Free Web NovelChapter 400: Chapter 156: Partners in Crime (Part 2)
See? This was the retaliation.
Chen Song and his men went to the riverbank to investigate and discovered the assailant’s footprints. They weren’t large, looking as if they belonged to a young, not-yet-fully-grown girl. By connecting this clue to people who held a grudge against Chen Wanyue and asking at the city gate about a woman in yellow who had left town that day, they easily identified the culprit.
The girl was surprisingly direct and confessed immediately. Her mother, however, collapsed to the ground in tears, insisting that her daughter had only acted at her urging and that she wanted to take the blame for her.
Of course, she couldn’t take the blame for her daughter. The girl was now locked away in prison.
When Chen Wanyue learned the culprit had been caught, she even went to the prison personally to taunt the girl, saying she would bribe the death row inmates to torture her to death.
While the young girl’s attempt at murder was wrong, Chen Wanyue’s viciousness made people wish she had simply drowned in the river that day.
As for the peddler who had saved Chen Wanyue, she was so overwhelmed with gratitude that she had him stay with her at the Shi Family’s residence.
It was said she even wanted to become sworn siblings with the man. However, the elderly couple of the Shi Family, worried that Chen Wanyue would gain an accomplice and that the two would conspire to seize their assets, put a stop to it.
To prevent the two from growing closer, the old couple from the Shi Family treated the peddler poorly and tried to drive him out.
Because they had run into this peddler at the entrance to the village earlier that day, Chen Wanqing and Zhao Jing made a point to ask Chen Song about him when they saw him.
They asked what the peddler looked like and where he was now.
Chen Song had never actually seen the peddler himself, so he sent someone to make inquiries. Sure enough, the description matched the man they had met at the entrance to the village.
The two of them made a mental note of this. They had planned to find someone to keep an eye on him, but before they could act, the peddler made the first move.
He had stood at the Zhao Family’s gate, shouting five or six times without moving. He’d even specifically told Xiang’er he would be coming back often. If he didn’t have malicious intentions, they would eat their own incense-making grindstone.
Chen Wanqing said, "Wanyue has become thoroughly malicious. She deeply resents me and Jing. Jing and I suspect that peddler is specifically targeting our family."
Chen Wanqing was being diplomatic. To be blunt, she suspected the peddler had been goaded or even threatened by Wanyue into coming to the Zhao Village specifically to seduce Xiang’er.
But the words were too vulgar. Even just voicing the suspicion would be a great insult to Xiang’er.
Chen Wanqing didn’t say it aloud, but Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er weren’t fools. When they considered the possibility, the color drained from their faces.
CLATTER! The chopsticks fell from Xiang’er’s hand and onto the table. She scrambled to pick them up but accidentally knocked over her bowl, spilling porridge all over her skirt.
"Xiang’er, be careful! Did you get burned?"
"Are you okay? Child, what are you so flustered about? Your brother and sister-in-law are here to handle things."
"Go change your clothes. Come back after you’re done."
While Xiang’er was changing, the three people in the courtyard lost all appetite for their meal.
Mrs. Zhao said, relieved, "Thank goodness he didn’t try to use force..."
"He wouldn’t dare."
"But having a menace like that around is still terrifying."
"Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll handle this..."
Xiang’er came out of her room after changing, the color having returned to her face.
She sat down and immediately started cursing. "That bastard! To think I actually thought he was a good person. I was even going to get him a dipper of cool water. It’s a good thing I didn’t, or I’d slap myself silly."
"Chen Wanyue is so venomous. How can she be so evil?"
"Brother, that peddler is coming back the day after tomorrow. You have to find a way to deal with him!"
The matter with the peddler left the entire family on edge.
Chen Wanyue’s instigation of an attack on Xiang’er had clearly touched Zhao Jing’s reverse scale. He was not prepared to let her off lightly anymore.
The day the peddler was to visit the Zhao Village arrived quickly.
It was an overcast day. The air was heavy and oppressively humid. Swallows flew low across the sky, frogs were croaking wildly, and fish broke the surface of the water, gasping for air. Every sign pointed to an impending downpour.
People sat under the trees in front of their homes, making small talk while fanning themselves relentlessly. Even so, sweat continued to bead on their skin.
In such weather, the sight of a peddler heading into the village was a strange one for anyone to see.
"It’s bound to rain today. Why are you coming into the village now? What will you do when you get drenched?"
"Getting soaked is one thing, but catching a chill from it is another. If you don’t get treatment in time, you could be dead in a few days."
The peddler chuckled. "It’s no problem. I’ve got a conical hat and a straw raincoat, so I’m not afraid of the rain."
"On a day like this, people stay home. If they need something, they can buy it from me. If I earn a couple of extra copper coins, I’ll have enough for my meals today."
