coobybook Chapter 224 Reporting to the Official
Chapter 224 Reporting to the Official
Lin Xiaotang looked delighted, her eyes shining as she asked, "Really? You can really rent me one of your family's prime shops?"
Wang Jiaojiao is a young lady from a wealthy family, and she must be the center of attention at home. She probably doesn't even know if her family has any vacant shops.
No matter how rich her family is, they wouldn't leave the shop empty. They must have either opened a shop for themselves or rented it out to someone else.
It can't be such a coincidence that as soon as she asked, there was a shop available waiting for her.
Lin Xiaotang's eyes suddenly dimmed again. She had to rent a shop with a backyard with her parents, sister, and aunt. She also had to make arrangements for Uncle Shuisheng and Aunt Xiangqin, as well as her fourth uncle who had just come to stay with her.
After that, Uncle Shuisheng had to help her family deliver braised pig trotters to the county, rain or shine. When the turmeric grown in the village ripened, she and her father still needed Uncle Shuisheng's help to act as middlemen.
Therefore, she not only has to make arrangements, but she also has to make them well!
Lin Xiaotang pursed her lips and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but my family situation is a bit complicated. Renting just one shop isn't enough. My family is large, so we need to rent a shop with a backyard where people can live and have a place to live. We need as many rooms as possible to accommodate them."
Wang Jiaojiao was stunned. She really didn't know that. She only knew that her family owned many shops, but she had no idea how many shops there were, whether any of them were vacant, or whether any of them met Xiaotang's family's needs.
Father owns countless fields and properties, so finding a shop with a backyard shouldn't be too difficult, right?
So she said confidently, "It's okay, leave it to me. I will definitely help you find a shop with a backyard."
"Well, thank you sister."
Lin Xiaotang didn't have much hope, so she didn't take Wang Jiaojiao's words too seriously and just gave a casual reply.
Then she said, "If you've rested well, let's hurry on our way, shall we?"
Jiang Yue and Mei'er had rested well, but Wang Jiaojiao was the only one left, leaning against a tree as if she hadn't recovered and looked completely unwilling to leave.
Finally, after Lin Xiaotang's persistent pleading, coaxing, and even threats, Wang Jiaojiao was persuaded to walk faster and take them to the county government office via a shortcut.
She thought that it was already dark, and the officials and soldiers in the county government must have already gone to bed. So she picked up a wooden stick and prepared to beat the drum at the main gate of the county government, trying to make a commotion so that she could report to the authorities.
Unexpectedly, the county government office was still brightly lit, as if some criminals were being interrogated. Wailing sounds came from inside, growing louder and louder, making people feel uneasy.
It seems the people in the county government are quite busy!
Lin Xiaotang put the wooden stick back in its place and beckoned Jiang Yue and the others to go into the county government office together.
"Sisters, while there are still people in the county government office, let's hurry in and report the situation to the magistrate so that he can send someone to rescue the remaining young ladies."
The moment she stepped one foot into the county government office, a gleaming sword swooshed down to her neck.
She looked up abruptly and saw a soldier holding a sword to her neck. The soldier's face was very serious and his expression was cold and inhuman.
Lin Xiaotang quickly tried to appease him, pushing the sword away from his neck. He forced an awkward smile and said, "Officer, we're here to report a case. Many young women have mysteriously disappeared in the county and have all been arrested by that villain."
"You must immediately report this to your master and tell him to quickly lead troops to rescue those young ladies; it will be too late if you delay any longer."
The soldiers sheathed their swords, looked Lin Xiaotang up and down, and then looked at Jiang Yuemei and Wang Jiaojiao standing behind her.
He then said slowly, "The young ladies have been rescued, and the villains have been taken to the dungeon. The clerk is currently interrogating them under torture."
what?
They caught the culprit so quickly?
Could those increasingly loud screams be from the men who captured them?
So what was the point of all that trouble they went through, pretending to be infected with the plague and being thrown into a mass grave to walk back?
She immediately asked, "Officer, where are those young ladies now? Have they all gone home?"
The soldier said expressionlessly, "The clerk ordered all roads leading out of Dushui County to be blocked, leaving only the ferry crossing. A large number of soldiers searched the county house by house. Those people couldn't hold back, so they took those women to the ferry crossing under the cover of night. We caught them on the spot, and those ladies have been sent back to their homes overnight."
What the hell?
Have they all gone home?
In other words, the remaining young ladies didn't need to do anything; they just had to wait to be rescued. Meanwhile, the four of them were useless and worked for nothing. They pretended to be infected with the plague, barely managed to get away with it, and were then thrown into a mass grave by the villains. They only returned pitifully after everyone else had already gone home.
That's it!
It was just a coincidence. If the authorities hadn't acted quickly, those villains would have sold everyone out, and we would have had nowhere to turn for help.
Instead of waiting for others to rescue you, it's better to save yourself, because people aren't always so lucky.
Lin Xiaotang suddenly cheered up again. At least everyone was safe. No matter what, all the bad guys had been caught and everyone had been rescued, which was something to be very happy about.
She immediately saluted the officers and soldiers, saying, "Thank you, officers, we..."
Before she could finish speaking, the officer interrupted, "Are you the ones who were tied up with the young ladies earlier?"
Because the number of people registered in the police report was greater than the number of people they rescued, and when they captured the criminals at the ferry and rescued more than a dozen women, Shen Qianchuan and Xiao Jiu searched for people like madmen, kicking the criminals who were being held captive until they vomited blood.
They clamored for the clerk to interrogate the villains and demand information about Lin Xiaotang's whereabouts, which left a deep impression on her.
Lin Xiaotang, Jiang Yuemei, and Wang Jiaojiao nodded vigorously, answering in unison, "Yes, it was us. Those thugs captured us, locked us up together, and didn't give us food or water. We don't know what they were going to do to us. We broke down the door and escaped, but they caught us red-handed. They whipped us. We were afraid of being sold, so we pretended to have contracted the plague and were thrown into a mass grave. We rushed back to report the case, and your government has already solved it."
The officer suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. Lin Xiaotang, your fourth uncle and a child are searching for you all over the county with the soldiers. I'll go and inform the clerk right away and have him arrange for someone to bring them back."
Fourth Uncle and Xiao Jiu followed the soldiers to search for her everywhere.
They must be incredibly anxious after all this time.
So she hurriedly said, "Officer, please inform the clerk as soon as possible. I want to go with them to find them. Our families must be very worried about us since we haven't been home for so long."
The soldier led the four of them into the county government office and told them to wait in the courtyard. He immediately ran to the dungeon to find the clerk.
The clerk was directing the soldiers to torture the three villains.
Fifth Master had been making a living by cheating people and living a very comfortable life. He had never been subjected to such torture before. The whip was dipped in salt water and whipped him so hard that he almost confessed.