Chapter 317: Accidentally Knowing

 Chapter 316: Goodbye, Xiang Weinan

Chapter 315: Meeting at the County Office Gate After San Ya finished talking, she saw Bao Ya looking at her eagerly, ready to ask for candy. San Ya quickly spoke before Bao Ya could, saying, "You've already had some today. If you eat more, worms will grow in your mouth, and it will be so painful that you'll roll on the ground. If that happens, you won't be able to eat candy anymore, nor meat, nor even rice. You'll starve." Bao Ya widened her eyes and quickly covered her mouth. With her two sisters comforting her and their grandmother by her side, Xiaozhen, with candy in her mouth, finally felt less anxious and no longer cried helplessly like she did in Daxu Village. Soon after, Ruan Shi returned. She rushed back, already having heard the details from Da Hu. Although Da Hu was young, he had been studying during this period and had improved his communication skills. Ruan Shi understood what had happened. As soon as Ruan Shi entered the house, she picked up Quan Quan and said, "Mother, Ah Yu, you can go and see Fourth Sister. I'll take care of the children." "Alright." The old lady nodded and gave a few instructions before preparing to go with Xiaozhen to meet Lu Sixing. Ruan Shi thought for a moment and asked, "Should we inform Erbai about this? He must be worried about Fourth Sister as well." Ever since they learned that Fourth Sister's husband had gone missing, Lu Erbai had been very concerned. His mobility was limited, so he couldn't search the mountains and villages like his eldest Brother and Third Brother. But he had some experience searching for Er Ya over the years, so even though he hadn't found anyone, he knew a bit about the small paths and alleys in the county town. He had been asking people for information, but unfortunately, there was no news. If he knew that Fourth Sister had been taken away by the county office, he would be even more worried. However, the old lady refused, saying, "No need. It will only worry more people if we tell him. We still don't know the specific situation at the county office and whether we'll be able to see Si Xing. Let's come back and talk about it." Ruan Shi didn't say anything further. The old lady was anxious in her heart, but now that there was someone taking care of Quan Quan, she felt relieved. The group quickly left Liufang Lane and headed straight to the county office. As they approached the county office gate, Xiaozhen couldn't help but grip Shu Yu's hand tightly, feeling fearful and anxious. Shu Yu lowered her head and reassured her, "It's okay, don't worry." "Hey, isn't that the village chief from Daxu Village?" Lu Dasong suddenly whispered. They all looked up and saw three people standing at the county office gate, gazing at the main entrance with troubled expressions. Shu Yu recalled that when they were in Daxu Village, a villager mentioned that the village chief had also come to the county office with some people. She didn't expect to encounter him at the gate. As they approached, Village Chief Chen recognized them. At first, he didn't recognize them, but when he saw Xiaozhen, he suddenly remembered that they were from the Lu family. Village Chief Chen immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Lu Dasong, saying, "You've heard about Yuan Fourth's family, right? Sigh..." He sighed and continued, "We wanted to inquire about the situation, but we can't enter the county office. Our village's Dashi had some acquaintance with a former constable who used to work with the previous county magistrate, but that constable is not at the county office today. Dashi went to his house to look for him, but he might not come until later. Let's wait a bit longer." However, the former constable had worked under the previous county magistrate, so even though he didn't suffer the same fate, there were still things he couldn't know too much about. They could only rely on luck.

