Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 898: Taming the Bird (4)

Chapter 898: Chapter 898: Taming the Bird (4)

Mo Yan gave her a sidelong glance, making it clear she didn’t believe her, "With that excuse, the Countess certainly wouldn’t let you go."

Caught out, Liu Tinglan stuck out her tongue, finally unable to restrain herself, and revealed the real reason, "The Government held a public trial for the Du Family. The father and sons of the Du Family were sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the crime of lèse-majesté, and from now on, they’ll never be able to trouble my family again."

As for the weak and elderly women of the Du Family, since they did not directly participate in the conspiracy against Princess Hejia, Jingzhao Yin let them off lightly, each receiving three strikes as a warning before being released in court. No matter how much they cried and shouted, insisting on vindicating the men of the Du Family and trying to get them out, no one paid them any mind.

Even though Mo Yan did not interfere or specifically ask Jingzhao Yin to impose a severe punishment, in reality, the crime of lèse-majesté could be big or small, usually ranging from five to several dozen years. If they had offended some powerful figure, being killed was also not out of the question.

Although Mo Yan loathed the Du Family, what they did was not deserving of death. She badly wounded the father and sons of the Du Family, avenging the Liu Family. As for the fifteen years of prison, it was a verdict according to the law by Jingzhao Yin. Whether there was a heavier sentence or not, Mo Yan had no idea.

Before the trial, as to how the weak and elderly women of the Du Family were to be dealt with, Jingzhao Yin had indeed sent someone to discuss it with Mo Yan. She would not lay hands on the elderly and children, and if they too were sentenced to fifteen years, that would be somewhat excessive, so she simply said, "I will not pursue the matter."

Without the few thugs from the Du Family stirring up trouble, the frail women of the Du Family wouldn’t dare to make a mess at the Liu Family home. A minor punishment as a serious warning was the best outcome. As for Du Wencai, Mo Yan had no intention of letting him off.

If it hadn’t been for her intervention, Du Wencai would have passed the Jin Shi exam and had a smooth official career. Once such a villain gained power, he would not let go of those who had offended him. Not to mention the revenge Liu Family would face for breaking off the engagement, even she might become a target—better to strike first than wait to be bitten by a snake and then kill it.

This time, instead of taking his life, she just made him lose his official title, completely severing his path to a career.

Seeing her friend happy, Mo Yan’s mood also lifted, and she smiled, "This is indeed good news!"

Liu Tinglan’s smile faded, and she tightly grasped Mo Yan’s hand, "Yanyan, thank you. Meeting you has been the luckiest thing in my life!"

My friend, without you, how much less colorful my life would be; without you, the happiness of my latter half of life would have been buried in that scoundrel’s hands; without you, how could I face those slanders and rumors this time, and how could I protect that piece of happiness...

Mo Yan was about to say "It’s nothing," but as she looked up, she saw the sparkling tears in her friend’s eyes. She couldn’t help but set down the wooden bucket she was holding, and gently wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes, though her mouth teased unscrupulously, "If madam truly wants to thank me, why not marry me?"

"..."

Liu Tinglan’s eyes bulged, and all her gratitude was stuck in her throat, finding herself unable to utter a word.

"Hehe, just teasing you. Look how scared you got!" Mo Yan laughed as she patted her friend, who stood there gaping, "If I really accepted you in marriage, Brother Shen would probably fight me to the death. I might have the audacity, but I haven’t the guts!"

Liu Tinglan turned beet red, her overwhelming gratitude instantly replaced by embarrassment and annoyance. She stretched out her "Magical Claw" and pinched Mo Yan’s waist hard, saying fiercely, "You impudent girl, how can you say such things? If others heard you, do you still care about your reputation?"

Mo Yan broke free, dodging while continuing to banter, "For you, what does it matter if my reputation is ruined?"

Liu Tinglan was extremely annoyed, picked up her skirt, and chased after, "You, you stop right there! If I don’t take care of you properly today, then I’m not a Liu!"

The two of them started frolicking on the narrow mountain path, one running ahead and the other chasing behind, their laughter startling countless birds into flight.

Xin Er watched with a sense of helplessness, unsure whether to step forward and intervene, for fear that onlookers would deem the two sisters as uncomposed. But watching and listening to their joyful laughter, she thought better of it and dispelled the thought.

Liu Tinglan spent the night at the Mo Family, and the next day when Mo Yan went to the city to buy fishing nets, she dropped her off back at the Liu Family. By the time the fishing nets were purchased, the Six Beasts had already captured the birds that fit the breeding conditions from the mountains.

It was less a capture than a deception, and the "conman" was none other than Maomao the bird.

"A task completed just for a few peaches, Maomao, you’ve done a good job, you’ll get an extra two peaches every day from now on," Mo Yan said to Maomao, who had come over to claim credit, generously rewarding it with its favorite peaches.

"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp!" Maomao was overjoyed, its sharp beak affectionately rubbing against Mo Yan’s hand.

After feeding Maomao two peaches, Mo Yan went to look at the dozen or so birds that had been lured back to the breeding area.

The dozen birds varied in species, and their sizes differed greatly. There were eagles with wingspans reaching a measure when spread, birds even smaller than sparrows, wild pigeons extremely similar to homing pigeons, and even a colorful parrot.

Although the parrot was very smart and able to speak human words once tamed, and its flight speed was fast, its bright plumage was too conspicuous and not suitable for use as a messenger bird.

Initially, neither the Six Beasts nor Maomao intended to keep this parrot, but after tasting the delicious, juicy peaches and hearing the various promises made by Maomao, the parrot was shamelessly insistent on following them home and refused to be driven away.

It was Gold who felt the parrot was suited to be a pet bird, persuading the other five beasts and Maomao to bring it back to amuse Mo Yan.

Mo Yan also thought it was a good idea to keep a parrot, and indeed, the parrot was very beautiful, with mung bean-sized eyes that turned round and round, looking very clever. She liked it as soon as she saw it.

Xue tuanzi originally did not plan to teach this parrot, as it was a chatterbox. Even if no one took notice of it, it could talk to itself. Seeing that Mo Yan liked it, it decided to just put up with it.