Yang Chuxia originally believed that Yang Xiaochuan and Ms. Luo should be at their maternal home. Hearing Ms. Luo’s mother being so evasive just made her more certain.
So she led Old Yang into the courtyard, ignoring the voices inside.
When they entered the courtyard, they saw an old woman who looked somewhat like Ms. Luo, standing with her hands on her hips. She noticed Yang Chuxia and Old Yang entering, followed by a group of men, all from Yangshu Village.
Ms. Luo’s mother was unhappy, "Why are you coming here so late with so many people? Did my good-for-nothing daughter do something disgraceful?"
Old Yang shook his head, "Don’t worry, our daughter-in-law may not be the most virtuous, but she’s a decent person. As her mother, you should trust her."
Ms. Luo’s mother’s face grew even longer when she heard that, "So what are you here for? I already told you Yang Xiaochuan’s family isn’t here. What are you looking for?"
Land Officer Yang stepped forward, "Mother-in-law, I am the village land officer. If Xiaochuan and Ms. Luo are here, please have them come out. If they don’t come out, they better not return to Yangshu Village, and they can forget about their land and fields."
Upon hearing this, Ms. Luo’s mother jumped up, "You think you’re so great because you’re a land officer? Why do you want to stop my daughter and son-in-law from returning? Did they commit murder or break the law?"
Land Officer Yang was not good at dealing with such women, so he grimaced, "Bring Yang Xiaochuan to me."
That’s when Eldest Luo spoke up, "Uncle, my sister and brother-in-law really aren’t here. Do you want me to open every room in our house and show you?"
Land Officer Yang subconsciously looked at Yang Chuxia, who nodded her head in agreement.
Land Officer Yang said, "That’s fine. If Xiaochuan and his wife really aren’t here, I owe you an apology. If they are, have them come with us."
Throughout the conversation, neither Land Officer Yang nor Yang Chuxia and her party mentioned why they were looking for Yang Xiaochuan and his wife. This made Eldest Luo increasingly suspicious, especially since they all had grim expressions on their faces.
He asked, "What do you want with them? Shouldn’t they be staying in the village?"
Yang Chuxia bluntly replied, "They stole something from my home."
Upon hearing that, Old Yang and the others were taken aback. Old Yang, in particular, was unhappy. How could they accuse someone of stealing?
But Yang Chuxia didn’t care about that.
Finding medicine for Brother An was her priority now, so she said louder, "We’re here because they stole something valuable from my house. If they come out now and return it, we can let it go. If not, I’ll report this to the authorities."
Eldest Luo was taken aback and asked the Old Yang, "Who’s this girl?"
Old Yang replied, "She’s my granddaughter, the daughter of my third son."
Eldest Luo was dumbfounded upon hearing the matter involved theft. Difficulty, he said, "But they really aren’t here?" He quickly opened every room in the house and let Yang Dachuan and the others see for themselves. Surprisingly, Ms. Luo and her family were indeed not there.
Yang Chuxia had actually said that on purpose, hoping to provoke Yang Xiaochuan and his wife to come out. But she didn’t expect them not to be there at all.
Ms. Luo’s mother huffed, "See? They’re not here. You accused them of stealing, yet you have no proof. Hurry up and leave." Ms. Luo’s mother began to drive Yang’s group out of the house.