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After a bumpy ride in the carriage, both of them felt utterly exhausted and lacked energy, but seeing the brightly lit Liyang County town at night, they knew it must be bustling.
Since they had arrived, it would be a shame not to take a stroll and explore the town a bit.
With the pleasant spring weather, many people were out for a leisurely evening walk. Teahouses, taverns, and snack stalls lined the streets, bustling with activity.
After a while, Song Jingyun and Jiang Mixia found themselves with a pile of snacks in hand.
Pea cakes, mung bean cakes, smiling cookies, frosted peanuts…
Song Jingyun was still chewing on the last bite of taro pastry.
“Wife, it looks like there’s a stall over there selling rolled noodles. Shall we try it?” Song Jingyun pointed to a lively stall ahead, suggesting.
Jiang Mixia hesitated, “…”
It might be possible, but does her husband really have only one stomach? Having just eaten dinner, now full of snacks, and wanting to try rolled noodles – quite the appetite!
Jiang Mixia indeed had reasons to worry that her husband might overeat.
“Come on, let’s go try it. It looks delicious,” Song Jingyun urged, already tugging at Jiang Mixia’s sleeve and heading towards the stall.
Clang!
A figure rushed out of an alley, colliding with Song Jingyun and Jiang Mixia, causing snacks to scatter all over the ground.
Fortunately, Jiang Mixia acted swiftly, grabbing Song Jingyun, preventing him from falling flat on his backside.
The other person involved in the collision seemed to be in a less fortunate state than Song Jingyun.
It was a woman in her forties, holding a child of about one year old, both now on the ground after the collision.
The woman quickly got up, rubbing her sore back from the fall, and angrily scolded Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun, “Are you blind while walking?”
She then reached down to pick up the fallen child.
The child, with eyes tightly shut and limp like a noodle, seemed difficult for the woman to hold properly. She decided to place the child’s upper body over her shoulder and securely wrap the adult outer garment around the child.
Noticing Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun staring at her, the woman glared back, “What are you looking at? Keep staring, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”
She then attempted to march past Jiang Mixia and continue on her way.
Observing the woman and the child, Jiang Mixia frowned, reaching out to stop her.
“What do you want?” The woman, looking cautious, took several steps back.
“Auntie, I’m truly sorry for bumping into you just now,” Jiang Mixia apologized, “I’m sure that was painful. The child fell to the ground, and considering how young they are, it’s best to have them checked at the nearby clinic. Let me take you and the child there.”
“We’re fine, no need to see a doctor,” the woman declined repeatedly, “We bumped into each other, so we’re even now.”
“How can we be even? Both of us didn’t fall, but you and the child did. It’s best to get checked just in case. Otherwise, if something happens later, it might be hard to explain,” Jiang Mixia insisted.
“No, no need…” The woman attempted to turn and run away.
Jiang Mixia grabbed the woman’s wrist and questioned, “This child isn’t yours, is it?”
“Let go!” The woman, realizing she had been caught, suddenly turned fierce, attempting to kick at Jiang Mixia and forcefully free her hand.
Despite her efforts, her kick missed, and Jiang Mixia’s grip on her wrist felt unyielding, like being caught in a vice, preventing the woman from breaking free.
Frantically and angrily, the woman, her eyes darting around, suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, “Child abduction! Someone is trying to abduct a child!”
Child abduction?
The previously lively street fell into a momentary hush, followed by people gathering around.
Seeing the commotion, the woman continued, “My grandson was asleep, and I was taking him home. Then this young lady came out of nowhere and tried to snatch my grandson!”
“What a despicable thief, daring to snatch a child on the street?”
“Look at the seemingly innocent young lady, engaging in such dirty acts!”
“Enough talk, let’s take her to the authorities!”
In the county town, there were cases of children going missing or being abducted every year, often with no trace, leaving families devastated. Occasionally, those who were found later were either dead or severely harmed.
The crowd, filled with righteous anger towards the alleged child abductor, began to encircle Jiang Mixia.
Seeing the situation, the woman felt relieved, planning to slip away once chaos erupted.
But before the crowd could close in, Jiang Mixia suddenly grinned, bursting into loud tears, and swiftly dropped to her knees before the woman!
As she knelt, she clutched the woman’s legs, sobbing with snot and tears, “Mother, I told you, I won’t remarry, I won’t! I know you despise my husband for not having a proper job, thinking I can’t support our four younger brothers, so you wanted me to marry the shopkeeper Xue. I refused, and you wanted to take Xiao Hu and sell him.”
“Mother, how could you be so heartless? Xiao Hu is your grandson, flesh of my flesh. Are you willing to trade him for five taels of silver?”
“If you insist on selling Xiao Hu today and forcing me to remarry, I’ll throw myself into the street and die!”
Jiang Mixia’s heartbreaking cries left everyone stunned.
So, this wasn’t a child abduction; it was a family conflict?
And this young lady cried so miserably, mentioning the child’s name so sincerely and knowing about selling him for five taels of silver…
It seemed to be true after all.
The crowd’s initial intention to capture the alleged abductor began to waver, with some even starting to speak up for Jiang Mixia.
“Elder sister-in-law, forced fruit never tastes sweet. As long as the child is fine, why force it?”
“Yeah, this child is from her husband’s family. You’re the grandmother. How can you think of selling your grandson? Aren’t you afraid of your son-in-law’s family coming after you?”
“Moreover, she’s been married and has children. Even if she marries into a wealthy family, they might look down on her. It’s not worth the trouble. A harmonious family is what matters…”
Amidst the confusion, the panicked woman stuttered, “…”
What a chaotic situation!
“This wretched woman isn’t my daughter; she’s a child abductor!” the woman argued loudly.
“Mother, I won’t remarry. You can’t sell Xiao Hu!” Jiang Mixia cried, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Life is like a drama; it all depends on acting skills!
Onlookers nearby were left speechless…
Truly, it was a moment where no one knew whom to advise.
“The authorities are here!”
Someone shouted.
The woman panicked, desperately trying to break free from Jiang Mixia to escape. After several futile attempts, she resorted to tossing the child she was holding towards Jiang Mixia.
Jiang Mixia swiftly reached out to catch the child.
Seeing this, the woman dashed off.
(End of chapter)