Becoming the Cannon Fodder Wife of Crazy and Powerful Official - Chapter 36

The lame Ma pointed at his own doorstep, turning to glare fiercely at Meng Ruxin,

“She saw me, the lame Ma, practicing medicine here to help the world, and she grew jealous. She deliberately set up her stall right at my doorstep—she’s driven me to ruin! She’s run my family’s generations-old medical practice into the ground! Her malicious intent is downright horrifying.”

Meng Ruxin spoke with an innocent tone, “What? This is your doorstep? I didn’t know, I truly didn’t know your home was here. I… I really had no idea… I’m sorry… I…”

“Go fuck your ancestors!” The lame Ma had been wanting to say this for a long time. Now that he could curse openly, he felt a sudden clarity. He pointed at Meng Ruxin and demanded, “You stole my livelihood, set up a free clinic right at my doorstep, bullying me to the extreme, and you say you didn’t know? I f*cking curse you to have a son with no assh*le!!!”

Innocent face, sorrowful tears, wicked deeds—Meng Ruxin had them all.

The lame Ma seemed to have fully immersed himself in the role. He grabbed Xin Yueying, who was standing beside him, and pulled her forward. Xin Yueying stumbled, her shoulder gripped tightly by the lame Ma. She feared he might lose control, “Godfather, don’t get so worked up, calm down!”

The lame Ma’s eyes were bloodshot, a prominent vein bulging on his forehead. His blazing eyes fixed on Meng Ruxin,

“You dare say you didn’t know? Then what about ruining my goddaughter’s reputation? My goddaughter is from the Xin Family Village—what did she ever do to you? Do you still dare claim you didn’t know?”

“She’s your goddaughter? You… so you two were in cahoots…”

“Ahhh—” The lame Ma let out a roar toward the sky, then fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly toward Meng Ruxin,

“Elder sister! I’ll kneel for you, alright? I’m just an old man, I don’t have many years left. If you want to destroy me, go ahead—torture me however you want! But please, don’t make things hard for my goddaughter! Fourth Lady took pity on me, an old man living alone, and recognized me as her godfather. She even worried the distance was too far to look after me, so she specially asked the constables to patrol here. And now you’ve slandered her so badly she doesn’t even dare show her face outside! I beg you, I kowtow to you—please be magnanimous and spare her!”

Xin Yueying hung her head, supporting the lame Ma, “Wuwuwuwu, Godfather, please get up. It doesn’t matter if I suffer a little injustice, wuwuwuwu.”

“That’s right! I can testify—Lady Xin is a good person!”

Xin Yueying thought, huh? An unexpected bonus? She covered her face, peeking through the gaps between her fingers.

The crowd parted to make way, and Carpenter Yang stepped forward. Three scratch marks were visible on his face—evidence of his wife’s claws from the night before.

He pointed at Meng Ruxin, hopping mad, “Meng Ruxin! You’re too vicious! You had nothing better to do than spread lies about Lady Xin and me under this old locust tree, turning my household upside down! Today, I brought my wife here precisely to settle this with you!”

He shouted at Meng Ruxin, “Lady Xin came to my shop to make a wheelchair—specifically the bamboo and rattan wheelchair that’s selling like hotcakes, the kind you can push yourself by turning the wheels. Her husband has limited mobility, and caring for him gave her the inspiration. That’s why she came to my shop to sell them—she was just trying to make ends meet! I’ve met her husband—he’s a good man, kind and loving. He dotes on her and can’t bear to see Lady Xin work too hard. Even with his legs crippled, he insisted on driving the donkey cart to deliver the wheelchairs. He wanted to buy a dressing table for Lady Xin and selected one from my shop. I showed him cheaper ones, but he wouldn’t even look—he ended up choosing the most expensive one made of golden nanmu! Whenever he earned money, he’d always ask me which shops had nice clothes or good jewelry. He said he wanted to buy them for his wife to wear!”

The crowd erupted in agreement. Someone shouted, “Disgusting! You’re truly disgusting! Pretending to be good, using us for practice! And even trying to use us as your weapons!”

Another added, “See, I said it all along—since when do doctors offer free consultations without charging? There had to be something fishy about it.”

Yet another chimed in, “She’s too wicked. We only know she killed Cai Er Gou’s father, who knows how many others she’s killed.”

Meng Ruxin, agitated, screamed, “Xin Si Niang! I’ll fight you to the death!”

She lunged toward Xin Yueying, but Guan Waishan easily blocked her, “You still have the nerve to pick a fight? Come with me to the magistrate’s office instead!”

Meng Ruxin cried out urgently, “It wasn’t me! I was here all day yesterday giving consultations, then I went home! It was Xin Si Niang who set me up—she framed me!”

Guan Waishan laughed mockingly, “What a joke! Can your family testify for you? And anyway, why would Lady Xin want to frame you for no reason?”

Meng Ruxin stammered, unable to respond.

Guan Waishan laughed heartily, “I’ve caught you red-handed, and you still deny it? Even now, you’re still causing trouble for Lady Xin?”

Shang Heng interjected, “Officer Guan, the matter isn’t fully clear yet. Shouldn’t we question her first?” He turned to Meng Ruxin, “Yesterday, you—”

“Oh, someone’s feeling protective,” Xin Yueying said coldly. “You call me Xin Jinlian, yet you seem awfully close to her. You speak up for her everywhere—who knows what your relationship really is?”

The old woman who kept pigs spat contemptuously, “She’s right! He was defending Meng Ruxin yesterday too. Looks like Meng is the real Jinlian—Meng Jinlian!”

Guan Waishan laughed loudly, “Take this Meng Jinlian away!”

Meng Ruxin was dragged off, followed by a crowd of villagers who continued to shout and curse after her, “Wretch! Poisoning us! Wretch!”

Shang Heng turned back, glaring venomously at Xin Yueying.

Xin Yueying tilted her head, a cold smirk playing on her lips as she met Shang Heng’s gaze: See you later, little lapdog. Once you’re back, you’ll receive orders—you’ll be transferred by Guan Waishan to escort prisoners to a bitter, cold region. But you know too much about Guan Waishan’s affairs, and he’s already bribed people to have you eliminated along the way.

Good luck, little lapdog.

After a while, the old woman who kept chickens approached, holding a half-basket of eggs, her face apologetic, “Lady Xin, I truly wronged you yesterday. Please take these eggs as an apology from this foolish old woman.”

The old woman who kept pigs brought over a small piglet, “Take this pig. I spoke too harshly yesterday—please don’t hold it against me.”

The lame Ma, having finished his performance, climbed up from the ground. “Didn’t all your piglets die?”

The pig-keeping woman smiled sheepishly, “Only three died. If we didn’t make a big fuss, Officer Guan wouldn’t have taken it seriously.”

Xin Yueying didn’t hesitate—she accepted everything without courtesy.

Why shouldn’t she? She hadn’t endured a whole day of insults for nothing.

That night, Guan Waishan returned as well.

The three prepared a lavish feast with wine and dishes, raising their cups in celebration at the lame Ma’s home. They ate and drank their fill before finally heading their separate ways.

Xin Yueying cradled a pink piglet in her arms. The little pig, its long snout tucked into the crook of her elbow, slept soundly. She rode her donkey, a basket of eggs tied to the saddle. Flushed with wine and the cool breeze against her face, she felt utterly refreshed.

On a high ridge stood Huo Qi, who had been waiting impatiently. From afar, he spotted Xin Yueying grinning widely. He shouted irritably, “Hey! I’ve been waiting forever! Hurry up! I have questions for you!”