Chapter 36 Find the Murderer
Miao Ya'er was short and thin. Although she was only in her early twenties, her back was already bent by the weight of tangible and intangible burdens, making her appear even shorter and more hunched over, like an old woman in her fifties or sixties.
Sheng An sighed inwardly, a faint smile appearing on her face as she tried to soften her voice as much as possible: "Sister Miao, don't be afraid, I came here specifically to thank you."
Miao Ya'er was taken aback at first, then remembered what had happened that morning, and waved her hands repeatedly: "No need, no need to thank me."
She only asked for someone's help; she didn't do anything herself. How could she accept the gratitude of the new daughter-in-law of the Xu family?
"Perhaps it's a trivial matter to Sister Miao, but it's a life-saving grace to me. If Sister Miao hadn't discovered it in time, my grandmother's injury would probably have been much more serious."
Sheng An looked serious. Seeing that Miao Ya'er was still at a loss, he immediately took out the piece of fine cotton cloth: "Sister Miao, this cloth is very suitable for you. I hope you won't mind it."
Miao Ya'er was stunned. Looking at the piece of cloth that looked very soft and delicate, she didn't know where to put her hands and feet: "No need, you really don't need it, I won't take it."
Perhaps feeling that her tone was too harsh, Miao Ya'er cautiously glanced at Sheng An's expression.
Seeing that Sheng An wasn't annoyed by the rejection, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and explained dejectedly, "Sister Sheng, even if I accepted such a good thing, I couldn't keep it."
Sheng An recalled the mistreatment the woman in front of him had suffered in the Sun family, and his mind raced as he subtly probed:
"Since it's a thank-you gift for you, take it back to please your mother-in-law. She'll know you're a filial daughter and will treat you well in the future."
A bitter smile crossed Miao Ya'er's face, her voice filled with numbness and despair: "Sister Sheng, I appreciate your kindness, but it's alright."
After hearing this, Sheng An understood.
This woman knew in her heart that working hard and being a servant to her in-laws would not earn her their genuine affection.
However, she couldn't rely on her own family, so she had to depend on her husband's family for shelter. She could only silently endure the bullying from her husband's family and dared not completely break ties with them.
If one day the Sun family mother and son were to drive her away, she probably wouldn't be happy to be free from her misery; she would only feel homeless and ultimately give up on herself.
Looking at Miao Ya'er's patched-up clothes, even her shoes had several patches on them, Sheng An gently suggested:
"I'll make this material into underwear for you. You can wear it underneath so no one can see it, and you don't have to worry about it being stolen."
To everyone's surprise, Miao Ya'er shook her head, her face showing obvious fear: "Sister Sheng, really, it's not necessary. Even the innermost garment worn close to the skin can't hide it from my mother-in-law's eyes."
Before she got married, she had a very good friend.
Knowing that her family wouldn't give her a dowry or even make her a new dress, her best friend gave her her own new clothes.
As a result, on the wedding day, the clothes were taken away by the mother-in-law and worn by the mother-in-law the next day.
Her mother-in-law threw her a set of tattered, dirty clothes, saying it was a gift for the new bride.
She immediately started making a scene, demanding that her mother-in-law return her clothes. Her husband then pinned her to the ground and beat her, leaving her bedridden for three days.
Seeing that Miao Ya'er was hesitant to accept the cloth, Sheng An didn't press the matter: "I'll keep this cloth for Sister Miao. I will never forget Sister Miao's kindness in helping my grandmother."
Miao Ya'er waved her hand awkwardly: "It's just a matter of a word, I don't deserve your thanks, Sister Sheng."
Sheng An smiled, helped Miao Ya'er water the vegetable garden, and then returned home in the afterglow of the setting sun.
Not seeing Xu Jinnian, Sheng An guessed that he had gone out to inquire about the situation after school, so she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Before the meal was even ready, Xu Cuilian and her husband rushed over carrying a basket of pork bones.
It turned out that Sheng An hadn't gone to Zhang's house to get the pig bones that afternoon. Xu Cuilian was worried that something might have happened to Xu's family, so she waited for her husband to come back after collecting the pigs before going to Xu's house together to see what was going on.
"Aunt and Uncle, it's my fault for not telling you sooner, which made you come all the way here."
