"Sister Xiangjuan said she wanted to play house with me, so we went to the back mountain. But as soon as we got there, they dragged us here," Er Ya said.
Sanya clung tightly to Yang Cui's leg: "Mother, we thought we'd never see you again, sob sob sob..."
"Alright, alright, don't be afraid, we're safe now. Uncle Cen and Aunt Su have caught all the bad guys. We won't be separated, don't be afraid."
Yang Cui hugged the two children and gently comforted them.
"Mother, are we going to rescue Sister Xiangjuan?" Er Ya asked.
"The government will handle this. We just need to tell them. Your aunt will be here soon, and they will go find someone."
Yang Cui had been on tenterhooks for a day and a night and had been running around non-stop. Right now, all she wanted to do was spend time with her own child. She didn't have the energy or the mood to save someone else's child, especially since Pu Xiangjuan was likely an accomplice of Lin Chunmei.
Yang Cui told the officials that Pu Xiangjuan had been sold, and the officials immediately sent people to chase after her.
The traffickers and other abducted children were taken to the yamen by Su Yutang, Wu Lie, and others.
Cen Xiao stepped forward and said, "Let's take the children to get something to eat and rest for a while."
"Come on, Mom will take you to eat something delicious."
Yang Cui held one child in each hand and walked beside Cen Xiao, just like a family of four, as they left the courtyard.
At this moment, Lin Lizhi rushed over. When she arrived at Ruyi Lane, she circled around several times but couldn't find Yang Cui and Cen Xiao, nor did she see Granny Wang. Later, she heard people talking about how a child trafficking den had been busted in the area, so she came here.
Upon seeing Yang Cui, Lin Lizhi asked anxiously, "Where's my Xiangjuan? Have you seen Xiangjuan?"
Yang Cui said, "She was sold to Weishan Village, and the yamen has already sent people to chase after her."
Upon hearing that her daughter had been sold, Lin Lizhi nearly fainted.
Pu Xiangjuan is already quite old, so it's impossible for her to be sold to someone as a daughter. The only option is for her to become someone's wife!
Lin Lizhi didn't know where Weishan Village was, but she could guess that it couldn't be a good place or a good family.
Her younger brother, Lin Shikang, was the third-highest scorer in the imperial examination. Her daughter could have married into a good family thanks to her uncle's influence, but now she's in this mess. Regardless of whether she had a relationship with the buyer or not, as long as word gets out that she was sold once, it won't sound good, and in other people's eyes, she'll still be considered impure!
Lin Lizhi almost fainted!
"Xiao Cui, can you please not tell anyone about this? If word gets out that Xiang Juan has been sold, even if she is found, everyone will think she is not innocent, and her life will be ruined!" Lin Lizhi immediately stopped Yang Cui when she saw her about to leave.
"I think your most important task right now is to find her as soon as possible, and... don't forget, Lin Chunmei identified her as an accomplice! Do you think I would help someone who bullied my daughter?"
Lin Lizhi fell silent.
"Impossible! Xiangjuan is not that kind of person. This must be a misunderstanding, and Lin Chunmei is making baseless accusations."
"The county magistrate will surely find out the truth of the matter." Yang Cui felt that Pu Xiangjuan was definitely involved in this matter, and as for Pu Xiangjuan's arrest, it was highly likely that she was unaware of it.
Yang Cui shook off Lin Lizhi and left with the child.
Lin Lizhi wanted to catch up, but she was anxious to find her daughter, so she asked around and headed towards Weishan Village.
——
Lin Qi and Lin Sanjin were originally going to go to the yamen with her, but when they heard what Lin Chunmei said at the village entrance, they got angry and decided not to go. Lin Chunmei's crime would definitely be proven, and once it was proven, their Lin clan would lose face again.
At this time, the Lin clan of Lin'an Village gathered in the ancestral hall to discuss how to resolve the matter.
Lin Zhongqiang was the first to stand up: "Lin Chunmei is capable of child trafficking. If any family in the neighborhood loses a child in the future, won't they blame our Lin family? Our Lin family's reputation is already bad enough, and this is all thanks to their family. I propose that we expel their entire clan!"
In this era, whether ordinary people or noble families, everyone values family cohesion. Without a family, one is like a rootless duckweed, and those who leave the clan must have done things that are despised by everyone in the clan. After leaving the clan, such people will inevitably be looked down upon by others. They are like rats crossing the street, bullied and hated by everyone.
Now, the entire Lin Niu family was in a state of panic.
Lin Niu glared at Lin Zhongqiang: "Lin Zhongqiang, who do you think you are? Do you even have the right to speak here?"
“My surname is Lin, and I’m the head of the household. Why don’t I have a say? The land our Lin clan has today is all thanks to your family! Look at the good daughter you raised, she not only brought this upon herself, but she also dragged our entire clan down with her! Exterminate the clan! The clan must be exterminated!”
"Yes, exterminate them!"
"Exterminate their entire clan!"
“Exterminate the clan…”
"Exterminate the clan!"
...
The Lin clan members echoed this sentiment strongly, filled with righteous indignation!
"We can't exterminate the clan! We can't exterminate the clan!" Lin Qiu cried anxiously.
"You still have the nerve to cry!" Lin Sanjin was furious when he saw Lin Qiushi. "What a fine daughter you raised!"
"She only targeted Yang Cui to vent our anger!"
Lin Huaqiang added, "We don't need her help to vent our anger!"
Lin Zhongqiang: "Mrs. Qiu, you're not saying you orchestrated this, are you?!"
"No, it wasn't me!" Lin Qiushi immediately denied.
“Elder, we have already separated our family, and this was Lin Chunmei’s own doing. If anyone is to be expelled from the clan, it should be Lin Chunmei!” Lin Chenshi said.
The clansmen strongly demanded that the clan be expelled; they needed an explanation.
Lin Sanjin said, "Then exterminate Lin Chunmei's entire clan!"
Lin Sanjin made the final decision.
The Lin Chen family breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's all Yang Cui's fault! That bitch has ruined us so much! Waaah..." Lin Niu cried her heart out, cursing as she sobbed.
"Who told you to provoke her?" Lin Sanjin roared. "I told you to be patient and wait for Shikang to come back and handle it, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're satisfied, aren't you? Who knows if this will affect Shikang? If it does, you're all out of the Lin family!"
Lin Sanjin was furious.
Upon hearing this, Madam Fan said, "Elder, don't jinx it. What does this have to do with Shikang? They're not related to Shikang. They're just cousins in our generation."
After saying that, Madam Fan said to Madam Lin and her family, "You should also stay away from our family so as not to affect Shikang."
Upon hearing Fan's words, the Lin family felt a chill run down their spines.
Madam Lin Niu retorted, "What do you mean by that? Who did our family get to where we are today for? Fan Yuhua, do you have any conscience at all?"
"It wasn't me who caused Lin Mingcai to go to jail. Anyway, your reputation is so bad now, you should keep your distance from our family. I don't want my son to be implicated by you!"
"you……"
Madam Lin was furious. She pointed at Madam Fan, ready to curse, but then someone came from outside to announce, "The third-ranked scholar is back! The third-ranked scholar is back!"
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