“Mom, Little Ye is fine. Don’t worry.” Xiao Baoshan said calmly.
“Then,” Li Hongmei asked anxiously. “When can she be released? Baoshan, we should do something. We must save Little Ye from prison. I heard from the neighbors that the county magistrate was covering up for Sister Xiang in court. He holds the greatest power in this county and we can’t expect justice from him. Can you ask your friends in the provincial capital for help?”
Li Hongmei didn’t believe that her son was merely an ordinary person. Even though he hid it well, she knew he must have a wide network of friends.
Xiao Baoshan answered in a flat tone, “Mom, trust me. I know what to do.”
“I know you can sort it out.” Li Hongmei wiped the tears from her eyes.
There were not so many customers in the restaurant. Xiao Baoshan helped her clean the tables and arrange the chairs properly. After that, he turned to Li Hongmei and said, “Mom, I’ll be gone for two days.”
“To the provincial capital?” Li Hongmei asked.
He nodded.
“Take care, my boy,” Li Hongmei said.
Walking up to her, he put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Mom, I’ll see you.”
Li Hongmei was somehow stunned. Why did she feel that her son would never come back again? But Ye Xiaoxian was waiting for their rescue. Suppressing her worry, she said, “See you, Baoshan.”
Li Hongmei’s eyes kept on twitching lately. She wasn’t in the mood to look after the business anymore. Every day when she went to the restaurant, she would stand at the entrance and strain her eyes for her son’s figure. She had a hunch that something bad would happen after her son left.
Xian sometimes asked her, “What are you waiting for?”
Li Hongmei replied, “I’m waiting for two pieces of news — one is good and the other is bad.”
Xian asked in surprise, “How do you know that?”
“I know from my twitching eyes.”
Xian just found that funny and didn’t believe it at all. In his opinion, she was so worried about Little Ye that she was making such baseless assumptions. But Li Hongmei insisted that her hunch was right, whatever other people thought.
This case was much more complicated than a tax rebate. When they defended their right last time, they had ironclad evidence which they had stolen from Fang Shanding. But now, the hope was pinned on the men who had killed Lai Er and fled far away. The time spent finding them would be an unbearable torture for Ye Xiaoxian.
The top priority was to get Ye Xiaoxian out of prison, so they must ask a higher-up for help and strive for a fair trial. Xiao Baoshan would find that higher-up, and his would be the good news. On the other hand, he would expose a secret which he had been trying to hide. That might be the bad news. As for what the secret was, she had no idea at all. She just felt that nothing could be more important than Ye Xiaoxian.
The good news was finally heard two days later. The provincial governor was coming, seemingly to investigate the case.
Li Hongmei was more than excited. She thought it must be her son who had asked the provincial governor over.
The county magistrate was terribly frightened by the provincial governor’s visit. He soon confessed that he had covered up for Sister Xiang and knew the truth from the very beginning. Then, the provincial governor summoned Sister Xiang who couldn’t help shivering with fear. She immediately confessed her guilt and gave the names of the two killers. As a result, the county magistrate was dismissed, Sister Xiang’s inn closed, and Ye Xiaoxian was released from prison.