Chapter 123:
The next day, the village spread the news that the matter was settled.
It was that Luo Zhi’er broke someone’s corn, trampled the crops, and privately compensated with silver!
Li Ergou’s Wife felt a bit more steadfast at home in her heart, and her heart rejoiced.
The happy her started humming a tune, and when she entered the room, it was just like a rooster crowing.
She had inquired about the resolution last night.
This morning, she deliberately wandered around the village, probing the sentiments, all curses at Luo Zhi’er, which basically gave her a calming pill!
Her courage also grew bolder!
Li Ergou glared viciously at her, “Hmph! Stinky woman! I’m paralyzed and you’re this happy?”
“No, head of the house, I just heard about a thing!”
So she excitedly told Li Ergou about the matter in vivid detail, and Li Ergou felt something was fishy, how it seemed weird.
“This Luo Zhi’er, could she be a fool? If she didn’t steal, why compensate silver?”
The man rolled his deep and profound eyes.
“Head of the house, she’s isolated and without help now. If she didn’t compensate, with so many people blocking her yesterday, could she and her daughter be okay?”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, to let bygones be bygones, understand?”
“Hmm?”
Li Ergou’s eyes were full of killing intent.
“Uh, I used the wrong words, it’s that Luo Zhi’er wants to lower her presence, at this juncture when someone from Old Li Family is in jail, she doesn’t want to stir up trouble!”
“Her, she’s afraid of being ostracized by everyone and driven out!”
Juhua felt Li Ergou was overthinking it. After so many years of stealing and trickery, he had grown bold with skill, but now paralyzed, his courage had shrunk back!
Li Ergou thought again,
“Gou Sheng’s Mother, are you sure Luo Zhi’er didn’t see you yesterday?”
“Mm!”
Juhua nodded heavily.
“Hey, I say, Gou Dan’s father, just set your mind at ease. Today I probed all around the village, everyone has a unified story.”
“They say she shut the door herself and knelt down, crying with eyes full of tears and a big handful of snot, so pitiful. She’s just afraid everyone would target her and drive them out of the village!”
“Kneeling and begging them not to drive her and her daughter out of the village. She patted her chest with Li Zhengxin and them, guaranteeing that from now on she won’t cause trouble anymore, compensated silver, that’s why they didn’t let everyone spread it outside!”
“Unfortunately, no wall is airtight. The more she hides it, the more everyone wants to know, and now the whole village knows!”
“So pitiful? Alright!”
Her heart felt slightly satisfied.
“However…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmph, I thought that Luo Zhi’er was so poor she couldn’t uncover the pot. Speaking of which, where did she get the silver to compensate?” Li Ergou said through gritted teeth.
“Uh, yeah, this Luo Zhi’er is quite sly, hmph, wait, wait until that Zhou Shi comes back, she’ll have something to see!”
“You stinky woman, you’re really a pig brain. That’s not what I mean. I mean, since she can hide silver, where did this silver come from?”
“Could it be, could it be that yesterday she really had some business dealings with that middle-aged man?” Li Ergou alertly narrowed his eyes!
“Oh, right, I only showed you the corn cobs I broke off. I forgot to tell you!”
“Spit it out!”
“Gou Sheng’s father, that Luo Zhi’er yesterday took Miaomiao that young maid to catch frogs, crabs, and eels, those useless things!”
“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Li Ergou suddenly raised his voice and scolded loudly.
“Head of the house, don’t get agitated. I just thought she was hungry and went to catch those disgusting things to eat. Thinking about it makes me uncomfortable all over, no need to mention it!”
Li Ergou’s Wife was scared by his ferocious look into blushing all over her face, trembling as she said.
“Utterly foolish! Utterly foolish! They say a good wife prospers three generations. I look at you this woman, you’re here to scourge me!”
“I’m poor as dirt just because I married you this stupid woman, can’t get rich, and it made both my legs break!”
Juhua felt aggrieved in her heart. What does this leg have to do with her? One leg was broken when he was caught stealing, and the other wasn’t beaten broken because he got lustful and molested a woman!
“You still dare say it’s necessary? I see, her money-making livelihood is probably this frog.”
From his many years of experience, this frog and eel must be suspicious.
“No way…”
“Come here.”
Li Ergou leaned close to his wife’s ear and whispered a bit. Juhua’s eyes flickered, unwillingly saying, “Alright!”
Luo Zhi’er at home took out the frogs caught yesterday to change the water.
Miaomiao squatted on the ground by the wooden bucket, stretching out her little hand to count one by one, “…two, three, four, five, six.”
Counted to eleven and couldn’t count anymore. Luo Zhi’er was lost in thought beside her. This thief better be caught soon!
Then taught Miaomiao to count to forty-six, then skip-count to fifty and one hundred. Today they wouldn’t go out.
Changed the water, found the previously bought paper and pen, taught her at the stone table under the big persimmon tree in the yard, stroke by stroke writing her own name, Taoyuan Town, Li Sanmao, and her name.
Miaomiao wrote from one to one hundred, then wrote the three people’s names, ages, practiced outside until noon for lunch, then wrote until afternoon for afternoon meal.
Mother and daughter stayed almost at home today. Li Ergou’s Wife, guarding not far outside, was utterly miserable.
Saw that young maid eat mouthful after mouthful of fried noodles, gulping down crucian carp tofu soup, until sucking the last mouthful into her mouth.
Secretly cursed what bitter errand Li Ergou gave her. This Luo Zhi’er didn’t go out at all today, how to monitor her every move?
Specifically exchange and connect with whom, do what livelihood?
This Luo Zhi’er, every time she went to pick up the wooden bucket or carry the bamboo basket, she thought she was going out, waited half a day and she sat down again!
Saw that mother and daughter both eat until burping full, she touched her own hungry growling deflated belly, and returned disappointed.
Saw her return dusty and dirty, asked the reason, not only not comforted but cursed by Li Ergou,
“Didn’t probe the news and don’t know to come back early and die, come back and don’t hurry to die and cook, me and Gou Sheng are hungry with front chest sticking to back!”
“…”
Wasn’t it you who said, if no news probed, not allowed to return?
Moved her lips, wanted to say something, endured it!
Who knew after cooking, still got cursed: “Is this feeding pigs? No bit of meat is one thing, not even a vegetable leaf?”
“Head of the house, I was wrong!”
She knew whatever she said was wrong, better to directly admit fault.
“Scram!”
What happened at Li Ergou’s home, Luo Zhi’er had no idea.
When it was dark enough to only see stars and moon in the sky, her eyes cunningly flickered, and she took Miaomiao out again.
Ancient times had no TV, phones, no entertainment to pass time. Rural people after a day of physical labor generally slept early!
Once out, the village was basically pitch black, only seeing dense twinkling little stars and moon in the sky.
Brought the wooden bucket, took pliers, this time with an extra torch.
The two under moonlight walked to the mud in the ditch by the field edge where few people go to grope for eels.
Hearing rushing water sounds, cricket chirps, fireflies flying, stopping on the vegetation in the fields.
Miaomiao all along pointed at the sky, counting stars, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven fifty.”
Until her eyes got confused and couldn’t count clearly, then at the fireflies twinkling one by one in the dark fields, started counting, “one, two, three…”
“Mother, did Miaomiao count right?”
“Mm, right, Miaomiao is very good.”
