The Farm Girl and the Executioner (Rebirth) 92

Chapter 92: Sun Kang Comes Home

By the time the last medicine seedling was planted, it was already getting late.

Lin Shuang packed up her hoe and winnowing basket. “Let’s go. Let’s go back and make dinner.”

Zhang Mainiang also patted the dirt off her clothes and called for Dahua and Xiaohua to go home.

“Sister-in-law, don’t be in such a hurry to leave,” Lin Shuang quickly grabbed her. “You’ve been with us all afternoon. You should at least have dinner with us before you go back.”

Zhang Mainiang smiled. “No, no. Caitou has probably already made dinner at home.”

Old Madam Jiang interjected, “What’s the big deal? Have Dahua and Ping’er go and call him over to eat with us.”

“Really, no need,” Mainiang rubbed her rough palms. “We’re family. It’s all thanks to your help this year that my life has gotten better. I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. I don’t see myself as an outsider at all. If I wanted to eat, I would have stayed. But there are still pigs and sheep at home waiting to be fed, and these few little ones also need to be taken care of. The work is piled up until the middle of the night…”

She spoke with such sincerity that Lin Shuang’s heart also warmed up. “Alright then. If you need anything, just have Caitou come and let us know.”

“Okay!” Mainiang agreed and called out to her two girls, “Dahua, Xiaohua, let’s go home!”

Hearing their mother call, Dahua and Xiaohua quickly ran over, took Zhang Mainiang’s hand, one on each side, and walked out of the valley.

After Mainiang had gone, Jiang Huaizhen picked up a water bucket and said to Lin Shuang, “You go back and cook first. I’ll carry a few loads of water to water them.”

Lin Shuang felt sorry for her for having to carry water at night after the execution during the day, but she couldn’t show too much concern in front of the old woman. She could only nod. “You don’t have to water them too much.”

With that, she packed up her things and led Ping’er home.

Old Madam Jiang looked at Jiang Huaizhen. “You go and get the water. I’ll water them with you for a while.”

“No need. It’s not much trouble. I can handle it by myself,” Jiang Huaizhen said.

“Stubborn donkey!” Old Madam Jiang glared at her. “So much nonsense. Why don’t you just go?”

Jiang Huaizhen had no choice but to turn and go back to get the water.

When the water was brought, the grandmother and granddaughter, each with a ladle, sprinkled it, bit by bit, onto the newly planted medicine seedlings.

When they were almost done, Old Madam Jiang straightened up to catch her breath and looked at the neat rows of medicine, sighing with emotion. “Shuang’er is so capable. She recognizes these precious medicinal herbs. If it weren’t for her, we would just be planting some rice and miscellaneous grains. You’ve really had a stroke of good luck to have brought her home.”

Jiang Huaizhen quite agreed with the words “stroke of good luck.” Wasn’t it a stroke of good luck? To have bought someone home without spending any money, to have someone help take care of the elderly, earn money for the family, and bring the whole family to wealth, and even… even to have sent herself to her bed…

“I will be good to her for the rest of my life,” she said.

Old Madam Jiang snorted. “You dare not to be good to her?”

As twilight deepened, and the grandmother and granddaughter were talking, a sudden sound of hurried horse hooves came from outside the valley.

The gourd ladle in Jiang Huaizhen’s hand paused, and she straightened up alertly.

The sound of the horse hooves grew closer and closer, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached the courtyard gate.

Looking from a distance, she saw that the newcomer was actually Sun Kang.

Jiang Huaizhen suddenly remembered his hesitant expression at the Household Department today. Her heart skipped a beat, and she threw down the water ladle and ran home.

Sun Kang was just about to go into the house when he heard the footsteps and turned his head. Seeing that it was her, he called out, “Little Jiang—”

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Huaizhen asked, panting. “Why are you here at this time?”

Sun Kang wiped his sweat and told her about seeing the county magistrate and Sun Yasi come to the Household Department to get the household register.

