Chapter 98 Zhou Kai ran away
"My dear, you didn't lie to us. These dumplings are really delicious!"
"I've been traveling so much that I almost forgot the last time I ate something with soup."
"There's meat in the dumpling filling!"
The rough men stood in the yard with bowls in their hands, eating heartily without any restraint.
Su Cheng had to call almost half of the women in the village to help make dumplings to feed so many mouths.
"The house is really getting busier and busier." Xie Jinyu stood beside her, kneading the dough with her large, bony hands. "Thank goodness Miss Wang brought a lot of white flour, otherwise, the house would have been completely eaten up."
"It's okay. My husband gave me a lot." Su Cheng shook the purse hanging on her waist, a cunning flash in her eyes, and whispered, "It's enough for our family and those people outside to eat for a month."
Yan Ciren was a man of great wealth, and he would throw away banknotes if he disagreed with something.
It's like a walking ATM!
Aunt Liu glanced into the yard and turned back angrily, "Ah Cheng, are these people outside... also your relatives?"
There were several aunts standing in the kitchen, and they all spoke up when they heard this.
"Ah Cheng, where do you get so many relatives?"
"With so many mouths to feed, won't all the family wealth be eaten up?"
"Child, you can't be so soft-hearted. You help every relative who comes. When will it stop?"
"I see..." Aunt Liu looked at the rough men outside wolfing down their food and couldn't help but gasp. "Why do they look like they've never had a full meal in their lives?"
"Don't worry, aunties. I know my limits." Su Cheng smiled a little embarrassedly and put the freshly wrapped dumplings into the pot. "These dumplings are just made. Aunties, take them home to eat. Don't worry about me."
"You kid, you're always worried about others." Aunt Liu sighed, realizing that no matter how much she tried to persuade him, she couldn't change Su Dajian's mind. "By the way, I went to visit relatives in the county a few days ago, and guess who I saw."
Su Cheng raised her eyes, a hint of surprise in them, "Who did you see, Auntie?"
"Zhou Beibei!" Aunt Liu lowered her voice, her tone heavy, "I'd recognize her even if she turned to ash. There's no way I'm mistaken. It must be her!"
"...Zhou Beibei?" Su Cheng frowned. "Auntie, did you see where she went?"
"I followed her for a while and found that she was accompanied by two people. We entered a large house. The words on the plaque..." Aunt Liu scratched her head and smiled shyly, "I can't read, so I don't know how to pronounce it. I'll show you how to read it."
Aunt Liu dipped her fingertips in water and wrote a crooked word on the table based on her memory.
Although the words were abstract, Su Cheng still understood them. "Pang? Pang family?"
Xie Jinyu came forward, glanced at the words on the table, and said in a deep voice, "But Pang Shan?"
"It's probably him." Su Cheng frowned, looking at the dumplings rolling in the pot, wondering what he was thinking.
Aunt Liu scratched her head, looking puzzled. "Why, is this Pang Shan some big shot?"
Xie Jinyu gently pulled up her lip, fished out the floating dumplings, and casually responded to her aunt, "I guess so."
"Oh, what should I do?" Aunt Liu slapped her thigh in anxiety, not even caring about her dumplings. "This Zhou Beibei is such a disaster! Nothing good can happen if we run into her. Sanlang, can she stop being so mean?"
"Aunt, why are you so anxious? Her father is still here." Xie Jinyu calmly divided the dumplings into several portions and handed them to the other aunts. "If she plots to harm Xinghua Village again, it means she doesn't want her father to live."
Aunt Liu put her hands in her pockets and spoke cautiously, "Who is Pang Shan? Is he as powerful as the county magistrate?"
"It's a eunuch from the palace." Su Cheng spoke slowly, calmly dropping a bomb that stunned all the aunts. "If Zhou Beibei really followed Pang Shan, then she'd just be whispering in her ear to get rid of us. Pang Shan has a strong backing, so I have to tell the aunts the truth."
"Eunuch?"
"God damn it! Why is Zhou Beibei hanging out with a eunuch?"
"I think she's determined to kill us."
"What are you afraid of? Didn't Sanlang say that Zhou Kai is still in the village? How can Zhou Beibei ignore her own father?"
"No, something's wrong! Has anyone seen Zhou Kai during this time?" Aunt Liu suddenly thought of something and asked quickly, "Zhou Kai...did he run away?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expression changed.
"Yang Lan, isn't it your husband who's in charge of keeping an eye on Zhou Kai?"
Someone asked, and Yang Lan immediately shook her head in denial. "Last time the bandits robbed the village, my house was burned down. How could I have time to keep an eye on Zhou Kai? The Zou family is close by, so they should be the ones keeping an eye on him."
"What nonsense! How can this be our business?" Hearing this, Zou's wife was immediately displeased. "We are at the entrance of the village, where the bandits first robbed us. We suffered the most losses in the entire village. Uncle Liu didn't give us the job of guarding Zhou Kai."
"You say that as if everyone isn't busy!"
Several women gathered together, talking in a flurry of voices.
Xie Jinyu sighed, raised her hand and pinched her eyebrows, feeling very annoyed.
"Stop arguing!"
Su Cheng yelled, and the whole kitchen fell silent.
"During this period of time, we've been working together to rebuild Xinghua Village, helping each other. Everything is moving in a positive direction. But now you're arguing endlessly over Zhou Kai. Before the enemy even attacked, you've already started a fight among yourselves." Su Cheng's face was displeased. He scanned the faces of several people and whispered, "He's just a small fry. He can run away if he wants. We've already fought off two groups of bandits. Why should we be afraid of Zhou Beibei?"
Su Cheng raised his eyes, a dark glint flashing in his eyes, "Zhou Beibei has a plan, and I have a ladder. Who will be better is still unclear."
Aunt Liu nodded repeatedly, trusting her completely. "Ah Cheng, you have a lot of ideas. Tell me if you come up with any good ones. We will definitely cooperate!"
Yang Lan and the Zou family's wife also smiled awkwardly, imitating Aunt Liu's flattery, "Ah Cheng, it's us who are anxious, don't bother with us." "Aunt, go talk to Uncle Liu and ask all the young and old men from each family to come out and look for him. Whether Zhou Kai ran away or hid, we must find him alive or dead." Su Cheng glanced at Aunt Liu with a serious expression, "Even if Zhou Beibei is favored, Pang Shan will never agree to Zhou Kai moving into his mansion. If he is not near the village, he must have hidden in Ganping and asked Zhou Beibei to hide him."
Aunt Liu's expression changed slightly, and she asked in a low voice, "If he goes to Ganping, won't we lose our bargaining chip to threaten Zhou Beibei?"
Su Cheng curled his lips, "As long as he can still breathe, I can pull him out."
Only after the aunts left one after another did the Xie family yard become quiet again.
Yan Ci wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, slowly raised his eyes, glanced at Su Cheng's face, and said softly, "Sister-in-law, is there anything bothering you?"
Su Cheng raised her lips towards him and said slowly, "Nothing, I just want to borrow a few people from you."
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