搜狗输入法下载ipad版

Chapter 149

Trust made him immediately close the windows to his soul. He shakily held out his hands, “I won’t look, I won’t look. I won’t touch either. Little Jiang Sheng, come get this.”

Jiang Sheng was startled, but instinct still made her whirl over like a tornado to take the two pieces of fabric and hide them against her chest.

Only then was Zheng Ruqian greatly relieved. He scurried away to a distant spot, breaking out in cold sweat.

That thieving rascal!

These vegetables were newly delivered, and normally wouldn’t be inspected. If they were just sent to You Ran Ju like this, they would definitely be discovered when unloading.

By that time, Zheng Ruqian would truly be caught with his pants down—whether shit or mud.

His heart was condemnable, his intentions sinister and ruthless.

“Who could it be, in the end?” Fang Heng yelled in anger, “Plotting against my siblings over and over, if he won’t stop, we’ll stake our lives against each other in a fight to the death. That’s still better than being caught off guard like this.”

“Third brother, don’t be impatient,” Chang Yan placated him. “The most important thing now is how to resolve these two pieces of fabric.”

If he hadn’t guessed wrong, these should be the missing intimate garments of the county magistrate’s wife.

Having them in hand was like holding a hot potato.

If County Magistrate He found out, he would definitely blame everything on them and seek thunderous revenge.

“I think we should just throw them away,” Zheng Ruqian piped up at this time, having calmed down. “Or just burn them directly, pretend we don’t know anything.”

This would both make the rascal’s plot come to nothing, and also keep them out of the storm.

But still, it would not solve the root of the problem.

Who knows which cart might have another piece of intimate clothing tucked away some other day? Or perhaps some other private item altogether.

Xu Mo knitted his brows, glancing at Chang Yan. He discovered his younger brother was also looking up at the same time, his dark pupils tranquil.

The two brothers locked eyes, seemingly able to guess each other’s thoughts, while also sounding out the other’s opinion.

“Although County Magistrate He is of a different camp than us, this concerns a woman’s reputation. I suggest returning these intimate garments,” Xu Mo said heavily. “Father once said, a gentleman knows what he should and shouldn’t do. We can match wits and strength with him, but we cannot stoop to shameful, bottomless means.”

The scene flashed back to little Xu Mo being educated by his father, the county magistrate, with the goat beard.

He nodded his head, lecturing, “A gentleman knows what he should and shouldn’t do. If everyone scheme against each other without moral compunctions, then everyone would be petty men, dirty souls.”

“But A-Mo, remember, you are an upright young man. You should walk proudly upright in the sunlight. Even when rebelling, you should have your own principles. You are no alley rat, so you cannot live in a contemptible manner.”

The seven or eight year old Xu Mo nodded obediently, answering in a tender voice, “I’ll remember, Father.”

There were some things A-Mo always remembered, never forgetting, Father.

The teenager who was now thirteen or fourteen looked up, letting the wind carry away the wetness in his eyes.

Looking back, Chang Yan also nodded, “We can return it. As long as County Magistrate He has some brains, he won’t implicate us.”

Compared to his eldest brother’s righteousness, the fifth little brother thought more deeply, such as whether they could take this chance to get on good terms with the county magistrate, and win a period of peaceful life for the brothers.

Even if not, they had to make County Magistrate He feel guilty, and not dare to arrogantly target Zhu Hua Courtyard again.

The two brothers were of one mind.

Only Zheng Ruqian was still grumbling to the side, “I think you two are just being too idealistic. What if County Magistrate He assumes we were the ones who stole the intimate garments? And who’s going to take it to the county magistrate’s estate? What if they don’t come back?”

County Magistrate He was already prejudiced against them siblings to begin with. To send the garments over now was no different than a lamb entering a tiger’s den.

Xu Mo and Chang Yan looked at each other. Both were prepared to go themselves.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Sheng, still hugging the garments, stumbled forward, as if to volunteer herself for this task.

“Little Jiang Sheng,” Zheng Ruqian cried out, voice twisted in alarm, “You want to go?”

Jiang Sheng crawled up from the ground, laboriously sucked up some snot, “Go where? To return the garments? I can too. I’m the only girl in the family, so of course I have to work harder for my brothers.”

After speaking, she even pretended to maturely sigh, as if it wasn’t her five brothers taking care of their little sister, but her as the older sister looking after five younger brothers.

The corner of Xu Mo’s eye twitched. He pounded the nail in, “No time to lose. I’ll take little Jiang Sheng and go now.”

After simple preparations, the siblings got in a carriage with Zheng Ruqian driving them to the county magistrate’s estate.

Jiang Sheng hugged the intimate garments to her chest, clinging to the carriage door while crying out heartrendingly to Auntie Zhang, “Auntie, save me some of that cured meat. I think it’s pretty tasty.”

Only after Auntie Zhang acknowledged her did Xu Mo pull her back into the carriage, torn between laughter and exasperation.

Soon, they arrived at the gates of the county magistrate’s estate.

Zheng Ruqian tethered the horses, resigning himself with a sigh, and followed behind Xu Mo.

Although he didn’t agree with big brother’s handling, as his brother, he would always stand by big brother through stormy weather.

Jiang Sheng rushed forward, standing on tiptoes with difficulty to bang on the door.

Very quickly, the county magistrate estate’s servant came to open the door. Seeing these three siblings, he was somewhat stunned. “May I ask who you’re looking for?”

“This student Xu Mo, bringing my younger siblings to pay respects to County Magistrate He,” Xu Mo greeted with simple propriety.

The servant instantly became wary. “Please wait here.”

Then he went in to report.

Not long after, the county magistrate estate’s gates were thrown wide open. Three servants came to lead Xu Mo and his siblings to the main hall.

There, a gloomy-faced man sat.

Seeing Xu Mo, he didn’t even lift his eyes, only coldly asking, “What business?”

It seemed the recent events were truly difficult to handle, exhausting the new county magistrate.

Xu Mo didn’t beat around the bush. He directly had Jiang Sheng take out the two pieces of intimate clothing, heavily saying, “Bringing gifts for the county magistrate.”

He Chengzhang was startled. His gaze slowly dropped to the cuffs of the garments, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

He didn’t call for any maids, but directly rushed to little Jiang Sheng’s side. He looked about to snatch them, but seeing the intimate garments in Jiang Sheng’s tiny hands, he slowed down.

The man gently took the garments, staring at the markings that belonged exclusively to his wife. His eyes roiled with complex emotions.

After a long time, he softly asked, “Just these two?”

“We found them in my younger brother’s donkey cart. Just these two,” Xu Mo sighed slightly. “Unfortunately County Magistrate He, we didn’t find the third.”

He Chengzhang nodded again. “There really were only two, because that third one was mine.”

Outsiders only knew three pieces of intimate clothing went missing from the county magistrate’s estate, naturally assuming they belonged to his wife. No one expected one of them was the county magistrate’s.

Luckily, none of that mattered now.

As long as his wife’s garments could be returned, where the county magistrate’s own intimate clothing ended up wasn’t important.

Use it to wipe a child’s bottom, let dogs tear it up, even if courtesans used it as a handkerchief, anything was fine.

He Chengzhang heaved a long sigh of relief, turning to look at the three siblings standing in the hall. A fleeting complexity flashed through his eyes.