Chapter 253 The madam brings Xiao Tao to settle accounts
Just after seeing Ji Wensheng off, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps and noises came from the direction of the village entrance.
Before Jiang Ling could turn back to the shop, she saw the madam under the peony flower leading several burly, unfriendly-looking pimps, heading menacingly towards the general store.
This attracted the attention of villagers who were busy in the fields and those near the grocery store.
The madam was clearly not there to discuss business today; her face was devoid of its usual fake smile, replaced only by sharpness and anger.
Xiao Ran was practicing martial arts with Zhao Shiying under a tree when she saw this scene and immediately ran back.
Seeing that the other party was hostile, Zhao Shiying was worried about Jiang Ling's safety, so she followed, carrying a wooden stick in her hand.
Xiao Yi stood beside Jiang Ling early on, her small figure exuding a powerful aura. "Sister, I'll protect you!"
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
Xiao Ran said, "Sister Jiang, should I go and report this to the authorities first?"
Jiang Ling said calmly, "Let's see what she wants to do first. It's broad daylight and in the village, so I doubt she'll dare to do anything reckless."
Xiao Ran nodded. He had always known about Hongxiu's disappearance and that the madam suspected that Hongxiu's disappearance was related to Sister Jiang.
They feared the madam would be unreasonable and domineering, which could be detrimental to Sister Jiang.
But little did he know that the madam was after him this time.
Before the madam even reached the shop entrance, her shrill voice rang out:
"Boss Jiang! Come out here! Look what your people have done!"
This shout was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of the surrounding villagers.
Jiang Ling looked somewhat displeased: "Mom, what's wrong?"
The mother stood with her hands on her hips, her fingers almost poking Xiaoran's face, and raised her voice an octave higher to make sure everyone around could hear.
"I'm here to settle accounts with him! He ruined the reputation of the girls in my building! At such a young age, he did such a despicable thing!"
"What?!" Xiao Ran was struck dumb, his face instantly turning bright red. At his age, he didn't know how to handle such a situation, and could only retort:
"What nonsense are you spouting! Who has ruined my reputation? When did I ever do such a thing! Mother needs to provide evidence to support her claims!"
The madam yanked the bound Xiao Tao forward and shoved her to the ground.
Xiao Tao's hair was disheveled, her cheeks were red and swollen, and faint fingerprints were visible. There were also bruises on her exposed wrists and neck, indicating that she had been severely beaten.
The madam sneered, "Young master, don't say such heartless things. Do you expect me to strip her naked and examine her on the spot for you to accept this?"
These words were extremely vulgar and malicious, and the villagers watching immediately erupted in uproar, with the discussions growing louder.
Some unpleasant speculations and gossip have begun to spread among the people.
"He seems like a very honest kid, how could he..."
"You can know a person's face, but not their heart..."
"Can you trust what people in brothels say? Are they trying to extort money from you?"
"No wonder I always see Xiaoran running towards the pedestrian street..."
"Don't talk nonsense, Xiao Ran is on her way to deliver goods."
Grandpa Zhao also rushed over upon hearing the news. Although he trusted Jiang Ling and Xiao Ran's character, the situation was unclear at the moment. As an elder in the village, he didn't want to interrupt rashly, so he just observed the development of the situation with a sullen face.
Xiao Yi rushed forward to defend Xiao Ran: "Brother Xiao Ran would never do anything bad. He just saved this sister that day!"
He then explained to the villagers who had gathered at the entrance:
"When we went to the market before the New Year, we saw this older sister being bullied at the alley entrance. It was Xiao Ran who stepped in to save her and took her back to the peony tree."
Upon hearing this, the madam became even more aggressive: "Oh, so you two had been having an affair all along! Boss Jiang, how do you expect to settle this score for what your people have done?"
At this moment, Zhao Yin and his wife also rushed over.
They squeezed into the shop and stood next to Xiao Ran. Zhao Yin's wife pulled her son behind her, and although her face was pale, she said to her mother in a firm tone:
“Mom, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t say whatever you want! My Xiaoran is definitely not that kind of person! If it weren’t for Xiaoran saving your daughter that day, we don’t even know what your daughter would be like now.”
The madam got even more excited as more and more people arrived.
She pointed at Xiao Tao, then at Xiao Ran and the others, spitting as she spoke:
“I bought her and fed her well so that she could make money for me in the future! But she has been seeing you privately several times at such a young age. Regardless of whether anything happened between you two, she is already considered second-hand goods in other people's eyes. Will she still be able to fetch a good price in the future?”
Jiang Ling finally understood that nothing had happened between Xiao Ran and Xiao Tao, otherwise how could they, as brothel owners, not even be able to detect it?
She clearly saw that Hongxiu had run away and suspected that it was related to her, but she couldn't find any evidence against her, so she deliberately made a fuss about Xiaoran and Xiaotao.
Xiao Ran was trembling with anger. Pointing at Xiao Tao, she yelled at her mother in a mix of anxiety and rage:
"I only helped her deliver things to her parents a few times because I felt sorry for her! How did it become such a despicable thing in your mouth! You're slandering me!"
Xiao Tao, who was kneeling on the ground, raised her tear-streaked face, crawled to the madam's side, grabbed her leg, and cried as she explained:
"Mom, it's true! Xiaoran and I are innocent! We didn't do anything. I just asked him to deliver some things home, that's all, Mom!"
At this moment, some of the villagers outside also recognized Xiao Tao.
"Hey? Isn't this Xiao Tao, the daughter of the carpenter Lin from Baiyang Village next door?"
"What a tragedy! Such a beautiful girl, how could she have been sold to a place like that?"
"Her parents are really heartless..."
"Their family suffered a disaster last year, and she's the only one left with any worth..."
Ignoring the surrounding whispers, the mother persisted, mocking Xiaoran:
"Send something? How am I supposed to know if you're sending something in return, or trying to clear your name?"
"Even if I believe you're innocent now, when Xiaotao gets her facial surgery, will I have to explain to every customer that she and the grocery store clerk are innocent? Who's going to believe that? Am I supposed to drag her to bed to prove it? Who's going to lose out then?"
"I didn't suspect you because you were an employee at Boss Jiang's shop, often delivering goods to the building, and you seemed honest. Who would have thought you'd get involved with one of the girls in my building? Where am I supposed to go to complain?"
Xiao Ran was so anxious that his face turned red and he was still arguing. Jiang Ling stepped forward and gently pressed his shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
The angrier you are in this situation, the easier it is to be led astray.
Her gaze calmly fell upon the madam, directly interrupting this pointless argument, and she asked:
"What Mom has said so much about is that she feels she has suffered a loss. So what brings you here today?"
At this moment, Grandpa Zhao also came in. He had been standing outside for so long and had learned the whole story. Although he didn't say anything, he was supporting Jiang Ling in an invisible way.
All eyes were on the madam, awaiting her answer.
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