Chapter 398 Committing a Crime
Jiang Baozhu's situation was much better than Hongtao's. Although the servants were all registered under Lin Yuesha's name, they were all honest and dutiful, working on the estate. Gu Yi was a martial arts expert, and his appearance alone was enough to intimidate a group of people with ulterior motives.
Lin Yuesha wasn't too worried about Jiang Baozhu; she was simply saddened by their impending separation.
“Mother, Baozhu has to stay in the North to wait for Master Jiang’s news; she can’t leave.”
Lin Yuesha paused the conversation and turned to discuss with Chen the luggage they would bring for the journey: clothing, food, daily necessities, and the medicine her father, Xiao Chenggui, needed each day.
"Then Mother will prepare a medicine stove, specifically for your father to brew medicine."
Other supplies can be bought along the way with money, but medicinal herbs are a different story. You have to prepare enough, otherwise you might have to take a detour to buy them and delay your journey.
If you were to brew medicine in a carriage, you would need to place a small red clay stove, which would inevitably result in smoke and fumes. It's hot in the south, and the carriage isn't well-ventilated, so you'd also need to bring some ointment to treat prickly heat.
"Mother, please don't brew medicine in the carriage."
While the medicine was being decocted, a palm-leaf fan was used to fan the air, and the smell was so strong that it made it hard to open one's eyes. Father Xiao Chenggui was already ill and could not afford to cough anymore.
The family had a lot of luggage. Liu Quan's family was going to the capital, and they needed to prepare clothes. With so many packages, it would have been better to prepare a horse-drawn cart for carrying the goods.
Although adding another carriage would inevitably increase costs, the concentrated transport of goods would reduce the weight of each carriage, making the journey faster.
"Little girl is the most thoughtful."
After Lin Yuesha explained the pros and cons, Chen was immediately persuaded. She wanted to bring a set of cooking utensils so that she could cook whenever she had free time, reduce expenses, and make dishes that her family liked.
Originally, Ms. Chen was worried that there wouldn't be enough room in the carriage, but now she no longer has that problem.
The carriages used for loading goods had cabinets on all four sides. The luggage was neatly organized, with cooking utensils at the bottom and rice, flour, and medicines that were susceptible to moisture stored in the cabinets. There was no need to worry about rats getting into the carriage at night.
"Your father couldn't bear to part with that potted plant, so he made your mother take the pot with her."
Helpless, Chen thought it would be good to keep a potted plant in the carriage, but she was worried that the carriage would bump and break the pot.
"It's alright, Mother, I'll figure something out."
Lin Yuesha remembered that pot of flowers. Her parents got married in winter, when the mountains were blocked by heavy snow. Xiao Chenggui went to great lengths to buy a pot of flowers with pink blossoms so that Chen Shi could see some greenery. The flowers had a long blooming period and were of commemorative significance to the two of them.
The female doctor was at a loss as to how to treat her father's illness. Even after arriving in the capital, Lin Yuesha was not very confident, but she did not want to leave any regrets.
The day after deciding to go to the capital, Lin Yuesha got up very early, leaving Qi'er to deal with Granny Lin, while she took Qingxing and Longjing straight to the town.
When they arrived at their uncle and aunt's shop, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the windows were covered with a thick wooden board, indicating that the shop was not open for business.
Lin Yuesha and her mother then went to Chen Lin's shop, only to find the same thing had happened.
What happened?
Chen was puzzled. She had decided to go to the capital yesterday and hadn't had a chance to tell her elder brother and sister-in-law about the arrangements for the family shop. Why hadn't it opened? Could something have happened at home?
"It can't be your maternal grandparents..."
Chen was prone to overthinking and scaring herself.
"Impossible. My cousin got married recently, and my grandparents are doing just fine. Don't talk nonsense."
Lin Yuesha shook her head, recalling what the matchmaker had said to Li Ruoxue that day, and repeated, "It's unlucky."
"Yes, Mother is talking nonsense."
After thinking it over, Ms. Chen realized that the possibility was very small, so she relaxed and ran to the backyard of the shop to knock on the door.
The alley was quiet for a long while before the mother of the neighboring grain and oil shop owner opened her door, squinted, and asked, "Are you relatives of the Chen family?"
“Auntie, yes, this is me. This shop is run by my elder brother and sister-in-law.”
While Chen was still in a daze, she saw the old lady next door open the door and hurriedly asked, "Do you know how many days this shop hasn't been open?"
"About two or three days."
The old woman didn't recognize Chen, but when she heard that she was a relative of the Chen family, she sighed and said, "They just married off their daughter a few days ago, but their son-in-law got into trouble and went to jail. The Chen family goes there every day to plead their case."
The old woman's words made Chen's face turn pale. Her son-in-law had committed a crime. Could it be Xiao Dazhuang?
"Auntie, do you know what crime the Chen family's son-in-law has committed?"
Lin Yuesha squeezed her mother's hand; it was icy cold and sweaty. Lin Yuesha decided to ask her mother for clarification before making any plans.
"I don't know either, but I heard the Chen family crying. It seems that their son-in-law saved someone, but was instead framed."
The old woman had no idea what the truth was. The Chen family members were talking loudly at night, and since she lived next door, she couldn't help but hear them.
The family was about to leave the north, but this happened. Chen was at a loss, but Lin Yuesha remained calm. "Before my godfather and godmother's family left, they mentioned to the county magistrate that I believe my brother-in-law did nothing wrong and the truth will come out sooner or later."
To put it bluntly, if you have connections, you don't need to worry about being framed; you just need to work hard to prove your innocence.
Chen thought it made sense, so she took Lin Yuesha with her to the yamen, where they happened to run into the Chen family members standing outside the yamen.
After not seeing her for some time, Chen Xiaohua's eyes were red and swollen, and she looked listless with dark circles under her eyes. She had no energy at all.
Seeing Lin Yuesha, Chen Xiaohua forced herself to cheer up and asked, "Little sister, what brings you and your aunt here?"
"Leaving me aside, I heard from the old lady next door that my brother-in-law was framed?"
Upon seeing Chen Xiaohua, Lin Yuesha immediately asked, "What exactly happened?"
Ordinary staged accidents are easy to resolve. Usually, people who stage accidents will feel guilty when they hear that the authorities are coming. However, Xiao Dazhuang did the right thing and ended up going to jail himself.
Recalling the incident, Chen Xiaohua was both angry and aggrieved, angrily saying, "A few days ago, I took your brother-in-law back to Chenjia Village. On the way back from Chenjia Village, we encountered a strong man beating his wife."
The young woman was covered in bruises and crying, while the burly man kept hurling insults at her and grabbing her head to beat her.
Chen Xiaohua couldn't stand it and got into a conflict with the burly man.
“They are all women, and life is already difficult for them. I felt so sorry for her that I couldn’t help but say a few words.”
Chen Xiaohua wiped away her tears with her sleeve, regretting her past actions. If she had known it would end like this, she would never have meddled in other people's business. What did it matter to her if others lived or died?
"The strong man beat his wife even more fiercely, and Da Zhuang couldn't stand it anymore, so he tried to stop him, and then..."
He just pushed the burly man once, without using much force. The burly man took two steps back, then fell to the ground with a thud and died.
A large crowd gathered to watch, and soon someone went to the yamen (government office). Before long, Xiao Dazhuang was arrested and taken away by the constables. The woman not only showed no gratitude, but also repeatedly demanded that Xiao Dazhuang pay for his crime with his life and return her man.
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