Chapter 307 Going to the Capital to File a Complaint
Children grow quickly, and by the time summer was completely over, Zhuozhuo had grown into a plump, white glutinous rice ball.
It can cry and laugh, get angry and make a fuss.
The three elders in the family dote on their only granddaughter, treating her like a precious gem. Every day, the first thing they do upon waking up is to come to the main room to see their granddaughter.
If Zhuozhuo weren't still so young and unable to even roll over, they would love to carry her on their shoulders all day long.
Seeing how much the three elders spoiled the child, Sheng An was even a little scared and couldn't help but remind them again:
"Zhuozhuo is still young now. When she gets older, she will be more perceptive of people's moods. You can't spoil her. Children are easily spoiled."
Xu Chenglin didn't take it seriously: "My granddaughter is the child of you and Jin Nian. She naturally resembles you both. She can't be spoiled by being pampered."
Grandpa Sheng chimed in, "That's right. A child's goodness or badness is determined by their nature, and has nothing to do with whether adults spoil them or not."
Only Grandma Sheng stood by her granddaughter's side, agreeing with Sheng An's words and assuring her, "You were raised by your grandfather and me, and we will raise Zhuozhuo the same way we raised you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the old lady suddenly realized that she and Grandpa Sheng had worked so hard to raise their granddaughter that they had no time or energy to specifically teach her.
Back then, the family was very poor, and the land didn't yield much. They were already doing their best to keep three people from starving. They basically let their granddaughter grow up without any problems.
My granddaughter has grown into who she is today entirely through her own hard work and perseverance.
Thinking of this, Grandma Sheng couldn't help but shed tears.
The old lady concealed it well, and Sheng An did not notice anything unusual about her. He said helplessly, "Jin Nian and I are in charge of raising Zhuo Zhuo. Just don't spoil her."
It's easy for a child to go astray; the biggest obstacle on their path to adulthood is the overindulgence and spoiling by their family.
As the family was talking, Hongliu returned from outside, carrying a large bag of things she had bought while shopping that day.
"Madam, these are new pastries from a time-honored brand. I waited in line for a long time to buy a serving. Please have a taste with the old master and madam."
Hongliu took out a package of pastries, and before she even opened it, everyone could smell the unique fragrance of lotus seeds.
"Is it made with lotus seeds? We should definitely try it."
Sheng An opened the pastry with great interest, and the aroma of lotus seeds immediately became even stronger.
She invited Hongliu to sit down and eat as well, and the group chatted while enjoying the lotus seed cake.
At this moment, Hongliu spoke up: "When I was queuing to buy snacks, I overheard others talking about something interesting that happened in the capital yesterday."
At this point, she took a sip of tea and swallowed the pastry in her mouth before continuing under the urging gazes of the crowd:
"Two ordinary families traveled a long distance to the capital to file a complaint, saying that their daughter and mother had been murdered by the relatives of a high-ranking official."
At the time of the incident, they were afraid of the high-ranking official's status and powerful backing, and feared retaliation, so they dared not tell the government the truth.
It wasn't until they were plagued by recurring nightmares, dreaming of their deceased relatives weeping and crying out for justice, that they risked going to the capital to file a complaint.
Hearing this, the three elders had not yet reacted, but Sheng An's mind stirred, and he asked, "Do you know who these two families are suing?"
Hongliu shook her head: "I asked them, but they didn't know either. However, I heard that the Jingzhao Prefecture accepted their complaint and should send someone to verify whether it is true."
However, despite the lively discussion, those people felt that officials were protecting each other, with ordinary people on one side and high-ranking officials on the other, and that the Jingzhao Prefecture would not really investigate and give the deceased justice.
Even Hongliu thinks so.
“Every year, countless people die unjustly. The murder cases mentioned by those two families happened so long ago, the evidence is probably long gone. Expecting the Jingzhao Prefecture to seek justice for their relatives is harder than climbing to heaven.”
Xu Chenglin sighed, having little hope for the matter.
In his early years, he traveled all over the country and witnessed countless human tragedies. Not every wronged soul could find the real murderer to pay for their life.
"That's true. But these two families risked coming to the capital to seek justice for their relatives, which shows their good intentions. I hope they can get a good result."
Grandpa Sheng was impressed by the two families' deep affection and loyalty, completely unaware that one of them came from his hometown, Huai Shu Village.
Grandma Sheng patted Sheng An's hand: "Jin Nian made the right choice to study and become an official. We should think twice before others try to bully us."
Sheng An chuckled twice and hugged the sleeping little dumpling tightly.
Having an official position wasn't enough; the mother and daughter were persecuted by the authorities and almost lost their lives, never to see the next day's sun.
In an inconspicuous little inn in the city, two families who had traveled a long way to the capital to file a complaint sat together around a table, their faces looking rather grim.
These two families are Peng Chunlan and her two children, and Xu Dani and her three sisters, along with their respective husbands.
Several years have passed, and Peng Chunlan has aged considerably. Her hair has turned white, her face is wrinkled, and her appearance is no longer as radiant as it was in her youth. Her once slender figure has also become somewhat hunched.
Now, she only looks a few degrees better than women her age.
“Aunt Liu, it was your idea to come to the capital to file a complaint. What if the authorities refuse to arrest the murderer and instead imprison us for false accusation?”
Xu Dani glared at Peng Chunlan, her tone somewhat aggressive:
“Our children are still young and can’t live without their parents. If things have really come to this, we can only say that you instigated the four of us sisters to do it.”
Upon hearing this, Peng Chunlan immediately became enraged, slammed her hand on the table, pointed at Xu Dani's nose, and scolded:
"Your own mother was murdered. I traveled all the way to the capital to file a complaint with you, and instead of being grateful, you say such things. Aren't you afraid that your mother will die with her eyes open and crawl up from the ground to settle scores with you!"
Hearing her say that, Xu Dani broke out in a cold sweat.
Fearing that her mother, Ma Dahua, might appear and hear Peng Chunlan's words, she quickly changed her tune and said with a forced smile, "Aunt Liu, I'm just too timid and scared, please don't take offense."
Peng Chunlan sneered: "Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. If there weren't benefits to be gained from complaining, would you have been so easily swayed by a few words from me?"
That person wanted to cause trouble for Xu Laosi's family. Since he had found her house and was using her as a pawn, he naturally wouldn't let Xu Dani and her four sisters go.
Before they arrived, the man gave her family a considerable sum of money for the journey, and said that once they reached the capital, Xu Laosi's family would definitely give them a large sum of money to keep quiet.
If it weren't for this hefty hush money, would she have been so foolish as to risk going to jail to come to the capital to file a complaint?
Her family is now dirt poor. Zhu Zi and Shi Tou are still unable to find wives, and their house is on the verge of collapse. As long as they can get this hush money, their whole family will be set for life.
It's likely that the four Xu sisters are the same; they're here for hush money.
After all, it's free money, so why not take it?
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