There was a blacksmith in the town. Zhao Luochuan often went to him to make cages for catching animals. After a few visits, the two gradually became familiar with each other.
Zhao Luochuan vaguely remembered that the blacksmith had a sister who seemed to have married in the Xiaoli Village area. The two of them had a drink when his sister got married, so Zhao Luochuan had some impression of her, but he was not sure where exactly.
Yang Donghu and Zhao Luochuan got up early and went straight to the blacksmith shop when they arrived in town.
It was early in the morning and the door was still closed. Zhao Luochuan asked Yang Donghu to wait at the front door, and he went around to a small door at the back of the house and started banging on it.
The blacksmith was disturbed from his sweet dream and opened the door with a sullen look on his face.
"Who is it?"
After seeing that it was Zhao Luochuan, he put away his impatience and said with a smile: "Why do you have time to come to see me at this time? Don't you have to go up the mountain?"
Zhao Luochuan smiled and explained, "It's not about going up the mountain. I need your help with something today."
"Then come in and talk."
"No, please open the front door. I'm going to the front door. I'm not the only one there."
The blacksmith opened the front door and saw Zhao Luochuan holding a handsome boy. He asked in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Zhao Luochuan pulled Yang Donghu into the house and introduced him to the blacksmith: "This is my husband."
"Dong Hu, this is Ning Yang. We are here to ask him for help today."
Yang Donghu nodded to Ning Yang and said, "Sorry to bother you."
Ning Yang was shocked and asked, "When did you get married?"
"It's a long story. I'll treat you to a drink some other day and we can talk about it in detail. I came to you today for something else important."
Ning Yang didn't ask further questions because Yang Donghu was there. He asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhao Luochuan gave a brief account of what had happened. He didn't say that he had a feeling there was something wrong with that family, but said that he was just trying to find out their basic situation.
"I remember your eldest brother-in-law's house seems to be nearby, so I wanted to ask you."
Ning Yang nodded and said, "What a coincidence, my eldest sister married into Xiaoli Village. However, I don't go there often, so I'm not very familiar with their village affairs. If you want to find out more, you have to ask her."
"That's exactly what I meant, but it's not convenient for us to go to Xiaoli Village. Could you please ask my sister to come over?"
They all lived in the same village. If they went there rashly, the villagers of Xiaoli Village would definitely hide something because of their relationship. No one wanted to fall out with the people in their own village because of outsiders.
Even if Sister Ning Yang really told the truth for Ning Yang's sake, it would be unacceptable if others held a grudge against her.
It’s safer to come to town.
"You've arrived at the right time. My nephew fell ill a few days ago, and my sister and brother-in-law brought him to Sui'an Hall to see a doctor. They're staying at our old house now, so I can take you there right now."
Zhao Luochuan hadn't expected such a coincidence, so he said, "That's great."
He followed Ning Yang towards his old house.
When Yang Donghu passed by Fuxiang Garden, he bought some Eight Treasures Cake to bring to Sister Ning.
"Sister, sister, open the door."
Sister Ning doesn’t look her age. Although she has given birth to a child, she still looks like an unmarried girl.
Sister Ning saw Ning Yang and asked in confusion, "Why are you here now? Isn't the shop busy?"
"I'm not busy right now. I have a friend who wants to talk to you about something. I brought them here."
"Looking for me? What can you want from me? Come in first and talk." Sister Ning invited them into the yard and locked the door.
"Sit down first. What do you want to talk to me about?" Ning's sister politely moved a stool for them to sit on.
Ning Yang was worried about his sick nephew, so he didn't sit with them and talk, but went into the inner room to see his nephew.
Yang Donghu placed the eight-treasure cake he had bought on the table. Without further ado, he got straight to the point and said, "Sorry to bother you, Sister Ning. The truth is, I have a cousin who's recently been dating a girl from Xiaoli Village. I heard Sister Ning's husband's family is also from Xiaoli Village, so I wanted to ask if you're familiar with them and if you could give me some advice so we can buy something that suits her family's taste. If her family is happy, things will go smoothly."
"Don't call me Sister Ning, it sounds awkward. My name is Ning Can, just call me Sister Can." Ning Can laughed and said, "I thought it was a big deal, but it's just this. I know everyone in Xiaoli Village well, so you can definitely ask me. Whose family is this girl from?"
"I remember the girl's name was Li Ruyue, and her mother's name was Zheng Lan. I wonder if Sister Can knows her?"
Ning Can's originally enthusiastic face turned a little uncomfortable when he heard Zheng Lan's name: "It's her family."
Yang Donghu keenly caught the change in Ning Can's face, and his intuition told him that Ning Can must know something: "Sister Can knows?"
Ning Can said somewhat embarrassedly, "I know her, but why did you only visit her house?"
"We were introduced by a matchmaker. I heard her family is nice and she has a good reputation in the village."
Ning Can looked at Yang Donghu, then at Zhao Luochuan, and after some hesitation, he finally spoke: "You are all Ning Yang's friends, so I won't tell you those empty words. If the girl you are seeing is Zheng Lan, I advise you to break up as soon as possible."
Yang Donghu and Zhao Luochuan exchanged a glance, thinking, "There's a chance," but didn't show it on their faces. They asked, "Why?"
"Zheng Lan is a person who says one thing to your face and another behind your back. On the surface, she'll be all smiles and nice to you, but you never know when she'll stab you in the back. She's also very good at playing the weak side. If you go against her, you'll only suffer."
Ning Can seemed to have opened up his mouth, speaking in long paragraphs, "When you were dating, didn't she say how much she loved her daughter and that she was her sweetheart? That's all bullshit. Even if others don't know, don't I know? Our house used to be right next to hers, but then something happened, so we moved further away. She doesn't have any neighbors around, and she bullies anyone who lives next to her. She doesn't bully people openly, but she does some shameful things behind our backs."
"Do you know why she doesn't allow people to live there? It's so that no one can see her abusing her daughter. Zheng Lan beat her daughter ruthlessly, and she would hit her in places where no one could see. Back when I lived next door to her, I once heard Li Ruyue crying out loudly. But I only heard it once, and then there was no sound. If this were told to others, no one would believe it. Zheng Lan treated her daughter very well outside, buying her new clothes and food in front of everyone, and no one could find fault with her."
No wonder Li Ruyue had such a lifeless expression on her face. Zheng Lan had the nerve to say she loved her daughter? How shameless, Yang Donghu thought to himself.
Ning Can's expression shifted from resentment to disgust as he continued, "That's not even the most despicable thing. Zheng Lan's disgusting methods are far worse than this. Many people don't know that Li Ruyue wasn't Zheng Lan's biological child; she picked her up from out of town. I married late, and I heard all this from the woman who used to live next door to Zheng Lan. But she fell ill and passed away last year."
She glanced at Zhao Luochuan, moved her stool closer to Yang Donghu, and lowered her voice, "Zheng Lan brought this daughter home to be a child bride for her son. Years ago, her son would sneak into Li Ruyue's room when Zheng Lan was not at home. One time, I heard Li Ruyue screaming in the yard and wanted to rush in to see. When I opened the door, I saw Zheng Lan's bastard son coming out of Li Ruyue's room with his pants lifted. Li Ruyue was lying on the bed, her clothes stripped off."
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