20. Put him in a sack?
Fan Changyu turned around and shouted at Jin Laosan and his group, "What are you yelling about?"
Jin Lao San said awkwardly, "Isn't this the aunt you bribed?"
Fan Changyu choked and subconsciously glanced at Xie Zheng. The other party had a dull expression on his face, as if he had no reaction to Jin Lao San's words. She breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "This is the husband I brought in, but why are you calling him Auntie?"
Jin Laosan and his group lowered their heads and stopped talking, as if they were a group of young wives who were not recognized by their evil mothers-in-law.
Fan Changyu's forehead twitched as he watched. He waved his hand and said, "Today I took you to Wangji to confront him just to seek justice. Now that justice has been sought, you can all go back home. Don't do those things that bully men and women in the future."
Jin Laosan and his group left with a nod. Fan Changyu glanced at Xie Zheng who was standing not far away. He felt a little guilty for some reason, but thinking that he had not done anything against the law, he folded up the paper in his hand, straightened his back and walked over to ask, "Why are you here?"
Fine snow fell on Xie Zhengmo's hair, making his eyes look even colder. "The contemporary essays I wrote a few days ago sold well, and were appreciated by the bookstore owner. He invited me out for tea. I heard that you went to Wangji, so I came to see you."
Fan Changyu was surprised and said, "You must be a very good writer if you have been recognized by the bookstore owner!"
Xie Zheng had not expected that she seemed to be unsophisticated but actually knew a lot about these things. He lowered his eyes to hide his thoughts and said, "I fled from Chongzhou and know more about the war and the hardships of the people there. Even if the things I wrote were crude, they were things that had never been heard of in Lin'an Town. That's why the bookstore owner valued them. How are you and Wang Ji handling the matter?"
The second sentence seems to be trying to change the topic.
Fan Changyu didn't have as many complicated thoughts as he did, so he didn't notice anything. He told him about Wang Ji's incident as they walked: "... I didn't hit anyone. I just kicked his chopping board and cut his hair with a butcher knife, which scared him into that state..."
Fan Changyu suddenly stopped talking halfway, glanced at Xie Zheng and shut up.
Xie Zheng had only listened to her excitedly recounting what happened in Wang's shop, but had not said a word. Seeing her suddenly fall silent, he tilted his head and asked, "Why don't you say anything?"
He was really handsome, with delicate eyebrows and eyes that looked like they were painted with ink. When he looked at people with his eyes half-closed, the impatience that usually lingered at the corners of his dark pupils disappeared, giving people the illusion of being both cold and gentle.
Fan Changyu met his eyes and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She shook her head and said, "Do you also think I'm too vulgar?"
Xie Zheng raised his eyes slightly, as if he was a little surprised by her question, and then said, "No."
He would have felt that way before he got into trouble, but not now.
Only those who have no worries about food and clothing have the leisure to think about these things, whether they are crude or elegant. Those who still have to worry about food and clothing only think about their next meal.
Judging poor people by what rich people pursue is really like "why don't you eat meat?"
Fan Changyu smiled when she heard that. She didn't care whether he was telling the truth or just trying to please her. She kicked a small stone under her feet, as if she had been alone for too long and suddenly wanted to talk to someone. She almost talked to herself, "My father didn't allow me to fight in front of outsiders, and my mother didn't even allow me to kill pigs. She said that if a girl did these things, people would talk about her. If I marry Song Yan in the future, he won't dislike me, but others will laugh at me and despise me behind my back."
"In the past ten years, I have always kept to myself. Although I am still far from being a lady from a rich family, I have a good reputation in the town. Later, my parents passed away. In order to make a living, I had to start killing pigs. I even beat people with sticks several times. Now most people in the town think I am a she-devil."
As she spoke, she waved the bank's recruitment notice in her hand and said half-jokingly, "If I don't kill pigs anymore, I can collect debts for others!"
Xie Zheng naturally knew how important a woman's reputation was. She already had the reputation of being a bad luck star, and now she was also known for her viciousness. People in the town would not say anything to her face, but they would definitely talk about her behind her back.
The woman in front of me might be truly open-minded, or she might be trying to find joy in misery.
A piece of broken snow fell on his eyelashes and turned into a few tiny water droplets in an instant. He looked at Fan Changyu with his dark eyes and said in a lazy yet serious tone: "Then go collect the debt."
Fan Changyu was kicking another stone on the side of the road. When he heard the words, his foot slipped and he almost fell on the icy road. Fortunately, a hand like an iron clamp grabbed his arm in time.
Fan Changyu's eyes widened: "You actually encouraged me to do such an evil thing?"
Half of her arm was still held up by Xie Zheng. Through the thick winter coat, her five fingers could still feel the slenderness of the arm, but it was not as soft as noodles, making people feel weak and easy to bully. Instead, it was like the forelimbs of a tiger or leopard, lean but powerful.
With those wide-open almond eyes, he looked more and more like a little leopard that was covered in dust but still trying hard to demonstrate.
My palms suddenly felt numb through the winter quilt.
Xie Zheng frowned, took back the hand that was holding her arm, looked away and said, "I'm telling you not to be afraid of what others say."
Fan Changyu pondered for a while, and finally understood what he meant. The little bit of resentment that was left in his heart also dissipated completely.
She caught up with the man walking in front with crutches in a few steps: "Your legs are still lame, I'll call a bullock cart to take you back!"
“…”
"Hey... no, I mean your leg injury hasn't healed yet!"
…
The two of them took a ox cart. On the way, Fan Changyu went to a clothing store to pick up the winter clothes that he had ordered for the family to wear during the New Year. He also bought a bag of maltose for Changning. Finally, they returned home to the west of the city before dark.
