Chapter 102: Premeditated Murder_1


    Trantor: 549690339


    Yingbao was utterly shocked.


    Her father just started fighting with Qian Jiu out of the blue.


    No, it was more like her father was singly-handedly thrashing Qian Jiu.


    Qian Jiu was eventually beaten until blood covered his face, and Uncle Xu Da hurriedly dragged him into the house for cleaning.


    Xu Qiuniang was crying incessantly, but she didn’t dare to intervene between Jiang Sang and Chunniang.


    On their way home, Jiang Sang used a bamboo basket to carry the twins, while Chunniang carried Yingbao. All five of them didn’t say a word. As they reached midway, they ran into Jiang Cheng who hade to meet them.


    “Uncle San, how did you hurt your hand?” Jiang Cheng asked.


    Only then did Jiang Sang notice a cut on his hand that had dried blood on it.


    Chunniang was very worried. Self-reproachful, she felt it was totally unjustifiable for her not to have noticed her husband’s wound.


    “It’s nothing, just a minor skin scrape.” Jiang Sang touched his hand and reassured his wife: “It’s not my blood.”


    Yingbao also came over to check, and seeing that her father was indeed fine, she finally felt at ease.


    Upon returning home, Yingbao washed her hands and face and went back to her room to rest.


    The fight between her father and Qian Jiu today was expected.


    In her previous life, they had fought more fiercely. Qian Jiu had even lost two teeth.


    When the Qian Family and the Xu Family were arranging a marriage years ago, it was originally decided that Chunniang, the eldest daughter, would be the bride for Qian Jiu. But somehow, Qian Jiu suddenly decided to marry the second daughter, Xu Qiuniang, privately.


    As a result, the elder sister and younger sister swapped roles in marriage. In the end, Chunniang married the poor boy Jiang Sang from Dongchen


    Vige, while Xu Qiuniang, the second girl, married the rtively well-off Qian Jiu.


    Originally, this was an indecent act by Qian Jiu and Qiuniang, but instead of feeling remorse, they proudly unted their happiness in front of Chunniang.


    However, ever since Chunniang gave birth to twins and their life improved, Qian Jiu became increasingly dissatisfied with his wife and felt that his wife was much less capable than Chunniang.


    Because of this, Qiuniang grew to resent her elder sister more and wished the worse for her. She eagerly wished that her sister would forever remain stuck in the mud and live a life that was never better than hers.


    So the sisterly affection was almost absent after their marriages.


    As soon as the second day of the new year was over, the Jiang family began to entertain their rtives and friends who visited for New Year’s greetings.


    However, these did not affect Yingbao or her young brother.


    Whenever the boys of the family had spare time, they would go to the threshing ground in the vige to y football. Yingbao would ride her deer to the house of n Leader Chen to see Chen Sng.


    Chen Zhu could already sit up straight. He was pleased when Yingbao arrived and called his son Xiaoyao to greet his sister.


    Yingbao inspected his wound and saw that it had essentially healed. She nodded approvingly, “You can start walking around now. Constant lying in bed is detrimental to your recovery.”


    “Alright.” Chen Zhu hade to treat this child as a real doctor, very respectfully he responded.


    Yingbao then asked Tang Family’s Granny Tang, “Aunt Tang, how have you been feelingtely? Do you still experience dizziness and blurred vision?”


    Granny Tang chuckled, “Not after I ate your medicine, I feel much better now. I no longer have dizziness, numbness in my limbs, and my mobility has improved tremendously.”


    “Hmm, maintain this condition. You must pay close attention to your daily diet; avoid consuming rice porridge and sweets, you also have to abstain from pickles, engage in more physical activities, avoid sitting for a long period, and get up slowly.”


    Granny Wen said, many elders suffer from cerebral strokes because they abruptly stood after sitting or squatting for a prolonged time.


    “All your instructions will be heeded,” Granny Tang responded with a beaming smile.


    Leaving the n Leader’s house, Yingbao mounted her deer and leisurely made her way to the threshing ground. The boys from the Jiang family were all ying football there, she was nning to walk back home with themter.


    The time flew by, and in a blink of an eye, it was already the fifteenth of the first lunar month.


    Yingbao was about to discuss with her parents about the trip to the county town. Suddenly, she heard amotion in the courtyard.


    Upon going out, she saw two constables wielding sticks pulling and lugging her father, Jiang Sang, out.


    Chunniang screamed in shock, “Why are you arresting my husband?”


    One constable replied, “Someone used Jiang Sang of assault. The County Magistrate ordered us to arrest him! Anyone unrted should stand aside at once!”


