Chapter 312 - 306 Impatient_1
Lin Yue held the sachet in her hand, growing even more doubtful whether Chunxi really was the one behind this deed. She had seen Chunxi’s needlework before, and the sachet didn’t seem to match her craftsmanship. Yet it was Chunxi who had instructed Zhang Guihua—how could that be? It was all quite baffling.
"Zhao Er Gou’s wife has admitted it, Chunxi did this herself and even paid her fifty coins. If it wasn’t her, why would she do such a thing? It’s obvious, I think she holds a grudge against you. I am going now to find the village chief and a few elders so that the chief and the elders can make a public judgement," Zhao Erhu said, ready to leave.
"Wait, Brother Erhu, I have a few words to say to you." Lin Yue pulled Zhao Erhu aside. "Brother Erhu, with Zhang Guihua’s testimony, Chunxi can’t escape blame. Let’s not reveal the sachet just yet. We’ll see how things unfold later. This sachet doesn’t look like Chunxi’s work; there could be someone else scheming behind the scenes."
"All right, I understand. No matter who did it, we can’t let them get away with it," Zhao Erhu said, nodding his understanding of Lin Yue’s suggestion.
Lin Yue thought that regardless of whether it was Chunxi who did it or not, she couldn’t completely dissociate herself from the incident. Perhaps Chunxi knew who had pushed her. After all, Chunxi had tried to harm her several times before; it was only right for Chunxi to face retribution. So even though Lin Yue sensed something amiss, she didn’t stop Zhao Erhu. They would act based on the circumstances that unfolded, ensuring neither to let Chunxi off lightly nor to allow the real culprit behind the scenes to escape.
Zhao Erhu went to the village chief’s house and explained everything. The village chief was even angrier than Zhao Erhu. Such an atrocious incident had never occurred before in the village. Petty squabbles were common, but a treacherous attempt on someone’s life from behind was unprecedented and absolutely could not be tolerated. Moreover, this wasn’t Chunxi’s first offense. Such a malicious-minded person was bound to be a disaster sooner or later.
"Erhu, don’t worry. Our village has never faced such a heinous act. Now that I’m aware of it, I can’t let it slide. Here’s what we’ll do: you go invite several elders from the Zhao Family village to the ancestral hall, and I’ll gather the villagers. Inform Zhao Jingui and his family as well," said the village chief, who was known for his decisiveness. He then took a gong and went out to summon everyone to the ancestral hall. The news that the village chief was going to hold a public trial over the incident shook everyone—Zhao Erhu’s household’s affair was common knowledge, thought at worst to be a malicious prank or an accidental fall by Erhu’s wife in the back mountain. No one realized it was a deliberate push. Good heavens, how cruel the perpetrator must be.
On ordinary days, with not much happening, the villagers loved excitement. The current matter was frightening enough to grab everyone’s attention. Everyone wanted to see the heartless culprit for themselves, to know to steer clear in the future. God forbid they offend her and meet the same fate. Consequently, it didn’t take long after the village chief’s notice for the ancestral hall to be packed with villagers all buzzing with talk.