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墨書 Inktalez
“Lord He, your presence graces us, and we apologize for not welcoming you properly.”
He Cong, the magistrate of Zhushan County, had been in office for over three years, but his reputation was far from good. However, with the mountains high and the emperor distant, it was a common practice for officials to protect one another. As long as the common folk had enough to eat and could survive the winter, they would make do.
The only people who knew him were the Wang family and the village head, Yang Dadong. After all, land deeds required an official seal. Xia Muxin had purchased such a large piece of land that it was almost comparable to a small estate. Moreover, with kilns being built and houses constructed here, they had certainly profited quite a bit.
Yang Dadong wondered why the magistrate would come to his small Daimiao Village. In his anxiety, he pulled the elderly Summer Old Man beside him and knelt down.
Upon hearing that the county magistrate had arrived, the other villagers were terrified and quickly knelt down as well.
“Easy now, easy now. I was invited here by Miss Zhao today. I didn’t expect that the Xia Family was celebrating an occasion, so I came to share in the joy,” He Cong said.
He Cong was known for being cunning and shrewd. His words sounded formal and upright, but in reality, he was a true vampire.
“It is our honor to have you here, Lord He. Please take a seat,” Yang Dadong mustered his courage to invite him to sit at the table, where clean bowls and chopsticks had already been set.
“Dadong, have you lost your mind? Miss Zhao hasn’t taken her seat yet; how can I sit first?”
At that moment, the atmosphere was exceptionally tense. The villagers dared not breathe too loudly; if the county magistrate did not sit down, they certainly wouldn’t dare to either. Moreover, those accompanying him were all from the Wang family—what good could come from this?
The entire situation relied on Yang Dadong to maintain order; only he had the standing to speak with the county magistrate. Yet he waited patiently for quite some time without seeing the magistrate take a seat. Just when everyone was at a loss for what to do, He Cong spoke up in a sarcastic tone.
Suddenly, Yang Dadong felt a shiver run down his spine, and the other villagers trembled in fear.
Wasn't Zhao Qiushui the relative of the Wang family?
At this moment, even the County Magistrate treated her with utmost respect, so what about them...
Recalling how Muxin had previously toyed with Miss Zhao, blurring the lines between human and ghost, they all gritted their teeth and shivered.
The pretense of coming to celebrate was just a facade; the real intention was to seek trouble and impose punishment.
"The Little Ones are blind to your greatness, Miss Zhao, please take a seat."
Having had some dealings with officialdom, Yang Dadong approached the composed Zhao Qiushui with a sincere attitude.
“Miss Zhao, please!”
At that moment, He Cong shot a stern glare at Yang Dadong and the others, then turned to Zhao Qiushui, bowing courteously as he spoke respectfully.
Zhao Qiushui snorted disdainfully, hands clasped behind her back, chest out, and proudly made her way to the main table.
“Lord He, please!”
Yang Dadong, already pale with fear, paused for a moment before tremblingly bowing again to speak.
He Cong scanned the entire Main Hall, stroked his beard thoughtfully, and gave a meaningful grunt before stepping towards the large table.
"Oh, oh, oh, there's a wedding feast, there's meat to eat, oh, oh, oh..."
At that moment, five or six children suddenly rushed in from outside, holding scraps of firecracker paper. As soon as they entered, they threw the paper into the air and began jumping around the entire Main Hall.
Zhao Qiushui felt a chill in her heart. She walked to the table and lifted her skirt to take a seat. Just then, a few children circled around the table. One child suddenly pushed another child forward, causing the pushed child to lean forward and bump into another child. In this way, the five or six children pushed and bumped into each other. With a loud crash, the bench under Zhao Qiushui fell to the ground just as she was about to sit down.
"Ah..."
After a moment, a painful scream was heard. Zhao Qiushui fell onto the ground and hit her forehead against the table leg. The children also tumbled over her, completely pinning her down.
She lay on her back with her neck caught on the edge of the table, feeling dizzy and unable to tell which way was up or down due to the pain.
This sudden situation caught everyone off guard. The villagers were stunned, their eyes wide open and mouths agape, their faces filled with terror.
It was Wang Shoucai who shouted in alarm. He immediately rushed forward to lift the children off Zhao Qiushui and tossed them aside before carefully helping her up.
The children were also frightened and began to cry loudly.
