Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 21

“You said this silver was money you saved up for a long time. Then why don’t you tell us exactly how you earned it?” Ying Su suddenly spoke, directing her question at the young scholar.

The young man’s eyes flickered with caution. He stared unblinkingly at Ying Su’s face, as if trying to discern the deeper meaning hidden in her words.

When the scholar didn’t answer, Officer Zhou frowned, his thick brows arching as he glared at him. “How did you save this money?”

After thinking for a moment, the scholar finally replied, “Some of it I earned by writing letters and matching people for marriage. The rest… the rest my wife earned by selling embroidery.”

At first, nothing seemed out of place. Officer Zhou gave a small nod before turning his gaze back to Ying Su. “And you? Tell us how you earned this money.”

“No rush. I’ll explain in a moment. But first, please, Officer, and everyone here, remember what he just said. He claimed the money came from his writing and his wife’s embroidery.” Ying Su spoke with a serious expression.

Officer Zhou nodded. Just then, someone arrived carrying a cat. Officer Zhou accepted it, examined it briefly, and found it to be just an ordinary cat. Still unable to figure out why Ying Su wanted one, he asked, “Here’s the cat you wanted. Now I really want to see how you’re going to make that money in your hand speak.”

Ying Su smiled faintly, her eyes clear and bright, the corners of her eyes arching upward. Her expression drew a few admiring looks from the crowd, but almost immediately, all attention shifted to what she was doing.

She turned to Officer Zhou. “Do you have any copper coins on you? Lend me some.”

Without hesitation, Zhou pulled a string of coins from his sleeve and handed them to her.

Ying Su then looked at the crowd. “Could anyone else lend me another string of coins?”

The onlookers, reassured by Officer Zhou’s presence, figured the woman wouldn’t dare keep their money. Someone soon handed her another string.

Ying Su held both strings of coins in her palm and brought them close to the cat’s mouth.

Officer Zhou, holding the cat, found the scene amusing. ‘What’s she trying to do? A cat doesn’t eat copper coins.’

The large white cat only sniffed the coins and quickly turned its head away, uninterested. Both strings were the same, ignored. Ying Su curved her lips into a smile. “Now then, everyone, watch carefully.”

She took out the two taels and three qian in her possession and held them near the cat. The crowd thought, ‘It’ll be no different.’ But the next moment left everyone stunned.

The big white cat sniffed the silver once, then suddenly opened its mouth and bit down hard!

Ying Su quickly pulled her hand back, but the cat refused to give up. Struggling fiercely in Officer Zhou’s arms, it unsheathed sharp claws, aiming to scratch, its golden eyes locked obsessively on the silver in her hand. It meowed nonstop.

Even though Officer Zhou was strong, he hadn’t been prepared. The cat clawed him a couple of times. Luckily, his skin was thick, and it didn’t hurt much. Still, the animal thrashed so violently that he had no choice but to let go.

The white cat immediately bolted to Ying Su’s side, circling her anxiously, pawing at her clothes, even trying to climb onto her.

The sudden turn of events left everyone baffled. The most shocking question was, why would the cat want to eat the silver in her hand?

One impatient spectator finally blurted, “Woman, don’t play tricks. Just explain why the cat wants your money!”

Ying Su’s voice was calm and steady. “These two taels and three qian are what I earned today from selling fish. Because of catching and handling fish, my hands were full of fishy smell. When I collected the money, all of it passed through my hands, so naturally the silver now carries the scent of fish.”

She glanced at the cat circling her feet. “Everyone knows cats love fish. Smelling it on the silver, this white cat mistook it for food.”

Her eyes softened, then suddenly sharpened. Her gaze snapped to the young scholar like drawn steel, cold and piercing.

“The copper coins I borrowed from Officer Zhou, this cat ignored. The other string as well. So tell me, scholar, if this silver truly came from your writing and your wife’s embroidery, why does the cat want to eat it?”

The scholar’s face paled. Every eye was now fixed on him, leaving him no place to hide. In panic, he shouted, “Don’t listen to her nonsense! She’s crafty, deceiving you all!”

But facts spoke louder than words. Most already believed Ying Su, though a handful still clung to doubt.

Officer Zhou, noticing the smile tugging at Ying Su’s lips, glanced around carefully. His sharp eyes landed on the wooden tub and basin she had set aside. Walking over, he reached inside and pulled out two gleaming fish scales.

The moment he held them up, shining in the light, everyone was convinced.

“Now, do you have anything else to say?” Officer Zhou demanded, eyes blazing as he held the scales toward the scholar.

The scholar, realizing he’d been exposed, tried to flee. But the onlookers weren’t about to let him. A few burly men seized him at once, cursing as they did.

“I thought you were a learned man and trusted your words. Who would’ve guessed you were this kind of scum!”

“Exactly! You slandered that young lady just now. What a vile scholar!”

“Tch! You look respectable enough, but to do something like this…” A middle-aged woman spat harshly on the ground, then turned to Ying Su with a smile. “You may look a bit like a temptress, but you’re actually a good person. We wronged you earlier.”

Ying Su’s lips twitched. ‘Was that supposed to be a compliment?’ She nodded awkwardly.

Soon, the crowd dispersed. Officer Zhou, holding the ashen-faced scholar, said to Ying Su, “You’ve opened my eyes today. Without your method, even I would’ve believed this money was his.”

Ying Su only smiled and said nothing.

The scholar truly had been clever, playing on people’s assumptions. Had it been anyone else in her place, no amount of words might have cleared their name, and the silver would likely have ended up in his hands.

After parting with Officer Zhou, Ying Su headed toward a shop selling brushes, ink, and paper. As she entered, the two hidden gazes that had been following her finally withdrew. Only then did she breathe a quiet sigh of relief.

Whether out of instinct or some deeper awareness, she knew those unseen eyes were dangerous, like a flood beast ready to devour.

In her previous life, she was Ying Su, the woman who had survived rainstorms of bullets. But this was the ancient world. Martial arts and inner strength were things she had never faced before. If she were to encounter them directly… she wasn’t sure she could survive.

And so, caution was her only path.