The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 796 - 784: Seeking Advice

Chapter 796: Chapter 784: Seeking Advice

Chapter 784: Seeking Advice

County Magistrate Yang: ...Picking up one child might be understandable, but how could someone possibly pick up two children?

However, as he said this, County Magistrate Yang truly recalled that although Old Zhou was now very old, upon closer examination, County Magistrate Yang could see a resemblance between him and Manbao.

"Could they be relatives of his?" County Magistrate Yang asked, "Does their family have any particularly wealthy and influential relatives residing outside?"

Having emerged from a grand mansion and being accustomed to intrigue and fed poison by various operatic tales since childhood, County Magistrate Yang immediately thought of various scenarios but quickly dismissed each of them one by one.

As the magistrate of Luojiang County, although he was reluctant to investigate the family background of his own young friend, the fact that their family had produced a new strain of wheat was compelling enough.

So, utilizing the convenience of review provided by his office, he had checked the Zhou Family’s registry; going back five generations, there was not a single illustrious relative to speak of.

That left only one possibility...

"Could it be that their family once robbed a home or committed theft?" County Magistrate Yang rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, "It’s unlikely that they simply found the items; if they really had found them, they would probably have sold them for money rather than treasuring them and allowing their daughter to wear such items."

Xiaos: ...

He quietly exited to pour water for County Magistrate Yang, but the magistrate shook his head, dismissing these conjectures, and waved his hand, "Forget it, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go tidy things up, I want to go to sleep."

The next day, County Magistrate Yang went to the County Governmental Office early to examine the household registration records, while everyone else was still on holiday, and only an old clerk guarding the door was present.

Hearing the rustling sounds from the records room, the old clerk shifted his position to get more sun on his back, muttering to himself, "It’s better to be single; one can come to the office whenever one wishes without anyone nagging."

County Magistrate Yang had reviewed the household registries from Qili Village but didn’t notice anything amiss. Impatiently, he stroked his chin, looked over the Zhou Family’s registry again, and his gaze settled on the name Zhou Yin.

At the moment, Zhou Yin’s status was listed as deceased, recorded as having died the year before last, yet the man had actually died several years prior.

County Magistrate Yang calculated the date and place of his death and found disparities.

After some thought, he called over an attendant, "Fetch Lai Chun for me; wasn’t he the one who went to report a death in Qili Village the year before last?"

"Yes."

County Magistrate Yang remembered this because of Manbao; she had mentioned to him that the person who came to announce a death in her family had eaten one of their chickens and even took another chicken with him when leaving.

Thus, Lai Chun was reassigned from an outside errand runner to performing menial tasks within the office.

Working on external errands not only provided additional income but also offered better chances for promotion. As a laborer within the governmental office, one could expect to remain a laborer for life.

Lai Chun didn’t live far from the County Governmental Office. He had been out patrolling the streets the previous night and was still not awake yet, so upon hearing the summons from the county lord, he came running without even washing his face.

The attendant, looking disdainful, led him to County Magistrate Yang’s presence. The magistrate slightly furrowed his brow and then smiled, inviting Lai Chun to sit and inquired, "Did you visit Qili Village two years ago to report a death for a family with the surname Zhou?"

Unaware that his demotion was due to Manbao’s complaint, Lai Chun took some time to recall the event and then nodded, "Yes."

"Now, the county office asks you, did you verify the deceased’s identity to confirm that the Zhou Yin who was reported is indeed the Zhou Yin from Qili Village of Luojiang County?"

Lai Chun’s intuition told him something was off; he answered tremulously, "Yes, it should be him, right? Isn’t it stated in the report that came? It’s Zhou Yin from Qili Village."

"The death report doesn’t state it; it says Zhou Yin from Mianzhou. Mianzhou is vast; how do you know he was Zhou Yin from Qili Village in Luojiang County?"

Stumped, Lai Chun finally said after a long pause, "The Zhou Family said so, too; they identified him as their family member when I announced the name Zhou Yin. They also confirmed that the clothes brought back belonged to their family, and I heard they even used them for tomb attire."

"Oh? The Zhou Family said that the deceased was one of their own?"

"Yes, yes, they said it was their family member. Right after I announced Zhou Yin’s name, they recognized him as their kin, and they confirmed that the clothes taken back were theirs; they even said the clothes were used for burial."

County Magistrate Yang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Then I ask you, how often did this Zhou Yin return to his hometown after he sold himself into servitude?"

"Not even once," Lai Chun wasn’t someone with a poor memory; he had chatted with the Zhou brothers about various topics, a memory which now resurfaced, "Their family said that he never returned home after selling himself into servitude."

The smile faded from County Magistrate Yang’s face as he asked, "If he never returned, how could they recognize him just by seeing the clothes?"

Cold sweat broke out on Lai Chun’s forehead.

County Magistrate Yang knew immediately that Lai Chun was fishing in troubled waters and probably hadn’t checked thoroughly; just because there was a Zhou Yin in Qili Village, he simply sent the death report there.

County Magistrate Yang slammed shut Zhou Yin’s registry and with a somber expression, waved his hand, "You may leave."

Lai Chun staggered backward to the door, then turned and fled.

County Magistrate Yang scrutinized the Zhou Family’s household registry once more, but still found nothing amiss. After some thought, he picked up his brush to write a letter to County Magistrate Tang.

County Magistrate Yang informed County Magistrate Tang that he would be traveling to the capital within a few days to get married, asking if he had anything that needed to be delivered back. He offered to help carry it without charge.

After exchanging pleasantries, County Magistrate Yang smoothly mentioned his own queries. After thinking it over, he copied the registry entries for the brothers Zhou Jin and Zhou Yin and sent them along.

But County Magistrate Yang did not tell County Magistrate Tang that the owner of the longevity lock was named Zhou Man; he only mentioned a young girl from a poor household.

Having sealed the letter, County Magistrate Yang instructed his servant, "Deliver this to Tang He in Yizhou City immediately."

"Yes."

Meanwhile, Manbao, who had played until late into the previous night, only woke up fully rested and climbed out of bed, combining breakfast and lunch into one meal.

"We’re going to go to Yizhou City tomorrow." Manbao looked up at her sister-in-law while eating her steaming noodles.

Junior Ms.Qian smiled and said, "I’ve already packed the pickled vegetables for you, and I’ve also packed a lot of the salted vegetables we dried at home, all kept by your fourth and sixth brothers."

Manbao happily agreed.

The next morning, they set off from Qili Village, first picking up Mr. Zhuang from the county town, and then headed for Yizhou City.

Because they needed to enter the city before dark, they only took a short break at noon to rest the horses, and didn’t dare to linger for long, as night was falling quickly these days.

A fast horse galloped past them, unknowingly carrying County Magistrate Yang’s servant who was transporting a letter from County Magistrate Tang back with him.

Although the postal station could carry items to the capital, valuable goods were not casually sent, so County Magistrate Tang really did have something for County Magistrate Yang to bring back.

Yet this would take time to prepare, objects could be sent to Luojiang County a bit later, but the letter could go ahead.

County Magistrate Tang instructed him, "How was the relationship between the brothers Zhou Jin and Zhou Yin? If their bond was strong, upon receiving the death news, would there have been attempts to retrieve the body from the place of the incident or inquiries made to past merchants? If not, this must be investigated."

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