“I secretly followed them and heard them say that they were going to hide it from Sir Kong and not report that Miss Lin and Lin Mancang had already severed their ties…”

“I was going to tell you at the yamen today, but there were outsiders at that time, and I knew that I had to wait until I was off duty to come over.”

Jiang Huaizhen’s eyes hardened, and she dragged him to the kitchen. “Go in and tell Lin Shuang again.”

In the kitchen, Lin Shuang was squatting by the stove, picking vegetables. Seeing the two of them enter, her hands paused.

After hearing Sun Kang’s words, the vegetable stalk in her hand snapped with a “crack,” and her face was so dark that water could have dripped from it.

“If there are no accidents, Lin Mancang must have done something bad in my name outside.”

The fire in the stove crackled, and Lin Shuang’s face was half-lit and half-dark. She slowly straightened up and shook the water from her hands. “Sir Kong must have found out about these things. He probably didn’t pursue the matter because we had saved people.”

Jiang Huaizhen had also thought of this and quickly asked, “What can Lin Mancang do in your name?”

Sun Kang said, “I’ve been secretly investigating these few days… he’s been collecting some thank-you gifts from the disaster victims for you.”

“Good old Lin Mancang!” Lin Shuang sneered. “I’ve refused the disaster victims’ thank-you gifts several times, and he’s picked up a big bargain!”

Jiang Huaizhen asked, “Should we go and confront him now?”

Lin Shuang shook her head. “It’s one thing whether he admits it or not. Even if he does, we have no way of finding those people on our own and clarifying the matter. We might even be framed in return.”

They could only report it to the authorities and have the yamen investigate and announce it to clear Lin Mancang’s tarnished name.

But now, the old county magistrate had already been beheaded, and she didn’t know when the new county magistrate would take office. The yamen was now definitely run by that dog of a county magistrate. To report it at this time would be like a sheep entering a tiger’s mouth.

They could only wait, wait for the new county magistrate to take office.

“We’ll discuss this tonight.”

After saying this, she looked at Sun Kang. “It’s a good thing you told us about this in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Huaizhen and I are extremely grateful.”

Not only that, but he had also helped to investigate Lin Mancang.

It could be seen that this person had really changed.

Hearing her thanks, Sun Kang’s evil face also showed a hint of unnaturalness. “During the flood, you saved me and my mother. Just consider it as a repayment.”

Lin Shuang thought of the one tael of silver he had returned during the day and smiled. “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. You’re too polite. You came in such a hurry. You must not have eaten yet. You can go and rest with Huaizhen outside for a while. We’ll eat together later.”

How could Sun Kang have the face to stay for dinner? He quickly waved his hand. “No, no. I have to go back. My mother is still waiting for me at home. I won’t stay.”

He insisted on leaving, and the two of them couldn’t keep him. They could only see him to the door.

As he was about to get on his horse, Sun Kang suddenly turned his head. “Lin Mancang should have rented a house in the city and… is keeping a woman. The address is the third door in Liu Lane in the east of the city. There’s a pair of rabbit lanterns hanging in front of the door.”

Hearing this, Lin Shuang was so angry she laughed.

But in front of Sun Kang, she still suppressed the anger in her heart. “This news is very important to us. Thank you for your hard work. We will definitely thank you heavily when we go to the city another day.”

“That’s not necessary,” Sun Kang got on his horse. “I’m leaving. If there’s any other news, I’ll find a way to pass it on to you then.”

With a “giddy-up,” the horse ran out of the valley.

Old Madam Jiang came back with two empty buckets at this time. Seeing the two of them standing at the main door, she asked, “What did that person say when he came? He came to find you two days ago, but you weren’t at home. When I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn’t say.”

Lin Shuang glanced at Jiang Huaizhen, thinking of how she had hidden the matter of the execution from her in the morning, which had made the old woman unhappy when she returned. So she didn’t hide it from her anymore and told her about Lin Mancang.