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Chapter 314: The Pain Goes Away with Candy The old lady hurriedly stood up and put down what she was holding as she approached, asking, "What happened? Xiao Zhen, what happened to your head?" Upon seeing her grandmother, Xiaozhen's eyes welled up again, and she ran up to her, clinging to her waist and crying softly. The old lady's heart clenched, and she patted Xiaozhen's back, looking at Shu Yu. "Something happened to your Fourth Aunt's family, right?" She didn't see Si Xing, only the two children, and they didn't look too well. The other people in the courtyard noticed and gathered around. Lu Dasong touched Xiaozhen's head and then supported the trembling old lady back into the house. "Mother, please sit down first, and I'll explain slowly." "Explain slowly? Hurry up and don't scare me, this old lady." Lu Dasong nodded quickly and glanced at Xiao Zhen before recounting what they had heard and experienced in Daxu Village. As soon as the old lady heard that Si Xing had been taken away by the official and imprisoned, her face turned pale in an instant, and her hands couldn't stop trembling. How? How could such a thing happen? Wasn't her son-in-law already missing? How did he become a criminal? Liang Shi was also stunned, and she accidentally pricked her finger with the needle she was holding. She exclaimed in pain and quickly put down the needle and thread. This exclamation brought everyone in the room back to their senses. Shu Yu handed Quan Quan to Liang Shi to hold and then covered the trembling hands of the old lady with her own. "Mother, please don't worry. I'll go back and leave Quan Quan here first, then go to the county town to find Xiang-daren and see if I can meet Fourth Aunt. The official told me that as long as Fourth Aunt is unaware, there's a high probability that her life is not in danger. Please rest assured." The old lady turned her head blankly and unconsciously nodded. In the next moment, she hurriedly said, "I'll go too." "Alright." Shu Yu explained Quan Quan's condition and asked Liang Shi to help take care of him. But Liang Shi felt uneasy, fearing that something bad might happen in her care, and she wouldn't be able to explain it. She quickly said, "I can't do it alone. There are several children in our house, and our Bao Ya is still young. I can't take care of one while neglecting the others." Shu Yu thought about it and agreed. She called Da Hu, "You go find Mother and ask her to come back for a while." The sewing workshop was also in Liufang Lane, not far from here. "Okay." Da Hu immediately ran out, and Da Bao hurriedly followed. In no time, the two children's figures disappeared. The old lady had calmed down a bit. She held Xiaozhen, whose eyes were swollen, and took Quan Quan from Liang Shi's arms. She wiped her face and said to Liang Shi, "You go and prepare the medicine for Quan Quan. When my daughter-in-law comes back, help feed it to him. Si Xing is in trouble now, so the children must be well taken care of." Liang Shi had no objections and immediately took the medicine packet from Lu Dasong's hand and went to the kitchen. San Ya also ran into the house and brought out some stored candies, handing them directly to Xiaozhen. Xiaozhen hesitated for a moment, and San Ya simply stuffed the candy into her mouth. "You got hurt on your forehead. It won't hurt anymore after you eat candy." San Ya was a year younger than Xiaozhen and used to come to the Lu family's house with Si Xing from time to time, so the two sisters had a good relationship. Seeing Xiaozhen cheer up after eating the candy, San Ya immediately handed over the remaining candies.

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Chapter 313: Seeing the Doctor The group set off, with only a few of them going to the county town. Lan Hua initially wanted to go along to help take care of the children but was stopped by Li shi. Shu Yu persuaded her to stay behind, as they had the old lady and Da Ya there in the county town, and there was no need for too many people to go. The cart resumed its journey towards the county town. After being fed and changed into clean clothes, Quan Quan finally fell asleep in Shuyu's arms. Xiaozhen was also tired, but she was worried about her mother. She kept lifting the curtain to look outside, eager to see when they would arrive in the county town, even though she had no idea which road they were taking. Finally, the lively sounds around her signaled their arrival in the town. Shu Yu suggested they first see a doctor, especially for the younger child. Infants were the most vulnerable to accidents, and everyone didn't want to take any risks. So the cart stopped directly outside the medical clinic. The doctor examined Xiaozhen's forehead injury first, asked a few questions, and prescribed some medicine. For now, it seemed that there was no major problem. However, if she suddenly felt pain later or if something felt wrong during sleep, they should come back to the clinic. The doctor bandaged her head, and then proceeded to check on Quanquan. As expected, the child had started to feel unwell due to fear. He had vomited twice on the way, unable to digest even a bit of the egg custard. While the doctor was examining him, the child started crying again, his voice weak and feeble, lacking energy. Lu Dasong was extremely worried, and Xiaozhen couldn't help but cry upon hearing this. But she didn't want to disturb the doctor, so she suppressed her voice and wiped away her tears. The doctor said, "I'll prescribe some medicine for you. Be careful when you feed it to him. Pay extra attention in the next couple of days and have someone watch over him. If he develops a fever or starts vomiting, bring him here as soon as possible." He explained some more precautions, and then Shu Yu and the others left with a concerned Quan Quan in their arms. Once they were back on the cart, Xiaozhen remained silent. After a while, she looked up and said, "Uncle, I'll go see Mother on my own. Let's not bring my brother; I'm afraid he'll get scared again." Lu Dasong looked at Shu Yu, who nodded in agreement. "That's what I was thinking too. We'll first take him back to Liufang Lane and explain the situation to grandmother." "That's fine." There was no point in hiding this matter. Furthermore, the old lady probably wanted to visit Lu Sixing as well and make sure she was okay before feeling at ease. The group first returned to Liufang Lane. As soon as they entered, they heard Liang Shi complaining about Lu Sanzhu. She was saying that he woke her up early in the morning to make breakfast when it was still dark outside. Liang Shi was still yawning, and her sewing of doll clothes had slowed down considerably. The old lady paid no attention to her complaints, only occasionally raising her head to observe the playful children. San Ya had already developed the demeanor of a young lady and was chatting with Bao Ya while holding a doll. The two little girls were quiet and well-behaved, but Da Bao was restless. Da Bao wanted to learn to read with Da Hu, but he was impatient. At the moment, he was following Liang Shi, acting spoiled and saying he wanted to go out and play. Liang Shi wasn't familiar with the people here, so she was hesitant. She was thinking about letting Da Hu take him. Just as she was considering this, Shu Yu and the others returned. The old lady looked up and smiled, "Ah Yu, did you bring everything..." Her words trailed off as she saw her eldest son, grandson, and granddaughter. Her whole body froze.

