93 Catch the thief and the dirty
◎ His left hand is injured... Is it him? This shouldn't be the case...◎
The two returned to Lingnan County under the rosy glow of the sunset. As they were about to part ways at the county government office, Aunt Wang, who had been silent all the way, suddenly spoke with a hint of embarrassment on her face:
"County Magistrate Ye, I was confused today. Please don't take the nonsense I just said to heart. I know that Chen Er, a mere businessman, is not worthy of you, but I thought there was no man in Lingnan County who was better looking or more capable of making money than him... But seeing your reaction, I think I was too abrupt... Now that I think about it, I really am confused. How could I have the nerve to propose marriage to the county magistrate? It's really ridiculous..."
Her words were so sincere that Ye Yunzhao was really surprised. She knew in her heart that Aunt Wang meant no harm and that she was alone in this world, so it was not an exaggeration to say that what she said today was out of concern.
Ye Yunzhao quickly spoke up, soothing her, "How could that be! Aunt Wang, please don't be like this. I know you care about me... Shopkeeper Chen is great, but we're not a good match. But don't give up. If you find someone good, please help me find one."
She spoke in a very humble manner, as if she was just trying to comfort Aunt Wang.
Seeing that Ye Yunzhao was not angry, Aunt Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her usual smiling face: "Okay, as long as you are not angry."
Then Ye Yunzhao handed her the backpack and the copper coins in his arms. It was heavy with half a dozen coins, not much lighter than what Aunt Wang earned.
Aunt Wang knew that she was carrying her basket of woven mushrooms to investigate the person who was secretly lowering the price. She had never intended to make money from that basket of woven mushrooms. She was about to refuse when a voice suddenly sounded behind her:
"County Magistrate Ye, are you back? Any progress?"
Aunt Wang turned around and saw that it was County Magistrate Han and Liu Mazi who had returned from investigating the case. The person who had just spoken was Liu Mazi.
Ye Yunzhao said softly, "We have some harvests. Today, it's all thanks to Auntie Wang's weaving mushrooms. How are you guys doing?"
Seeing that they had something important to say, Aunt Wang consciously winked at them and left with her things.
The remaining three walked together to the county government office. County Magistrate Han spoke first, "We've carefully examined the hunting pit today and found nothing unusual. As for Sun Ning, you mentioned, while she may be able to handle wood, the stakes in the hunting pit are each a foot and a half deep in the ground. How could a girl like her have such strength?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Mazi continued, "We also checked Sun Ning's whereabouts a few days ago. He was almost always at home planing wood, building mushroom sheds for many families in Xixiang. He really didn't have time to go up the mountain to dig holes."
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao pondered for a moment: "So, Sun Da's death was really an accident?"
Han County Magistrate immediately spoke up: "It really was an accident. There really is no trace of human intervention."
Liu Mazi immediately asked, "County Magistrate Ye, you just said you had a find. Can you find out who it was?"
Ye Yunzhao came back to his senses. "It's still unclear who they are, but I heard it's a tall, thin man with an injury on his left hand, and there are two women, but there's no clear description... For now, we can only start with this man. Do you have any impression of him?"
"Is it a new injury or an old one?" asked County Magistrate Han.
"I didn't have time to ask about this in detail. Since it's a scar, it must be unbandaged. It must be an old injury."
"There's an injury on his left hand..." Liu Mazi lowered his head in thought and muttered to himself, "It's him? It shouldn't be..."
Ye Yunzhao pressed on, "Who is it?"
Liu Mazi scratched his head and said, "I remember that Uncle Zhao injured his left hand while saving his son. There's a scary scar on it, but didn't he demolish his mushroom shed a long time ago..."
Ye Yunzhao paused, and said in disbelief: "Uncle Zhao?! Is there no one else? Think about it carefully."
Liu Mazi pondered for a moment and said, "I really can't remember. I don't remember anyone else whose left hand was injured."
"Tomorrow, go to each household and see if anyone else has injured their left hand." Ye Yunzhao instructed County Magistrate Han, then turned to Liu Mazi and said, "Go find two yamen runners. We will meet at the county government gate after dinner. Don't tell anyone else. I have something to arrange."
