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Marriage of the Di Daughter Chapter 118 Part 2: Kindness
She visited the most households on yesterday’s trip. Ye Ming Yu did not visit as many households as her. That’s only because she knew each household’s address in Tongxiang, which saved a lot of time. When she pa.s.sed through the Qingzhi Lane gate in the early morning, she saw Aunt Chun Fang whom she saw on the first day of her arrival. Aunt Chun Fang was carrying her basket, standing in the garden, looking cautiously at Jiang Li and her crowd that were walking further away. Her lips stammered, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, she did not say anything.
Jiang Li did not look at her. Her time was too short, she did not have the time to attend to each person. The fates between people relied on karma. There were things that you had worked hard for and it’s predestined if it did not work out. There was no need to be unreconciled.
For the whole day yesterday, starting from the first household, which was Dai Yun, until the last household, at least on Jiang Li’s end, not a single person was persuaded. It’s untrue to say that she wasn’t disappointed, but today she still had to continue. She must accept whatever the outcome was.
In the distance, a door of a house could already be seen.
Jiang Li walked up to the family’s door, hesitated for a while before finally knocked on the door.
The man in this family was a butcher, known as butcher Zhang. He was born with a fierce and evil look, extremely frightful. Children would cry when he glanced at them. Jiang Li remembered that when Xue Zhao was young, he was very afraid of this butcher Zhang, always feeling that the butcher’s knife in butcher Zhang’s hand was very scary. But she, as Xue Fang Fei, only remembered that every time she pa.s.sed through where the meat was displayed, this man rigidly pulled the corner of his mouth, seemingly wanting to show a gentle smile towards her, yet it looked very awkward.
She knocked three times before someone came to open the door.
The one who opened the door was butcher Zhang.
After so many years, butcher Zhang was still the same as before without any change. Such a cold winter day, but he only wore a thin, coa.r.s.e shirt with the sleeves rolled up, probably for the convenience of cutting meat. He was tall and plump, his face looked fierce. Due to killing pigs all year round, there was a greasy feeling and a fishy meat smell emanating from him. Perhaps he woke up early in preparation to spread the meat as there’s a bucket in his hand covered with a white cloth. Jiang Li knew that there’s fresh pork under the cloth.
Butcher Zhang was also carrying a long knife, placed above the bucket. The knife was extremely long and sharp. It’s unknown whether it stemmed from seeing too much blood, seeing the ray of light from the knife made people feel cold.
Jiang Li’s gaze couldn’t help falling onto the long knife.
Butcher Zhang lowered his head to look at Jiang Li and put the bucket in his hand onto the ground with a ‘thump’. He spoke in a bad tone, “Who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for you.” Jiang Li took her gaze back, “My name is Jiang Li.”
Butcher Zhang said, “I know you; yesterday it was you who started from the east city wall, going from house to house to ask about County Deputy Xue’s affair. Asking people to stand up and be a witness for Master Xue!”
Butcher Zhang’s voice was gruff, even more fierce and severe than what Jiang Li heard. There was no expression when he talked to Jiang Li, but the meat across his face trembled.
“Yes.” Jiang Li looked calmly at him. “Whether County Deputy Xue was a good official or not, whether he corrupted the disaster relief silver or not, it’s not possible for the people in Tongxiang not to know. I want to ask this uncle whether you are willing to stand up to testify, redress the injustice for the innocent county deputy?”
Butcher Zhang fixed his gaze on Jiang Li.
The fact was, his eyes were very small, practically just a squint, which made it difficult for people to guess his expression. Butcher Zhang was just alone by himself, without a wife until now because he was too ugly and too fierce, thus no one dared to get close to him. Looking at Jiang Li from above, it looked as if he was about to raise his butcher’s knife at Jiang Li.
But in the next moment, he suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.
Jiang Li had never seen butcher Zhang laugh like this before. She had seen the other party trying to squeeze out a friendly smile when he saw her before, seen him exposing a shy smile to the good-looking girl on the street, seen his smooth smile when he chopped of the bones, but she had never his carefree and hearty laugh. It was as if his long-cherished wish came true, a happy, fulfilled laugh.
He said, “Little lady, I’ve been waiting for you in the house since early morning and thought that you weren’t coming, but finally you are here. I’m willing to stand up! Follow you in helping Master Xue to reverse his verdict!”
This time, it’s Jiang Li’s turn to be flabbergasted.
In the midst of butcher Zhang’s laughter, after thinking, Jiang Li asked, “Why are you willing?”
“Why am I willing?” Butcher Zhang looked at her, as if she asked a funny question. He said, “You should ask me, why am I unwilling? You can say that Master Xue is like my second parent. In that year, someone tried to frame me, saying that my pork killed people, saying that I am a murderer. I was accused wrongly and was sent to prison, suffering while imprisoned. If it were not due to Master Xue who was perceptive, examined my case seriously and declared me as innocent, then I wouldn’t be here today!” He held the long knife in pa.s.sing, “Hey, although I’m a butcher that kills pigs, I’m not an ingrate who forgets favors!”
Jiang Li knew about this matter. When Xue Huai Yuan had just taken office, the previous county deputy accepted bribes. In that case, it was clear that the son of a wealthy person committed a crime, but he gave money to the former county deputy and looked for a scapegoat. It was clearly not butcher Zhang who poisoned the person to death, but he resolutely said that it was butcher Zhang’s meat that killed people. Butcher Zheng became a scapegoat and the former county deputy accepted bribes, so he definitely did not care about the innocence of a butcher. Moreover, butcher Zhang looked fierce and no one doubted the accusation.
After Xue Huai Yuan took office, he immediately noticed the doubtful point in this case and did not hesitate to offend the powerful and influential family in Tongxiang to reverse the verdict on butcher Zhang. Fortunately, at the end, the evidence was conclusive and butcher Zhang’s innocence was returned, saving his life. Afterwards, butcher Zhang recognized Xue Huai Yuan as his benefactor.
“I’ve been in prison and know the taste of being accused wrongly. n.o.body believes that a person like Master Xue is greedy for silver! Initially, I was thinking of a method, that is, to take the life of Feng Yu Tang, the dog official. But thought that even if such, the imprisoned Master Xue still could not be saved. Therefore, it dragged this long. At first I was thinking of robbing the execution ground five days later. It’s fine even if it was just me alone, even if I die, I will die together with my benefactor. The benefactor also will not feel injustice and say that it was a wrong thing to save me that year!”
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