Sheng An patted his head in frustration and recounted how his grandmother had been beaten by thugs. He also mentioned that he would not be setting up a stall at the market for the time being, and would wait until his grandmother had fully recovered.
Xu Cuilian felt it was a pity, but she could understand Sheng An's decision: "If you don't want to hold the ceremony, then don't. Taking good care of your grandmother is the most important thing."
After saying that, she said angrily, "Those bastards who deserve to be beheaded dared to rob and injure people in broad daylight. When they are caught, I will definitely cripple their limbs!"
Butcher Zhang patted his wife on the shoulder, reminding her not to get too excited, and then said to Sheng An, "I know all the thugs in this area of Nanshi. I'll ask them to help me find out more tomorrow."
The Zhang family has been butchers for generations, so they inevitably have to deal with all sorts of people.
The main reason why the Zhang family was able to dominate the pork market in Nanshi was their reputation and word-of-mouth, but the reason they were able to avoid suppression from competitors was entirely due to their unconventional methods.
"Thank you, Uncle-in-law, for your trouble."
Sheng An was very grateful to her uncle-in-law. After all, it was her grandmother who was injured, and it had little to do with the Zhang family. Her uncle-in-law could have kept quiet, and no one could have found fault with him.
Now that my uncle is willing to help, it must have taken a lot of personal favors.
"We don't speak like strangers to our own family."
Xu Cuilian waved her hand for her husband, telling Sheng An not to take it to heart: "You should both be careful during this time, especially An'an. As a woman, you are prone to gossip if you are not careful."
Sheng An accepted her aunt's kindness: "I will be careful and won't wander around outside alone."
Xu Cuilian and Butcher Zhang went to the guest room to visit Grandma Sheng, comforted and encouraged her before leaving.
Xu Jinnian returned just as the couple left.
Seeing the sweat on his forehead, Sheng An handed him a damp handkerchief.
While wiping, Xu Jinnian explained the situation: "I asked some friends I know to help inquire, and we should have news in a few days."
Sheng An asked curiously, "Who is this friend? Since we've asked them for help, shouldn't we invite them to our home and treat them to a meal?"
Having been here for a month, she has only interacted with her aunt's family among the man's relatives and friends. She has never even heard of the other relatives or friends, let alone met them.
Xu Jinnian glanced at his wife and replied without changing his expression, "They are introverted and will be shy when they see women. I will take care of them once things are settled, An'an, you don't need to worry about it."
Those people are all thuggish and have no sense of propriety when it comes to food or drink. What if they scare An'an when they come home?
Sheng An, unaware of Xu Jinnian's concerns, assumed that what he said was true, so she stopped talking and let him make his own arrangements, recounting how her aunt and her husband had visited her home.
Xu Jinnian nodded: "My uncle has a wide network of connections. Since he's willing to help, I expect good news soon."
Sheng An listened with envy: "You and your uncle are really amazing, you actually have such connections."
Unlike her, who couldn't think of anyone to ask for help after the accident.
It was only because Master Ding took the initiative to do the work that she stopped doubting that she was a good-for-nothing.
Thinking of this, Sheng An stared suspiciously at the handsome and refined man in front of him: "You are a scholar, and a scholar who is about to take the imperial examination. How could you know those local bullies?"
Moreover, the fact that they were willing to offer help suggests that their relationship might be quite special.
Xu Jinnian, however, unusually dodged the question: "It's just a coincidence. They owed my father and me a favor, and this is a good opportunity to repay it."
Sheng An was skeptical, but seeing that he didn't intend to elaborate, she wisely refrained from pressing for details: "Alright, as long as we can find the culprit."
With three forces working together, finding even a single screw wouldn't be difficult, let alone four living, breathing people roaming the streets.
In just two days, Tong Baogen and his gang of four were caught and beaten half to death on the spot, with broken hands and feet being the norm.
In an empty warehouse at Qingzhou Wharf, cries, screams of pain, and pleas for mercy could be heard incessantly.
With his face bruised and swollen, looking like a dead dog, Tong Baogen struggled to raise his head and looked at the bearded man sitting high in the main seat. His eyes were filled with fear: "You...you hurt people without cause, is there no law anymore!"
He's just a small-time hoodlum from the countryside; at most, he'd steal a few chickens to satisfy his cravings. When did he ever offend such a big shot?
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