The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 477 - 475: Catch Them

Chapter 477: Chapter 475: Catch Them

Outside the courtyard gate, Song Chongjin and the Wang Family Clan People were closely guarding Boss Ma and the others, fearing they might escape.

Seeing Wang Yongzhu come out, Song Chongjin walked over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Wang Yongzhu looked at him in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"I’m certain!" Song Chongjin nodded, speaking with gravity.

Wang Yongzhu took a deep breath, "A handle delivered to our doorstep, we’d be fools not to take it! We mustn’t delay, let’s go at once!"

With that, she called to the Wang Family Clan People, drove the horse carriage, and keeping a watchful eye on Boss Ma and the burly men, they headed towards the town.

It was now deep autumn, and darkness fell earlier.

By the time they reached the town, dusk had settled, and the sky had darkened. The streets were largely deserted, save for a few mischievous children who refused to go home, their parents’ voices calling from afar, telling them to come home for dinner.

The sudden arrival of so many people, with a horse carriage and seven or eight bound men, naturally stole the spotlight.

Not only did the children delay going home to eat, following closely beside, even the adults who came out to fetch their children stopped in their tracks, unable to help themselves.

With Boss Ma’s identification and guidance, Wang Yongzhu drove the carriage directly to Boss Qian Dahao’s residence in the town.

His home was located at the busiest end of the town street, a grand five-section compound, with two large lanterns hanging by the gate, boldly inscribed with the words "Qian Residence", exuding an imposing presence.

The main gate was tightly closed. As it had just gotten dark, many thrifty households, still able to see faintly, were hurriedly having their meals and washing up to save on lamp oil.

But inside the Qian Residence, lights shone brightly, casting their glow through the gaps in the gate, making the two lanterns by the door sway in the breeze.

Wang Yongzhu hopped off the carriage and stood at the entrance, observing for a moment, only to hear the sounds of laughter and merriment from within the house.

The Wang Family Clan People who came with Yongzhu, seeing such a large residence, became slightly timid, gathering around Yongzhu and Song Chongjin, they whispered, "What do we do now? The doors are all closed. Should we knock?"

Wang Yongzhu pulled a smile, "Knock? Too much trouble!"

Having said that, she took the lead and approached the main door, kicking out forcefully, and the door let out a muffled thud as dust poured down from the lintel.

Luckily, Yongzhu was quick to react and stepped back quickly, narrowly avoiding getting covered in dust.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, she had mistakenly judged the strength of the door, applying too little force.

She had intended to showcase her might by kicking open the Qian Residence’s door, thus first overpowering the other side in terms of momentum.

Well now, that ’act’ had failed.

Looking at Wang Yongzhu’s somewhat frustrated face, Song Chongjin couldn’t help but stifle a laugh as he stepped forward and patted her shoulder, "Should I give it a try?"

Wang Yongzhu glared at Song Chongjin, half-angry, and kicked out again with three parts fury, the heavy gate creaked twice and then wobbled before crashing to the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

"What’s happened?"

"What is it? Was there an earthquake?"

...

At the Qian Residence, it was time for dinner, with the whole family gathered in the floral hall for the meal.

Ever since the Qian Family came into money, Boss Qian Dahao, seeing the grand and wealthy families in the county city, living in large houses with maids, matrons, young servants, and gatekeepers in service, had grown envious.

Back in town, he spent a hefty sum to build a grand residence spanning five courtyards, which was unmatched in Shiqiao Town.

He also hired over a dozen maids and nannies to serve him and took in two concubines, living a life of sheer comfort.

Qian Dahao was enjoying a back massage from one concubine, while the other fed him wine with her luscious red lips. As for his sallow-faced wife, her long face and the clattering of her chopsticks and bowls did nothing to dampen his spirits.

Just as a mouthful of fragrant wine went down his throat and his hands caressed the concubine’s waist, there was a loud bang, followed by the creaking of door frames and windows. Cups, bowls, and dishes on the table were shaken so much that they tilted and toppled over.

Not to mention, years of accumulated dust from the beams overhead shook loose, choking everyone in the room to the point of not being able to open their eyes.

Qian Dahao was the unluckiest, as a swig of wine got stuck in his throat, and dust filled his eyes, making him cough and gag. He couldn’t see clearly and was only worried that there had been an earthquake.

In a panic, he didn’t even think about his beloved concubines and stumbled out of the room in a blur.

Any obstruction he encountered on the way, whether it was people or furniture, he pushed aside carelessly.

The maids and nannies who served in the house were even more panicked than Qian Dahao.

There was crying, shouting, stepping on feet, bumping into arms—a total mess.

Only Qian Dahao’s sallow-faced first wife, who was from the countryside, wasn’t flustered. Having been accustomed to hardships in the countryside before Qian Dahao made his fortune, she hadn’t had a peaceful day since Qian Dahao had money and had taken in two concubines. She seized the moment of chaos to kick the delicate concubines hard.

She knocked the concubines to the ground, then pummeled them with kicks and slaps.

The delicate concubines, who usually relied on Qian Dahao’s favor to make life difficult for the first wife, had pillow-talk skills maxed out but sadly lacked any strength, leaving them powerless to fight back.

Soon, they were beaten until their faces swelled like pig heads, only able to weep and call out for their master.

But the master was already worried about his own life and had fled the room, not caring about the concubines’ well-being.

Rushing out of the house, Qian Dahao shouted orders to find out what had happened and to fetch water to wash his face.

After much fuss, he managed to wash the dust out of his eyes and then heard from the gatekeeper that someone had kicked open his front gate.

Who dared to disturb the lion’s den?

With his swollen, goldfish-like eyes, Qian Dahao called out to the house servants, striding towards the gate with an aggressive presence.

He hadn’t reached the main gate yet when he encountered Wang Yongzhu and his party just outside the second gate.

Seeing the string of tightly bound "rice dumplings" behind Wang Yongzhu, Qian Dahao’s eyelids twitched, and he knew his secret was out.

But could he admit it? Of course not!

He not only couldn’t admit it but had to feign ignorance, so he straight-faced asked, "Who are you people? How dare you trespass into a private residence?"

Wang Yongzhu scoffed coldly, "Boss Qian, let’s not beat around the bush. If I can find your house, I’m clearly confident! Do you think playing dumb will get you through this?"

Qian Dahao still stubbornly retorted, "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no acquaintance with you. You bring a crowd into my house and even broke my front gate! I’m going to report to the authorities! Have you all thrown into jail!"

Upon hearing the threat of reporting to the authorities and being thrown in jail, the younger Wang Family Clan People, inexperienced and untested, all showed frightened expressions.

They turned to look at Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin.

Realizing this, Qian Dahao became even more assured: "I’ll have you know that I, Qian Dahao, have connections with the Yamen. Do you know who I am? A bunch of country bumpkins dare to storm my house! Laowu, go find Constable Gao, tell him there’s trouble at my Qian Residence, and have him quickly send people to arrest them all! Lock them up for ten days, half a month!"