Su Xiaoqi met Shen Yun's distrustful gaze, and saw the heartache in Zhao Shi's eyes.
There were also the discussions of the surrounding onlookers.
Her heart ached for no reason. Losing the will to argue, she merely tugged dryly at Shen Yun's sleeve and said, "I didn't."
Shen Yun looked at her without speaking.
Qian Shi was delighted to see this. She squeezed the wet clothes on her body and said fiercely,
"If you're sensible, hand over the silver. Otherwise, I'll report you to the village head.
I'll say you're in league with those kidnappers, no different from them. Otherwise, how could you two poor wretches have a hundred taels?"
"No way, are they really in league with the kidnappers?"
"Ah, how wicked. Report them, should we report them to the authorities?"
The crowd's excitement for gossip grew higher and higher. They crowded into the Shen family's small courtyard without regard.
The discussions grew louder and louder.
There wasn't much good to be heard.
Su Xiaoqi pulled at the corners of her mouth speechlessly.
Didn't they say the countryside had simple folk? Why couldn't she feel it here at all?
"Yun'er, it's not like that. Tell them, it's not like that."
Zhao Shi wanted to explain but didn't know what to say. She tugged at Shen Yun in a flustered manner, urging him to clarify things for everyone.
"Tsk, what's there to say? Didn't you buy ginseng for this slut?
Isn't ginseng a hundred taels? Where did the money come from?"
Qian Shi, having seized the initiative, was incredibly pleased. She loudly proclaimed,
"Everyone heard the hundred taels, and their eyes widened like copper bells. Some gasped, their breathing even stopped.
Shen Yun swept his gaze over everyone and said calmly,
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. Some of the money is from selling paintings, and the rest is Xiao Qi's dowry."
"Tsk, dowry? As if she's the daughter of the richest family, the Su family.
When she married over, she was so shabby. Only the clothes on her back were presentable. Where could she have any valuable dowry?" Qian Shi scoffed.
When she first learned that Shen Yun was going to marry the daughter of the richest family, she was more excited than anyone.
She stayed at the Shen family day in and day out, helping, just to see how much dowry the daughter of the richest family would have, and then to pilfer something.
So, the moment she married in, she had turned the whole place upside down.
There wasn't anything valuable. She had even managed to steal two bolts of fine cotton cloth.
Now that Shen Yun said she had a valuable dowry, she didn't believe it.
Shen Yun directly exposed Zhao Shi's actions:
"If it wasn't hidden well, wouldn't Auntie have taken it long ago?"
"You, what nonsense are you talking? I, I didn't." Qian Shi's face changed, and then she waved her hand, forcibly pulling the conversation back.
She said that even if she had hidden a valuable dowry, how could he, a mere scholar without any official title, sell his paintings for fifty taels just by scribbling a bit?
"That's none of your business, Auntie. Young Master Qi is rich and willing," Su Xiaoqi retorted, rolling her eyes.
Qian Shi, feeling the dampness on her clothes, was furious. Her eyes widened as she was about to scold.
Zhao Liushun, standing beside her, seized the opportunity and said,
"Sister-in-law, you should say less. I know that Young Master Qi, and I saw him buying calligraphy and paintings."
Zhao Liushun was a scholar, helpful, and always had an excellent reputation in the village. People were willing to believe what he said.
Seeing this path blocked, Qian Shi became somewhat anxious.
Zhao Xiaolan, standing next to her, tugged at her clothes to remind her.
She immediately said again that they must be in league with the kidnappers.
Otherwise, why was her Zhao Xiaolan so miserable, while Su Xiaoqi and Shen Xiaomei were both taken, yet unharmed?
"Who told you we were taken?" Su Xiaoqi asked icily.
She could tolerate insults, but Shen Xiaomei couldn't bear it. As soon as she heard this, her eyes filled with tears.
"Hey, look at that. They're enraged and showing their true colors," Qian Shi said, pointing at the angry Su Xiaoqi and laughing heartily.
"Who told you we were taken?" Su Xiaoqi persisted in asking.
