Chapter 24 Succubus Chapter 5
The list wasn't long, only about fifty names. Fang Ruo quickly finished reading it and pointed out a few names.
"Zhang Wen moved to Weiwei County seven years ago. His family was poor. He fell in love with the girl next door and received help from the neighbor. After passing the imperial examination, he was said to have become a minor official in Yunshang City. He has been out of contact ever since and has never returned."
“Last spring, he suddenly returned and asked to marry that girl. But after waiting for him for three years without any news, the girl had already married someone else. In the end, he was heartbroken and recognized the girl’s son as his godson.”
"Lu Yulian moved here three years ago and sold wontons with her parents in Weiwei County. Because of her good looks, she was spotted by Jia Jiawei, the son of a wealthy man. However, Jia Jiawei already had a wife at home, who was a shrew. The two were well-matched, so he did everything he could to stop them. The two are still struggling to get together and have not yet achieved a happy ending."
“Wen Yaoyao, I don’t know if she counts.” Fang Ruo took a sip of tea, cleared her throat, and continued, “She moved to Weiwei County ten years ago. Three years ago, Jia Yuanwai’s wife passed away unexpectedly. Wen Yaoyao was a good friend of Jia Yuanwai and came to pay her respects.”
"Although Wen Yaoyao is nearly fifty years old, she is beautiful. I heard that she is from Jiangnan and lives alone in Weiwei County. Before she passed away, Madam Jia mentioned this friend to her husband many times, hoping to have the opportunity to help her. When they first met, Master Jia couldn't help but pay more attention to her."
"In accordance with the lady's wishes, he helped her more, and over time, he developed different feelings for her and began to think about remarrying."
Because of Madam Jia, Master Jia did not make it clear directly.
Fang Ruo had heard far more gossip than this, but many of the names were not on the lists.
"These are roughly the three people on the list who are embroiled in relationship disputes." Fang Ruo looked at them with bright eyes: "Would you like to hear about the others?"
They have an extremely strong desire to share.
After making a careful note of the three people, Wen Wan asked, "Do you have any gossip that's a little outrageous, the more sensational the better!"
Lin Zhu looked at her with a teasing expression, as if to say: I didn't expect you to like this kind of thing!
"Explode? What does that mean?"
Fang Ruo was a little confused when she first heard the word. Wen Wan then realized that it was a term used in modern internet slang. She began to have a slight suspicion of Lin Zhu, but she didn't show it on her face. She explained to Fang Ruo seriously, "It means extremely shocking! The more outrageous, the better."
Fang Ruo nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite: "There is one, it should be really explosive!"
"It's about a woman who was caught having an affair. The worst part is that she brought her three-year-old daughter with her when she met with the other man! Her husband turned pale when he saw his daughter there, and her mother-in-law fainted from anger!"
Wow... wow, this is absolutely amazing!!
For a moment, the two of them didn't know how to react.
"Are all of you native residents?" Wen Wan asked first, regaining her composure.
"The woman was from out of town and married into the family. They've been married for four or five years. According to the old lady, the two men's families are sworn enemies, and they should both be local residents."
Wen Wan nodded, asked a few questions for general information, and made some simple notes.
That's absolutely amazing!
"Anything else?" Wen Wan continued to ask.
"There's another one." Fang Ruo used her gossip-loving brain to continue telling the story: "A pair of twin brothers, both poor and stingy, who looked exactly alike, conspired to marry a woman from another place. They changed wives every month, and even bribed the neighbors to keep it a secret, but eventually the wives found out."
"And then guess what?" Fang Ruo asked cheekily, keeping everyone in suspense.
"So?" To let Fang Ruo continue, Lin Zhu, who didn't like gossip, still asked. Wen Wan was just drinking tea and listening attentively, looking like she already knew the ending, and had no intention of speaking up. So he reluctantly played along.
"And then—" Fang Ruo drew out the last word, slowly finished her tea, and said, "Then the three of them living a good life is better than anything else."
Lin Zhu: ...
Wen Wan: Just as expected!
"In short, the three of them are living a happy and harmonious life now, and they have a son and a daughter. As for who the children's biological father is, we don't know, since the two fathers look exactly alike," Fang Ruo said.
His values were shattered, but the ending was good.
Never mind, it's not the goal of this trip, let's exclude it for now.
"Based on the clues from both sides, the most likely victims are Jia Jiawei and the woman who secretly met with another man with her daughter."
“Jia Jiawei moved to Weiwei County in the last ten years. I think he has a higher chance of becoming a succubus’s target. What do you think?”
The other two agreed with Wenwan's words.
"But we can't just lock them off like that. Before we find any suspicious points and are certain of our confirmation, they are our key targets for observation. We also need to keep an eye on the others." Lin Zhu felt that it was better to be more thorough.
Over the next few days, the three cooperated with the authorities to eliminate suspects one by one, and eventually all the clues pointed to the Jia family.
The other families either divorced or continued their lives peacefully. Only the Jia family was different. The husband brought his mistress to demand a formal title, but the wife refused to budge. Lü Yulian was already pregnant.
