Chapter 11: In Your Dreams!

Chapter 11: In Your Dreams!

Hearing this and looking at the old woman's face, Nuannuan strongly suspected she was intentionally framing them to get a child bride for free!

Hmph, in her dreams!

Nuannuan deliberately stiffened her small face and said indignantly, "Impossible! How could my mother have washed the clothes and torn them? Which piece did she tear? Let me see! Don't think you can just throw dirty water on my mother."

"You brat, your mother did tear this piece! Look! Such a huge hole! You still want to deny it?" Granny Qian thrust a hole in the sleeve toward Nuannuan, looking at them with contempt and a sharp, mean-spirited expression.

Nuannuan took the opportunity to grab the clothing.

Granny Qian continued her nagging, "A lowly maid is just a lowly maid, only fit for menial labor. I thought about giving you some fine clothes to wash to help you get ahead and earn more silver. I didn't expect you to tear them and then refuse to admit it! Pay up immediately, or give this girl to my son as a child bride, and I'll let it go. Otherwise, I'll report this to the officials!"

Nuannuan glanced at the tear. One part of the hole was very neat, meaning it could only have been cut with sharp scissors; one wouldn't even notice it without looking closely.

Knowing exactly what was going on, Nuannuan said, "If clothes are damaged, compensation is indeed required."

Mrs. Wu grew anxious. She pulled Nuannuan's arm and said, "Nuan-jie'er, it wasn't Mother! We can't pay this money."

Mrs. Wang was also frantic: "Nuan-jie'er, don't let this old woman scare you. We did nothing wrong, so we don't need to pay!"

Wen Ran was also distressed: "Third Sister, don't talk nonsense! Mother wouldn't lie!"

Granny Qian looked triumphant. "At least this little girl is sensible! Some people have lived for so many years for nothing! They don't even understand what a child understands! If you break someone else's things, isn't it only natural to pay for them?"

Nuannuan patted Mrs. Wu's hand to reassure her. "If someone breaks other people's clothes, paying silver is indeed only natural! However, how to pay isn't up to you; it's up to the officials. Didn't this old woman say she would report us to the officials? Then let's report it! We will pay whatever amount the magistrate says, and whoever the magistrate says is responsible shall pay!"

"What? Report to the officials?" Granny Qian was stunned. How had the tone of this conversation suddenly shifted so drastically?

Weren't they supposed to be settling this with silver?

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Wang were also terrified. Report to the officials?

They had heard that being reported to the officials could lead to being beaten with a paddle; even if one didn't die, they would lose a layer of skin.

Nuannuan's expression was resolute. "Yes, report it! There is a part of this hole that was clearly cut by sharp scissors and then forcefully pulled apart to create such a large opening. I believe the magistrate will be able to see through this and find out exactly who tore this clothing worth two taels of silver! Come, let's go report it right now! My mother has nothing to hide, so we aren't afraid of the officials!"

*How are this brat's eyes so sharp!* Granny Qian tried to snatch the clothes back.

Nuannuan dodged. Now that she had the evidence in hand, how could she let it be destroyed!

Mrs. Wang also realized the truth. It was highly likely that this old hag had torn the clothes herself and was framing them to avoid punishment from the master's family!

This was simply going too far!

Mrs. Wang shouted, "Report it! Even if I get beaten or lose a layer of skin, I will report it! We absolutely cannot be wrongfully accused!"

Mrs. Wang grabbed Granny Qian's hand and tried to pull her out.

Startled, Granny Qian struggled to pull her hand away but couldn't. She planted her feet and insisted, "Don't think you can deny it! Maybe you brought scissors and cut it yourselves!"

"My mother came here to wash clothes, not to make them; why would she bring scissors? Since you say that, Ran-jie'er, go to the town immediately and find Father. Tell him to report it to the officials and bring them to search! Let them see if Mother or Grandma brought any scissors! I will stay here to protect the scene!"

"Okay, I'll go right now!" Hearing this, Ran-jie'er responded briskly!