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Chapter 312: Steamed Egg Custard The mule cart quickly stopped in front of the main courtyard of Shishi Village. Shu Yu carried a hungry Quan Quan, who was whimpering and on the verge of tears, out of the cart. Lan Hua sat at the entrance, holding a small stool and sewing while waiting for them. Seeing their figures, she quickly placed her needle and thread basket on the stool and greeted them, "Father, how is fourth Aunt's house?" "Let's go inside first." Lu Dasong's expression was far from relaxed, causing Lan Hua to feel anxious. She looked at the wound on Xiaozhen's forehead, who was being led by Da Niu from behind, and was immediately shocked. After everyone entered the house, she hurriedly closed the door. Li Shi furrowed her brows and came out of the main hall, about to say something when Lu Dasong instructed her, "You should first make something for Quan Quan and Xiaozhen to eat. Steam two bowls of egg custard to fill their stomachs." Li Shi frowned and hesitated, not moving. "What's going on? Why do they need to eat? And egg custard at that! We've saved those eggs for a long time, isn't he being too generous?" "Oh, don't ask now. Hurry up. Once the children finish eating, we still have to rush to the county town." Li Shi was unhappy and dragged her feet. Fortunately, Lan Hua was quick-witted and had already run to the kitchen to get busy. Shu Yu couldn't be bothered to look at Li Shi and carried Quan Quan into the kitchen. Seeing this, Xiaozhen pulled on her sleeve and hurriedly followed. Shu Yu comforted Quan Quan while explaining the situation in Daxu Village to Lan Hua. In the yard, Lu Dasong briefly explained the situation to Li Shi. Lan Hua's face was filled with shock after hearing everything, while Li Shi was on the verge of erupting in anger. She had just mentioned Yuan Shanchuan's name when Da Niu, who had sharp eyes and quick hands, pulled her aside. "Mother, Xiaozhen is still here. Don't say anything that will upset her. Besides, Ah Yu is here too. Haven't you forgotten about the time Uncle Erbai's shop opened and sent gifts from the officials? Don't worry, Aunt Si will be fine." "Of course, I hope she's fine." Otherwise, it would be their burden. Li Shi was already troubled these past two days and now her heart was aching. She didn't want to see Xiaozhen and the others, so she simply returned to her room. Lu Dasong didn't have the time or energy to argue with her at this critical moment, so he didn't bother to say anything. He instructed Er Niu, who had already returned, to find his childhood pants and change Quan Quan into them. Although Shu Yu had removed his diaper, the child's pants were still wet. The steamed egg custard was quickly ready, and Lan Hua handed a bowl to Xiaozhen, who hesitated. She knew that this was a precious thing. When she had visited her third uncles' houses before, she hardly had the chance to eat it. Her eldest uncle's house had her eldest aunt to take care of things. Her second uncle's family was struggling, and her mother wouldn't let her eat. As for her third uncle, well, let's not even mention it. It was already good enough if they didn't cry poor and say they didn't have egg custard for their precious daughter. So in Xiaozhen's heart, the egg custard at her uncles' houses was very precious. Now, there were two bowls steamed at once, and she was hesitant to take action, especially when her parents were not around. Lan Hua took a spoon and said, "Hurry up and eat. We still need to go to the county town to see your mother. Don't delay." On the other side, Shu Yu had already started feeding Quan Quan, who was obviously very hungry and ate vigorously. After feeding him one bowl, Quan Quan was still not satisfied and tugged at her hand, babbling, "Eat, ah, eat." Shu Yu wiped the corners of his mouth and said, "Okay, let's not eat for now. We'll eat later when we go to the county town." After speaking, she turned to look at Xiaozhen, who had already finished eating and was eagerly looking at her, wanting to go to the county town to see her mother. Shu Yu switched Quan Quan to her other arm and said, "Let's go." Special thanks to these patrons for their support!!!

