novelhk Chapter 287 Something's Wrong
Chapter 287 Something's Wrong
Li Qiulan was furious and wanted to pounce on her and scratch her face.
The moment she moved, seven or eight men blocked her path.
Li Qiulan looked at the men protecting Lin Shi in front of her, then glanced at her eldest son, whose head had already been beaten into a pig's head, and her second son, who felt ashamed and kept his distance from them.
There was another who felt equally ashamed, and as he was leaving, he said to her, "Behave yourself, go over there and work hard. After a while, when Lin's anger subsides, I will go to Third Sister and ask her to put in a good word for you and let you come back."
The eldest brother, who hadn't said anything else, finally couldn't help but burst into tears.
It took Lin Chang'er some time to get to the village because of Wang Xing'er. The village wasn't big, and the news spread quickly.
Before they could even settle in, most of the villagers knew about the Li family's misfortune.
A kind-hearted old lady, upon hearing that Li Chuan had divorced his mother and voluntarily left his clan, even gathered some food and sent it to him.
Aunt Li also found two sets of clothes that Li Xun wore when he was a child for Li Chuan.
Wang Xing'er usually had a few wives in the village who could talk to her, and they would drop what they were doing to come and see her off.
However, Wang Xing'er was still unconscious, so she could only instruct Li Chuan to take good care of his mother and to send a message back once things had settled down.
As for Li Da and Li Qiulan, not a single person came to see them off.
Lin Chang'er clicked her tongue twice, relentlessly mocking the mother and son, "Look at you, look at you, what a waste of your good deeds!"
"Now you know what desolation is, right? Aren't you sad? It's good to be sad!"
"Remember today's sadness so you can reflect properly tomorrow." Of course, there are many who are incorrigible, and labor is the best punishment for them.
Keeping them busy will prevent them from thinking about doing bad things.
As soon as Lin Chang'er led the group back to Linshui Village, she first told them that Li Da and Li Qiulan would be her family's long-term servants from now on.
They also posted a reward notice, which stated that anyone who discovers the two have escaped and reports it in time will be rewarded with ten coins, and anyone who discovers the two have escaped, catches them, and brings them back will be rewarded with twenty coins.
This isn't just a job for adults; kids can do it too, and kids are even more enthusiastic about it.
In this way, it's equivalent to hiring many free caretakers.
It saved me a lot of trouble.
Moreover, the placement of Li Qiulan and Li Da was already a big problem; who would want to live with two troublemakers!
But being in a good position means you'll get the moon first; if these two do anything unusual, the neighbors will definitely be the first to notice!
However, for everyone's safety, Lin Chang'er still arranged for the two to stay in a house that was relatively close to her side.
The He family, He Dashan and He Chunhua, lived next door. Aunt He's mental illness had improved a lot, and Aunt He no longer needed to watch over her all the time.
Da Mao and Xiao Mao are growing up day by day. Recently, these two kids have been practicing archery with their dad in the coastal defense team. They've become familiar with Xiao Jinyu and the others, and their courage has grown a lot.
The surrounding area is full of able-bodied men.
After the arrangements were made, Lin Chang'er laughed happily, while Li Qiulan and Li Daru were devastated and had no choice but to accept their fate.
As for Aunt Li's family, since the Gu family's courtyard was too crowded, Lin Chang'er let them stay at the workshop for the time being and help her look after the workshop.
The Li family was naturally extremely grateful.
For the sake of convenience in receiving treatment, Wang Xing'er and Li Chuan, the two wounded, stayed at the old woman's house.
The old woman doctor was incredibly stingy, threatening that she wouldn't provide food or drink, and that even her own things would have to be provided by Lin Chang'er.
What could Lin Chang'er do? She could only see it through to the end.
Once everything was arranged, it was time for the setting sun to melt the gold.
Lin Chang'er scratched her head, feeling as if she had forgotten something.
It wasn't until she saw Gu Xiaolu and Li Qingning sitting by the sandy field sharing candy that she slapped her forehead and hurriedly asked Aunt Gu, "Mother, has Lord Wu returned yet?"
Aunt Gu looked bewildered. "Wasn't Lord Wu with you?"
Lin Chang'er was shocked; something was wrong!
Even though she didn't tell Wu Qingfeng that she would bring Aunt Li's family back to Linshui Village.
But she wasted so much time in Lijia Village that he didn't bring Li Mian back.
She's been back for quite some time now. Even if Wu Qingfeng brings his men back to Lijia Village and then back to Linshui Village, it'll be enough time.
But now there's been no news at all, which is strange.
Lin Chang'er's heart beat faster for no apparent reason.
He hurriedly found Aunt Li and asked her about Li Mian again.
Aunt Li said, "Just yesterday, a group of people suddenly came and said that Mian'er had stolen from the wealthy man's house and that they wanted us to pay compensation. They were asking for an exorbitant amount, which we naturally couldn't afford. So we said we didn't have any money and that they would take Qingyang to pay off the debt. They didn't say anything more, and we didn't dare to ask!"
Lin Chang'er's eyes narrowed, and she sensed something was amiss.
Theft leads to the authorities, but they're secretly pressing for repayment without any evidence.
They're just taking advantage of Aunt Li's honesty; what's their motive?
If they're not after money when they come to threaten you at your door, then what are they after?
Lin Chang'er scratched her head, feeling like her brain was about to explode.
Little Goldfish, Lin Yanqing, Gu Silang, and Zhou Li led a group of children who had finished their evening classes back from the training ground.
Huanhuanxi called out, "Mother!"
Lin Chang'er quickly put down her hand and replied, "You're back! Go wash your hands and sit down to rest."
The little goldfish didn't rush to wash its hands. Instead, it led the person to its mother and asked, "What's wrong, Mother? Did something happen?"
Lin Chang'er paused, her mind racing, and finally steeled herself, saying, "I've run into some trouble, and I might need your help!"
The little goldfish's eyes lit up. "Mommy, tell me quickly!"
Lin Yanqing, Gu Silang, Zhou Li, and a group of children joined in the clamor, "Sister/Sister-in-law/Auntie, tell us quickly!"
They were all eager to get started, like elementary school students in later generations waiting for the school bell to ring every Friday.
Lin Chang'er's eyes darted around. "It's not certain yet. Here's what we'll do: Si Lang and Li Ge'er, each of you take a donkey and go find Uncle Hai. You and Eleventh Brother, have Uncle Hai go to the county town to ask County Magistrate Li if Lord Wu has returned. Then have Eleventh Brother go to Li Family Village and ask Uncle Li Mian if he has returned."
Then he took out the token that Wu Qingfeng had given her and gave it to Zhou Li, saying, "This token belongs to Lord Wu. Show it when you enter or leave the city gates, and you won't have to queue or be stopped. Even if the time limit is exceeded, he can open a side gate for you."
Then he said to Aunt Gu, "Mother, take four steamed buns for Silang to take to Uncle Hai and Eleventh Brother."
He then instructed Gu Silang, "Silang, tell Uncle Hai and Eleventh Brother that the situation is urgent and they will have to make do with dry rations."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I've got it!" Gu Silang readily agreed.
Zhou Li also said, "Don't worry, Third Sister-in-law. My father often complains that he's useless and can't help you. If you ask him for a favor, he'll be overjoyed. He'll even prepare food for you. He'd be happy to let you go hungry."
Upon hearing this, all the children burst into laughter.
The little goldfish stepped forward again. "Mommy, what about us? What are we supposed to do?"