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Chapter 35: The Silver is Lost\n“You! You! What do you think you’re doing!” Village Head Li quivered angrily, pointing at Matriarch Wang.\n
“Village Head! My money was stolen by them! I beg the Village Head to mete out justice! This money was supposed to be used to pay for the Eldest Master’s imperial examination fees! There’s no money left!” Upon seeing the Village Head, Matriarch Wang grievously cried out, as if she had been severely wronged, clearly wanting the Village head to take responsibility for the situation.\n
In contrast, the bloodstained Grandmother Ciying and Bailian looked on in silence, looking even more pitiful in the eyes of the villagers.\n
“Mother!” Yuhang cried out and ran to Madam Zhao, gently nudging her face, “Mother wake up!”\n
“What are you looking dazed for? Hurry up and help the Third Madam up onto the bed and call for a doctor!”\n
Village Head Li yelled at the crowd, and two middle-aged women volunteered to help Madam Zhao up.\n
“I’m going to call the doctor!”\n
A voice from the crowd called out, sounding like it was getting farther and farther away. It seemed like whoever’s voice this belonged to went to look for the doctor.\n
With the help of the two women, Madam Zhao was carefully carried into the Third Branch’s quarters, Bailian covered her with a threadbare quilt.\n
The two women didn’t know what else to do, so they hastily exited the room.\n
Although they felt that the Third Madam was truly too pitiful, but they were more scared of the fierce Matriarch Wang and didn’t dare to do anything that might irritate her. Their future would be bleak if the old woman decided to hold a grudge and hatefully spread rumors about them.\n
Bailian knelt by the bed and murmured into Madam Zhao’s ear, “Mother, don’t get up quite yet, or we might get beaten up to death by that old lady!”\n
Seeing Madam Zhao’s shivering body, Bailian sighed and when she stepped out of the room, a bright gleam of light flashed into her open hand.\n
Looking back into the room, Yuhang silently wiped away his tears as he knelt beside Madam Zhao, clutching Madam Zhao’s hands tightly.\n
Bailian didn’t want to startle the pregnant woman, nor did she want to scare her.\n
However, judging from the current situation, the weaker the Third Branch looked, the more sympathy they could gain from others.\n
‘You, what are you doing! Are you trying to kill off the Third Master’s wife? The Village Head Li angrily gestured towards the Third Branch’s quarters.\n
“Village Head ah! You have to call the shots here! All my silver disappeared and it was the Third Branch that stole it!” Matriarch Wang hatefully pointed at Bailian, as if she had seen it all happen with her own eyes.\n
Bailian weakly walked over to Grandmother Ciying’s side with an aggrieved expression, “Old Madam, we have never had any money in the Third Branch, let alone would having the gall to steal your money?”\n
“You, you still quibble with me! You must have taken it, it’s impossible for our own family to have stolen it!” Matriarch Wang’s face was contorted nastily, her spittle flying everywhere.\n
Bailian smirked, “Old Madam, aren’t we family too? Or do you not treat the Third Branch as family ah?”\n
“You, this little wench!” Seeing Bailian’s mocking expression, Matriarch Wang menacingly raised her hand, swinging it to slap Bailian.\n
“Old Madam!’ When the Third Master arrived back at the residence, the first thing that came into view was the scene of Matriarch Wang beating Bailian. Seeing Bailian’s scratched up face, he yelled in horror.\n
“Slap!” Bailian did not avoid this hit, so it had firmly impacted her cheek, the sound resounding throughout the courtyard as she toppled to the ground.\n
Bailian silently spit at Matriarch Wang in her heart, the strength of this old woman is quite strong ah!\n
It hurts like a mother******!\n
“Fifth!” Grandmother Ciying reached out with shaking hands to help Bailian up.\n
“Stay your hand!” When the Village Head saw Matriarch Wang hitting people left and right, acting like an unmannered shrew, he became even angrier. He roared, “Get Patriarch Li to come out!\n
This entire time, there had been such a racked in the courtyard, except for the Third Branch, only Matriarch Wang and Jinyu had gone to deal with them.\n
The Eldest Master and Patriarch Li prided themselves to be dignified scholars and secretly looked down on Matriarch Wang’s actions. They had been long accustomed to her swearing and beating at others, and naturally wouldn’t appear.\n
Although Bailian had always been mentioning the matter of “being equal”, this time it was different.\n