Chapter 311: Shu Yu Soothes the Baby Da Niu was in a hurry to drive the mule cart, so he handed the baby in his arms to Lu Dasong, who was struggling to hold the child stiffly. Lu Dasong was clearly not used to carrying children, especially a baby who was only eleven months old. He was afraid of accidentally hurting the child. Quan Quan was already frightened and crying hoarsely. He had calmed down a bit in Da Niu's arms, but now he started crying again. Xiaozhen was very anxious and couldn't control her tears either. She cried while comforting her younger brother. Shu Yu reached out her hand and said, "Give me the child." Lu Dasong hurriedly handed the baby over, then let out a big sigh of relief. Shu Yu checked the baby first. Not only had he wet his diaper, but he also looked very hungry. Moreover, such a young child was easily affected by shocks and could easily be in danger. After crying for so long, his voice had become hoarse. Shu Yu thought for a moment and said to Da Niu, who was driving outside, "Big Brother Da Niu, Shishi Village is closer from here. Let's go back there first and ask eldest Aunt to help prepare some rice soup or porridge for the child to eat before we go to the county town." "Okay." Although Da Niu was also very worried about his fourth aunt, Quan Quan's condition was definitely more serious now. The mule cart turned towards the fork in the road, and Shu Yu did a good job of comforting the child. She removed Quan Quan's diaper, luckily there were clean cloth pieces in the mule cart, so she wiped him with it first. Quan Quan felt a little more comfortable, and his crying subsided. Shu Yu gently rocked him and patted his back with one hand, then hummed a soft tune. The baby gradually stopped crying, pouted his mouth, and raised his wet eyes to look at Shu Yu. Shu Yu smiled at him, and Quan Quan also grinned. The child's emotions finally stabilized, and Lu Dasong immediately breathed a sigh of relief. So many things had happened one after another at youngest sister's house, and he was afraid that something else might happen to the child. Sixing wouldn't be able to withstand such a blow. "Ah Yu, you sing so beautifully," Xiaozhen looked up at Shu Yu, feeling a little less anxious in her heart. She finally knew that Ah Yu was the sister her mother had mentioned before, the sister who had gone missing from second Uncle's family. She was supposed to meet her last time, but something happened at home, and her mother didn't take her to see Ah Yu. Now she finally saw her. Xiaozhen held her brother's hand and listened to Shu Yu's lullaby, feeling a little drowsy. However, Shu Yu reached out and touched her forehead, asking softly, "How did you get the injury on your forehead?" She didn't believe that the officials caused the injury when they were arresting people. Since it was Wang Hong who was in charge this time, he specifically waited for her in the village. He wouldn't allow his subordinates to be so violent towards children. Sure enough, Xiao Zhen lowered her head and whispered, "It was thrown by my grandmother. When my mother was taken away, my grandmother beat her and said my mother was a jinx, causing trouble for the Yuan family. I wanted to protect my mother, so my grandmother accidentally hit me." Grandmother was so terrifying at that time, she was holding a stone as if she wanted to fight her mother to death. She instinctively went to shield her mother, and as a result, the stone hit her head. Fortunately, the official grabbed her in time. Her grandmother could only throw stones, but if she had hit her directly, she might have died. Shu Yu frowned but didn't say much. She just gently touched the injury. Xiaozhen pressed her lips, not crying out in pain, but she couldn't hold back her gasps. Shu Yu whispered, "When we get to the county town, both you and Quan Quan should see a doctor first." Xiaozhen relied on her and held onto her sleeve with her right hand, saying, "Okay." Special thanks to these patrons for their support!!!