The Zhao family left the shop satisfied.
As he left, he kept glancing at Yan Xia.
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
All the flower cakes are sold out.
Same as yesterday.
He earned 34 taels.
When Yan Xia returned to Baihua Village, she passed by the Chen family mansion and saw several government officials standing outside the gate.
They were all burly men, some even with scars on their faces. Judging from their fierce appearance, they were definitely not good-for-nothings.
A large number of villagers had gathered around, pointing and whispering about the Chen family.
They seemed to be whispering, but the sound echoed all around and drifted into Yan Xia's ears on the summer evening breeze.
"I heard the Chen family was robbed, and they lost several dozen taels of silver."
"Really? The Chen family is that rich?"
"That's right. I heard that Chen Shouguo, who died in battle, received thirty taels of silver in compensation from the government. I wonder if this thief is from our village."
"Wow, thirty taels of silver! That old woman Li still treats her daughter-in-law like this. She's so cruel. I remember when Yan left the Chen family, she was penniless. She deserves it. She's getting her comeuppance."
“Hey, who do you think stole this silver? No strangers have been to our village recently, it must have been someone from the village who stole it.”
"Could it be the Yan family? After all, she suddenly built a house and spent so much money to get a wife."
"Oh dear, Sister-in-law Xu, you mustn't say such things. If the officials hear this, they'll question Yan Shi."
"Just ask. What's there to be afraid of if you haven't done anything wrong?"
The talkative women spoke louder and louder.
Even the people around them, including the officials, all turned their attention to Yan Xia and her companions.
Just then, the sound of explosions from Zhu Xiaohua and Chen Lishi came from inside the Chen family courtyard.
"You little slut, did you steal our money? I knew you were living the high life, with plenty of money to build a house! Give us back our money!"
"Officers, it was she who stole our money! It was definitely her! She left the Chen family without a single penny, and in less than a month, she built a house and spent five taels of silver on a bride price to get married! Officers, you must do justice for this old woman!"
The two rushed out of the courtyard and started cursing at Yan Xia.
"Oh? Is that so? Who is that ahead?"
One of the officers questioned Yan Xia; he must be a leader.
“This little slut is the woman our Chen family divorced. She must have stolen our money. Sir, arrest her and throw her in jail. Give her a good beating, and she’ll definitely confess.”
Chen Li's eyes widened, and her old face was contorted with rage.
His expression seemed to be one of undisputed delight that Yan Xia would be beaten to death by the officials.
"Don't talk nonsense! Mother earned all her money herself. When did she ever steal any of your Chen family's money? You have such a cruel heart! Mother has been tormented by you for so many years. She finally escaped your den of wolves, and now you're using this 'stolen money' excuse to slander her. Your Chen family deserves to be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
Chen Jinfu was so angry that his hands were trembling.
His former grandmother actually framed his own mother and instigated the officials to arrest her and torture her severely. Not to mention women, even men would not be able to escape safely once they were in jail.
That old hag wants her mother to die in jail!
This was the first time Yan Xia had ever seen her honest eldest son lose his temper.
She felt comforted.
"Alright, the truth of the matter is not something you, Chen Li, can decide with a single word. This is not a place for you to dictate things. Sir, I have already divorced Chen Shouguo, the youngest son of the Chen family. Since his death in battle, Chen Li has been beating and scolding me. Not having enough to eat or wear is a minor matter, but my children are all starving and emaciated. For the sake of my children, I would rather divorce them penniless and leave the Chen family than live there in such a wretched state."
When she got emotional, Yan Xia wiped away non-existent tears.
"This silver was originally intended as compensation for the man who had left us, but we, the woman and our children, haven't seen a single copper coin. That's bad enough, but we only learned today from the villagers that the compensation was a whopping thirty taels of silver! Chen Li-shi is so cruel! She kept it from us and our children, and now she's tormenting us. Even after we left the Chen family, she still pins this fabricated crime on us. How vicious she is! Can we trust someone like that? We are where we are today only because of God's blessings—"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Several kind-hearted villagers who were watching stood up to speak up for Yan Xia.
"That's right. The Yan family is where it is today because of God's mercy. What does it have to do with your Chen family? Haven't you Chen family committed enough sins? If Shouguo knew that you forced his wife to divorce a dead person, he would probably crawl out of the ground to settle accounts with you."
"Yan Shi caught wild boar and grizzly bear and sold them for a lot of silver. We all saw it. By the way, Dali even personally drove the oxcart to help her sell them in town. If she had stolen your silver, would she have lived in that dilapidated temple with drafts everywhere in the first place?"
The two groups started arguing.
"Alright, those who are not involved, shut up."
The head constable looked fierce, and when he frowned, everyone fell silent in fear.
"What exactly happened? What evidence do you have to prove that this woman stole it?"
Yan Xia watched as the officials questioned Chen Li Shi, and knew that they were reasonable people.
"That little slut not only built a house, but also spent a lot of money on her son's wedding. She also added all sorts of nice things to the house. Who would believe that she didn't spend forty or fifty taels? Can a wild boar and a grizzly bear be sold for that much money? She must have stolen it. She pretended to be poor when she left the Chen family to deceive the villagers, afraid of being discovered. Maybe the grizzly bear and the wild boar were just a cover. She just wanted to openly spend the stolen money. You know, our family was robbed of exactly fifty taels of silver."
Zhu Xiaohua picked up the conversation.
He spoke with reason and evidence.
The officer began to ponder, his gaze fixed on Yan Xia.
Extremely sharp.
Yan Xia almost laughed. Did the Chen family really not know the value of wild boars and grizzly bears?
"What, in your eyes, wild boar and grizzly bear can't even fetch forty or fifty taels? With the little silver I stole from you, I could sell wild boar for thirty taels, not to mention grizzly bear, which is much more expensive than wild boar. Sir, I sold the wild game in Shuangqiao Town. You can go and check it out. That family is the first one after crossing the bridge. Their mansion is magnificent. The steward's surname is Wang. He is familiar with me and asked me to call him Brother Wang. All the silver I spent came from selling wild game."
Yan Xia looked at the official with an open and honest expression.
His gaze was firm and unwavering.
"Butler Wang? It seems you're telling the truth. You can leave now; this is none of your business."
The official and Yan Xia exchanged a glance before looking away.
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