The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 799 - 787

Chapter 799: Chapter 787

Zhou Dalang and Zhou Sanlang took a turn around the mountain but didn’t find anything amiss. Old Zhou grew even more puzzled, "What’s with Lai Tou, why does he avoid me the moment he sees me?"

"He avoids me too. Today, Third and I went up the mountain, and we saw him heading to the entrance of the village. But the moment he saw us, he turned around and left. We couldn’t even call him back. Dad, do you think he might have really done something to wrong our family?"

"You ask me, whom shall I ask?" Old Zhou said, "I’ll go have a talk with his father later and find out what Lai Tou has been up to recently."

Old Zhou went out for a stroll and quickly returned. He said, "Lai Tou is out gambling again, no telling how much he’s lost. When he came back yesterday, not only was he limping, but his fingers were also swollen from being pinched.

He sighed and added, "The lad, I don’t know if he feels guilty, which is why he’s been avoiding people these past few days. It’s not just me he’s avoiding, he dodges the village chief as well."

Ms. Qian sneered coldly, "He feels guilty? Even if he does, it shouldn’t be towards you guys. Just last night, I heard noises of him smashing things at home. If he truly felt guilty, shouldn’t it be towards his family members?"

That said, the Zhou family members didn’t take the matter to heart anymore. If Lai Tou avoided them, they were just as happy not to see him.

The village chief looked down on Lai Tou, but with him gambling outside and then people coming to the village to collect debts, the village chief certainly couldn’t avoid dealing with it.

So, he too was anxious.

However, those who were even more anxious were the members of Lai Tou’s family, who hadn’t slept well for two nights straight. Yet, to their surprise, nobody came knocking. Even Lai Tou’s father couldn’t hold back and woke Lai Tou up early in the morning to ask, "Just how much do you owe from your gambling outside?"

"What do you mean how much do I owe? When have I ever borrowed money?"

"Didn’t you lose money when you gambled that night outside?"

The mention of that night sent shivers down Lai Tou’s spine. He yelled, "Who said I lost? It’s because you people at home keep nagging that I lose when I go out to gamble. All my good fortune is jinxed away by your prattle..."

Lai Tou’s father scrutinized him for a while and, reassured that he hadn’t borrowed money to gamble, heaved a sigh of relief and went out to relieve his wife and children of their worries.

Lai Tou, however, could not sleep. He lay in bed, cursing and swearing until he’d vented all the frustration in his chest and finally stopped.

Meanwhile, at the County Governmental Office, County Magistrate Yang had just received the items sent by County Magistrate Tang.

These items were meant for him to take back to the capital and deliver to various people.

Perhaps thinking it a waste not to make use of Bai Shan’s unpaid labor, County Magistrate Tang not only had a big pile of items sent over but also enclosed a large box of letters, all addressed to various friends and relatives.

The sender was still County Magistrate Yang’s acquaintance, Tang County’s personal attendant, who cheerfully presented another box, saying, "Young Master Yang, this is the list of gifts written by my master. You won’t make any mistakes delivering them if you follow the list."

County Magistrate Yang took the gift list and huffed, "Your master sure thought this through. I’m returning to the capital to visit my family, not to run a courier service, and yet you’ve prepared two carts of items!!!"

The attendant smiled sheepishly, lowering his head.

County Magistrate Yang flipped through the gift list in the box, noted that they were all for some old friends, classmates, his brothers-in-law, and various mentors in the capital, and handed the box to Wantian, asking, "I’ve heard that Tang He has offended nearly all the dignitaries and officials in Yizhou City. There is even a gift for a Ministry of Personnel official. What, is he planning to move back to the capital?"

The attendant looked around, saw that the servants counting the goods were far away, and that only Wantian was nearby, and confided, "My master said, these things take one or two years to arrange, so he’s not in a rush."

"With Uncle Tang around, does it really need one or two years of maneuvering?"

The attendant lowered his voice and said, "Mainly because Young Master Ji has only just settled the refugees. If he were to leave now, all his efforts might be wasted, so... "

So, he wasn’t seeking to be transferred back to the capital right now, but rather to ensure he wasn’t shifted away from Yizhou City.

County Magistrate Yang raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "He’s finally taking one of my advices."

The attendant smiled. If it weren’t for County Magistrate Yang, Tang County’s magistrate would have wanted to return to the capital last year. Though he was only posted outside for two years and it wasn’t the time for a transfer, with his father being the Left Capital Censor, a bit of maneuvering would have been possible.

It was for this reason that he and County Magistrate Yang had disagreed, arguing back and forth through letters for over two months. It wasn’t until Young Master Ji’s accidental fall from his horse that Tang County’s magistrate saw a good opportunity, and without hesitation, involved himself, effectively tying himself down in Yizhou City.

At this point, even if the Prince of Yizhou and others wanted to remove him, he wouldn’t leave.

County Magistrate Yang nodded in satisfaction. He still had three more years to spend in Luojiang County. If Tang He left, how lonely he would be all by himself here.

Once the attendant had properly handed over the items, he casually inquired, "Has Young Master Yang cracked the case? Before I left, my master said that if you encounter any difficulties, he could mention it to the Governor. When Young Master Yang returns to the capital, he can come over and sit in for a while. Surely, we can’t let a single case delay Young Master Yang from getting married."

County Magistrate Yang rolled his eyes and said, "There’s no need, it’s not a big case. I can handle it when I return from the capital."

Despite his words, County Magistrate Yang took it to heart.

Lai Tou had been holed up in Qili Village during this time and was not coming out, and the news from Qili Village couldn’t be gleaned by Yang.

Only at this moment did County Magistrate Yang realize the location of Qili Village was too remote and too secluded. Unless he had his own people in the village, it was impossible for him to get insider information.

The village wasn’t large and was isolated. Any outsider entering would surely be noticed by the villagers. Therefore, he could only have people watch for those coming from Qili Village. Then he discovered that Lai Tou seemed to have been scared witless and hadn’t dared to show up in the county town these past few days.

County Magistrate Yang became even more certain that there were secrets in Qili Village, secrets between Zhou Jin and Zhou Yin, and they were not insignificant; the scope was wide. Otherwise, Lai Tou, who was as timid as a mouse, wouldn’t dare utter a word about it.

County Magistrate Yang furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then asked, "How are Bai Shan and Zhou Man faring in Yizhou City?"

The attendant, thinking he was worried about his three young friends being bullied in Yizhou City, quickly said, "Young Master Yang, rest assured. My master has been looking after them very well. In Yizhou City, as long as they don’t go looking for trouble with the Prince of Yizhou, there won’t be any problems."

County Magistrate Yang: No, that’s not what I mean.

But seeing the attendant beaming with pride, County Magistrate Yang didn’t say it aloud.

Ultimately, he didn’t ask County Magistrate Tang to come help but copied down Lai Tou’s statement and handed it back with him, saying, "Tell your master that this is from a villager I found who is very timid. I couldn’t get anything out of him, but I’m certain they’re hiding something. Let your master see what he suggests for the investigation. I’ll continue after I return from the capital."

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