especially an elderly woman named Li and a child of a few years old. He dared not speak too bluntly, for fear that the bloody scene would frighten them.
Actually, although the rest of the words were left unsaid, one could imagine it just by looking at the miserable state of these people.
Old Mrs. Li held Zhenfu and wept bitterly, "Waaah... This damned child, why did he choke to death while eating, or fall and die while walking..."
Zhen Wanwan frowned as she listened. According to her second brother, they fainted directly in the cave. Then why did Brother Qu rescue them from a deep pit inside the cave?
Furthermore, if it was just a case of being knocked unconscious, why did Grandpa Zhen's head appear to have been struck by a heavy object, and why did other villagers and Doctor Fang say it was poisoning?
There are too many suspicious points here.
Thinking of this, Zhen Wanwan asked worriedly, "Second Brother, what happened before you lost consciousness?"
After a few seconds of stunned silence, Zhen Fu said, "I only remember being pushed against the wall and then I passed out."
"Oh, right! I remember before I fainted, the ground in front of me suddenly collapsed, and many villagers fell in."
Grandma Li watched the two of them speaking in riddles, completely bewildered. She didn't say anything and simply walked over to Grandpa Zhen and stayed quietly by his side.
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Zhen Wanwan guessed that they might have been thrown in by Zhang Laoliu and his men. As for the other villagers being poisoned by snakes, it was probably because Zhang Laoliu found venomous snakes outside and threw them in, hoping that the snakes would bite them from below and kill them effortlessly.
As for not being afraid of being discovered by outsiders, it's because they had planned it all along. They killed people and buried them in the ground. The place was so well hidden that the truth about their murders would probably never be revealed.
Their plan was well-thought-out, but they overlooked the fact that they could also make a mistake, and now they've become prisoners.
Zhang Laoliu may seem honest, but he's always been scheming. Everyone has been tricked by him. Thinking of those people who are trapped, she was furious.
It would be better for her to go over and deal with them later. Even if they are left alive, they are still a menace, and it would be bad if they hurt innocent people again.
However, euthanasia was a bargain for them.
After some consideration, Zhen Wanwan decided she needed to inform the unsuspecting villagers about who had murdered their relatives. She explained that if the villagers wanted to kill or torture them, it wouldn't be her problem.
She's such a kind person! I'm silently giving myself a "good person" card.
After all, her two children had just been born, and she didn't want to commit any acts of killing, lest she ruin her children's fortune.
While Zhen Wanwan was lost in thought, other people had plenty of other things to do.
After sending everyone back, Qu Huaiyuan went to the cave where the bandits were located. The villagers who had rioted the day before were also imprisoned there.
After greeting the brothers guarding the gate, he stepped inside. Seven or eight rioters were filthy and disheveled, and next to them were bandits whose bodies were beginning to rot. The smell inside the house was nauseating.
Qu Huaiyuan took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose, bypassed the bandits and went straight to the villagers from yesterday. He took out the documents and questioned the villagers who had regained consciousness: "Did any of you encounter outsiders yesterday? You should all know what these are!"
The villager's eyes bulged out, and he looked terrified. He felt a mix of regret, resentment, and a hint of blame towards Zhang Laoliu.
If he hadn't secretly found them, he wouldn't have been blinded by greed and lost his mind, turning against his own parents.
Unfortunately, it's too late to regret it now.
Perhaps it was a sudden pang of conscience, or perhaps he wanted to beg Qu Huaiyuan to spare his life, but he honestly confessed what had happened.
An hour later, Qu Huaiyuan left, his mind preoccupied.
Zhen Wanwan teased the twins with winks and flirtatious gestures, but unfortunately, her charms were only for the blind. Zhen Guaiguai and Zhen Xintian were busy nibbling on their little fingers, eating with great relish.
She thought about names for a long time and finally came up with two that she was most satisfied with. The boy's name is Zhen Guaiguai, which means "good boy" and she hopes that he will always be well-behaved. The girl's name is Zhen Xintian, which means "sweet as honey" and she hopes that she will have a smooth and happy life.
Zhen Wanwan was very satisfied with her nicknames, "Guai Bao" and "Tian Bao," even though her parents objected to the name "Guai Bao."
But in order not to disappoint her baby, she still went against the majority and worked hard to get the name. For this, her baby shed a few tears of emotion, which made her feel that her efforts had not been in vain.
The three injured members of the Zhen family had woken up half an hour ago. Old Mrs. Li was brewing medicine while chatting with them.
"The old ones are a constant worry, and the young ones are just as troublesome. I must have owed your Zhen family something in my past life..."
Grandpa Zhen picked at his ears, not listening to a word. Ever since he woke up, Grandma Li had been nagging beside him, and his ears were practically calloused from listening.
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