Chapter 95: Almost Moved to Tears

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Almost Moved to Tears

Tian Jiao refused to budge, so Jiang Wu pried her hands off him and walked forward, one step at a time.

In truth, he already knew the answer. He had woven those few wicker baskets with his own hands; he could recognize them with a single glance.

But he couldn’t accept it and still wanted to see what was inside.

The villagers also crowded around to get a look.

"Whoa, what is this stuff? It’s all black and shriveled."

"It looks like vegetables, but not quite..."

"This sold for ten taels? Only a fool would buy it..."

When the restaurant owner heard someone say only a fool would buy it, he shot a furious glare at his son. Seeing the boy’s dead-eyed, heartbroken expression, he wished he could just kick him to death on the spot.

Suppressing his rage, he asked Jiang Wu, "Is this from your family?"

Jiang Wu hadn’t inherited his mother’s talent for barefaced lying, so he nodded.

"That settles it. Your wife used her good looks while I was out of the restaurant to trick my son into buying these rotten vegetables. This stuff is completely inedible! This is fraud! I’ll give you one chance to return the ten taels of silver, or this isn’t over!"

Mrs. Mao was hiding behind Jiang Wu. Normally, she wouldn’t dare make a peep in a situation like this, but when she heard they had to refund the money—all ten taels of it—she grew anxious and boldly retorted.

"Once something is sold, you can’t just return it whenever you feel like it! For all I know, it was perfectly fine when we sold it. Maybe you’re the ones who let it spoil!"

The restaurant owner’s eyes blazed with fire. "It seems you know nothing about what your daughter-in-law made. Does this look like something that could spoil in a day or two? I’m not going to waste my breath on you. Either you return the money, or we see the magistrate. Take your pick!"

’What? See the magistrate?!’ Mrs. Mao instantly cowered. She didn’t want to see any magistrate; she didn’t want to go to jail.

’It’s all Tian Jiao’s fault! I thought we’d married a hen that lays golden eggs, but it turns out she’s just a troublemaker! And she even dared to curse my son, wishing him dead!’

Mrs. Mao stomped over to Tian Jiao, grabbed her by the hand, and yanked her in front of the restaurant owner. "She’s the one who made the vegetables, and she’s the one who sold them! If you want someone, you want her. If you’re going to the magistrate, take her with you. This has nothing to do with our family."

"Mother..." Jiang Wu tried to protect Tian Jiao, but Mrs. Mao blocked him. "You let her explain things clearly!"

Tian Jiao was seething with hatred.

’To have something she’d sold returned, and in front of so many onlookers—especially with Ji Huan in the crowd. She could let anyone laugh at her, but not Ji Huan! She was always the one laughing at Ji Huan, not the other way around!’

She saw that her mother-in-law was blocking Jiang Wu, and realized that the words of the owner’s son must have planted a seed of doubt in his mind as well, because he actually stood there and didn’t move.

Tian Jiao was isolated and helpless. Unable to try and coax him now, she felt another surge of panic.

But the man had come right to their door, and Jiang Wu had already admitted the goods were theirs. The only thing she could do now was shift the blame.

Tian Jiao’s eyes swept across the crowd and suddenly, she pointed at Ji Huan.

"I didn’t lie to you, ask her if you don’t believe me! I learned how to make my dehydrated vegetables from her! She sold all of hers to the army barracks. My method is exactly the same as hers, so how could there be a problem?"

The onlookers’ gazes followed, all turning to Ji Huan.

"So Wuan wasn’t making pickled vegetables, she was making these... dehydrated vegetables. No wonder. I was thinking, how could the army buy so many pickles."

"But that’s not right either. You saw it just now. Even a pig wouldn’t eat that stuff. The soldiers in the barracks aren’t stupid..."

Ji Huan had been watching from the sidelines for a while now.

’If Tian Jiao were smart, she’d just pay the money without another word. Appeasing them and settling the matter peacefully would be the best course of action.’

’But it seems her cleverness is only skin-deep. She couldn’t bear to part with the ten taels of silver she’d gotten. Her face had been slapped swollen, yet she was still trying to shift the blame.’

’And she even dared to throw the blame onto me.’

