Becoming the Cannon Fodder Wife of Crazy and Powerful Official - Chapter 37

Xin Yueying felt a pang of guilt, and the smug, mischievous smile vanished from her face. She nudged the donkey’s flank with her stirrup, and the little grey donkey quickened its pace.

Huo Qi, most likely impatient, hurried over, leading the donkey by its reins. He looked up at Xin Yueying, “Meng Ruxin’s father is waiting for you up ahead.”

Xin Yueying fell silent.

She stepped on the stirrup and dismounted the donkey, looking at Huo Qi and waiting for his reprimand.

Huo Qi glanced back and asked in a low voice, “Let me ask you, did Meng Ruxin incite the villagers to call you ‘Xin Jinlian’?”

Xin Yueying nodded.

“Damn it, how did she become so wicked?” He frowned at Xin Yueying and said,
“If her father pleads with you later, just stand your ground. Say that the constable is involved now, and it’s not appropriate for you to interfere. Don’t get involved in this matter; let her stay in jail for now and reflect on what she’s done. Anyway, the Second Master doesn’t know about this. Colonel Meng, afraid of alerting the Second Master, only privately came to plead with me. That’s how I found out the details.”

Xin Yueying looked at Huo Qi in surprise.

“Huo Qi! I’ve known you for quite a while now, and this is the first time you’ve ever said something decent.”

“Stop with the nonsense!” Huo Qi stiffened his neck and asked, “I heard you even had vegetables thrown at you?”

“Mm,” Xin Yueying nodded.

Huo Qi spat, “Next time you go grocery shopping, I’ll go with you. Let’s see who dares to lay a hand on you! This is a case of a tiger being bullied by dogs now that it’s down on its luck!”

He sighed and tilted his head to look at Xin Yueying, “You’re just unlucky. If this had happened back when our General’s mansion was in its glory days, even a slight sneeze from you would have scared these people to death! Let anyone dare call you ‘Xin Jinlian’—see if we didn’t exterminate their entire clans!”

Xin Yueying grinned mischievously, “It’s fine, I got my revenge anyway.” She paused, looking up at Huo Qi, “I told Constable Guan to release Meng Ruxin.”

Huo Qi looked at Xin Yueying in surprise.

“The ruthless Xin Laodao actually has a soft heart?”

Xin Yueying, “There was no other way. If she really went to prison, it would be bad if she accidentally said something that is disadvantageous for us. Besides, Guan Waishan is only wary of Meng Ruxin garnering public favor. Right now, the county magistrate has gone to the city to receive higher-up inspectors, so Guan doesn’t dare abuse his power to the point of causing death. Anyway, she can’t stay in Niujiagou anymore, so let’s just leave it at that.”

Huo Qi, “Alright then. Wait here, I’ll go tell her father.”

Xin Yueying stood beside the donkey, holding the little piglet in her arms and waiting.

Meng’s father hurried over, lifting his robes to kneel, “Thank you, Madam, for your magnanimity in sparing my daughter. This humble one, Zhu Chuanluo, will never dare forget your kindness.”

Zhu Chuanluo was undoubtedly Meng’s father’s real name. He was probably afraid that using a false name would seem insincere, so he straightforwardly told Xin Yueying his real name.

Xin Yueying, holding the little piglet, walked over, “Don’t bow to me. Uncle Meng, please get up first.”

Meng’s father prostrated on the ground, “My daughter went too far this time. I… I failed in teaching my daughter properly! To have raised such a child!”

“Get up and talk.” Xin Yueying, holding the piglet, tried to help him up.

Meng’s father was terrified, “Please rest assured, Madam, I will definitely discipline her strictly when I return…”

“I said get up and talk! Can’t you hear me!?” Xin Yueying’s patience ran out. Her sudden shout even startled the little piglet in her arms.

Huo Qi watched gleefully as Xin Laodao showed her true colours.

Meng’s father scrambled up from the ground in fear, hanging his head and standing awkwardly before her.

Xin Yueying said sternly, “I’m not as magnanimous as you say. I would love nothing more than for her to spend the rest of her life in prison. And I know she wouldn’t dare breathe a word. She schemes and plays dirty tricks against me at every turn, but she wouldn’t go so far as to harm her own father.”

Huo Qi was stunned, staring straight at Xin Yueying.

This seemed to be her true feelings.

