Exile after Divorce? Empty the Scumbag Husband First!-Chapter 292 - 284: She Gently Holds Zong Jun’s Hands
When he hesitated, Wen Qiang spoke again to provoke him: "I also know you are not in the mood for enjoying the snow or flowers, and have been worrying about the famine refugees outside the mansion these days, right?"
"Zong Jun has been a kind-hearted person even before marrying me. We originally met while distributing porridge, so this time I want to take you to my aunt’s house because they need manpower to distribute grain to the villagers. Shall we go and help?"
This indeed persuaded Zong Jun, and he agreed to go along.
But in the carriage, he did not forget to speak with Wen Qiang.
"Qiang’er, with such a natural calamity, we cannot let your father sit idle, waiting for the court’s relief. I suggested to him before to distribute grain or temporarily reduce food taxes to mitigate the disaster, but he refused to listen. Have you tried persuading him?"
Wen Qiang said helplessly, "You know my father is hard to talk to; even though I’m his daughter, I have no say in such matters."
"But rest assured, I have mentioned it as well. As the magistrate, my father has his considerations. It’s no use saying more. Though he’s not blind, he can always see the suffering of the city’s people and will find a way."
She gently held Zong Jun’s hands and softly said, "Let’s avoid unnecessary trouble for now and focus on the charitable deeds within our capability."
Seeing Zong Jun nod, Wen Qiang affectionately leaned towards his chest.
At this moment, Zong Jun suddenly remembered something,
However, upon leaving, Wen Qiang had secretly ordered to find out about the woman who met with Zong Jun and... kill without mercy.
···
On the other side, the aunt and Shaoxi discovered that after settling those women, the madam wanted to leave the place.
When stopped by the aunt, she shook her head solemnly, "Mrs. Ruan, there are still many women like them in Yanliu Building. If I don’t show up, none of them will escape death." Shaoxi tried to speak up, but Ruan Mian returned.
Ruan Mian had anticipated the situation in the brothel and knew that most of the women there were forced into it.
So she already had a plan.
"Shaoxi, let Nanny Lou go."
Shaoxi was taken aback, about to speak, when Ruan Mian approached the madam and whispered a few words.
Nanny Lou’s face gradually turned pale, and she looked at Ruan Mian with some uncertainty, "Is this method feasible?"
"Do as I say, Wen Yuan can’t do anything to you."
Seeing her determined gaze, Nanny Lou nodded solemnly.
After seeing her off, the aunt approached Ruan Mian, and the two of them took out dry rations from the space in an empty room.
These included smoked meat they preserved in a shed, some fresh eggs, and leafy vegetables.
Additionally, they found some fresh fungi on nearby deadwood.
Seeing it was good stuff, Ruan Mian picked quite a bit.
She planned to make a pot of smoked meat hotpot today to satisfy everyone’s cravings.
While preparing the ingredients, the aunt asked about Wen Yuan’s situation, "That old thing isn’t dead, is he?"
"If he just died like that, wouldn’t it be too easy for him?"
The aunt nodded repeatedly, "That’s right! We can’t let him die so quickly. But Mianmian, when do you plan to take everything from his private treasury? You now know where it is."
"We haven’t taken everything, but we have taken part of it."
She moved several boxes of grain and copper coins from the space, and when the aunt saw them, she couldn’t help but curse. "Indeed, he’s a greedy hyena. This grain is clearly donated by other cities, yet he embezzled it? And these copper coins! They must belong to the people."
While cutting meat, Ruan Mian nodded, "Fleecing the flock once more, so I plan to use these to save some people first. As for other things in the private treasury, I’ll wait for the best opportunity to make him watch his efforts go down the drain. That would be more satisfying."
"Moreover..."
Seeing her hesitating to speak, the aunt knew what she was thinking, "I’ve already sent someone to investigate Song’er’s matter. Since you’ve met him, we’re close to the truth."
"If the man you saw is indeed Song’er, and his condition is related to Wen Yuan, then I’ll make sure Mr. Wen can’t get away with it!!"
Ruan Mian smiled slightly, "We’ll eventually figure out what happened to my brother."
She also had people looking into his whereabouts, and as planned, she would know by tonight in what capacity her brother was in Ru Ning.
Carrying the prepared ingredients into the room, those women had long smelled the aroma. They hadn’t had a good meal in a long time. During the days when the Commandery Princess held them captive, they only had dry husks and vegetables to survive.
Especially in this shortage of grain, a meal rich with both meat and vegetables, full of color, aroma, and taste, was a rare treat.
Seeing them uncontrollably devouring the food, Ruan Mian couldn’t help but remember what Ah Huai said to her when they parted.
He said, as a subject of this empire, he could not stand idly by while this dynasty deteriorated further, consumed by evildoers.
If there was even the slightest chance of reversing the situation, he would spare no effort, as it was not only his wish but also the wish of countless "Mr. Zhang"s. Though she was originally an outsider, with a god’s perspective on everything in this book, she only truly understood the suffering and tragedy once she was part of it.
She protected the Ruan Family, and she wanted to protect the innocent people who were unjustly implicated in the book by treacherous rebels in the same way.
Perhaps one’s strength could hardly move mountains and rivers, but if she could accumulate enough resources by helping more people in need, things might be different.
With this thought, she looked at the women and said sincerely.
"Take your time eating. Days when you can eat meat without constantly being in fear will come."
Hearing this, a woman sitting beside her looked up and asked her brightly.
"Will that really happen? If Mr. Wen is punished, won’t another ’Mr. Wen’ come along? We’re just some brothel women, I’m afraid..."
"In this world, besides countless ’Mr. Wen’s, there are thousands of good people."
To this, Shaoxi felt she had endless words.
After all, she was someone influenced by Miss Ruan. If it weren’t for Miss Ruan’s encouragement back then, she wouldn’t have followed her to Wuheng, living days where she could eat meat, earn money, and improve her skills to live independently.
So she stood up and shared the stories of women in Wuheng with similar fates, encouraging them as well.
"Destiny is only possible to change when it’s in one’s own hands. Knowing the path ahead is a dead end, why not make a desperate attempt?"
"As long as you are willing, our village has many skilled people who can teach you life-saving skills."
While Shaoxi chatted with them, she and her aunt planned to go to the city to find Manager Yi.