Old Madam Jiang was indeed very angry and began to curse.

Lin Shuang thought that anyway, no one outside the valley could hear her cursing, so she let her be.

It wasn’t until after dinner that the old woman said, “We have to find a way to deal with that shameless person. If we let him continue to mess around like this, your two’s reputation will also be ruined.”

Her granddaughter being an executioner didn’t have a good reputation, but that was aimed at the job. She was innocent and upright, and she had a clear conscience. But this matter that Lin Mancang had caused was different. Defrauding the disaster victims of their thank-you gifts was a crime, a heartless thing.

Lin Shuang nodded. “Huaizhen and I are thinking of a way. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

Old Madam Jiang was convinced that she was a capable person and finally stopped nagging.

Before Lin Shuang and Jiang Huaizhen could come up with a specific plan, an unexpected guest came to their house the next day.

Looking at this long-lost older cousin, and thinking of her two-faced behavior in the past, not to mention that her father had also done such a shameless thing, Lin Shuang said coolly, “What can I do for you? If there’s nothing, I have to go down to the fields to work.”

Lin Xue was the eldest daughter of Lin Mancang and Ma Guihua. She was five years older than Lin Shuang and had been married for five years. She now had a son and a daughter. Lin Shuang had been bullied by her a lot when she was little. After not seeing her for several years, she had no feelings for her.

Lin Xue looked at her increasingly beautiful younger cousin. Her fine cotton clothes were starched and crisp, and a delicate hairpin was pinned in her hair. Where was the yellow-haired girl from back then?

She remembered what her mother had said, that ever since she had been bought by the Jiang family, she had been as if she had struck it rich. She had started a flatbread business, and then a doll business, and had made a fortune. Now she had even bought a house in the city.

The person she had always looked down on was now doing better than her. Of course, Lin Xue was not happy. Her heart was sour, but she squeezed out a smile on her face. “Little Shuang has become more and more beautiful.”

Lin Shuang was too lazy to listen to her polite words. “Just say what you have to say.”

Lin Xue wrung her handkerchief and finally told the truth. “Little Shuang, you should have heard that Father beat Mother back to her parents’ house a few days ago… can you help to persuade him to bring my mother back?”

Lin Shuang instantly guessed that after Ma Guihua had been driven back, and she had not seen Lin Mancang come to get her after two days, she had had her eldest daughter come as a lobbyist.

Or maybe Lin Xue knew that her mother had been beaten back to her parents’ house and wanted to be a filial daughter, so she had come to her on her own initiative.

Lin Shuang sneered. “What does your family’s housework have to do with me? I’m not a member of your Lin family anymore.”

“Father hit Mother because of you!” Lin Xue said anxiously. “He said that he shouldn’t have been bewitched by that Matchmaker Wang and been tricked into sending you to the Qin family for a chongxi marriage. I told my mother at that time that if Little Shuang was unwilling, she didn’t have to marry him. But my mother said that although it was a second marriage, Young Master Qin was also a handsome man, and his family was well-off, so we were marrying up. I asked someone to inquire, and Young Master Qin is still alive and well now… Little Shuang, actually, Father and Mother were also doing it for your own good—”

Lin Shuang was so annoyed by these words that she was unwilling to listen to her go on. So she asked, “They found someone from a brothel before dawn and sold me for eight taels of silver. What about that?”

Lin Xue smiled awkwardly. “My mother said that she was just scaring you. It was because you had gone to tell others that you had changed your birth characters, and she was angry, so she scared you. She didn’t really want to sell you. Otherwise, how could you still be here now?”

Lin Shuang hadn’t expected Lin Xue to be able to say such a thing. It was both sad and ridiculous. She turned her head and stared at her, saying word by word, “The reason I’m here now is because I asked Jiang Huaizhen to come and save me, and she spent real money to buy me. If I hadn’t asked her, I would have been rotting in a brothel by now! Can you imagine that?”