This time, all of the family’s coffers had been drained empty!\n
This silver was to be used for the Eldest Master’s exam fees ah!\n
It was a big deal!\n
Everyone, including Patriarch Li, firmly believed that the Third Branch was the culprit.\n
Because, besides them, the other branches have no reason to steal!\n
The Third Master had even begged to let his sons, Yuhang and Yuyang to be sent to the academy yesterday!\n
Therefore, Patriarch LI and the Eldest Master didn’t make an appearance.\n
The Eldest Madam and her two daughters didn’t come out. How could they be so rude and unmannered and still call themselves the wife and daughters of a well-respected Scholar?\n
As for the Fourth Master, it was obvious he would be the most resistant to intervening.\n
After all, it had entered his parents’ room last night, and although he hadn’t gotten his hands on the money, he still had a guilty conscience.\n
So, he just decided to lie down in his room and take a nap.\n
The Village Head continued to shout and call out, but the Patriarch was too embarrassed and at this point couldn’t continue to pretend as if hadn’t heard.\n
“Father, go and see Mother, she was almost beaten to death!” Bailian’s eyes were red and teary, and as her tears trickled down her face, the blood from her scratches mixed with the tears. Together, tracks of blood ran down her pale face, making up for a very miserable sight.\n
“What!” The Third Master was stunned momentarily and after shaking out of his stupor, he rushed towards the room.\n
He had been truly frightened.\n
He knew that Matriarch Wang was as tough as nails and stubborn, so even if his wife was heavily pregnant, it was still very possible Madam Zhao had been battered up rather badly.\n
“Village Head, this old lady doesn’t know the severity of her action, we let you see something unsightly today.” Patriarch Li elegantly bowed to the Village Head and embarrassedly explained, “The family lost the silver prepared to pay for the Eldest Master’s imperial examination, so…”\n
Bailian coldly sneered, saying nothing.\n
This old man is really too good at acting! If it wasn’t for me secretly pinching that nasty mother and daughter pair to reduce the power of their attacks, who knows what Matriarch Wang would have done today!\n
Besides, Matriarch Wang had never regarded the Third Branch as humans, merely slaves not worthy of forgiveness.\n
“This, she almost took a life today! You’re still calling this not severe?! Village Head observed Bailian and Grandmother Ciying’s bloody faces, sighing inwardly.\n
His father had been the previous village head and he knew that Grandmother Ciying’s Father had taken Grandmother Ciying to settle down in the outskirts of the Wuming Village.\n
Back then, when he followed his father, the first time he caught a glimpse of Li Ciying, he had been amazed.\n
He thought “A great family’s young miss is truly treated like a princess ah!”\n
Grandmother Ciying back then had only ever worn rare and expensive fabric, not to mention patches in her clothes.\n
She was obviously only a girl, but her father was very kind to her and the family indulged her every wish and want.\n
Seeing the now silver-haired, weathered old woman being beaten in front of him, it was really difficult for the Village Head to associate that beautiful, carefree sister with this now worn-down elderly woman.\n
One can imagine, just what horrors she had experienced in the Li Family.\n
When he was a teenager, he had once fantasized about Grandmother Ciying, imagining himself marrying her.\n
After all, Grandmother Ciying came from a well-off family, her character was excellent, her temperament kind and she even knew how to dress up. Many boys had secretly paid attention to her and admired her.\n
It’s just that…\n
The Village Head regretfully shook his head. Although this Patriarch Li was a scholar, it was a pity that his heart wasn’t pure and bright enough.\n
“Village Head, we..our family’s silver went missing, so that’s why..” Patriarch Li awkwardly added, ‘This time, the old woman had been too impulsive, but this money…”\n
“The silver must be somewhere in the Third Branch’s rooms! I’ll go in and search for it myself!” Matriarch Wang pointed to the Third Branch’s quarters viciously and directly ran inside.\n
The Third Branch most likely hadn’t made any preparations yet, so it right now was the best time for her to fumble the silver out.\n
The Village Head Li’s face soured, his expression turning ugly. Onlookers saw Matriarch Wang rush into the Third Branch’s quarters, and the villagers slowly gathered, silently watching from outside the room.\n
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