Ji Huan had originally only planned to start a fire and watch the fun, but now, she couldn’t resist kicking Tian Jiao while she was down.

She walked over to the mule cart, hands behind her back, and picked out a dark, dried leaf. After examining it for a moment, she found she couldn’t tell what kind of vegetable it had originally been.

She then asked the restaurant owner, "This... lady. What did she say when she came to your restaurant to sell her vegetables?"

No one knew the answer better than the owner’s son. By now, his wounded heart had calmed down. His feelings of pity and tenderness for the pretty girl were gone, replaced by the fury of being deceived.

"She said the soldiers all eat this stuff, and if it wasn’t good, would they want it? She said fresh vegetables are hard to come by in winter, but this stuff is just like fresh greens once you put it in a pot, and guaranteed it would become our restaurant’s signature dish... Then I saw how pitiful she was, losing her husband at such a young age..."

He glanced at Jiang Wu and left the rest unsaid.

But that was enough to make Jiang Wu’s blood boil.

No man would feel good about his own wife telling outsiders he was dead, especially when Tian Jiao was always talking about...

Jiang Wu’s face was ashen. His fists were clenched tight, his chest heaving with ragged breaths, and a vein throbbed on his temple.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Cuicui, who was in the crowd, shot a vicious glare at Tian Jiao.

But Tian Jiao didn’t notice at all. Right now, like a brawling cock with bruised eyes, she was staring daggers only at Ji Huan.

Ji Huan asked again, "Did you try it later? How did it turn out?"

At this, the restaurant owner flared up. "Try it? Of course we tried it! Forget not being able to tell what kind of vegetable it was, once we cooked it, it didn’t even taste like vegetables! It was just black and bitter—not nearly as miraculous as she claimed!"

"Impossible!" Tian Jiao refused to back down, desperately trying to drag Ji Huan into it. "I did it exactly according to her method! She was able to sell hers, so why can’t I? You should be going after her!"

"Heh!"

"According to my method? Did I hear that right?"

Ji Huan deliberately tapped her temple. "Or is there something wrong with my memory? Were you one of the helpers I hired that day? Otherwise, how would you know what method I use to make my dehydrated vegetables?"

Tian Jiao choked on her words and looked toward Aunt Lu, who was standing on the other side of the mule cart.

Aunt Lu met her gaze, then hastily looked away and retreated into the back of the crowd.

More than one of the women who had helped that day were present.

Aunt Wang immediately piped up, "Doesn’t she have any self-awareness about the shitty things she’s done? Why would Wuan ever hire her to help?"

Aunt Gao also stepped forward. "Forget not hiring her—even those of us who were hired to help don’t know how the dehydrated vegetables are made. That’s a secret recipe of Wuan’s family. Why would she ever tell anyone?"

"That’s right. We just washed and cut the vegetables. We’d have been too embarrassed to ask anything more... How would she know...?" Second Sister-in-law Xu and a few other aunties also chimed in to help.

Ji Huan looked at Tian Jiao with a leisurely smile. "Exactly. I’m curious, too. How is it that you know so clearly what the aunties who helped at my house don’t?"

Aunt Lu had vanished without a trace, and Tian Jiao couldn’t explain herself even if she wanted to.

Her eyes red-rimmed, she said pitifully, "I... I guessed, alright? Is that not allowed? I was just trying to earn some money so my parents-in-law could live in a new house. Are you saying I can’t even do that?"

Filial piety can be a weapon, and it can also be a banner. Tian Jiao was playing the virtuous card perfectly. The actual victims hadn’t even started crying, yet here she was, weeping.

Ji Huan nodded, looking extremely agreeable. "Allowed! Why wouldn’t it be allowed? To show filial piety to your parents-in-law, you were even willing to tell people your own husband was dead. Who wouldn’t be moved by that? I’m so moved I could almost cry."

There were indeed a few people who had almost been swayed by Tian Jiao. After all, her scheming wasn’t for her own sake, but to be a filial daughter-in-law.

But after hearing Ji Huan’s words, their sympathy suddenly vanished. Some even let out a snort of laughter.

Tian Jiao gritted her teeth, her tear-filled eyes locked on Ji Huan. She was consumed by a burning jealousy and hatred, nearly twisting her handkerchief to shreds.