She turned and bolted out the door!

Granny Qian's heart skipped a beat! *Bring officials to search? And protect the scene? How does this little brat seem to know so much?*

But this wasn't her own home; it was a landlord's estate!

If this matter blew up and alerted Landlord Feng, and then the officials discovered the truth, both she and her daughter would be in deep trouble!

They would lose such a good job at the landlord's house.

Granny Qian was truly frightened this time. "Wait! There's no need to report it! I believe you didn't tear the clothes! You don't need to pay any silver. Just go! I still need to find out which little wench actually cut the Young Mistress's clothes!"

Ran-jie'er's footsteps at the doorway stopped. "Third Sister, are we still reporting it?"

Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Wang breathed a sigh of relief, and they all looked toward Nuannuan.

Nuannuan winked at Ran-jie'er. Out of Granny Qian's sight, she quietly raised her index finger and shook it in a "no" motion, but her mouth said, "Why wouldn't we report it? Does my mother get framed that easily? If we don't uncover the truth, what if someone secretly pins this on her?"

If they wanted to frame her, they would! If they wanted to set her up, they would!

Were her family members really this easy to bully?

Today, she would make her pay dearly!

But it wouldn't be through the officials. Reporting to the officials would only result in Granny Qian paying for the clothes at most; by not reporting, she could teach her a much greater lesson!

"Alright!" Ran-jie'er turned and ran again.

"Wait!!!" Granny Qian shouted loudly.

Ran-jie'er had already run out the door, but she stopped upon hearing the shout.

Granny Qian was nearly dying of anger. She had already said they didn't need to pay; what more did this brat want?

"What exactly do you want? I already said I believe your mother and you don't need to pay. Since your mother didn't do it, I naturally won't spread rumors. I'm telling you, if you report this and make a scene, you'll lose a layer of skin too! Just leave!"

"Leave? Why should we leave? Even if you don't say anything, others will. I only rushed here because I heard about it from people in our village! Can you stop the rumors once they start? Now you've damaged my mother's reputation and wasted half a day of my mother's and grandmother's time. You think you can just say you believe it wasn't my mother and tell us to leave? There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!"

"Then what do you want? Do you want me to go around the village telling everyone it wasn't your mother who tore the clothes?" Granny Qian was nearly fainting from rage. This girl was a real troublemaker!

"Apologize to my mother and grandmother, and pay them for mental distress and lost wages! Plus today's wages—a total of two taels and ten wen! If you can do that, without missing a single wen, I won't report it! Don't think I don't know—this clothing was definitely torn by your daughter, and then you framed my mother."

Granny Qian was utterly shocked. *How did she know?*

Nuannuan saw the expression on Granny Qian's face and knew she had guessed correctly.

This was a young lady's dress. Granny Qian was old and had rough hands; she definitely wasn't a maid serving by the Young Mistress's side.

She wouldn't have had the opportunity to touch the Young Mistress's clothes.

The only way she could have access to these clothes and be willing to help wash them was if her daughter was a maid for the landlord's daughter.

Only if her daughter had accidentally cut the clothes and she didn't want her daughter to be punished or forced to pay compensation would she go to such lengths to frame Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Wang—people who were easy to manipulate and unlikely to cause trouble.

Because Mrs. Wu and her companion were not from the household, they were easy targets; once framed, they would have no way to defend themselves!

Most importantly, Granny Qian wanted to take this opportunity to secure a child bride for her son! How profitable!

"You... you're talking nonsense!" Granny Qian was so shocked she could barely speak.

How did she know?

Nuannuan smiled slightly. "Whether it's nonsense or not, the officials will find out! Regardless, the magistrate will compensate me! Landlord Feng is a great person; once she knows that my mother and grandmother were framed by her servants, she will surely apologize. We won't lose anything, but some people might lose their jobs because of this!"

After saying this, Nuannuan turned to Wen Ran. "Ran-jie'er, hurry and report it! What are you still standing there for!"

"Okay!" Wen Ran bolted once more!