Chapter 3: A Miserable Life Starts Over

Upon hearing this, Shen Bian immediately sent men out at full gallop to find witnesses.

Deng Laosan’s heart sank, his face turning ashen. Investigating this matter was not difficult; after all, there were people who had vouched for him back when he sold Chen Ningya. He had never dreamed that someone could recover from amnesia, let alone that Chen Ningya would be able to track him down. When Chen Ningya went to the Deng household to cause a scene that day, he had explained to the villagers that she was his wife’s niece who had come to seek refuge because she couldn't make ends meet. The villagers had believed his story, but if the magistrate were to truly interrogate them, he wouldn't be able to hide the truth at all.

Trafficking a respectable woman was one thing, but attempted murder was punishable by exile three thousand miles away. Thinking of this, the world spun around Deng Laosan, and he couldn't even keep his knees on the ground.

Deng Laosan’s son, Deng Yong, was even more cowardly than his father. He wept bitterly and kowtowed to Chen Ningya to beg for mercy, "Sister, it was my fault. I shouldn't have hurt you. You are a magnanimous person, please spare me. As for the trafficking, it really has nothing to do with me; I was just following my father’s orders. Please, spare my life!"

Fearing that Deng Yong might hurt Chen Ningya, Wen Youshan pushed him aside without a word, standing in front of Chen Ningya and glaring at the father and son.

Shen Bian struck the gavel heavily and frowned, "Deng Yong, are you pleading guilty then?"

"My Lord, I plead guilty, I do! But I didn't mean to hurt her, it was... it was an accident, truly an accident!" Deng Yong said nervously.

Shen Bian pointed angrily at Chen Ningya, "An accident? Would an accident leave someone in that state? Lady Wen was saved by this official. At the time, she was barely breathing, abandoned in a mountain ravine to fend for herself. Not to mention the injury on her head, she had been struck with a club on her back and had several club wounds on her legs. You dare tell this official that this was an accident?"

"I never expected this father and son to be so vicious! They were clearly trying to kill her to silence her!"

"Poor Lady Wen, first trafficked and then nearly silenced."

The onlookers pointed and whispered.

Wen Youshan was so heartbroken he didn't know what to do. He knelt to the side, at a loss, his eyes never leaving Chen Ningya.

Deng Laosan and Deng Yong were berated by the indignant crowd and didn't even dare to offer a rebuttal.

The bailiffs sent to find witnesses returned quickly. Once everyone confronted each other in the courtroom, the matter was cleared up in no time.

Deng Laosan and Deng Yong were sentenced to pay Chen Ningya twenty taels of silver and were exiled three thousand miles away.

After leaving the courtroom, Chen Ningya, supported by Wen Youshan, went to thank Shen Bian and Lady Luo.

Lady Luo was pregnant and did not appear, but Shen Bian met with the couple and said with some emotion, "Although I saved Lady Wen this time, if not for this incident, my wife would not have known she was pregnant. Fortunately, after recuperating in Yuchang Town for a few days, my wife’s health has remained stable. These are some things my wife prepared for Lady Wen; please do not refuse them. You need to take good care of your health. Furthermore, Lady Wen, you mentioned you were trafficked—do you need me to send you back to your hometown?"

Chen Ningya glanced at Wen Youshan, shook her head slightly, and smiled faintly, "Thank you, My Lord, but my relatives passed away long ago during the flight from the famine. Even if I returned, things have changed and people are gone. Besides, my husband treats me very well, and I have several children. Let the past be the past."

Shen Bian nodded in approval. He said nothing more and had his servants see them out.

Once outside the magistrate's office, Chen Ningya felt as if it were all a dream. Her slender fingers gripped Wen Youshan’s hand tightly, and she couldn't help but shed tears again.

Wen Youshan was startled and asked nervously, "Are you feeling unwell? I’ll take you to see a doctor."

Chen Ningya’s face was pale, but she stubbornly shook her head, "Let’s go home."

Wen Youshan had no choice but to follow her wishes, decisively carrying her on his back to leave the county town.

Along the way, neither of them spoke. It was Chen Ningya who finally broke the silence, "Put me down, I can walk myself."

"It’s fine, you aren't heavy. I’ve carried two or three hundred pounds of game for dozens of miles before, let alone carrying you back." As soon as he finished, Wen Youshan realized that Chen Ningya disliked him saying such things, so he quickly shut his mouth.

In the past, Chen Ningya had indeed disliked hearing these things, always feeling that Wen Youshan was vulgar and unrefined, and that he wasn't worthy of her. Only after her rebirth did she realize that this was what life was truly about.

Seeing that Chen Ningya didn't scold him, Wen Youshan felt relieved. He grinned silently and hesitated, "Um, what would you like to eat, my lady? When we reach the town, I’ll buy you something to take back. Magistrate Shen just said you need to recuperate. When we get home, I’ll go up the mountain and catch some pheasants and wild rabbits to nourish you."

"Mm," Chen Ningya replied.

Wen Youshan hadn't expected a response at all, so he was pleasantly surprised and became much more talkative.

By the time they returned to Yuchang Town, it was completely dark. Wen Youshan had intended to stay the night in town, but Chen Ningya shook her head. Looking toward the direction of Fushan Village, she said softly, "I want to go home."

Upon hearing this, Wen Youshan carried her toward home without a word, his pace noticeably faster.

It was nearly 5:00 AM when they entered the village. The morning light was just beginning to break, and many villagers were already up. Seeing Wen Youshan carrying Chen Ningya, the crowd erupted. They chased after them, asking questions, but Chen Ningya, finding such scenes a headache, simply closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

The crowd didn't disperse until they were almost at their doorstep.

Wen Youshan breathed a sigh of relief and called into the courtyard, "Big lad, your father and mother are back."

No sooner had he spoken than several children ran out of the house. The eldest, Wen Yuanliang, paused for a moment before running over to open the gate, "Father, you found Mother?"

There was clearly no emotion in his voice when he mentioned his mother; only when calling his father could one hear his joy.

Wen Youshan nodded, accustomed to this, and asked, "What happened to the fence gate? Did you fix it?"

Wen Yuanliang shook his head, "Uncle Sun fixed it." He didn't have the skill for that!

Wen Youshan said nothing more. He carried Chen Ningya into the room and instructed Wen Yuanliang, "Go boil a pot of hot water so your mother can wash up, and cook some porridge. Your mother is injured and needs to eat something good. I’m going to Uncle Sun’s house to check on things and bring your younger brother and sister back."

Wen Youshan was referring to his and Chen Ningya’s two youngest children, Wen Yuanzhen and Wen Yuanxing—one was two years old, and the other was only six months old, still at the age where they needed to be breastfed. After this ordeal, they would likely have to be weaned immediately.

As he spoke, the other two children appeared. Six-year-old Wen Yuanzhen led four-year-old Wen Yuanhong out from the backyard. The little boy was dressed in rags, covered in dirt, and had two trails of snot on his face, looking just like a little beggar. The girl was a bit cleaner, though not by much.