She had a keen sense that Qian Shi's visit today was suspicious.
No one knew that she and Shen Xiaomei had been taken. Even the government officials who came to register had kept it a secret.
Therefore, they had agreed that no one would speak of it, to avoid causing trouble.
But Qian Shi knew now and had even spoken of it.
Neither she nor Shen Xiaomei would have said it, and Shen Yun and Qi Yunwei wouldn't have either. What about Zhao Xiaohua?
Su Xiaoqi's peach blossom eyes blinked slightly as she searched the crowd of onlookers.
She actually found the delicate-looking young woman, Zhao Xiaohua, with her fair and pretty face.
Seeing that Qian Shi was becoming more and more unreasonable, Shen Yun spoke,
"Auntie, you probably forgot. My wife advised everyone to chase along the official road, but no one was willing.
My wife then took Xiaomei and chased after them herself to rescue them.
How did it turn into you saying we were both taken?
Could it be that Auntie is the one in league with them? Otherwise, how would she know everything so clearly?
If you're not in league, then you're intentionally slandering us and tarnishing our reputation."
Shen Yun's eloquence once again came into play. His words left Qian Shi speechless.
No matter how she answered, it would be wrong, because Shen Yun had left her no escape route.
Su Xiaoqi then shed tears in a timely manner, cooperating with Shen Yun:
"Wuwu, Auntie, we just didn't want you to keep coming to our house to snatch food. How can you be so heartless?
To ruin my and Xiaomei's reputation, wuwu, villagers, your eyes are sharp. You must bring us justice."
"You're talking nonsense. You were clearly taken. I have witnesses..." Qian Shi was so agitated that she almost betrayed the person behind her.
Su Xiaoqi looked at her expectantly, but unexpectedly, at the crucial moment, Qian Shi remembered something and closed her mouth.
Shen Yun's heart turned cold. He walked up to the arriving Zhao Baoren and cupped his hands, saying,
"This matter requires the village head to clear my wife and Xiaomei's names."
Zhao Baoren parted the crowd and walked to the center of the courtyard, glaring at Qian Shi.
Troublesome woman, always causing trouble.
He told everyone that the county registrar had already recorded the situation at the time and written it into a document.
In their village, apart from Zhao Xiaozhu, no one else had been taken.
After explaining, Zhao Baoren scanned the crowd and said sternly,
"This is written in the official document. Anyone who dares to spread rumors will be brought to court and thrown in jail."
As soon as the word "government" was mentioned, the villagers all cowered. With a "whoosh," they dispersed.
Of course, they all knew that this was entirely Qian Shi stirring up trouble for no reason.
"Oh, this Qian Shi, she's a real troublemaker."
"Indeed. What a gossipy woman. The good family traditions of Old Scholar Zhao have all been ruined by her."
"It's also because Dashan is incompetent; he can't even control his wife."
"Let's go, let's go. No more talking, or your child will be eating jail food."
...
In the courtyard, besides the Shen family, only the village head, Qian Shi, Zhao Xiaolan, and Zhao Xiaohua remained.
She wanted to leave, but Su Xiaoqi grabbed her arm.
She lowered her head guiltily, looking at her toes.
Su Xiaoqi sneered and looked at Qian Shi:
"Auntie, can you tell me now who told you we were taken by the kidnappers?"
Qian Shi was inwardly annoyed at being used as a pawn by someone who spoke nonsense.
But she hated Su Xiaoqi even more for repeatedly suppressing her and preventing her from benefiting.
Therefore, she spat indifferently, "No one, I thought of it myself."
"Then I'll tell you, I was indeed taken by the kidnappers.
But it wasn't just me; it was also this one," Su Xiaoqi pointed at Zhao Xiaohua.
"She can prove that we are not in league with the kidnappers, right, Sister Xiaohua?
Also, only a few of us know about Xiaozhu's matter.
Could it be that you accidentally spread it to the villagers?"
Su Xiaoqi's peach blossom eyes curved, a smile appearing.
But the smile somehow made one feel chills down their spine.