Chapter 108: Twists and Turns (Part 2)
When they returned to the village that night, it was already late. Qingyan urged Xiao Zhuang to go back so his mother wouldn’t worry. After unloading the carriage and feeding Xiaozao some fodder, Qingyan left with an anxious expression.
Aunt Li was worried that something might happen to Qingyan, so she refused to go home and instead stayed at Wang the blacksmith’s house, telling Qingyan to call her if he needed anything at night.
That night, Aunt Li couldn’t count how many times she tossed and turned, sighed silently in distress, and shed tears thinking about the hardships.
When the rooster crowed the next morning, Aunt Li had only just fallen asleep for a short while when she woke up sore all over. Just as she was putting on her clothes, she heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.
Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly put on her shoes to go outside. At that moment, the door of the neighboring house creaked open, and footsteps hurried into the courtyard—it was Qingyan.
Aunt Li quickly tidied her hair and opened the door to go out. She saw Liu Fa following behind Qingyan into the yard.
As soon as they entered the outer room, Liu Fa didn’t go any further. He sighed deeply and squatted on the ground.
Aunt Li looked closely and saw that his eyes were bloodshot, and his complexion was terrible, clearly showing signs of a sleepless night.
Qingyan pulled over a stool, but Liu Fa didn’t sit down. He squatted on the ground with vacant eyes and said, “Yesterday, they dug open Liu Xiang’s grave and took away the bones.”
Since this case had been reopened and Qiu Henian arrested, it was certain they were conducting a new autopsy to find new evidence. Qingyan had long expected this and wasn’t surprised.
Liu Fa clenched his fists, showing a remorseful expression.
“If only I hadn’t been so weak back then and took the blame for Liu Xiang, today none of this would have happened to Qiu Henian.”
Liu Fa lifted his bloodshot eyes and looked at Qingyan, saying, “I know this has nothing to do with Henian. Yesterday, when I got the news, I rushed to the county office, but no one listened to me. Instead, they repeatedly tried to make me admit that the embroidered shoe belonged to Liu Xiang. I gritted my teeth and refused, so they said they would send someone to Liu Yongfu’s house in the county to identify it.”
Qingyan’s fingers twitched at his side.
Aunt Li cried out, “They’re intentionally pushing him into a dead end!”
After Liu Fa left, Aunt Li wiped away her tears and quickly prepared some food. The two of them ate together, but Qingyan hardly ate anything. Aunt Li sighed as she watched, feeling helpless about what to say.
Not long after, Qiuniang and San Yao also came to the house. The few of them sat in the outer room, all wearing worried expressions and unable to speak.
After a while, Qingyan stood up and said, “Auntie, Qiuniang, please look after the shop.”
The two nodded. Qingyan then said to San Yao, “San Yao, please take me to the county office today.”
San Yao quickly got up and said, “Okay, I’ll go harness the carriage.”
San Yao drove the carriage, first dropping Aunt Li and Qiuniang off at the shop, then taking Qingyan straight to the county town.
As they passed through the village, villagers occasionally cast complex glances at the people in the carriage, especially towards Qingyan. Rumors and gossip were inevitable after such an incident, but Qingyan paid them no mind.
When they arrived at the county office, the gate was open this time, but Qingyan still couldn’t see anyone.
Only the registrar whom Ren Xiao knew came out to see him.
With a sigh, he said, “There’s no use coming here. The county lord won’t see you.”
Qingyan waited at the county office all day until the gate closed, and he had to leave.
It was the second day since Qiu Henian had been taken away.
On the third day, Qingyan didn’t go to the county office. Instead, he went to the shop, listed the goods he needed, and asked Qiuniang to deliver the list to Feng Laosan.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Qiuniang asked anxiously, “Are you still going to the county office today?”
Qingyan shook his head and said, “I’m going to the Yang family in the county.”
“What?”
Qiuniang’s face changed, and Aunt Li also became anxious.
“What are you going there for?”
Qingyan’s expression was blank.
“Liu Xiang was killed by Yang Huai. This matter is almost certainly related to him.”
Qiuniang and Aunt Li grabbed him, refusing to let him go, but he insisted stubbornly, “Even if you hold onto me now, it’s no use. I’m definitely going.”
As the three struggled, a figure suddenly hurried over, knelt down in front of Qingyan with a thump.
Huani’s face was full of tears as she said, “Shopkeeper Qingyan, you must not go to the Yang family. This whole matter with Brother Qiu was caused by Yang Huai. If you go, it will be of no use. He’s determined to take revenge on Brother Qiu!”
Qingyan was stunned and looked at her, asking, “What do you know?”
Huani cried, “It wasn’t intentional. I was so afraid that day, I ended up revealing what Brother Qiu had asked me about. I didn’t think it would cause any trouble.”
Huani recounted what Qiu Henian had asked her, how she had encountered Yang Huai that day, and how under his pressure, she had divulged everything Qiu Henian had discussed with her.
After she finished, she knelt down on the ground and burst into tears, as if venting out all the anxiety and guilt of the past few days.
After hearing this, Qingyan sat down heavily on a chair, staring blankly at her. Now he realized belatedly that something had been amiss with Qiu Henian all these days.
It turned out that the recent turmoil in the Yang family might all be part of Qiu Henian’s plan.
He also recalled that perhaps since the village elder’s birthday celebration when Yang Huai was beaten, suspicions against Qiu Henian had already existed. This person was cunning and sly, holding back until Huani’s few simple words intensified his suspicions, leading to this revenge.
Qingyan tightly pressed his lips together and stood up again.
Aunt Li hurriedly asked, “Where are you going?”
Qingyan said, “I’m going to find Yang Huai.”
Aunt Li anxiously exclaimed, “Why are you still going? Do you know who that Yang person is? If you go, it’s like walking into the lion’s den!”
Qingyan lowered his eyelids. “If Henian is gone, my life is meaningless.”
Aunt Li cried, “Qingyan, you still have your child in your belly!”
But Qingyan still walked towards the door. Several people tried to stop him, even Huani crawled up from the ground and spread her arms to block the doorway.
Aunt Li and the others didn’t dare to use force, afraid of hurting him. Qingyan reached the doorway in no time, pushed Huani aside, and was about to step over the threshold.
At that moment, his body suddenly stiffened. Slowly, he lowered his head to look at his own abdomen.
The “little fish” swimming occasionally in his belly seemed to sense something. The fragile little body had now turned into a dragon, tumbling and rolling in his abdomen, no longer needing careful perception to notice.
After struggling for a while, it exhausted its strength and became still.
Qingyan raised his hand to cover his abdomen, stunned for a while. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he said, “I’m not going anymore.”
Hearing this, Aunt Li and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
By the fourth day, Qingyan’s condition had suddenly improved a lot. He could eat meals and his complexion seemed to have improved somewhat.
He still went to the county office every day, but didn’t stay long—just an hour. If there was no news, he returned to the shop and did whatever needed to be done.
On the fifth day, Qingyan went to the post station to inquire, but there was no letter from the capital.
By the sixth day, still no letter had arrived.
From Muling County to the capital, a round trip by fast horse only took four days. Qingyan had paid a lot of silver to the post station for this matter, but after a delay of two days without receiving the letter, he knew that the letter might not come.
It was on this day, after returning from the post station, that Qingyan made a decision.
Tomorrow, he would set off with Feng Lao San’s caravan to the capital!
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
When they reached the sedan chair, Qingyan knelt down with a thud and loudly said, “I am Yu Qingyan, seeking justice from Lord Qiu.”
