Chapter 27 2/2

Wang Pozi shook her head incessantly, “No, no…”

Huo Shu lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the two of them. “If you don’t clarify the situation, it’s uncertain whether the You family will dare to punish you, but punishing people is commonplace for me. I see that you’re already halfway into the grave, so there’s no need to punish you, but your son is young and strong, perhaps it’ll be different for him.”

Li Jintiger quickly begged for mercy, “Brother Huo, my mother is just a countrywoman, and my father passed away early. She’s a widow who can’t handle things on her own. If the You family comes knocking on our door, she won’t be able to refuse. If she exposes the You family now, how can she survive as a widow?”

Seeing this, Huo Shu said, “I can point you in the right direction, but it depends on whether you cooperate or not.”

“Huo, we’ll do as you say.”

Huo Shu said, “You clarify the situation and clear the Ji family’s son’s name. When the time comes, I’ll negotiate with the Ji family and give you mother and son some money to go into hiding. With the You family’s character, they won’t get far. When the storm blows over, you can come back. The Ji family will remember your kindness and won’t deliberately make things difficult for you. When the time comes, you can live as usual.”

Seeing the mother and son considering, Huo Shu said coldly:

“If you insist on protecting the You family, you’ll be alone. When the time comes, I’ll inform the Ji family that it was your doing, and I’ll tell the You family that you can’t keep your mouth shut. By doing so, you’ll offend all the prominent families in the village and have no way out.”

“It’s up to you whether you offend one side or all of them.”

Normal people know what choice to make. Wang Pozi looked at Li Jintiger and said, “We’ll follow your instructions, but what about the money…”

Huo Shu took out twenty taels of silver from his body, intending to give it to Wang Pozi, but then remembered some advice from certain individuals and the influence of the You family, so he changed it to ten taels.

“This money is a deposit. Once the matter is settled, the Ji family will give you the rest.”

Li Jintiger immediately promised, “Brother Huo, rest assured, we will definitely do as you say.”

“It’s better that way. If you change your mind halfway or do anything behind the scenes.”

Huo Shu glanced at Li Jintiger. “My patience is limited.”

“Yes, yes, we definitely won’t make the same mistake again.”

Huo Shu didn’t say anything more and left.

Seeing the tall figure walking away, Wang Pozi finally relaxed.

Her back was sore from nodding and bowing so much. “This soldier is really scary, always ready to resort to violence. I don’t see any connection between him and the Ji family, but he’s willing to help them and come to our house to intimidate us.”

In her complaint, Wang Pozi suddenly realized something and brightened up, “Could it be that he’s also taken a fancy to the Ji family’s son?”

Li Jintiger was both angry and annoyed, “Mother, please stop guessing and talking nonsense. Your mouth has caused me to be beaten up. This person’s punches are as hard as iron. My flesh and blood can’t withstand his beating.”

Wang Pozi, feeling sorry, patted her son’s back and asked with her head tilted, “So, should we really listen to him and expose the You family?”

Li Jintiger looked at his mother in surprise, “Didn’t Huo Shu’s words make it clear enough just now? Mother, you’re really confused. Helping the You family deal with such a hot potato, aren’t you doomed to end up in a bad situation? You’ve always known to choose the soft persimmons, but now you’re charging straight into the fight between the You and Ji families.”

“Take care of things in advance and go into hiding to avoid trouble.”

Seeing her son, who usually boasts endlessly, being so cautious, Wang Pozi couldn’t help but shrink her neck. “I understand.”

At this time, the atmosphere in the Ji family was extremely tense. The usual harmonious family of three now had their own concerns.

My apologies for the oversight. Let’s correct that:

After returning home, Ji Taoyu couldn’t sit still. She was still somewhat immersed in the fact that You Lingxiao had actually hired someone to spread rumors to tarnish her reputation. Knowing the truth made her both angry and shiver in fear.

You Lingxiao’s behavior was unbearable for her. On top of that, she was worried about Huo Shu and didn’t know if he could catch Wang Pozi.

The people of the Li family were especially adept at dealing with troublemakers like Wang Pozi. Most ordinary families couldn’t handle people who were so unreasonable and only knew how to throw tantrums. Huo Shu didn’t know if he could handle it.

She paced back and forth in the courtyard, her worries written all over her face.

Huang Manjing thought she had gone out and received some unfriendly looks, so she couldn’t bear it and advised her a few times to let it go, but she stubbornly blocked her and went back.

Around noon, Ji Taoyu didn’t wait for Huo Shu, but she did wait for her father to return home.

Ji Yangzong stood with his hands behind his back, his face stretched long.

Huang Manjing saw this and knew that the situation was not optimistic, so she first sent Ji Taoyu away to the kitchen to look at the pot, and asked, “How did it go?”

Ji Yangzong shook his head, “They all denied hearing any rumors. They all appeared to be honest on the surface but talked behind closed doors.”

Huang Manjing said, “It’s understandable. Who dares to admit such things in front of our master, fearing to offend someone? Who dares to speak?”

The couple were also at a loss. Rumors were difficult to handle, and they could only awkwardly inquire around to see if they could find out who started spreading gossip.

