Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 931: Sinister Intentions, A Chance Encounter on the Street (4)

Chapter 931: Chapter 931: Sinister Intentions, A Chance Encounter on the Street (4)

The young girl selling herself to bury her father was about fifteen or sixteen years old. She wasn’t exceedingly beautiful, but her face adorned with white flowers and clad in white clothes, with tears streaming down her cheeks, invoked a sense of pity that arose unconsciously in people’s hearts.

Upon hearing Cui Pingan’s words, the girl clung tightly to his sleeve and wept, "Wuu wuu, sir, if you are willing to give silver coins to help me bury my father, you are my benefactor. I have nothing to repay you with, I just hope to stay by your side as a maid, I beg you to take me in, wuu wuu!"

Cui Pingan had been frail since childhood, and even weaker than his health was his temper. Seeing the girl’s persistent entanglement, he suddenly lost his patience, and without regard to the impropriety of physical contact between men and women, he grabbed the girl’s wrist with one hand and pulled his hem outwards with the other, "Young master has already said that my home lacks no maids, this should be enough for your father’s funeral and to return to your hometown. How can you degrade yourself to become a slave to someone else?"

The girl who was selling herself for her father’s burial cried even more fiercely, gripping the hem of the clothing tightly, refusing to let go. To an outsider, it looked as though Cui Pingan had committed a heinous act, to make a maiden so desperate to seek justice.

"Aiyo, young master, look how pitifully this little girl is crying. You don’t seem like you’re short on silver coins, so why not just bring her home as a rough servant girl? It wouldn’t be a bother to you, just take her home for goodness’ sake!"

"Exactly, exactly, seeing how pitiful she is, can’t you show some kindness and take her in? Rich people really do have hearts of stone."

"This young master must be henpecked; taking her home would probably be troublesome when accounting to the misses back at home!"

"Hmph, she’s just a maid, not a concubine, what’s there to be afraid of? If that’s the case, then this young master is truly useless as a man."

"..."

Those watching a play love a grand stage, and such scenes of selling oneself to bury a father only come around every few years. The onlooking crowd began to egg them on; if there could be a sequel, like the two developing sentiments over time, that would be even better!

Hearing these words, Cui Pingan was extremely annoyed and struggled even harder to free himself, but whether it was due to his frail strength or the girl’s surprising might, he failed to shake off that slender white hand.

Having heard the commotion, Mo Yan had roughly understood what was happening and faintly felt a sense of déjà vu. After some thought, she finally remembered that a few nights before, while idly chatting, someone had mentioned that a gang had appeared in Jing City, operating under the guise of selling oneself to bury one’s father, infiltrating the homes of kind-hearted people, and then collaborating from within to steal the household’s wealth.

Such incidents had occurred twice in just a few days, once in the West Market and once in the Southern Market. Because the culprits were very cunning, they left behind no incriminating evidence, and the victims’ complaints to the government brought no arrests.

Jing City was not small, and without newspapers or the internet, news of events depended on word-of-mouth, which easily led to rumors. As time passed, people began to subconsciously believe hearsay was false, which was a major reason why the thefts in the West Market did not raise alarm and why, within just a few days, another theft occurred in the Southern Market.

Mo Yan did not know whether the girl’s act of selling herself to bury her father was true or false, but such matters were easily investigated. Not inclined to take action herself and concerned that if she waited to summon the authorities the girl might be taken away by the young man, she reached into Space and pulled out a few homemade toffees. She handed them to a small Beggar crouching in the corner, telling him to call the government officials over.

Since the thefts related to cases of selling oneself for a burial involved large sums, it had become a significant case for the Government. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have reached Xiao Ruiyuan’s ears. As long as someone provided a lead, the government would definitely send someone to investigate.

The little Beggar accepted the toffees with delight, his fear forgotten when he was promised even more toffees for bringing the government officer. He quickly abandoned the broken bowl in his hands and dashed toward the direction of the Government Office.

Jingzhao Mansion was located in the Eastern Market, not too far from there, and in no time the little Beggar returned, followed by four Government Officials.

True to her word, Mo Yan gave the little Beggar a handful of toffee and some Copper Coins, reminding him to hide the treats well so they wouldn’t be discovered by other Beggars and stolen in a fit of happiness.

The little Beggar hid away the toffee and Copper Coins and, with much gratitude, scurried off. Mo Yan stood still, quietly observing the unfolding situation.

As expected, seeing the approach of the Government Officials, the girl no longer dared to entangle herself with Cui Pingan and picked up the things he’d given her, ready to leave.

The Government Officials, growing more certain of her guilt, blocked her way and interrogated her. Seeing her vague and evasive replies about where her deceased father was laid to rest, they promptly took out chains and locked her up.

Wether innocent or not, having finally caught a suspicious individual, it was natural to bring her back to the Government Office for thorough questioning. After all, the Government would not wrong an innocent person without due cause.

The onlooking crowd had not expected such an outcome, and the scene erupted into chaos, questioning the legitimacy of the arresting Government Officials’ actions as they watched the girl cry and loudly protest her innocence. However, after listening to the Government Officials’ account of the thefts in the West Market and Southern Market, a chill descended upon their spines, and no one was willing to stand up for the pitiful girl anymore.

As for what happened next, Mo Yan was no longer interested. Once the crowd had dissipated and the roads cleared, she settled back into her carriage, ready to have Da HongZao move on. However, she was stopped in her tracks by the young man who had been entangled by the girl selling herself for her father’s burial...

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