Chapter Forty-Four: Summoning the Villagers
"Grandma," Jiang Mi called out obediently.
She had a very good impression of her maternal grandmother, who was kind and honest; she also loved her mother dearly.
In my past life, I made a mistake that harmed my whole family, including my maternal grandparents' family.
Because of one son-in-law's family, the entire family was executed, and from then on, he could not hold his head up in the eyes of others and was pointed at and gossiped about.
Thinking of this, Jiang Mi's nose tingled and tears welled up. She forced back her tears and said with a smile, "Grandma, please sit for a while. You're busy all day long, don't neglect yourself."
In my past life, it was because of my grandmother that I worried about this and that, which caused me to become depressed and develop health problems. I spent the rest of my life lying in bed.
"Oh! I'm used to being busy, and I can't sit still all day." Grandma Zhu was overjoyed. The little girl's face was fair and tender, and she looked like she was easy to raise and blessed. The more she looked at her, the more she loved her.
Grandma Zhu invited Jiang Mi into the house and poured her a cup of herbal tea.
"Thank you, Grandma." Jiang Mi took the herbal tea, glancing at the yard out of the corner of her eye. Apart from Grandma Zhu, the house was quite quiet.
Grandma Zhu was very perceptive and could tell at a glance what Jiang Mi was wondering. She explained, "At this time, your cousin has gone to town to do temporary work, and your cousin's wife is tending to the wasteland."
"Grandma, I've come to discuss some matters with Grandpa."
Solving the sweet potato field problem is urgent and we simply cannot afford to take on this responsibility.
"Your grandfather is making a chicken coop in the backyard. I'll go and call him out for you." Grandma Zhu got up and walked towards the backyard.
"sugar."
Soon, Zhu Qiancheng's voice came from her ear. Jiang Mi quickly stood up from her seat and went straight to the point, explaining the whole story to Zhu Qiancheng.
"What?" Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiancheng's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and standing up: "Are you saying that someone deliberately wanted to destroy these crops?"
You see, he was counting on these hundred acres of sweet potato fields to make the village prosperous; he never expected that someone would dare to cause trouble right under his nose.
Jiang Mi nodded in agreement: "I suspect someone has poisoned the sweet potatoes. It's been going on for several days now, and I really can't make up my mind, so I came to ask you for help, Grandpa."
Only my grandfather could handle this.
As the head of a village, he has a certain degree of influence.
They were just new villagers who had just moved here and settled down, so they had the connection of the maternal grandfather; but they did not have the ability to gather the villagers, let alone find a murderer in such a large village.
Zhu Qiancheng stroked his beard thoughtfully. Just as the two were at a loss, a childish voice suddenly came from beside them.
"Grandpa, I brought back a big bucket of loaches today. If it weren't for Uncle Zhang's interference, I could have caught even more."
The two looked over at the sound and saw a little child covered in mud and dirt, carrying a small wooden bucket. At a glance, they could see dozens of loaches and an eel struggling in the bucket.
Zhu Qiancheng's face darkened immediately, and he scolded, "Where have you been gallivanting off to again? You're all filthy, and this is your sister Jiang Mi."
"Hello, Sister Jiang Mi!" The little baby grinned, the dried mud on his face cracking open from the large movements, making him incredibly cute.
"This is your eldest uncle's youngest son, named Zhu Zhao." Zhu Qiancheng introduced the two to each other, then looked at his filthy grandson and said with exasperation, "Why don't you hurry up and wash off all that mud?"
Little Zhu Zhao pouted and skillfully fetched a basin of water to wash the mud off her face.
Jiang Mi and Zhu Qiancheng were plotting how to catch the murderer, while Xiao Zhu Zhao listened attentively without making a fuss.
When she heard that someone had been sneakily drugging her these past few days, her ears suddenly twitched, and she interjected, "These past few nights, when I pee at the door, I always see Grandpa Yang carrying a small burlap sack, sneaking past our door, all dirty."
Zhu Qiancheng's face darkened, and he said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense. I've taught you since you were little not to talk carelessly, because trouble comes from the mouth."
No matter how much he suspected, he would never suspect Grandpa Yang.
Mr. Yang was a kind, honest, and hardworking man; unfortunately, fate dealt him a cruel blow, his family was destroyed and his wife passed away ten years ago. The two had no children and naturally became lonely old men.
After being scolded like that, Zhu Zhao looked aggrieved and pouted as she complained, "To tell you the truth, Grandpa Yang always chooses the time when I need to pee to pass by our house."
Jiang Mi had stayed in Hongyang Village for several days and knew what kind of person Grandpa Yang was; but looking at Xiao Zhu Zhao's expression, he didn't seem to be lying.
"Grandpa, Zhaozhao doesn't seem to be lying."
With someone's help, Zhu Zhao's eyes lit up, and she told the whole story.
The two were skeptical, but they couldn't simply believe Zhu Zhao's one-sided story; they needed evidence for everything.
So the two decided to gather everyone in the village.
Zhu Qiancheng was very efficient; he gathered everyone together in less than half an hour.
Entrance to Hongyang Village.
Many of the men were shirtless, while the women were constantly fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans.
"Why are you calling us here in this sweltering heat? We still have a lot of farm work to do."
"That's right, that's right."
…
Many villagers were still grumbling and complaining.
Zhu Qiancheng coughed lightly, and everyone immediately fell silent.
"Here's the situation: the Jiang family's hundred acres of sweet potatoes were poisoned. Whoever did it, step forward if you know what's good for you. If I find you, I won't give you any face at all." Zhu Qiancheng's gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes full of coldness.
These words sparked a flurry of discussion among the villagers.
"Village chief, what are you saying? We're happy to see sweet potatoes planted, how could we possibly be jealous and poison them?"
"That's right, village chief, you must have made a mistake. Maybe the people from Qingyun Village are holding a grudge and deliberately framing us."
…
Therefore, they did not think highly of these so-called sweet potatoes, but their Hongyang Village has always been united and would never do such a despicable thing.
"I'll give you one more chance. If you don't step forward again, I'll drag you out myself." Zhu Qiancheng ignored what the villagers said and instead warned them again in a righteous tone.
Zhu Qiancheng's expression immediately made the villagers realize that this matter was really serious.
He is generally kind and gentle, but he becomes serious only when dealing with certain matters.
The scene was very quiet.
Zhu Qiancheng sighed; Grandpa Yang's performance had ultimately disappointed him.
"Uncle Yang, the Jiang family has no grudge against you, so why have you repeatedly sneaked into the sweet potato field in the dead of night to poison it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, realizing that this matter was actually related to Grandpa Yang.
All eyes fell on an elderly man with a hunched back and white hair.
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