After Liu Mazi disappeared, County Magistrate Han speculated, "What are you going to do? Are you trying to follow Mr. Zhao?"
"Exactly!"
*
The glow of the sunset had long since disappeared, and darkness was spreading wildly. Soon, the night enveloped the small Lingnan County like a big net.
Liu Mazi found two young yamen runners of good build. Although they were not tall, their arms were as thick as the mouths of jars and very strong.
Ye Yunzhao nodded with satisfaction and asked, "Does anyone know your whereabouts?"
The two young yamen runners hurriedly said, "No one knows. My family and I have switched patrol teams with other yamen runners today."
Although Lingnan County has a curfew, it is inevitable that four people have to patrol at night. This reason will not arouse suspicion.
"Okay, let's go!"
Liu Mazi was stunned and asked, "Where are you going so late at night?"
"Xixiang."
The four of them hurried along, and Liu Mazi curiously asked, "Going to Xixiang so late at night... Could it be that you're going to capture Mr. Zhao?"
At this point, Liu Mazi suddenly changed his tone and showed a look of understanding: "I understand! County Magistrate, you are afraid that our arrest in broad daylight will cause a sensation! So you want to take advantage of the cover of night to arrest him secretly!"
The more he spoke, the more certain he became. Ye Yunzhao felt more and more dizzy as he listened. After saying "You'll know when you get there", he quickened his pace and left them behind. Liu Mazi waved his hand, and the three of them quickly followed.
After wandering around Xixiang for about half an incense stick of time, they finally found Uncle Zhao's house among the identical earthen houses.
Liu Mazi tried to climb over the wall to enter the courtyard, but Ye Yunzhao quickly grabbed him and said in a low voice, "We won't arrest anyone now. Okay, we'll have to work hard tonight."
As she spoke, she squatted in the corner and took out a few large pancakes from her arms: "One for each of you, eat first."
The three of them looked at each other, at a loss as to what to do. However, since they had to obey the county magistrate and still have big cakes to eat, they quickly accepted the current situation. They squatted in a row, eating and sighing in low voices:
"County Magistrate Ye's craftsmanship is truly remarkable."
"Yeah yeah……"
…
"It's not me..." Ye Yunzhao took a bite of her pancake and chewed it hard. The fragrance of onions filled her mouth and she sighed with satisfaction: "Xue Niang's cooking skills are really good. It's so delicious."
"Speaking of Xue Niang..." Liu Mazi came over with a gossipy tone, his tone tinged with concern. "Do you know, County Magistrate Ye? Two days ago, that Huang Sigou dared to harass Xue Niang in front of the county government office. Although we beat him away, I can't see she's unhappy."
"Besides, that Huang Sigou is such a jerk. He even wanted to beat Xue Niang! Fortunately, we met him in time, otherwise, who knows how much injustice Xue Niang would have suffered..." The young yamen runner said indignantly while eating a big pancake.
Xueniang has never had a bad temper. Since she moved into the county government office, she often helped the yamen runners mend their clothes. Sometimes she cooked food and gave it to the patrolling yamen runners.
She was so kind to others, so naturally everyone treated her well. Even if there wasn't much she could do to help on a daily basis, if she saw someone carrying water or carrying a load, she would definitely go forward.
Now that they knew Huang Sigou was still pestering them, they put him in a sack that night and beat him severely. As for these things, they absolutely dared not mention them to the county magistrate.
Hearing this, Ye Yunzhao was stunned: "Is this really true?"
These days she was troubled by the matter of selling Bian Lijun and Sun Da at a low price. She had not seen Xue Niang for many days even though they lived together in the backyard of the county house. Only today, when she did not have time to make a fire and cook, she chatted with Xue Niang for a while, but she did not mention this matter.
If they don't tell me, I don't know how long I will be kept in the dark.
Ye Yunzhao wanted to ask more questions when the untimely sound of a door opening was suddenly heard in the silent winter night.
“Squeak—”
The four of them immediately crouched down with alert faces, and moved towards the corner little by little. Ye Yunzhao leaned forward slightly and whispered in a low voice without any surprise:
"Uncle Zhao is out."
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