Xin Yueying, “But I also know that you are utterly loyal to the Second Master. Even now that he has fallen to this state, you still haven’t left his side. You even insist on living at the foot of the mountain because that path is the only way up. If anything unusual happens, you can hold off assassins and create an opportunity for the Second Master to escape. You saved the Second Master’s life. I let her go for the Second Master’s sake. I just didn’t want to make things difficult for him.”

Meng’s father was sweating with shame, “Please rest assured, Madam, I will definitely discipline her strictly when I return and guarantee she won’t cause any more trouble.”

Xin Yueying said coldly, “Uncle Meng, you don’t need to hit or scold her when you go back. Just keep a close eye on her. When the house on the mountain is repaired, I will personally bring your daughter to my place. I will teach her some manners properly myself.” She paused, looking Meng’s father up and down. “I just don’t know if you are willing to part with her.”

Meng’s father, “I have spoiled this girl, which led to today’s disaster. It is her good fortune that you, Madam, are willing to teach her yourself.”

Xin Yueying, “You may go home now, Uncle. Meng Ruxin has already returned.”

Meng’s father expressed a thousand thanks and bid farewell to Xin Yueying.

Huo Qi led the donkey back with Xin Yueying.

Huo Qi was much quieter than usual. He stopped and said to Xin Yueying, “The road is still long. Let me help you up.” As he spoke, he went down on one knee and brushed off his thigh. “Please mount the donkey, Madam.”

“…….” Xin Yueying, holding the little piglet, looked at Huo Qi speechlessly. “Just because I’m not tall doesn’t mean I need a human step-stool to get on a donkey.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” Huo Qi raised his head, his eyes shining brightly. “Madam, I offended you many times in the past. Only now do I see clearly that you have the Second Master’s best interests at heart.”

“Now you know. Stop calling me ‘Madam’ all the time.” Xin Yueying handed the piglet to Huo Qi and climbed onto the donkey by pulling herself up on its back.

Huo Qi smiled sheepishly, stood up, and led the donkey for Xin Yueying.

Xin Yueying said softly, “Don’t tell the Second Master about this.”

Xin Yueying had completely ruined Meng Ruxin’s reputation, making her a public enemy. She wasn’t sure how Shen Qingqi would feel seeing Meng Ruxin in such a state.

He would probably pity her.

She was delicate, fragile, and pitiful—what man could resist that?

Especially Shen Qingqi, the same Shen Qingqi who later went mad for her.

So, she didn’t want him to know about this.

Huo Qi said, I know, I’m not stupid.

But Xin Yueying clearly thought he didn’t look very clever.

Huo Qi, “Go back and make a bowl of noodles for the Second Master. I’ll help you. He didn’t eat tonight.”

“Why didn’t he eat?”

Huo Qi scratched his head, “Not sure. Maybe my cooking didn’t suit his taste.”

After returning, Xin Yueying went to the kitchen with Huo Qi. The two busied themselves for a while, and soon a steaming bowl of noodle soup was ready. The noodles were soft and thin, the broth sprinkled with sesame oil and dotted with green scallions. Xin Yueying had gotten a basket of eggs and specially poached two golden-yolked eggs in the soup.

Xin Yueying carried the bowl into the room and saw Shen Qingqi half-lying on the kang. Xie Asheng was standing beside the kang.

Xie Asheng seemed to be talking about something, but he fell silent when Xin Yueying pushed open the door to the outer room.

Shen Qingqi didn’t look towards Xin Yueying. Xie Asheng turned around, looked at the bowl in Xin Yueying’s hands, and smiled, “Smells pretty good. Is there more? I’m hungry too.”

“There is.” Xin Yueying set the bowl on the kang table.

Xie Asheng rubbed his stomach, lifted the door curtain, and went out to find Huo Qi to get some noodles.

Once he left, the room felt very quiet. Xin Yueying looked at Shen Qingqi and saw his gaze fixed on the window paper, lost in thought, though she didn’t know what he was thinking about.

She didn’t know what Xie Asheng had just been discussing with Shen Qingqi. Perhaps because she felt guilty, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Xie Asheng, with his sharp ears, might have overheard her conversations with Meng’s father and Huo Qi.

She had ruined Meng Ruxin’s reputation, allowed Meng’s father—who had saved Shen Qingqi’s life—to kneel before her, and spoken to him quite harshly.

A creeping sense of dread gradually filled Xin Yueying’s heart.