Since it concerned the issue of offspring, Master Jia had no choice but to persuade his daughter-in-law Yulin. However, Yulin came from a military family and was someone Jia Jiawei had shamelessly begged to marry. Although it was said to be a good match, it was actually a case of the Jia family climbing the social ladder.
Now, after only a few years, Jia Jiawei has grown tired of Yulin and has been secretly having affairs with other women, even causing a pregnancy.
How could Yulin swallow this insult? She hated her husband's infidelity and his use of underhanded tactics to threaten her and demand that the other man enter the family, using the child as leverage.
Yulin declared: Give me a divorce agreement and my freedom. Whether I take a concubine or marry a wife, it's none of my business.
Once the divorce papers were given, the Jia family offended the Yu family, a military family. However, the offspring of Lü Yulian were also very important, so the two sides remained deadlocked, and rumors spread like wildfire.
The next day, the Yu family learned of the rumors and the whole family rushed over to support their daughter. In the end, the Jia family chose Lü Yulian for the sake of their offspring. Jia Jiawei released the divorce papers and compensated Yulin with 10,000 taels of gold, finally putting an end to the matter.
No sooner had Yulin left than the Jia family consulted a fortune teller to choose an auspicious date for their marriage to Lü Yulian, truly embodying the term "scumbag."
Considering that Lü Yulian was already pregnant, the wedding date was chosen in a very rushed manner. Fortunately, the Jia family was large and wealthy, and even in a time of urgency, they could find people to arrange a grand and splendid ceremony.
"Wan'er, would you like to come with me to the market sometime? I'd like to introduce you to my good friend, Aunt Wen." Madam Wen said, looking at Wen Wan who was lost in thought. "Isn't the Jia family's young master getting married tomorrow? As elders, your Aunt Wen and I should present you with a fine gift. You young people have good taste, so you can give us some advice."
The group concluded that something big was bound to happen on the day of the wedding, perhaps the day the succubus was about to make her move. Before Wen Wan could come up with a plan, her beautiful mother decided to take her out for a walk.
That's good. Clearing my mind might bring new ideas.
When Wen Wan saw Aunt Wen, whom her mother had mentioned, she was also surprised. No wonder Chen Hansi and the other man almost mistook her for her mother's daughter; she thought the other woman was of the same generation as her.
At 45, she looks incredibly young; she's petite and youthful.
In the world of cultivators, this appearance is perfectly normal for someone who is 45 years old, but in the general populace, it is somewhat surprising. There are no signs of aging at all, and people would believe that he is 20 years old.
Wen Wan thought to herself: She's really well-preserved.
"Hello, you must be Wen Wan, Sister Wen's daughter. I've heard Sister Wen talk about you all the time, and I'm so glad to finally have the chance to meet you." Aunt Wen greeted her warmly with a smile.
"Aunt Wen." Wen Wan composed herself and said, "I don't even know whether to call you Aunt Wen or Sister Wen. You look so young."
Aunt Wen covered her mouth and chuckled: "You little girl, you're quite the talker. Your mother and I are of the same generation, so just call me Aunt Wen. Our ages are what they are, it's just a matter of address."
“Okay, Aunt Wen.” Wen Wan readily agreed.
"Wan'er, do you think your mother is too old?"
Madam Wen pretended to be angry, which made Wen Wan coax her for a while. The three of them happily picked out suitable gifts for the two newlyweds who were about to get married, and were just waiting to have the wedding banquet the next day.
The next day, Wen Wansui's mother and others came to the Jia family to offer their congratulations. The whole household was filled with joy and excitement.
As for Yu Lin, whom Jia Jiawei had married with great ceremony, everyone remained silent after his new wife left.
Who would bring up such a somber topic on such a joyous day? Everyone here is smart.
It was Wen Wan's first time attending a wedding banquet in this world. She happily accepted the wedding candies handed out by the bride, offered her congratulations, and was infected by the atmosphere of the bride's happiness. Her mood also became relaxed.
Wen Ze brought the officials to offer their congratulations, and Fang Ruo and Lin Zhu were also among them.
"Mother, where is Aunt Wen? I don't see her." Wen Wan then remembered her mother's good friend, whom she had a deep impression of.
“Your Aunt Wen,” Madam Wen said with a smile, “Madam Jia passed away a few years ago. Your Aunt Wen was a good friend of Madam Jia and has maintained a close relationship with the Jia family over the years. So she’s taking Madam Jia’s place and waiting for the bride to serve tea.”
Wen Wan looked at Aunt Wen, who was smiling broadly in the main seat, and something flashed through her mind in an instant: "Mother, is Aunt Wen's full name Wen Yaoyao?"
"Oh dear, where did you hear that? You're not allowed to call your elders by their full names in public. People will think you're being impolite."
Madam Wen's words undoubtedly confirmed her suspicions.
She gave a perfunctory answer and didn't continue the topic.
As the wedding banquet drew to a close and the guests gradually dispersed, Wen Ze and his entourage took their leave.
In reality, Fang Ruo and Lin Zhu had already secretly slipped away and were hiding in the mansion, on guard against the succubus making a move against the two newcomers.
Wen Wan, who had left the battlefield to the two of them, was about to leave with her mother when a thought struck her, and she stopped in her tracks just as she stepped out the door. A bad premonition arose within her.
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