Seeing that there was no hope and no one around to watch the spectacle, Tie Tou's father and mother realized there was no point in kneeling any longer, so they quietly got up and left.
When Yuan Huiniang told Yan Qingqing about this, Yan Qingqing sneered inwardly, "She's not even willing to pretend anymore since she sees there's no hope."
Yan Qingqing would truly admire them if they could kneel in front of her door for two days.
The kind of kneeling for days and nights depicted in TV dramas or books is pure nonsense. If that were true, you'd lose your legs too.
Yuan Huiniang looked at Yan Qingqing and asked, "Mother, are you still going to pretend to be sick?"
Yan Qingqing replied, "Pretend, of course we have to pretend. The magistrate hasn't made a judgment on this matter yet."
Besides, there's nothing that requires my involvement these past few days, so I'll take this opportunity to rest for a couple more days.
Yuan Huiniang smiled and said, "Okay, just tell me what you need and I'll do it."
Yan Qingqing glanced at her and asked, "Aren't you going to the embroidery shop? Isn't it too casual of you to only go there every few days to beg for alms?"
Yuan Huiniang replied with a smile, "Mother, I feel very reassured knowing that there are two younger sisters by the embroidery workshop."
Mother has a lot of things to do, and my younger sister is too young to be left alone.
I can't rest easy if I'm not by my mother's side. I prefer staying with her to working in the embroidery shop.
These were Yuan Huiniang's honest thoughts. Although Old Madam Yan taught them embroidery at the embroidery workshop, she could learn more from Yan Qingqing. In addition, she genuinely wanted to share Yan Qingqing's burdens.
Yan Qingqing patted her hand and said, "Mother knows you are a filial daughter, but your two younger sisters are still young and not as reliable as you."
"Fine, since you want to stay home, that's fine too. Your mother can teach you more about household management."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang quickly thanked Yan Qingqing and then comforted her, saying, "Mother, it's not like I'm not going to the embroidery shop anymore. I'll still go every two days. Besides, Grandma and Third Aunt are helping out there. My two younger sisters are both smart and capable, so you can rest assured, Mother."
Seeing that she understood, Yan Qingqing didn't say anything more. Besides, the family really couldn't be left unattended, so Yan Qingqing became even more determined to buy a few more people.
Soon, Li Sanniu posted the job advertisement for Yan Qingqing's family.
This recruitment is for able-bodied and hardworking laborers. Women who are underage or too strong and whose families are in dire need are also welcome to apply.
However, in this case, a family can only send one person at most, and the wages are five coins lower than those for strong laborers.
Men earn 35 coins a day, and women and children earn 30 coins a day, excluding food and lodging.
The moment this recruitment policy was announced, the entire Canghe Village was in an uproar. The wages offered were quite high, even five more coins than before the Lunar New Year.
Because Yan Qingqing entrusted the matter entirely to Li Sanniu, all the people who had signed up flocked to Li Sanniu's house.
Li Sanniu had handled several such important matters before, so he calmly said to these people, "This recruitment is mainly for planting trees in my second sister-in-law's orchard."
My second sister-in-law has been incredibly kind and generous to everyone in terms of wages, policies, and all other aspects. I hope everyone can also appreciate her kindness.
She's a widow raising several children, it's not easy for her, and she always thinks about how hard everyone's life is. Please don't let my second sister-in-law down.
Although Li Sanniu didn't say it explicitly, everyone in Canghe Village knew who he was talking about. No one knew who first spoke up, but they all said they would never do such a heartless thing and would definitely work hard for Yan Qingqing's family. Some even started cursing Tie Tou's family, saying they were a rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel.
Seeing that he had achieved the desired effect, Li Sanniu started asking everyone to sign up, as long as they weren't usually too lazy. So everyone was overjoyed.
Iron Head's father and mother were always met with strange looks wherever they went. Left with no other option, they sought help from the village chief, Li Kaishan.
Li Kaishan dodged them twice, but in the end he still couldn't escape them.
The two men immediately knelt down upon seeing Li Kaishan and pleaded, "Uncle Village Chief, please have mercy and save that boy, Tie Tou."
Li Kaishan was also furious about what the Tie Tou family had done, and said, "I'm just a small village chief, how could I have such great power? Since you have the ability to do such despicable things, why don't you have the ability to bear the consequences?"
Iron Head's mother cried her heart out, saying, "Uncle Village Chief, it's all my fault. I was bewitched. Iron Head is still just a child."
I'm willing to take the punishment for him. Please, Uncle Village Chief, help me plead for mercy and ask the Yan family to let Tie Tou off the hook.
Yan always listened to the village chief, and the village chief knew the county magistrate. If the village chief was willing to help, he could definitely do so.
Li Kaishan almost laughed in anger after hearing this. How come he never knew that Tie Tou's mother was so eloquent and shameless? Could it be that her illness over the years had darkened her mind?
Look at what they're saying! They're saying that if he's willing to help, he definitely can, but if he can't help, it means he's unwilling.
Li Kaishan had initially thought the gossip circulating in the village was too harsh on the two men, but now it seemed they truly deserved it.
Li Kaishan is a very sensible person. Because this matter involves Yan Qingqing's family, he will not get involved no matter who poisoned her.
Therefore, Li Kaishan firmly refused, saying, "I can't help with this. I've only met the county magistrate once, and that was only because of Qingqing. Now that you want to harm their family, do you think the county magistrate will pay any attention to a village chief like me who can't distinguish right from wrong and has no standing in public?"
Before the couple could react, Li Kaishan slammed the courtyard gate shut.
Seeing this, the couple knew that Li Kaishan wouldn't care about their family's affairs, so they had no choice but to leave. They had nowhere to turn for help.
In the county government office of Chengyang County, Magistrate Ling looked at Steward Ling and asked, "Has Manager Chen confessed?"
Butler Ling replied with a smile, "He confessed. At first, Manager Chen was stubborn and said he was framed. Later, we showed him Chen Si's confession and threatened him with torture, and he finally confessed."
However, he also wanted to bribe the jailer, but fortunately, the master had given instructions beforehand, and the jailer did not accept his bribe.
However, I heard that while in prison he claimed his brother-in-law was the Assistant Magistrate of Xuancheng Prefecture. I wonder if that's true or not?
Ling Ziyuan said nonchalantly, "What does it matter if it's true or false? Do you think I'm afraid of him?"
Butler Ling laughed and said, "Of course, sir. You are here on imperial orders to find a lucky star. In the capital, even a minor official wouldn't be worthy to carry your shoes."
Magistrate Ling glanced at him and said, "Look how arrogant you are. I've told you countless times that this place is not like the capital. You need to be more restrained."
In his youth, Magistrate Ling was a notorious playboy, known for his street racing and horse riding. Fortunately, he wasn't inherently bad, and now that he's older, he's naturally become much more composed.
Butler Ling quickly smiled apologetically and agreed.
Magistrate Ling then said, "Since the evidence is complete, let's hold the trial tomorrow and notify all the people involved."
Butler Ling quickly responded and went out to take care of the matter.
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