But things weren’t that simple.

Ji Yangzong felt increasingly troubled. Besides dealing with the collection of taxes, he also had to track down the source of the rumors.

If things couldn’t be handled properly for a long time, the rumors would spread, tarnishing their family’s reputation and possibly implicating their siblings.

Every day’s delay added to the risk, making the couple increasingly anxious.

After running around all morning, Ji Yangzong was exhausted even in the winter cold. He said, “Let’s eat first before discussing further.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the courtyard door. Ji Yangzong impatiently went to open it and asked, “Who is it?”

As the door opened, Ji Yangzong saw Huo Shu, who stood tall with a grim expression. He frowned. Why was he coming here at this hour instead of eating at home?

“What’s the matter?”

Ever since Ji Yangzong found out this kid had eyes for their daughter, he had lost the gratitude he once felt towards him.

Huo Shu said, “I have urgent matters to discuss with Li Zheng.”

Ji Yangzong felt extremely troubled. These days were overwhelming, one thing after another pressing down on him, leaving him dizzy and overwhelmed.

He looked at Huo Shu and said, “If you came to see Xiaotao, that’s fine. She’s doing well. But with the current rumors circulating outside, you should put aside your previous thoughts and take advantage of this opportunity to propose marriage. Ask your godmother to find you another suitable match.”

“It’s not about marriage. I’m here for the Yu family’s matter.”

Ji Yangzong’s eyebrows furrowed, and behind him, he heard Ji Taoyu’s surprised voice, “Is it Big Brother Huo here?”

Ji Yangzong stepped aside, “Come in and have a seat.”

Huo Shu wasn’t one to beat around the bush. He said directly, “The person spreading rumors has been found. I talked to her, and she agreed to clarify the situation.”

Ji Yangzong’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Are you serious? You found the person spreading rumors!”

Considering Huo Shu wasn’t one to joke about such matters, Ji Yangzong couldn’t help but ask again.

“Yes.”

Seeing Huo Shu confirm once more, the Ji family couple were overjoyed.

Huo Shu briefly explained the situation, including the conditions agreed upon with Wang Po and her daughter.

“Yu Lingxiao has gone mad! Despite my repeated concessions, he still wants to harm people!”

With a loud bang, Ji Yangzong accidentally knocked over a teacup on the table, shattering it into pieces.

“It’s thanks to my efforts in the past that such a heartless and ruthless person was raised. How could he not deserve divine punishment!”

Ji Yangzong’s eyes were bloodshot, his breath heavy. Seeing his escalating anger, Huang Manjing hurriedly went to comfort him, patting his back, “Getting angry won’t help. Don’t let it affect your health.”

“I never thought about going after the Yu family! He, as a scholar, is cunning and unscrupulous. He should be reported to the local authorities!”

Huang Manjing said, “Unless it’s a serious crime like murder or arson, the local authorities won’t intervene. If you report him, you’ll only get a beating, and as a scholar, he won’t be punished.”

Ji Taoyu said, “Dad, calm down. Clarifying the situation in the village is crucial to prevent the situation from worsening.”

Ji Yangzong also calmed down and said, “As long as Wang Po is willing to come forward and clarify, no matter what conditions she has, we’ll agree. Let bygones be bygones.”

“Being too accommodating to the Yu family only encourages his arrogance. This time, no matter who he’s allied with, I don’t care. I’ll make sure he loses face in front of the whole village.”

Huang Manjing patted Ji Yangzong’s hand, “Let’s gather the villagers immediately and clarify the situation.”

Ji Yangzong stood up immediately at the suggestion, “I’ll have Da Niu notify everyone to come.”

Seeing her father hastily making arrangements, Ji Taoyu’s previous worries vanished, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She glanced at Huo Shu secretly.

Unexpectedly, Huo Shu lowered his gaze. When their eyes met, Ji Taoyu’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away.

“Huo Lang, I really don’t know how to thank you. You’ve done a great favor for the Ji family.”

Huang Manjing said, “You should thank the Li family for persuading Mrs. Wang. Otherwise, we wouldn’t know what to do.”

Huo Shu said, “Let’s talk about thanks later. For now, it’s crucial to wait for the Li family to clarify.”

Huang Manjing nodded in agreement, “You’re right. Huo Lang, stay for a meal here. It’ll save you another trip back.”

Ji Taoyu’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, hoping Huo Shu would accept even though she didn’t show it.

Even if Ji Taoyu didn’t express it, Huo Shu wouldn’t refuse the invitation.

“Okay.”

Huang Manjing smiled, pretending not to notice the joy in her daughter’s eyes.

She sighed inwardly. She hadn’t realized earlier that Huo Shu had feelings for her daughter, but now, seeing him tirelessly helping Ji Taoyu, she couldn’t ignore it.

But she didn’t have the energy to think about it now. The most important thing was the upcoming battle.

“You two, sit for a while. I’ll go cook.”

Ji Taoyu stood up as well, eager to help, “Mom, let me help you. Huo Big Brother is here, I’ll add a few more dishes. I’ll make braised bamboo shoots.”