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Chapter 7 : The Money That Spoke (Part I)
In a situation where the circumstances were skewed to the young girl's favor and someone suddenly came to the old man’s defense, everyone's eyes would naturally gather on the one who spoke up for him. Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao barricaded Jiang Ruan quickly from the front and the back to prevent anyone from bumping into her. Jiang Ruan did not shrink away from the eyes of the crowd. She merely stood on her spot and allowed others to scrutinize her.
The old man's face and neck were flushed crimson in the heat of his anger. Therefore, Jiang Ruan's gentle, unexpected consolation bore a hint of coolness that pierced through his temper. Although they were experiencing winter, it was akin to a spring breeze that swept the impatience clean from his head. His heart gradually calmed down. Flabbergasted, just like the crowd, he examined the other party along with them.
A little girl of ten stood within the crowd, in contrast to her tone that was similar to a mature adult's. Although her stature was small and her height was short, one could not ignore her. This young girl's living conditions probably caused the paleness of her skin and lips. Yet, her facial features were naturally elegant. She had cherry lips, while her nose resembled jade. Her most beautiful attribute was the pair of eyes beneath her umber-black lashes. Their moistness was similar to a spring at the top of the mountains and their depths could penetrate into the bottom of one's heart. Although her gaze was extremely innocent, the slightly rising corners of her eyes unconsciously implied seductive undertones. If she had grown up with proper nurturing, she would have been a devastating beauty.
Nevertheless, the entire body of a young girl with a natural charm like this emanated an indescribable chill. She just stood silently, yet there was an unspeakable feeling. It was impossible for one to take her lightly, to the extent that a tinge of fear might appear without reason.
The old man creased his eyebrows at the two maids accompanying her. If she was a daughter from a prestigious family, she was clothed too crudely. If she was a daughter from a common household, her imposing style did not seem like it could be nurtured by such a household.
Jiang Ruan stood quietly. From the side, the accused child stared at her before crying loudly. As her tears spilled, she sobbed, "I did not- I did not steal the money. Mother, I did not steal the money!"
With this outburst, a commoner housewife wearing a flowery robe squeezed through the crowd and strode forward to protect the child by shielding her behind her back. She eyed the old man and Jiang Ruan in a hostile manner and spoke loudly, "What are you trying to do to my Qiao? Two people bullying one girl and using your elderly position to bully the younger, aren't you embarrassed?"
Lian Qiao could not stand it. Without waiting for Jiang Ruan to speak, she jumped forward and laughed, "This Madam, you have spoken wrongly. Our lady merely came forward to speak some words of justice and reason. How did she bully your daughter? There are so many onlookers right now, did our lady beat or scold her? Besides, using one's elderly position to bully the younger, I cannot tell if our lady is that much older than your daughter. Who would want to argue noisily amongst the crowd with your daughter? Using one's elderly position to bully the younger and using a large number to bully the few, from what I've seen, it is uncertain who is bullying whom. Bah!"
The housewife was startled, as if she did not expect Lian Qiao, who seemed gentle, to scold someone without stopping for a breath. For a short while, she did not know how to reply. When she had digested the words, she flew into a rage out of humiliation. She wanted to continue to assert herself without proper basis when Jiang Ruan opened her mouth, "It is unimportant who was the one who bullied the other. The most important thing is the money, isn't it?"
Translated by : togekiss
Edited by : Anks & Ely