“Murder? No…impossible…how could my Er Ya kill someone! Besides, you need evidence!” Er Ya’s father said this without confidence, and sweat began to seep from his forehead.
"Father, save me! I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't!" Er Ya's emotions collapsed instantly upon hearing this, and she sat on the ground and wailed loudly.
"Jiang Shan, gag her! She's too noisy!" Jiang Ling already disliked Er Ya, and now Er Ya's crying was even more shrill and piercing. Jiang Ling felt like she had a splitting headache.
Upon hearing the order, Jiang Shan stuffed a rag from the table into Er Ya's mouth. Although Er Ya's parents were displeased, they were intimidated by Jiang Shan's muscular physique and could only open their mouths, unable to utter a word.
The room quieted down considerably. Jiang Ling looked at Er Ya's parents and said, "Today, I asked you two to come here because I wanted to settle Er Ya's wages for the past two weeks. You can take her away! But you immediately asked me to pay you back. Since that's the case, let's have a proper talk!"
Er Ya's parents immediately regretted their words upon hearing Jiang Ling's statement. They had never expected that Jiang Ling's visit today was merely to let them take their child home and give them some wages. However, the words had already been spoken, and there was no going back. Er Ya's father could only grit his teeth and continue, "Alright, then let me hear what you have to say!"
Jiang Ling sneered inwardly, "These two really won't shed a tear until they see the coffin!"
"Alright, you want to know what happened, right? Well, I'll tell you! Your precious daughter pushed my daughter-in-law..."
"Oh dear, I thought it was something serious! Rich people are just weak. People like us who work in the fields all year round, let alone being pushed, even if we strain our backs, we still have to go to work the next day!" As soon as Er Ya's mother heard that it was just a push, she immediately perked up and started talking non-stop.
Jiang Ling smiled faintly and said calmly, "I say, Er Ya's mother, it's not a good habit to expect others to speak first! I haven't finished speaking yet! My daughter-in-law is almost four months pregnant! And it's her first pregnancy! Your daughter, on the other hand, found an excuse to lure my daughter-in-law out, and then pushed her in a secluded spot! How do you think I should settle this score?"
Jiang Ling grew angrier as she spoke, and finally slammed her hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and glared at Er Ya's parents.
Er Ya's mother turned pale with fright, and Er Ya's father was also at a loss. They never expected that this short and thin woman would have such a strong aura.
The air fell silent instantly. Er Ya's parents finally gave in and hunched over as they sat back down in their chairs.
Jiang Ling glared fiercely at Er Ya's parents, her tone icy cold: "Fine, you want an explanation? Then let's go to the county magistrate and have a proper talk! But, there's something I need to make clear beforehand: the county magistrate is a seventh-rank official, while I am only a fifth-rank Anren! To put it simply, your so-called county magistrate can't imprison me! Even the prefect of Qingzhou is only a sixth-rank official! Do you understand what I mean?"
Jiang Ling practically screamed it out at the end.
Er Ya's parents were so frightened that they trembled. They looked at each other and knelt down on the ground with a thud, their bodies shaking like leaves. "My Lord! My Lord, we deserve to die!"
As he spoke, Er Ya's father slapped her across the face. Judging from the sound and Er Ya's swollen face, the force must have been considerable.
Jiang Ling's anger didn't diminish in the slightest. She continued with a cold laugh, "Alright, take the child home to discipline him. I'm not buying it! And there's something I must remind you of: my daughter-in-law isn't cheap either. You've probably heard of that porcelain tycoon, Shen Qianhe, right? My daughter-in-law is the eldest daughter of the Shen family—Shen Congxin! Shen Qianhe doesn't know about this yet. If I have someone inform Shen Qianhe now, you'll see what happens."
Hearing this, Er Ya's parents were even more heartbroken, especially Er Ya's mother, who stared intently at Er Ya in front of her, pinching Er Ya hard with her hands.
"Alright, I won't pay you for the next two weeks. Take the child back and discipline him so he doesn't get in my way! Get out of here!" Jiang Ling glared and snapped.
Upon hearing this, Er Ya's parents carried her away, fearing that if they were even a second late, Jiang Ling would eat them. Zhao Er Leng's wife, standing to the side, was somewhat embarrassed and at a loss. She couldn't leave, nor could she stay. She could only stand there, twisting the hem of her clothes and hanging her head.
"Sister-in-law Erleng, don't go yet!" Jiang Ling's words eased Zhao Erleng's wife's mind a little.
She looked at Jiang Ling with shame, her eyes welling up with tears.
"I...I didn't expect Er Ya to do such a thing, I'm sorry..." Zhao Er Leng's wife apologized to Jiang Ling again.
Jiang Ling gently patted Zhao Erleng's wife on the shoulder and comforted her, "This has nothing to do with you. When you get back tonight, don't tell Da Ya. I really appreciate Da Ya's work ability! I feel very comfortable with her staying here!"
"Really...really?" Zhao Erleng's wife looked at Jiang Ling with disbelief.
Jiang Ling nodded and smiled, "When have I ever lied to you? Da Ya can stay here completely, so she won't feel any psychological pressure!"
Zhao Erleng's wife burst into tears of joy, quickly wiped her eyes, nodded, and left.
On the other side, Er Ya's parents carried her to the entrance of Lujia Village before putting her down, untying the ropes, and removing the cloth from her mouth.
"Slap!" Another slap landed, making Er Ya see stars.
"You!" Er Ya's father glared angrily at Er Ya. If it weren't for the fact that she was his daughter, he probably would have killed her!
"You son of a bitch, you've gotten yourself into this mess! I'll beat you to death today!" With that, Er Ya's father swung his fist at Er Ya again.
Er Ya's mother quickly stopped Er Ya's father, "Husband! Husband! What are you doing? You'll hurt the child if you do this! Besides, we're in Lu Family Village now, not at home!"
Once Er Ya's father gets angry, nothing can stop him. He shoved Er Ya's mother aside, pointed at Er Ya, and roared, "I should have beaten this brat to death today! If that An family hadn't let us off the hook, do you think we would have been able to leave their house peacefully?"
"Fine, you brat, wait till we get home and I'll deal with you!" With that, Er Ya's father angrily abandoned Er Ya and her mother and walked out of the village.
Er Ya's mother pulled Er Ya close behind, afraid that Er Ya's father would abandon them.
The three of them returned home in a low-spirited atmosphere.
"Kneel down!" Er Ya's father slammed his hand on the table and shouted as soon as he got home.
Er Ya suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face again.
Er Ya's mother stood aside, not daring to speak, her head bowed as she looked at her feet.
"Fine, Er Ya, since you're so resourceful, I might as well find you a husband and get you married off. I can't control you anymore!" Er Ya's father scolded angrily.
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