Chapter 74: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Talk
When they returned to the town, it was already dark.
Wei Shilai sent Liu Sanniang back before returning to the government office.
Liu Sanniang only left a letter when she went out, so her family was very worried. When they saw her return, they were relieved.
No one in the family asked why Liu Sanniang went out. They had formed a tacit understanding of not to ask, say, or talk.
After dinner, Liu Sanniang returned to her room and continued embroidering. When Madam Wei came in, Liu Sanniang was embroidering under the candlelight. Madam Wei walked to Liu Sanniang’s side. “Sanniang, the date of Yinniang’s marriage has been set.”
Liu Sanniang put down the needle in her hand. “When?”
Thinking of Liu Yinniang, who walked into the darkness with Liu Shun in her dream, Liu Sanniang sighed. After being reborn, she was different, and many things were different.
This made Liu Sanniang understand that nothing was consistent. Anyone or anything could change.
Madam Wei sighed. “On the 12th of December, they said that if she married him early, she could take care of Liu Shun while he focused on his studies.”
Madam Wei felt a little pissed off when she thought about it. She had already told Madam Bai so clearly that her son-in-law was not a good person, but Madam Bai did not believe it. When Liu Shun was injured, she even asked Yinniang to go and take care of him.
As soon as Liu Shun recovered, he set the date for the wedding.
After everything was settled, this marriage was a done deal.
Madam Wei had already reminded them. If she continued trying to talk them out of the marriage, they would really think that she was being salty.
Therefore, Madam Wei did not intend to say anything else. There was no need to say anything else. This was their choice. Even if the marriage turned out to be a bad one in the future, they could not blame anyone.
Liu Yinniang was a little younger than Liu Sanniang and would only turn 15 after the new year.
“Let’s not talk about Yinniang. It’s their decision.”
Madam Wei smiled and changed the topic. “Your brother is getting engaged. Tang An is a good girl. It’s definitely not wrong to marry her. A few days ago, she even asked her brother to catch river prawns in the river and send them over.”
When Madam Wei mentioned Tang An, she was beaming.
Liu Sanniang also smiled. “Then I’m going to buy some clothes and make a wedding blanket for my brother.”
In her previous life, Tang An was her sister-in-law. She was really a good person. She gave birth to a few children for her eldest brother and came to visit Liu Sanniang a lot, worried that she would feel lonely.
Liu Dalang was 17 years old. He would be 18 after the new year.
Madam Wei smiled. “Your brother will be very happy to receive the gift.”
Liu Sanniang leaned on Madam Wei’s shoulder and said gently, “Mother, you don’t have to worry about me.”
Even though Madam Wei didn’t bring up Liu Sanniang’s marriage, Liu Sanniang could hear her thoughts, so she knew how sad Madam Wei was.
Madam Wei held Liu Sanniang’s shoulder and felt a lump in her throat. She almost cried, but fortunately, she managed to hold it back.
Madam Wei did not ask or talk further, but she could not lie to herself about the fact that her daughter had already taken the path as a psychic.
Madam Wei sighed. “I’m not worried. I support you. You just have to remember that no matter where you are, this is your home. As long as your parents are here, your home is here. If anyone dares to bully you, I’ll fight them to death.”
Liu Sanniang sobbed. “Mother, you are so good.”
Mother’s love was warm and sweet. It became a hard armor that protected Liu Sanniang from harm.
At night, Liu Sanniang was sound asleep.
In a daze, she heard many cries.
The place she was looking at was River Village where she had visited during the day.
Tonight, River Village was destined to be a sleepless night.
It was already late at night, but the entire village was still brightly lit and filled with screams.
The men who had been working for the entire day suddenly ran to the pigpen to eat pig food. They ran around on all fours, but they looked like they were in pain and shouted. “Help, help!”
They looked like they were possessed.
They broke down and shouted for help, while the women also shouted in fear. “What’s wrong with you? You can’t eat that…”
After going mad for an entire night, they finally stopped.
When it was almost dawn, Liu Sanniang saw many children running towards her. They fought to get close to Liu Sanniang and called her sweetly. “Sister, Sister…”
Liu Sanniang was like a light that they could not wait to touch. They were willing to follow her.
At dawn, Liu Sanniang woke up and smiled. She did not need to go out. After breakfast, she embroidered at home.
Liu Ju’er’s marriage was coming up, and her elder brother was about to be engaged. She had to embroider a lot of stuff, so she naturally did not have the time.
Wei Shilai had already informed the capital of this case and was waiting for the news.
River Village was a major case. There were not just one or two criminals to be arrested, but the entire village. Therefore, he could not make the decision by himself. Not only did he have to inform the capital, but he also had to increase the number of his troops.
At the thought of what the villagers had done, Wei Shilai was furious. He sent many messengers to the capital, hoping to get a reply as soon as possible.
According to the laws of the Xia Dynasty, Niu Laoda’s wife and mother were both guilty and would be imprisoned for two to three years. However, Wei Shilai was not satisfied with this law. He thought they needed to be sent into exile.
If there was such a thing in Yong County, there must be similar cases elsewhere. Wei Shilai wanted to make an impact. Even if it was just a small change, even if his efforts would be in vain, he had to try.
When Wei Shilai learned that all the men in River Village had gone crazy at night, he was stunned.
The officer who brought back the news had a complicated expression. “Sir, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would never believe that a sane person would run around eating pig food.”
Wei Shilai came back to his senses. “Continue keeping an eye on the village. Report as soon as there’s any news.”
People who could commit such a horrendous crime as killing their daughters were even less than a pig.
The officer was worried that they were suffering from a plague. He thought for a moment and asked, “Sir, these people are not behaving normally. I’m afraid something will happen. Should we quarantine the village?”