Lin Xue was so ashamed by this gaze that she couldn’t show her face, but she still didn’t give up. “No matter what, if it weren’t for those things back then, there wouldn’t be the you of today. Fate and karma are so wonderful, but fortunately, the result is good.”

Lin Shuang: “The mouth is on your face. You can say whatever you want. And since your parents have taken the money, and the goods have been delivered, we have nothing to do with each other. You don’t have to come here to look for trouble.”

Lin Xue shook her head. “Little Shuang, you can’t say that. Second Uncle and Second Aunt died when you were three. My parents raised you for over a dozen years. Even if there was no merit, there was still hard work.”

Jiang Huaizhen, who had been listening for a long time, finally couldn’t take it anymore and walked over. “Didn’t you hear her? She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

Lin Xue frowned and looked at the woman who was a head taller than her. She had seen Jiang Huaizhen before, but it was when she was little. Now that she was grown up, she had such a breathtaking appearance.

She considered herself to be not bad-looking. Today, she had first found that she had been outshone by her younger cousin, and now there was such a person. Her heart was a little sour.

“Little Jiang…” Lin Xue forced a smile. “Thank you for taking care of my younger cousin this past year.”

Jiang Huaizhen said with a blank expression, “I bought her. She is my person. Whether I treat her well or not has nothing to do with you.”

The mother hen in the corner of the courtyard clucked and ran past. Lin Xue was so choked by these words that her face turned red and white. “No matter what, Little Shuang’s roots are in the Lin family. We’re all from the same village. There’s no need to be so ruthless.”

Jiang Huaizhen replied, “It was you who were ruthless first. You can’t blame others.”

Old Madam Jiang heard the voices outside and came over.

Lin Xue had long learned of this old woman’s temper from Ma Guihua. She had originally wanted to say a few more words, but now she had to hurry and say to Lin Shuang, “No matter what, my parents have raised you. Even your father was raised by my father. As long as you have a little filial piety, you shouldn’t treat my parents like this—”

Before she could finish, Old Madam Jiang had recognized her and immediately quickened her pace, cursing as she walked, “I was wondering who it was. It turns out it’s Lin Mancang’s eldest daughter. What, are you here to ask for filial piety?”

Old Madam Jiang was extremely angry that the Lin family was still provoking Lin Shuang at this time, especially Lin Mancang, who had even dared to use Lin Shuang’s name to amass wealth. Halfway through her cursing, she suddenly stopped and threw out a trump card. “Your father is keeping a mistress outside. He only hit your mother because he thinks she’s old and ugly. And you still have the face to come here and act like an elder?”

She was outspoken and had to spit it out.

Jiang Huaizhen wanted to stop her but was held back by Lin Shuang.

Last night, she had been thinking of a way to suppress Lin Mancang first and stop him from going out to cheat people for this period of time. It just so happened that Lin Xue had come to her door. She would have her take this news back to Ma Guihua. With Ma Guihua’s personality, she would definitely cause a scene for a while.

At least for this period of time, Lin Mancang would not have time to do evil again.

And they didn’t have to show their faces for the time being, so as not to alert the enemy.

When the new county magistrate took office, they would report this immoral person and settle the matter.

And Lin Xue, who had heard the old woman’s words, was as if struck by lightning. She stumbled back two steps. “No, impossible… my father is already old, and the family doesn’t have much money. How can he keep another woman outside?”

Lin Shuang said slowly, “If you don’t believe it, you can just go and see the third house in Liu Lane in the east of the city. Remember, there’s a pair of rabbit lanterns hanging in front of the door. Don’t go to the wrong door.”

Lin Xue’s face was pale. Finally, she glared at Lin Shuang, turned, and ran.

Old Madam Jiang spat at her retreating figure and cursed, “What a thing. It’s not her place to speak here.”