Chapter 33 Zhang the Cripple!
He rushed in, not even bothering to kowtow to the county magistrate. He rushed directly to Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo, crying out in a tearful voice, "Uncle Chen! Aunt Chen! It's bad! Sister Daya and the others... they're gone!"
"What?!"
Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo jumped up at the same time, and the blood color on their faces instantly drained away.
The medicine boy was panting heavily, sweating profusely. "I... I just delivered medicine to Sister Daya, and I found the back door open. There was no one in the house! Sister Daya, Erya, and Sanya, they're all gone! I searched Doctor Sun's house from front to back and asked the neighbors, but no one saw her!"
This news was like a bolt from the blue, hitting Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo hard on the heads.
Daya’s injury hasn’t healed yet, where can she go with her sisters?
A terrifying thought, like a venomous snake, burrowed into Feng Lan's mind. She turned her head sharply and stared at the Chen family members in the yard, especially the most vicious old lady who had never appeared.
Home! They must have gone home!
That silly kid Daya must have been worried about them, so she ran back to that wolf den!
"Sir!" Feng Lan fell to her knees before Wang Zhihuan again with a plop. This time, her voice was filled with genuine fear and despair. "Sir! Please save my daughters! They must have been hidden by the Chen family! My mother-in-law...my mother-in-law has always wanted to sell my daughter! She already hired a human trafficker, and now that she sees us being brought to the government office, she's definitely going to take advantage of the situation!"
"Sir, I wish to sue the Chen family of Pingjiang Village, along with their sons Chen Kangzhong and Chen Kangshu, and the village head Zhou Zhengde. They have disregarded human ethics, forced women into prostitution, and intended to sell my own daughter for profit! I beg you to intervene! Save my daughter's life!"
Chen Kangbo also knelt down. This man who never asked for help from others banged his forehead against the cold ground, making a dull "dong dong" sound.
"Please, sir...save my daughter!"
"Forcing women into prostitution! Selling granddaughters!"
This news was even more explosive than the theft case, and it instantly sent shockwaves through the crowd. If unfilial piety and theft were merely family matters, then human trafficking was a grave crime that could not be tolerated by the law!
"Oh my god! Is this true? Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, and this old woman is actually selling her own granddaughter?"
"No wonder this daughter-in-law fought them to the death. If it were me, I would fight too!"
"The village head is also involved? Is there any law?"
The people's discussions were like a tide, completely drowning out Old Man Chen, the village head, and the others. Their faces turned pale, and they were unable to defend themselves.
Wang Zhihuan's face was so gloomy that it looked like water could drip out of it. He slammed the gavel with a loud "bang", and the whole courtroom fell silent in an instant.
"Someone come!"
"Here!" Two rows of yamen runners responded in unison.
"Zhang Long, Zhao Hu!" Wang Zhihuan called out to his two most capable captains. "Immediately take a team with you, follow this couple, and rush to Pingjiang Village! Bring back all the members of the Chen family, except for these few! Especially their daughter Daya. I want her alive or dead!"
He paused, his eyes like lightning sweeping over Old Man Chen and the village head who were shaking like sieves.
"Take these people into the prison and wait for your punishment!"
"yes!"
The yamen runners rushed up like wolves and tigers and lifted up Old Man Chen, Chen Kangzhong, Chen Kangshu and the village head Zhou Zhengde.
"It's unfair! Your Excellency, it's unfair!" Old man Chen was still shouting in vain.
But this time, no one sympathized with him. The people watched them being dragged away in such a miserable state that they felt relieved, and some even couldn't help but spit.
Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo rushed out of the yamen under the escort of the yamen runners, anxiously aware that every minute and every second depended on their daughter's life or death.
Pingjiang Village.
In the Chen family compound, the old lady sat dreaming about her future. She planned that once Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo were imprisoned, she would have her husband plead for leniency, hoping for a sentence of one or two years. This would teach them a lesson, reminding them who was the master of the family, while also ensuring they wouldn't lose their long-term livelihood.
As for those money-losing bastards, without their parents' backing, wouldn't they be at her mercy? That damned girl, Daya, could be sold to Zhang the Lame Man for fifteen taels of silver, to make up for what she'd "lost" today.
She was just thinking happily when she suddenly heard a noisy sound of footsteps and shouting outside the courtyard gate.
"Officials are investigating! Everyone else, please stay out of the way!"
The old lady was stunned for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. The officials are here? It must be the old man and his men returning victoriously!
She quickly got up from the stone bench, twisted her body and walked forward, ready to accept the villagers' congratulations and envy.
The leading constable, Zhang Long, pushed her away impatiently and asked sternly, "Are you Chen Kangbo's mother, Chen?"
"It's me, it's me!" The old lady laughed so hard that her mouth couldn't stop. "Sir, thank you for your hard work! I hope my unfilial son and evil daughter-in-law haven't caused you any trouble. Where are they? Have they been imprisoned in the county jail?"
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu looked at each other and saw deep disgust in each other's eyes.
Zhao Hu's face was cold as he shook the chain in his hand. "Stop talking nonsense! We are here on the orders of the county lord to find a girl named Daya. Where is she? Hand her over immediately!"
Looking for Daya?
The old lady's heart skipped a beat, but then she thought, that damn girl must have committed some crime, and they wanted to arrest her and put her in jail with her parents! What a good thing! A family should be together!
Without any hesitation, fearing that the officers would not be able to find her, she immediately stretched out her dry finger and pointed in the direction of the village entrance.
"Sir, are you looking for her? She's not at home!" The old lady said with a look of gloating joy, "That girl is shameless and has gone off to find a man! She's just east of the village entrance, at the home of that old bachelor named Zhang Quezi! Go and catch her quickly. If you're too late, she might do something shameful and disgraceful!"
When she said this, not only were the two captains stunned, but even Feng Lan and Chen Kangbo who were following behind were struck by lightning.
Zhang the Cripple!
The notorious villain in the village!
Feng Lan felt her vision go dark and she nearly fainted. Chen Kangbo's eyes were bloodshot, and a terrifying murderous aura erupted from his body. If the yamen runners hadn't stopped him, he would have torn the old woman to pieces right there and then!
"Lead the way!" Zhang Long growled and grabbed the old lady's arm with such force that he almost crushed her bones.
"Ouch! Sir, please be gentle! I can walk by myself!" The old lady grimaced in pain, but she was still thinking in her mind.
She suddenly felt something was wrong.
Why did the officer come to "find" someone instead of "arrest" someone? And judging by the situation, it didn't seem like they were mobilizing so many troops just for a little girl.
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