Chapter 296: Chapter 296: A Strong Stench
The trial time has been changed.
Lord County Magistrate personally announced this news, postponing the date of the trials for these villains to three days later.
All the onlookers were shocked.
Everyone speculated whether someone powerful was protecting the people from Weston Village, which is why the trial date was changed.
Such things, once altered, could easily end up unresolved.
Some people felt there must be some other hidden matters involved.
But regardless of everything, after Lord County Magistrate announced the news, he left, saying only a few words to calm the crowd.
The dozen or so people kneeling on the ground were escorted back to prison.
With no more excitement to watch, the spectators began to disperse in small groups.
The Qi Family gathered again, looking at each other, unsure what to do next.
Qi Manman suddenly said, "Mother, Manbao is hungry."
With these words, everyone immediately had a goal.
Go home!
They must go home!
Even the most important matters cannot take precedence over filling Manbao’s stomach.
On the other side, Liu Qinghe took fifty taels of silver, brought along five or six companions, and rode directly towards Weston Village.
Liu Qinghe was not visiting Weston Village for the first time, but this visit felt distinctly different.
Previously, he had seen villagers like walking corpses; even when they saw these officials, the most they did was make way, with no other reactions.
However, this time, the villagers’ eyes clearly had a spark.
They immediately kneeled upon seeing the officials, displaying a deference never seen before.
The whole family of the village chief had been arrested.
Except for the daughters married off, there wasn’t a single living person left at the village chief’s home.
And because those daughters had no messenger to inform them, none of them had returned to check on things.
Liu Qinghe rode up to the entrance of the village chief’s house.
The gate was locked with an iron lock and sealed with official tape.
Though no one had damaged the gate or lock, the courtyard walls were splattered with filth.
A rancid odor could be smelled from afar.
Upon approaching, even the horses felt uncomfortable and backed away.
"Boss, it smells awful."
The government official accompanying Liu Qinghe covered his nose and mouth with a sleeve, frowning deeply.
Liu Qinghe’s eyes were nearly closed from the stench, so he motioned for his subordinates to step back.
As he turned around, he saw an old woman with a cane in one hand and a small wooden bucket in the other, trembling and approaching.
Forty meters behind her, two young men were running towards her, calling "Mother" as they ran.
It was unclear whether the old woman didn’t hear them or chose not to listen, as she kept walking with her cane.
"Boss?"
The subordinate looked at Liu Qinghe.
Liu Qinghe raised his hand, signaling his subordinate to stay silent, then dismounted and walked towards the old woman.
As Liu Qinghe approached, the two young men caught up.
Their faces turned pale upon seeing Liu Qinghe, and they stammered greetings.
Liu Qinghe waved his hand, about to greet the old woman when the familiar rancid smell wafted over.
The odor emanated from the bucket in the old woman’s hand.
"Sir, my—my mother, she..."
One of the young men tried to speak, but he stammered so much he couldn’t complete a sentence.
Liu Qinghe frowned, refraining from asking questions immediately and blocking the old woman’s path.
The old woman’s eyes, seemingly shrouded in something, shifted slightly before she stopped, "Who—who are you?"
Her hoarse voice was uncomfortable to hear.
Liu Qinghe said, "Old lady, I’m from the county government. What are you doing with a bucket of filth?"
"What?"
The old woman raised her voice, turning her ear towards Liu Qinghe.
It seemed her hearing was not in good condition.
Liu Qinghe, resignedly, repeated his identity loudly.
Upon hearing this, the old woman shivered, and the bucket dropped with a clang, spilling its contents.
Liu Qinghe quickly stepped back, avoiding the spill.
Yet the old woman ignored the filth, dropping to her knees, crying out, "Your Lordship! Your Lordship!"
"Old lady, you, you..."
Liu Qinghe wanted to help her up, but the filthy ground between them made it difficult to approach.
Her two sons helped, supporting her arms and moving her to a cleaner spot.
"Forgive us, sir! My mother just wanted to empty the dirty water; she didn’t mean to come this way."
"Yes, sir, please don’t take offense!"
The nearly forty-year-old men were tearful.
She lost her way?
Liu Qinghe didn’t believe such an explanation.
Waving his hand, Liu Qinghe signaled them to be quiet and asked loudly, "Old woman, where were you going?"
The old woman felt her sons gripping her arms, signaling her to stay silent.
But she couldn’t hold back, crying, "Sir, I—I wanted to splash that heartless family with filth!"
"Where do you live?"
Seeing the old woman agitated and unlikely to answer calmly, Liu Qinghe knew it wasn’t suitable to talk here in their filthy state.
The two men exchanged glances, with the older one saying, "Our family lives at the end of the village."
"Lead the way, let’s get the old lady into clean clothes first."
Saying this, Liu Qinghe beckoned his men.
His subordinates brought the horses, following the trio towards the village’s end.
They hadn’t gone far when Liu Qinghe noticed many villagers had come out, cautiously watching the officials with apprehension.
Recalling Qi Quanjin’s words and the magistrate’s instructions, Liu Qinghe stopped, announcing loudly, "Everyone, don’t worry. I’m here by Lord County Magistrate’s order, investigating the village chief family’s actions over the years."
"If anyone has something to say, follow us to their home and speak there."
When he saw no one approaching, Liu Qinghe mentioned the bounty.
To assure them the bounty was real, he took a small wooden box from the saddlebag.
Opening it publicly revealed a stash of Copper Coins, along with some broken silver pieces.
