kingnovel Chapter 166 Identification
Chapter 166 Identification
Old Song finally managed to squeeze into the Li family's courtyard, but after searching everywhere and not finding Da Bao and his brother, he panicked. Seeing Li Xiaonuan standing near the gate, he went up to her and asked her.
"Miss Li, have you seen Da Bao and Er Bao?"
Li Xiaonuan nodded and replied, "Grandpa Song, don't worry, Erbao went to earn money for you. Dabao was worried, so he went with him."
"Earn...earn money?" Old Song felt he was too old; his ears were starting to ring.
"Yes, to earn money. That official said that anyone who is willing to lead the Wang family to catch someone on the road will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Erbao was quick-witted and snatched this easy job. Dabao was worried about Erbao, so he went along with him." Li Xiaonuan said with a relaxed expression.
Old Song was no longer calm. He asked nervously, "Xiao Nuan, is that matter dangerous? Er Bao, could he have offended that person?" As he spoke, he slightly raised his head and looked at the grim-looking man on the steps.
Li Xiaonuan shook her head firmly: "Grandpa Song, don't worry, that adult isn't the kind of person to hold a grudge against a little kid. Besides, he really likes Erbao."
Old Song felt a little relieved to see that Li Xiaonuan wasn't worried at all. But the worry in his heart just wouldn't go away.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. The Wang family's mother and daughter-in-law were pushed and shoved in by ten soldiers. Erbao nestled happily in the arms of the soldier named Shengzi, while Dabao followed beside him, panting. But his undisguised excitement made Li Xiaonuan want to laugh.
After the Wang family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were brought into the courtyard, the younger daughter-in-law immediately pretended to faint. Unfortunately, there was no one in the courtyard to show her any mercy, so she fell to the ground with a spectacular crash. Li Xiaonuan looked at her brows furrowed in pain and thought that this person's intelligence was quite worrying.
Erbao was put down, and he ran happily to Old Song, proudly showing off: "Grandpa, look, Erbao earned some money!" As he spoke, he took his hand away from his chest and took out a silver ingot.
Da Bao, panting, said, "That gentleman kept his word. Our Er Bao really earned some money. Grandpa, with this money, we can buy quilts this winter."
Erbao chimed in with a smile, "We can also fix the roof, then we won't be afraid of the rain anymore. Last time it leaked, my brother insisted that I wet the bed. I've observed it carefully, it's just the rain leaking down and wetting the bed, Erbao doesn't wet the bed. Erbao isn't your aunt, she's so old and still wetting her pants, it's so embarrassing."
Da Bao smiled and took Er Bao's little hand, saying to him, "Brother will never make fun of Er Bao again."
Old Song took the silver ingot, his eyes filled with tears: "He's really my good grandson. Come on, let's go home together. We'll go to town to buy quilts later."
Wang Huangshi listened to the conversation between the grandmother and her two grandchildren with gritted teeth, her heart aching terribly. Those ten taels of silver were hers! These soldiers and bandits had barked and yelled as soon as they entered, forcing her to hand over the ten taels. But in the end, they still brought the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law with them.
Even after entering the Li family's courtyard, Wang Huangshi still couldn't figure out why she and her daughter-in-law had been brought there. She looked expressionlessly at her daughter-in-law, Fangshi, who was pretending to faint, and felt that this matter was inextricably linked to her.
Seeing that Fang's forehead was starting to sweat, Wang Huang couldn't help but curse in her heart: Hurry up and throw that little bastard away, so that she can divorce Tu'er.
Seeing that Fang was deliberately feigning unconsciousness, the officer on the steps coldly ordered, "Quickly get a bucket of water to wake her up. If this matter drags on too long and the higher-ups investigate, none of us can afford to take the blame."
A bucket of water was poured down without warning, startling Fang so much that she jumped to her feet.
"Oh dear, who is so wicked? I'm pregnant! You'll be punished for doing this!" This child is Fang's guarantee for her power and influence in the Wang family; she can't afford any mishaps.
"Oh, did I hear that right? Wang Tu left home before his wedding, so whose child is in your belly? Aren't you Wang Tu's wife? Wang Tu's mother, whose son is this wife?" A nosy and disapproving woman outside the courtyard asked sarcastically.
Fang was, after all, a young woman with limited experience. Therefore, she felt extremely ashamed and embarrassed after her shortcomings were exposed in public.
"Auntie, why are you doing this? I'm the victim, after all. Saying things like this is practically leaving me no way out." But as the saying goes, shamelessness is invincible. Although Fang was ashamed, she was incredibly cunning. With just a few words, she easily shifted the blame onto someone else.
"My goodness! There really are people like this in the world! Listen to this: Fang married into the Wang family and got pregnant with another man's bastard child. It was a disgraceful affair that should have resulted in her being drowned, but she made it sound like I'm the one who's driven her to despair. What a vicious scheme! If she were my daughter-in-law, I would have hanged her with a rope long ago. That way, I wouldn't have ruined the family reputation and implicated my descendants." The woman retorted.
Hearing these words, Madam Wang wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground. It was entirely her own fault for marrying such a scourge to her son. If it weren't for wanting to wait peacefully for her son's return, she might have strangled this wretched woman back then.
"Personal grudges can wait until later. Old man, take a look back, is the Wang family's daughter-in-law among those two you mentioned?" The officer watched the show for a while, then became impatient again.
Compared to the pure dissatisfaction expressed when Fang was woken up by being splashed with water, the officer's cold and authoritative voice, which was not angry, frightened Wang Huangshi and her daughter-in-law.
Fang was already feeling guilty, and this fright made her shrink back. She tried her best to turn to the side and lower her head so that the old man couldn't see her face.
A soldier who had long disliked Fang couldn't resist using the handle of his broadsword to lift her head and thrust it back at her. Terrified by the soldier pointing the knife at her, Fang froze, moving only involuntarily with the movement of the blade.
The old man finally saw Fang's face clearly and said loudly, "That's right, it's her, the young woman."
Hearing the sound, the soldier sheathed his knife and disgustedly wiped it on a cluster of four o'clocks. Li Xiaonuan looked at the cluster of four o'clocks with heartache, praying that the soldier would be gentle and not ruin the flower bed she had painstakingly cultivated.
After the knife was removed, Fang sat down heavily on the ground. This time, Fang was truly terrified. Li Xiaonuan could clearly hear the dull thud of Fang's bottom hitting the ground.
Li Xiaonuan thought to herself: Could this butt be split into eight pieces? Fang will definitely be in so much pain tomorrow that she won't be able to get out of bed.
Now that the person who framed her family had been caught, Li Xiaonuan felt relieved and walked over to the Li family members. At this moment, the Li family members no longer felt the initial fear and hesitation. Xiao Jun even smiled when he saw Fang Shi fall.