The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 697 - 696 Distant Relatives, Close Neighbors

It turned out that Zhu Haoran had almost completely netted all the participants involved in the private mine case, leaving hardly anyone clean in the County Yamen; nearly everyone was implicated.

It makes sense, after all; if one didn’t get involved, one could hardly survive in the County Yamen.

Not to mention that there were also many officials from the Provincial Capital involved.

Following Zhu Haoran’s purge, the officialdom of Peace State was thoroughly shaken, and at least one-third of the positions were vacated.

The County of Qi City was particularly affected, having practically no officials left to run it.

Zhu Haoran had originally planned to arrest all the perpetrators and take them to the Capital City to stand trial at the Court of Judicial Review, and then report back to the Emperor.

But leaving Qi City County without governance was not an option, so he had to send an urgent report of eight hundred miles to the Emperor while staying in Qi City to handle official business.

The people of Qi City all knew that the one governing them now was a high official from the Capital City, the kind with an Imperial Sword. Hadn’t they seen the former County Magistrate and other officials being locked up in prison?

Not to mention the troops left behind to protect Zhu Haoran, which, once stationed outside Qi City and in the County Yamen, resulted in not a single thief or petty criminal daring to stir.

The streets became so safe that people did not pick up lost property, nor did they close their doors at night.

It could also be considered Wang Yongan’s luck. If Zhu Haoran weren’t still in charge in Qi City, the friends and relatives of those involved in the private mine case would have likely torn Wang Yongan to pieces.

Now, they could only endure, occasionally tripping Wang Yongan, causing his leg, which hadn’t fully healed, to suffer further injury somehow.

The doctor treating Wang Yongan said that his leg was beyond saving even by the Great Luo Immortal; he could only be crippled.

Even though spring had now arrived, with willow branches sprouting and the ice on the rivers thawing, the spring breeze no longer brought a bone-chilling feel but a touch of warmth to the face.

Young women, eager to showcase their beauty, had already shed their heavy cotton-padded jackets, donning cotton-lined jackets and skirts instead, revealing their graceful figures.

In previous years at this time, Wang Yongan would also have switched to a cotton-lined long robe, looking dashing as he walked the streets, becoming a spectacle in his own right.

But this year, he felt only cold; the wind blew through his bones, and he spent his days wrapped in a thick cotton jacket, only feeling comfortable when basking in the warm sun under a thick quilt in the yard.

At night, the kang had to be kept very warm, or else he would be too cold to sleep.

Wang Yongan was not a fool and quickly sensed something was wrong; upon inquiring with the doctor, he learned that this was all due to the negligence of the Qian family, which resulted in cold qi entering his body. Now, every winter would be more unbearable than this one, leaving him almost incapacitated.

After learning this news, Wang Yongan didn’t say anything and sent the doctor away with his usual expression.

A few days later, Shopkeeper Qian accidentally had one eye blinded, and Lady Qian crazily sustained a head injury outside.

Although there was no evidence to prove it was done by Wang Yongan, Shopkeeper Qian knew in his heart that this was Wang Yongan’s retribution.

Shopkeeper Qian did indeed wish to take his wife and Lady Qian away, but with one eye blinded and their family savings spent on their daughter, and all the money now in Wang Yongan’s hands, even if they wanted to leave, they couldn’t.

Moreover, with no relatives or house left back home, how could they show their faces by returning?

In his heart, Shopkeeper Qian was immensely wary of Wang Yongan, yet now he had no choice but to live under the same roof, spending his days in constant fear, worrying that any displeasure might provoke Wang Yongan to use some means against them. The older couple had lived enough years, but what about their daughter?

She was still young and slightly mad, and if she and Old Granny Zhang really left, wouldn’t they be completely at the mercy of Wang Yongan?

Just for the sake of their daughter, Shopkeeper Qian and Mother Qian could only grit their teeth and endure, always guarding against each other.

It was said that the day before the news came back, for some unknown reason, Wang Yongan’s arm was scalded by Lady Qian, and now he couldn’t even lift a pen...

After hearing this, Wang Yongzhu shook her head. She feared that Wang Yongan’s injury was intentionally inflicted by the Qian Family.

Now, the Qian Family and Wang Yongan were together only to torment each other, mutually inseparable, and could only continue this entanglement of hatred and suspicion.

Well, it’s better this way, tied together, to prevent them from causing harm to others.

Old Granny Zhang was even more filled with a sense of retribution, that little beast had finally gotten his comeuppance.

In the beginning, to win the favor of Father and Mother Qian, he had cast aside his own parents who raised him and provided for his education, as if he had birthed a son for the Qian Family and even subsidised them in raising him. How could he not be frustrated?

Since Wang Yongan’s heart was only with Father and Mother Qian, then let them stay together forever!

Along the way, Steward Lu talked with Song Chongjin about local customs and practices, as well as some seemingly mundane matters that revealed deeper meanings when thoughtfully considered.

Song Chongjin’s pupils shrank, but he maintained a calm expression and continued conversing with Steward Lu.

They reached Jing County amidst laughter and conversation.

They simply had the armed escorts drag their luggage to the residence and move it inside. After settling the accounts and giving the armed escorts an extra tip for their hard work, they thanked them profusely several times.

Only then did Steward Lu take the armed escorts and leave.

Once the men had left, Old Granny Zhang, Song Chongjin, and Wang Yongzhu started tidying up the house.

Last time, they had only stayed for two days, so there was just a thin layer of dust inside the house, and the courtyard had a small well. They drew water and Old Granny Zhang wiped the furniture and aired the bedding and whatnot.

Song Chongjin and Wang Yongzhu adjusted the furniture.

The main room was naturally reserved for Old Granny Zhang to live in, and the couple took the east wing. For the three of them, this small courtyard was quite spacious.

They cleaned from morning until noon. As it was getting late, Wang Yongzhu noticed that the kitchen was still not sorted, and the pots and pans had not been purchased. Thinking it over, she decided to go out and see if there was anything to eat nearby, buying something to tide them over.

They would buy the kitchenware in the afternoon and then start cooking.

As she walked out the door, she ran into a young woman in her twenties from across the street, who had just stepped out too. The woman had neatly combed hair and wore a green cotton-padded jacket and skirt. Seeing Wang Yongzhu, she was startled but quickly put on a smile, "Sister, are you from across the street?"

Wang Yongzhu smiled back, "Indeed, we just moved here. If there’s any inconvenience in the future, I hope for your understanding."

Seeing the refined way Wang Yongzhu spoke and the silver hairpin and plain white silk flower by her temples, with a clean and simple attire, the woman guessed that Wang Yongzhu must be observing mourning.

Not wanting to probe too much, she simply said with a smile, "Now we’re neighbors. As the saying goes, a near neighbor is better than a distant relative. We live door to door, so we will have a long time to interact. No need to stand on ceremony. My family name is Gu, everyone calls me Madam Gu, and my husband’s surname is Gu. We have lived on this street for decades."

"Sister, did you rent this courtyard? Last year I saw it being renovated, and they divided the two courtyards, renting out the front one right away. The back one has been quiet, and despite many inquiries, they claimed it wasn’t for rent. That you managed to rent it is truly good luck."

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