The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 356 - 357: What Is Your Ulterior Motive?

Chapter 356: Chapter 357: What Is Your Ulterior Motive?

"No more," said Song Chongjin with great detail. "At the Sun Family’s end, when Sunjia Dem burst its banks, at least half of the villagers drowned. The surviving villagers scattered in all directions to save their lives. Even if there are any left, who knows where they could be? The old bachelor’s family, his parents died a long time ago, and he was an only child. Spoiled since childhood, he was led astray by others, which brought his parents to their death. Once his parents were gone, with no one to control him, his family wealth was squandered in no time. All the other relatives who were within the fifth degree of kinship always looked down on the old bachelor. Later, after he did such things with Lady Sun, they completely cut off ties and stopped all interactions."

"Then, have you found out who is behind Lady Sun?"

Wang Yongzhu asked directly.

"Not yet," Song Chongjin replied. "Lady Sun has been in contact with too many people; it will take some time to go through the list. However, I have already instructed them to narrow the search down to the business sector. From there, we will follow up by digging deeper into their backgrounds. I believe the person behind this will soon be exposed."

In just a few days, Song Chongjin had managed to uncover so much information, which was quite impressive. At this moment, Wang Yongzhu felt she was only seeing the tip of the iceberg regarding Song Chongjin’s power.

Of course, this also proved that Song Chongjin was not guarding himself against her anymore. He clearly understood that by finding out these details so quickly, he would be exposing himself.

Yet, he did not conceal anything, the implications of which were crystal clear to Wang Yongzhu.

Song Chongjin was also fully aware.

Unable to restrain herself, Wang Yongzhu pondered Xiao Tiantian’s suggestion again. Song Chongjin was no longer on guard against her, but the relationship achievement still wasn’t unlocked. Could it be that an intimate action was indeed necessary?

On the other hand, seeing that Wang Yongzhu remained silent after he had spoken, Song Chongjin guessed she was probably worrying.

He coughed once, about to suggest taking Lady Sun into his custody. His subordinates should have no trouble prying open a woman’s mouth.

It would save them the unease of leaving Lady Sun with the Wang Family.

Returning to her senses, Wang Yongzhu apologized, "Sorry, I was momentarily distracted. Thank you for handling the matter with Lady Sun. In a moment, I’m going to check with Shopkeeper Wu and Steward Lu to see if there’s been any progress on their end."

The words Song Chongjin intended to say hovered on the tip of his tongue for a long time but were ultimately swallowed back down.

Upon reaching the town, Wang Yongzhu first bought several pig’s feet and chopped up some large bones before heading to the restaurant.

She placed the items in the restaurant, salting them for preservation and leaving them in a cool place to prevent spoilage.

Shopkeeper Wu happened to be at the restaurant that day and hurried to welcome the two into the backyard upon hearing of Wang Yongzhu’s arrival.

"Niece, I would have sent someone to find you if you hadn’t come," he said.

"So, is there news about the matter I asked Shopkeeper Wu to investigate?"

"Yes, the report from the head of the house has come. Currently, four dye workshops and cloth shops are under suspicion. Each of these businesses has significant backing, and we cannot be certain whether it is just one or all of them that are suspects. The head of the house advised us to be careful and avoid falling into their traps," Shopkeeper Wu said with a worried look on his face.

Hearing this, Wang Yongzhu was even more puzzled. "Shopkeeper Wu, if what you’re saying is true and the head of the house says each of these four businesses has significant backing, if they really wanted this recipe, wouldn’t they just send someone to find me and either buy the recipe at a high price or force me to hand it over by using their power?"

"Whether I sell or not, give or don’t give, shouldn’t I at least understand the situation first before making a decision? Why send someone to steal directly? If the dye recipe is so valuable, compared to the profits it will bring later on, why aren’t these noble patrons even willing to probe a little? Have they firmly decided I wouldn’t sell? Or is there another reason?"

Shopkeeper Wu’s face suddenly froze, "Niece, what do you mean by that?"

"Shopkeeper Wu, I ask you this, even if this dye recipe could make money, in the eyes of your boss, is it truly important? Please tell me the truth."

Shopkeeper Wu blinked and swallowed, "Well... that... The boss has businesses all over the country and quite a few money-making ventures. Honestly, the silver earned from our dye workshop and cloth shops hasn’t really caught the boss’s eye. The main reason is that our cloth has a high reputation and has connections with the palace..."

The rest of the words went unspoken, but everyone understood.

Wang Yongzhu said earnestly, "So, if even your boss is somewhat wary of the four dye workshops and cloth shops, which are likely well-established brands, then our cloth is currently a novelty. Despite having a favorable reputation due to a lady in the palace liking it, can it really threaten those four workshops?"

"It seems there have been dye workshops in the past that created colours unseen by their predecessors. If it were that easy to shake the position of those established brands, could they still hold their status today?"

"So, niece, what you mean is, perhaps it wasn’t those four dye workshops and cloth shops who acted?"

"I think that those who see our workshop as a thorn in their side are likely to be the mid-sized dye workshops. Our rise has been too rapid and probably poses the greatest threat to them. Furthermore, even if they wanted to buy these dye recipes, they know they couldn’t offer better terms than you, Shopkeeper Wu, which is why they thought of stealing!"

The more Wang Yongzhu analyzed, the more she felt her deductions were correct.

The appearance of Lady Sun could be easily discredited with a bit of investigation.

If it were really those well-established brands that took action, their methods likely wouldn’t be so crude.

Shopkeeper Wu fell into deep thought.

Standing to one side, Song Chongjin watched Wang Yongzhu with eyes so intense that they could burn a hole through her back.

Feeling uneasy, Wang Yongzhu turned to look at Song Chongjin. He made no effort to conceal the admiration and appreciation in his eyes, lifted the corner of his mouth slightly, and said, "I think Yongzhu’s analysis makes a lot of sense. A woman like Lady Sun probably doesn’t have access to those higher-ups. Unless there’s been some mistake, the person behind this is likely in Jing County or the surrounding area."

At this moment, Shopkeeper Wu also snapped back to reality, "Niece, what you said is very true. I’ll immediately send a message to the boss so he can send someone to investigate."

Wang Yongzhu neither agreed nor disagreed; she had her own thoughts but wouldn’t share them with Shopkeeper Wu.

"Alright then, I’ll head back first. Shopkeeper Wu, just notify me when there’s news," said Wang Yongzhu, ready to take her leave.

Looking somewhat distracted, Shopkeeper Wu walked Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin to the door, sighed, and went back inside to write a letter.

Once outside the restaurant, Song Chongjin looked worriedly at Wang Yongzhu and cautioned her, "Shopkeeper Wu may be a good man, but the boss behind him is likely not an easy person."

If Wang Yongzhu could analyze the intricacies of the situation, could the boss truly be oblivious? Or did he have another purpose, casting the blame on the other four dye workshops? What were his true intentions?