Chapter 17: Being Schemed Against

Chapter 17: Being Schemed Against

It took about an hour and a half to two hours to stew. The chicken meat inside was fragrant, tender, and chewy when the pig stomach was sliced open for eating; it was absolutely delicious.

Chicken soup with pig stomach is not only tasty but also incredibly nutritious, especially providing excellent tonic effects for those with weak constitutions, qi deficiency, or a cold stomach and weak spleen. Naturally, it is even more suitable for postpartum women.

The fire in the hearth was so strong that the soup in the pot bubbled incessantly. Steam drifted through the air from under the lid, carrying an intoxicating aroma. Su Sanlang’s mouth watered, and he couldn't help but drool.

A little glutton indeed.

While ladling soup into a small bowl, Su Ruojin said to Su Sanlang with a smile, "You want to eat, don't you?"

"Sister..." Su Sanlang was an expert at acting spoiled. As soon as he heard there was food, he hurriedly grabbed his sister's legs, clinging to her as she stood on a small stool to ladle the soup. "I want to eat, I want to eat..."

The little fellow found it uncomfortable just holding on and began shaking Su Ruojin. Frightened, she quickly called out to Su Dalang, "Big Brother, hurry and pull A-Gan away, or he'll get burned."

Su Dalang had already approached and gently pried his brother's hands away. "Don't worry, A-Jin will give you food."

"I want to eat right now!"

The little one refused to let go and continued to cling to Su Ruojin. Having no choice, she picked up a piece of chicken liver—soft and easy to bite—blew on it, and fed it to him. Only then did the little brat happily move away from her.

Before Shutong and Mother Dong returned, Su Ruojin would first bring a bowl of the stewed soup to Cheng Yingzhen to eat with some fried dough sticks or small steamed buns for her meal. She would also give a small bowl to each of the Su brothers so they could have a taste and satisfy their cravings.

Because of Cheng Yingzhen's postpartum recovery, not only did she look radiant, but even the two Su brothers became much fairer and smoother.

In the master bedroom of the Su house, the brazier was burning brightly, making the room as warm as spring.

Cheng Yingzhen was having her extra meal with her two sons, while Su Ruojin sat by the bed playing with her little brother. The family enjoyed a moment of harmony.

As noon approached, Su Ruojin tidied up the dishes from the meal and left the bedroom for the kitchen. Hearing a commotion outside that grew louder as if it were arriving at her doorstep, she hurriedly placed the dishes on the kitchen table, wiped her hands, put on her hat, and went to open the courtyard gate.

When she opened the gate, the alley was narrow. The crowd was divided by a mule cart, and Shutong was pulling the mule's rope in frustration. "Don't pull my cart! Just let us in first, alright..."

Mother Dong also pleaded, "Honorable officers, we are just going home. Please let us pass. Once we are inside, you can do whatever you want."

Shutong and Mother Dong were truly unlucky. The cart they had pulled back was being tugged at by several clansmen whom Su Ruojin had seen earlier. The clansmen were trying to bypass the cart to grab the mother and daughter on the other side.

The mother and daughter were gripping the cart tightly, refusing to let it turn.

As the two sides tugged at each other, if it weren't for the patrolling officers from the Five Cities Military Command, the mother and daughter would have lost to those violent clansmen.

"Officers... please, save us mother and daughter... we beg you..."

In just an hour, it was unclear where the clansmen had dragged the mother and daughter from, but their clothes were torn and filthy, making them look like refugees.

The patrol officer said, "Debts must be paid; it is only natural. We cannot save you."

"Officers, we don't owe them anything at all! They are making up lies to sell us into brothels. Officers, please, I beg you to seek justice for us!"

The woman fell to her knees, kowtowing repeatedly. She looked so pitiful and tragic that the women watching in the alley began to weep.

The patrol officer remained indifferent. "You are all from the same clan. Discuss everything at home; don't cause a scene here. If you don't leave now, we will throw you all in jail."

Hearing the officers siding with them, several clansmen were secretly delighted, thinking that the few copper coins they had stuffed into the officers' hands hadn't gone to waste. They put on a facade of being law-abiding citizens. "Forgive us, officers. It is our fault for failing to discipline our kin. We will take them away immediately."

The patrol officer looked impatient. "If you don't get the hell out of the capital, I'll throw you all in jail." With that, he waved his hand, forcing the crowd to make way.

Seeing the officers leave and realizing there was no hope of escape, the woman's face turned ashen. In her eyes, the clansmen looked like bloodthirsty demons, baring their teeth and lunging toward the mother and daughter.

"Heavens!"

With a piercing scream, the woman turned and threw herself against the Su family's courtyard wall.

*Thud!* Blood instantly splattered.

For a moment, time seemed to hit a pause button, and all surrounding sound vanished.

Everyone was stunned.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry erupted: "Mother... Mother..."

Disaster struck. Before Su Ruojin could even call out to Uncle Shutong, the young lady had also hit the wall, instantly covered in blood.

The crowd:...

The clansmen:...

The turning patrol officer:...

A death had occurred; now, they had no choice but to get involved.

Standing at her courtyard gate, Su Ruojin witnessed this predatory side of society. It was truly dark.

When the city gates catch fire, the fish in the pond suffer.

Su Ruojin wondered why no one was calling a doctor to save them. The officers from the Military Command didn't care about life or death; they actually had the mother and daughter carried away. The innocent Su family, caught in the crossfire, didn't even get a word of explanation. Not only was the mule cart taken, but Uncle Shutong was also taken away by the Military Command as "evidence."

In the procedures of ancient government offices, even a trivial matter could stir up a storm. Uncle Shutong would likely be summoned for questioning every few days; how could he possibly run a business like that?

A chill swept over Su Ruojin. Suddenly, it seemed to click—this was a "three birds with one stone" scheme. The Su family was being targeted!

In the cold wind, Su Ruojin stood at the gate, staring toward the mouth of the alley.

The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few neighbors standing by the wall. They said to Mother Dong, "Hurry and wash it off with hot water." With the New Year only a month away, encountering such an event was truly distressing.

While thanking the neighbors for their concern, Mother Dong wiped away her tears. What kind of madness was this? It was clearly someone else's business, yet they were the ones suffering the consequences.

"Second Young Mistress..." The north wind howled. Mother Dong tried to shield her young mistress from the wind, calling out several times, but the girl remained motionless, as if frozen. Her heart ached. "Second Young Mistress, we haven't done anything wrong. We're just being summoned by the office to answer questions. It's fine, really... it's fine..."

The commotion at the gate had long since alerted those inside. Su Dalang was sent out by Cheng Yingzhen to see what was happening. Seeing that his daughter had not returned to the room, he couldn't help but lift the curtain and step out. "A-Jin... A-Jin..."

Standing at the gate, Su Ruojin wished she could transform into Superman, fly out of the alley, and kick every one of those villains off the planet. *You despicable, cunning people, just you wait.*

While fuming with rage, Su Ruojin quickly analyzed her breakfast business from the past month. Who had she offended?

Was it Old Mrs. Xu, who hadn't gained the secret recipe? Was it the small vendors selling breakfast around West Bridge Alley? Or was it because she hadn't sought connections or provided enough "benefits" to certain officers or market officials?

If even a family of an eighth-rank minor official found it this difficult to do business, what about the common people at the bottom? Why was it so hard to live a simple, prosperous life? Suddenly, Su Ruojin felt utterly despondent.