Chapter 157: Not That
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Due to his injury, Su Lan and the others abandoned their plan to dig yams in the mountains and devoted their time to taking care of him.
Su Ping recounted the entire story, detailing the events he had experienced.
The brother and sister analysed the whole thing.
Su Lan said, “I don’t think they were real robbers!”
“I suspect that it has something to do with the person who set up Third Brother!”
Su Qing added. “I think so too. Actually, Third Brother has thought of this too, otherwise he would not have asked Third Sister-in-law to go to the study.” After a while, Su Ning came in and whispered to them.
“Third Sister-in-law and Third Brother might have had an argument just now. I saw Third Sister-in-law coming out in anger, and Third Brother did not have a good look on his face either.”
They all asked at the same time, “What are they arguing about?”
Su Ning shook her head. “I don’t know. I wanted to eavesdrop, but I didn’t hear anything.”
Before Su Bin left for the town, he made sure to visit Qin Silong.
To his surprise, Qin Silong no longer looked pale, and the bleeding had stopped. Instead, he appeared full of energy and vitality.
Su Bin was relieved, realizing that the wound wasn’t as severe as he had initially feared.
Nonetheless, he couldn’t help but admire Qin Zhenzhen’s skill in treating wounds.
“Second Brother, you can stay at home and recuperate. I am heading back to the town.”
Su Ping asked anxiously, “Are you going to the town alone? Will Third
Sister-in-law and the others be there too?”
Su Bin asked him back. “You think the robbers are ordinary ones?”
Su Ping shook his head. “I thought they were robbers at first, but when I think about it, I don’t think so.”
“Third Brother, do you suspect that this incident is related to the people who framed you?” Qin Zhenzhen inquired.
Su Bin nodded in agreement, “Yes, if this is connected to those who set me up, then I’ve inadvertently put her in danger. If she continues to follow me to the prefecture, her life might be at risk.”
“Therefore, I won’t allow her to accompany us any further, and you don’t need to persuade her either!”
“I promise you that I’ll take care of myself!”
“Wait for my good news!”
Having made his decision, Su Bin picked up the modest package and rented a carriage back to the town.
Su Lan didn’t dare to say anything more, recognizing the importance of her son’s determination and the risks involved in the situation.
Su Ping let out a sigh, “Third Brother is concerned about his reputation and doesn’t want to owe any favors to Third Sister-in-law. But if she gets implicated, we won’t be able to seek her help anymore.”
As soon as Su Bin departed, the village chief arrived with two men in tow. Robbers had invaded the village and caused injuries, a grave situation that should have warranted immediate attention. However, the village chief’s arrival came quite late.
Upon learning what had transpired, he turned his displeasure towards Qin Zhenzhen, expressing his disapproval, “In all these years, we’ve never encountered robbers in our village.”
Implicitly, he seemed to suggest that it was Qin Zhenzhen’s fault for attracting the robbers.
In reality, he held her accountable for not informing him about the value of the yams, just like Qian Dashan’s family, who also didn’t cultivate the fields close to the village.
Faraway from the village, yams rarely grew, and it was not easy to develop them into planting fields.
“I hope you can keep a low-profile.”
Qin Zhenzhen raised her eyebrows. “How?”
“You’re suggesting that it’s my fault for providing the villagers with an opportunity to improve their lives, and now they’ve become targets for robbers?” Qin Zhenzhen questioned the village chief.
“Are you saying that we should become poorer to avoid attracting bandits?” she added, incredulous at the idea.
The chief, feeling cornered, denied it, “That’s not what I meant.”
He understood that if he admitted to such a viewpoint, the villagers would oppose him, and he might lose his position as village chief.
He had been a good village chief before, ensuring that the fields were exempt from taxation, and the men received subsidies from the town every month, while also not needing to work as laborers..