When I went to Aunt Zhao's house to pick up Changning, Aunt Zhao told me that the constable from the county government had come in the afternoon and asked Fan Changyu to go to the county government for a trial in three days. Fan Da's lawsuit had been submitted for such a long time, and the case was finally going to be reviewed.
Fan Changyu didn't take it seriously at first, but Aunt Zhao said worriedly, "The one who came to report the news was a constable under Captain Wang. He revealed some rumors that Fan Da has been visiting the county magistrate frequently these days. That magistrate is the uncle of Guo the butcher. Guo the butcher had a grudge against your father in the early years. Originally, you confessed to bribery, and the house should be awarded to you. Now that the magistrate has interfered, I'm afraid at least half of it will have to be given to your uncle."
Fan Changyu had not expected that these two shit-stirring sticks could be mixed together, and he immediately frowned: "Why would you give half to Fan Da?"
Aunt Zhao sighed, "How come those officials make decisions based on their words? How can we be as proficient in law as they are? Besides, Mr. Fan is looking for a lawyer. Even if you go to hire a lawyer, they won't dare to take your case and offend the lawyer."
Fan Changyu frowned immediately.
Although the master has no real job, she is the de facto second in command in the government office. Plus, there is an old grudge between Guo the butcher and her father, so she will definitely not end up well in the trial in three days.
Even if she wanted to use her connections to make things easier for him, the other party's official position could not surpass that of her master, unless she could find the county magistrate, but that was nothing but a fool's dream.
Not to mention that her family had no connection with the county magistrate, the fact that the county magistrate wanted to recruit Song Yan as his son-in-law and she was Song Yan's ex-fiancée made it a good thing that the county magistrate didn't make things difficult for her.
Fan Changyu thought about it and felt a dark cloud hanging over her head. She asked, "Auntie, do you know how Butcher Guo and my father became enemies?"
Fan Changyu only knew that Butcher Guo was at odds with his family, but he really had no idea what hatred Aunt Zhao was talking about.
Aunt Zhao sighed and said, "That was more than ten years ago. The people who opened shops on that street have changed a lot. I haven't heard anyone mention it since you did business there."
"Back then, Guo the Butcher was also a street thug. All the merchants on the street had to pay him a security fee, otherwise some hooligans would come to cause trouble. After your father opened a shop there, he didn't pay the security fee. The hooligans went to cause trouble but failed. Instead, they were scolded by your father and confessed that it was Guo the Butcher who ordered them to do so. Your father then reported Guo the Butcher to the government. The county magistrate at that time was really an honest man. Not only did he beat Guo the Butcher with a stick, he also locked him up in prison for more than half a year. From then on, your father and Guo the Butcher had a grudge. Now that the Guo family has a relative who is a teacher, and you are in court again, he will definitely use this to make things difficult for you."
With such an old grudge, there is really no solution to this problem.
Fan Changyu kept frowning after he returned.
After dinner, Changning went to bed, but she sat alone by the fire, poking and drawing on the ground with a broken stick in her hand.
The cage of the Kestrel was placed next to the fire pit. After a whole day of smoke, its fur had turned a shade grayer.
The whole hall was silent, with only the occasional sparks from the firewood in the fire pit, making a slight "crackling" sound. Hai Dongqing did not dare to make any sound, and just looked back and forth at the two people sitting by the fire pit with his small eyes.
When the firewood in the fire burst into sparks again, Xie Zheng looked at Fan Changyu's frowning brows in the firelight and finally spoke: "Don't worry too much..."
"I'm not worried, I've already thought of a solution." Fan Changyu threw away the small stick and spoke in a sonorous voice, but his face did not show the relief of having thought of a solution, instead, it looked a little solemn.
Xie Zheng raised his eyes halfway, and his originally lazy gaze became a little colder: "What method?"
Go and ask her ex-fiance for help?
This really seemed to be the only possible course for her at the moment.
After what happened in the afternoon, Fan Changyu didn't treat him as an outsider now. She clasped her five fingers together tightly and pursed her lips almost straight: "If my parents knew my plan, I'm afraid they would be disappointed in me. I used to look down on such behavior, but now there is no other way..."
Xie Zheng suddenly didn't want to listen anymore. His cold eyes reflected the firelight and her shadow. He interrupted her and said, "I'll help you."
Fan Changyu raised his head and asked in confusion: "How can you help me?"
Xie Zheng said: "When the government makes a judgment, no matter how biased it is, it has to be based on the Great Yin Law. They were able to give part of the house to your uncle after you confessed the bribes, simply because they took advantage of a few loopholes in the law. In three days, I will explain to you the content of the Great Yin Law in detail. When we go to court, you don't need a lawyer, you can handle it yourself."
Fan Changyu was shocked that he knew so many laws and regulations, but at the same time he was a little worried about the feasibility: "Is this... feasible?"
Xie Zheng cast a cold gaze at her and said mercilessly, "Why don't you just go and ask your fiancé for help?"
Fan Changyu looked puzzled: "Why should I ask him for help?"
Xie Zheng frowned and said, "Isn't the solution you thought of asking him for help?"
Fan Changyu: "...I planned to pretend to be a casino worker and tie my uncle up in a sack the night before the court case."
Xie Zheng: “…”
She was a little embarrassed to confess to someone that she was planning to do such a thing: "I heard from Captain Wang that if my uncle didn't go to court that day, the case would not count."
Xie Zheng: “…”
The author has something to say:
People say: Marquis Wu'an is cruel and ruthless, killing people like crazy. It's not an exaggeration to say that he is a living King Yan!
Xie Zheng: I can be considered a good young man who abides by the rules and laws. Thank you.
Fan Changyu: ...What do you want to say?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
