"Who says I have no evidence? I saw it with both eyes. It was your third son sneaking around looking for my sister, and then my sister carried me up the mountain! Now that my sister can't be found, who else could it be but your third son who's harmed?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Qianshang stared at Liu Xiaolan with a half-smile, the mockery at the corner of her mouth becoming more pronounced, but her tone gradually turning cold.
"So, according to you, from now on, as long as you see it, without any other evidence, what you say can become the truth?"
"Nonsense! I saw it all, how can it not be real?" Liu Xiaolan stood with her hands on her hips, looking ridiculously arrogant.
Anyone in the village with a modicum of sense could tell something was wrong and kept shaking their heads in denial.
After all, it was Liu Xiaolan who was talking the whole story from beginning to end, which was quite strange. So everyone shut their mouths and just listened quietly to the debate between the two sides.
"Alright, since that's the case, then tell me exactly when you saw my third son looking for Liu Xiaoyu?" Mo Qianshang crossed her arms and looked at Liu Xiaolan with great interest.
Liu Xiaolan felt a sudden chill run down her spine under her gaze, but given the circumstances, she had no room to back down and could only give a vague response.
"It was...it was...yesterday morning! My parents went out to pick wild vegetables, and that little rascal sneaked into our place, beckoned to my sister, and called her out!"
"I see." Mo Qianshang nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with what Liu Xiaolan said, but then suddenly turned her head to look at her second son.
"Qingyu, do you have anything to add regarding what Liu Xiaolan said?"
Although it would be best for the adults to resolve this issue, her second child is usually quite quiet, and she is worried that the child's temperament will become weaker and weaker, so she wants to try to train the child.
Qin Qingyu did not disappoint Mo Qianshang. He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked to Mo Qianshang's side. His voice was soft but clear enough for everyone to hear.
“Mother, my eldest brother should have been playing with me yesterday morning and never went out. Xiaoyun, my eldest brother, and my younger sister can all testify to this.”
"Very good, go back and sit down." Mo Qianshang affectionately rubbed her son's head, but when she looked up at Liu Xiaolan, her eyes were filled with icy coldness.
"Liu Xiaolan, compared to what you said, it seems we have more witnesses on our side."
"Pah! Those are all your family members, so of course you're talking to your own people!" Liu Xiaolan retorted casually, completely unaware that her words had actually helped Mo Qianshang.
"According to you, you're also a member of your own family, and you'll speak up for your family, so your words can't be trusted either?" Mo Qianshang's eyebrows curved slightly, revealing a playful smile, her tone unmistakably sarcastic.
"I..." Liu Xiaolan suddenly realized that she had shot herself in the foot. Continuing to speak was not an option, nor was remaining silent.
It was incredibly awkward.
Seeing that the people around her no longer sympathized with or favored Liu Xiaolan, they looked at Qin Zixuan with more pity in their eyes. The first step in clearing the third brother's name of his stigma had been achieved.
Mo Qianshang was too lazy to let Liu Xiaolan continue dancing around like a clown, so she raised her hand and waved it impatiently.
"Alright, I'll send your sister back within five days. Tell your parents to wait patiently."
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaolan instinctively wanted to scold Mo Qianshang for boasting, but Mo Qianshang anticipated her thoughts and threatened her coldly.
"Of course, I'm not some pushover. If you cause trouble again, I won't mind taking a break and not helping your family find anyone."
Thus, no matter how angry Liu Xiaolan was, she dared not continue to throw a tantrum. She could only lower her head, glare venomously at Mo Qianshang, and leave with a disheveled look on her face, muttering to herself.
"Finding it in five days in the middle of nowhere? Aren't you afraid the wind will make you bite your tongue?"
Those who heard her words couldn't help but spit at Liu Xiaolan's retreating figure, "Pah! What a piece of trash! Helping her family find someone and still making sarcastic remarks, I think she doesn't want her sister to come back!"
"Who can argue with that!"
With the troublemaker gone, everyone made a few complaints and then returned to their respective resting places with sheepish smiles.
Only the Qin family's boys and girls looked at their mother with worry, wanting to say something but not daring to. It was Mo Qianshang who took the initiative to step forward and ruffle their fluffy little heads.
"Don't worry, since Mother dared to make a promise in front of everyone, she will definitely be able to keep it."
Her words were full of confidence, but the worry on the faces of the little ones only increased, as they all thought that Mo Qianshang was just trying to comfort them.
Qin Yuya was the youngest and the least able to control her emotions. She held back for a while, but still stretched out her thin but fair little hand and asked timidly.
"Mother, why don't we... run away first and ignore those bad people!"
Unexpectedly, even her youngest daughter could say such a thing. Mo Qianshang was both amused and exasperated. She squatted down, picked up the little girl, pressed her face against hers, and comforted her with a smile.
"Xiaoya, don't be afraid, Mother is truly confident. I'll tell you a secret, actually Mother..."
Knowing that her little girl was usually timid but tight-lipped, Mo Qianshang simply told her that she had already saved Liu Xiaoyu, so that the little one could rest assured.
As expected, upon hearing Mo Qianshang's words, the little girl first covered her mouth, but couldn't suppress the smile that burst from her eyes, making her obsidian-like eyes shine even brighter.
Mo Qianshang couldn't help but kiss his cute little face. "Can I rest assured now?"
The little girl nodded vigorously, and didn't forget to wink at her brothers, signaling them not to worry.
The other little ones were very curious, but since their mother hadn't told them, it meant they couldn't know for the time being. So they didn't ask any more questions and obediently continued eating the fruit they hadn't finished earlier.
However, a hint of worry, which he had not noticed, flashed across Qin Baiyi's eyes as he gazed at Mo Qianshang with a calm and deep gaze.
Even though he didn't say anything, Mo Qianshang suddenly sensed something was wrong and turned her head to look at him.
"You've been working hard lately, don't worry too much, I'm confident."
Mo Qianshang spoke with such certainty, and Qin Baiyi, being an indifferent person, didn't bother to say anything more. As he looked away, he noticed the greenish-blue light that had been holding a signal in the air suddenly go out...
During the day, Mo Qianshang took some time to lead some strong men from the village, as well as a few children, to explore the surrounding area and see if they could find a way out.
The result was still fruitless.
Considering how hard the children had worked following her around on their search, Mo Qianshang lit a small fire that evening and cooked some marinated wild boar meat and wild vegetables with the children.
To avoid arousing suspicion from others, Mo Qianshang didn't exchange for many seasonings from the store. Qin Baiyi hesitated for a moment after taking a bite, but didn't think much of it.
Anyway, he should find out tonight what exactly Mo Qianshang added to the children's food last time...
Thinking this way, time seemed to pass faster, and before long the night became so dark it looked as if ink could drip from it.
The sounds of snoring, accompanied by the low chirping of insects, almost lulled everyone to sleep, except for Qin Baiyi.
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