Zhao Qiushui had a large bump on her forehead that resembled a protruding horn, and her neck was twisted awkwardly to one side. Her eyes were filled with pain and tears. Suddenly, she glared coldly at He Cong, who turned pale with fear and knelt before Zhao Qiushui.
"Miss Zhao, please spare me."
His actions terrified the villagers even more; those who were timid sneaked away quietly.
"Bind those unruly children for me."
These children are all from Village End, and they rarely come here to play. Summer Forest looks very unfamiliar to them. Moreover, these children appear to be only three or four years old, yet the county magistrate wants to punish them for this matter...
"Sir, these are just ignorant little kids; please show them mercy."
Yang Dadong recognizes a few of the children. They are usually quite mischievous, but he doesn't know why they ended up in Summer Forest today and caused such trouble. Suddenly, he kneels down with a thud, pleading for the children's sake.
Aunt Liu and a few other women hold the children tightly in their arms, covering their mouths and noses to prevent them from crying out and facing even harsher punishment.
"Village Chief Yang, is this your place?"
He Cong sees this and waves his hand at those who are about to take the children away, signaling them to step back. He then changes his tone, speaking authoritatively as he sternly questions Yang Dadong.
Yang Dadong's body stiffens as he trembles and replies, "To answer you, sir, it is not."
"Then when did it become your place to point fingers and lecture this official?"
Upon hearing this, He Cong straightens up and speaks sharply.
"I... I didn't mean to..."
"Take him away; let the owner of this place speak."
Yang Dadong never expected He Cong would say such things. He wouldn't dare to lecture a county magistrate even if he had a hundred lives; he is instantly frightened into incoherence. However, He Cong doesn't give him a chance to speak and orders him to be taken away.
Watching Yang Dadong being dragged off, Summer Forest is stunned. He kneels before He Cong, trembling all over, his lips quivering. After a long while, he finally manages to let out a faint voice:
"Please spare those innocent children and the village chief."
However, he hesitated for a long time, unsure of what to say. His heart was only anxious to plead for these children and Yang Dadong, and in his urgency, he blurted out his request.
As he spoke, he continued to bow repeatedly.
For a moment, the entire Main Hall echoed with the sound of his head hitting the ground.
"Where did this uncultured brute come from? How dare you think you can direct my actions?"
But He Cong had no intention of letting them go; he clung to their words like a vice.
Summer Forest trembled, her eyes reddening with anxiety as she watched He Cong approach the group of children...
Xia Muxin had nearly finished packing up the belongings from her parents' and older brother's rooms. She had lost track of time and noticed that Songzi had already left. She brushed back a few stray strands of hair from her forehead and called out:
"Ming Yi, could you help me move this wooden box outside?"
Ming Yi usually waited nearby for her, and since the box was already neatly filled with items, she tried to shift it but found it too heavy to move on her own. That's why she called for him.
However, after waiting for quite some time without seeing Ming Yi appear, Xia Muxin began to wonder if he had gone off to eat.
Feeling exhausted herself, she thought it wouldn't hurt to take a break before continuing with the packing. Besides, she wasn't sure if her aunt had arrived yet; she couldn't even recall what she looked like.
With that thought in mind, she stepped outside.
When she saw the thick layer of snow in the yard, she was somewhat surprised. Standing at the door and gazing into the distance, she could see the heavy snowflakes falling incessantly. The distant mountains and nearby villages were already blanketed in white. She had no idea how long she had been busy inside this house, long enough for the snow to cover the entire world.
“Muxin, there you are! Hurry over, something happened over there!”
At that moment, Swallow was frantically searching for Xia Muxin. She had run to Daimiao Mountain, but seeing that there were no footprints along the way, she abandoned that thought. Just as she returned, she spotted Xia Muxin standing at the door of the Thatched Cottage, lost in thought. Out of breath from running, she exclaimed.
In the whole family, Xia Muxin was the most level-headed and calm. Perhaps only she could come up with a solution to this problem.
Xia Muxin felt a tightness in her chest and stopped thinking about where Ming Yi and the others had gone. She dashed toward the New House.
In the Main Hall of the New House, He Cong had approached several children, glaring down at them with fierce eyes.
“Tell me, why did you run into someone?”
His question startled everyone. To County Magistrate He Cong, this action by the children seemed intentional.
“It was a beautiful sister named Muxin who told us to do it.”
- End of Chapter -
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