    Yingbao toddled out quickly and said to Chunniang, “Mother, let’s go with them!” She had to go to the county town with her father to find out what was going on.


    In her previous life, her father had never been arrested by the government office.


    Chunniang also reacted, hurriedly hitching up the mule cart.


    Sun Licheng, who brought the constable, seeing the Jiang family in a panic,forted them, “The County Magistrate is just taking him for questioning. If your third brother has done nothing wrong, he will be released soon.”


    Chunniang wasn’t reassured at all, for she couldn’t forget the scar on her husband’s shoulder.


    “Sister-inw, you stay at home to look after the children, I’ll go.” Jiang Eng was also a little flustered and hurriedly took over the reins of the mule cart.


    Jiang Liu and Jiang’s sister-inw also tried to persuade Chunniang, “Even if you go, it won’t make a difference. Let Eng go.”


    Chunniang shook her head: “I must go, please sister-inw help me look after Xiaojie and Xiaowu.” How could she stay at home calmly waiting for news while her husband was arrested?


    “Me! Me too!” Yingbao hugged her uncle’s leg, “I want to go!” She knew the newly-appointed County Magistrate, surely she could say a few words for the family.


    Moreover, this matter definitely concerned her and was rted to the Han family’s Han.


    Jiang Eng knew what was going on, he also knew that his niece was saved by the County Magistrate, so bringing her along might be helpful, so he picked up Yingbao and put her on the mule cart.


    Then Jiang Eng drove the cart, with his sister-inw and niece followed the government official’s cart.


    In the afternoon, the mule cart entered the county town.


    The constable took Jiang Eng back to the government office, and said to Jiang Eng who had followed all the way, “The Magistrate will open court to hear the case tomorrow. You cane and listen to the hearing in the morning.”


    “Thank you for the information, big brother.”


    Jiang Eng thanked the constable, and took his sister-inw and young niece to Gao’s Shop Inn.


    The Innkeeper still remembered the little girl, he registered their information and led them to the upstairs.


    Early the next morning, Chunniang and Yingbao got up and went downstairs to wash up and saw Eng was already downstairs, beside him stood a gracefuldy.


    Thedy was holding arge tin pot, pouring hot water for Eng.


    “Sister Yanru.” Yingbao ran over, looked up at Eng, then nced at Yanru.


    Today, Sister Yanru’s makeup was delicate and elegant, as if she had carefully dressed up, yet it didn’t appear contrived, in short, she looked very beautiful.


    Yanru touched Yingbao’s head, smilingly said, “Baobao, I’m so d to see you again. ”


    Yingbao thought to herself, it’s not me you’re d to see; I bet it’s my Uncle Eng.


    “Why is Sister Yanru in the inn?” This Yanru was neither an employee nor a worker of the inn, but she showed up here early in the morning, even brought hot water for Eng. Yingbao didn’t believe there wasn’t something sneaky going on.


    Didn’t she see that the inn’s staff were keeping their distance from her? Surely the Innkeeper’s wife had instructed them to.


    There was a momentary embarrassment on Yanru’s face. She stole a nce at Jiang Eng and whispered, “The Inkeeper is out on business today, so his wife asked me to help at the inn.”


    Jiang Eng was experienced, and could easily see thedy’s interest in him. He turned his head and coughed lightly, “Yingbao, hurry up and wash, we have to go to the government office.”


    Yingbao blinked, washed and brushed her teeth with her mother, and then made another trip to the toilet.


    When the three of them arrived at the government office, they saw two indifferent officials sitting inside the main gate, leering at them.


    Yingbao jumped off the mule cart and stood at the entrance of the government office, peering inside.


    Oh my God! She hadn’t taken a close look at the government officest time.


    But looking at it this time, she could sum it up in three words: old, dpidated


    and shabby!


    The government office didn’t even have a main gate. Although it also had brick walls, the roof was covered with thatch, which was already in a state of disrepair.


    The wild grass growing in the cracks of the steps to the office was now withered and yellow, giving an even more deste appearance.


    “Uncle, a weasel!” Yingbao pointed at the small animal that ran away quickly and shouted, “Two of them!”


    Jiang Eng nced over, not surprised at all.


    Although this was the County Government office, besides the Magistrate and the officials, there was no reason for themon people toe here, not to mention merchants.


    Over time, this ce became deserted.


    Moreover, the Magistrate served his term for three or four years and then left, who would be a fool to pay out of their own pocket for its renovation.


    As long as it could provide shelter from wind and rain, the Magistrate and his family would just live in the backyard and deal with it..