The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 655 - 654 What’s the Origin

Chapter 655: Chapter 654 What’s the Origin

No matter the reason, there’s no justification.

Not to mention they’re all elder brothers. The sister and her husband had just gotten married, and before they could even consummate the marriage, they had to manage their father’s funeral. Not only was it emotionally taxing, but they also bore all the expenses.

Though the elder brothers claimed they weren’t as wealthy, life wasn’t hard for them, yet they pretended to be deaf and mute, not saying a single word.

Those who knew the situation understood that the brothers hadn’t had time to deal with it, but those who didn’t might be poking their spines and cursing them.

With that thought, Wang Yonggui was the first to come around, "Little sister, it’s our fault. Dad’s departure was so sudden, we haven’t wrapped our minds around it yet. These past few days must have been exhausting for you and your husband! Whatever the cost, just keep track of the expenses. We’ll cover it temporarily, and once we return to Qilidun, including Eldest Brother, we’ll definitely reimburse you! Right, Laosi?"

Wang Yongping nodded dumbly in agreement.

Old Granny Zhang lifted her eyelids, ready to scold, but was discretely stopped by Wang Yongzhu.

After Wang Yonggui and his brothers left to rest, only the mother and daughter remained in the mourning hall. Old Granny Zhang then shook her head, "Laosan is such a slippery one. Back in the day, he fought to take in Dad because of his share of the family property, and I thought he really had changed. Turns out a dog can’t stop eating shit. Hearing that Dad wanted to leave his share to me just before he closed his eyes, organizing the funeral became about sharing the costs with the brothers."

"It’s lucky Laosi is clueless, just going along with whatever he’s told. If he hadn’t married a shrewd wife, who knows, he might end up sold and still be counting the money for someone else—"

As Wang Yongzhu added a few pieces of coal to the brazier, she pulled Old Granny Zhang to sit beside her, warming by the fire, and consoled, "Mother, everyone has their own fortune. All my brothers are now married; they can’t manage so much anymore. Besides, since Laosan has requested to split the costs, when the time comes, can’t we just share Dad’s portion among the three brothers and call it settled?"

That amount of silver was indeed insignificant to Wang Yongzhu.

"Right, let them fuss about it! Who can control anyone for a lifetime? I’ve been thinking, the expenses in the city are too high. Hiring monks and Taoists to chant scriptures costs several times more than in Qilidun! Moreover, in the city, merely opening your door means you’ll be spending on firewood, rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar... everything costs money," said Old Granny Zhang.

"This big family of ours is not light on daily expenses! The money you spent on the funeral might be reclaimed later, but these daily living costs add up, and we can’t even mention them. How about after three days, we transport your dad’s old bones back, so he can rest in peace?"

Today, Old Granny Zhang had listened and was heartbroken.

Her daughter and son-in-law’s money didn’t come from the wind, why should it be wasted on them?

Originally, Wang Yongzhu and Song Chongjin had planned to deal with Gao Jin and Wang Yongan together before they could feel at ease. With Wang Yongan around, like a viper, they feared they would never know peace.

They were also worried about Old Granny Zhang and Wang Yongfu traveling alone; it would be dreadful if they encountered misfortune.

So they decided to keep them close, ensuring their safety.

Upon hearing Old Granny Zhang’s words, Wang Yongzhu also realized that as the weather got hotter, transporting Wang Laozhu’s body back would become a terrifying matter.

Especially for Wang Yonggui, who was prone to gambling and heavy drinking and had no aversion to any vice. Being in a foreign place, if he was caught off guard by Wang Yongan’s schemes and used as a threat against herself and Song Chongjin, would it be a matter of rescue or not?

If they could send them back to Qilidun first, then Song Chongjin and she could stay behind and peacefully resolve everything. Wouldn’t that be better?

So she simply nodded her head: "Mother, rest assured, I will have someone inquire about the situation."

If Gao Jin had not set up an inescapable network throughout the entire city as Wang Yongan had said, then it would not be too concerning.

As soon as Song Chongjin returned, she discussed her thoughts and worries with him.

Song Chongjin frowned, sipping his tea, "These past few days, I’ve been busy with many matters and haven’t had the chance to tell you. When investigating whether Gao Jin is colluding with the local ruffians, my men reported that the atmosphere in the city has been off lately. Especially around the docks, it seems you can’t just come and go freely anymore."

"While investigating these past two days, I’ve also felt something is not right, like a major event is about to happen. If it’s just about the fear of spending money, that is quite unnecessary. At a time like this, we should be cautious and see exactly what has transpired, to avoid accidentally becoming cannon fodder—"

Wang Yongzhu, having been at home and not venturing outside, was unaware of these developments, but upon hearing what Song Chongjin said, naturally followed his advice.

"All right, you need not worry about domestic affairs. Has there been any progress with the investigation? Have Boss Ma and his people not arrived yet?" Wang Yongzhu asked with concern.

"We have a bit of a lead. We are just waiting for Boss Ma and his men to arrive. Once it’s confirmed, if it is as we suspect, that Gao Jin is colluding with the local ruffians to mine privately and line their own pockets, just exposing this will be enough to ensure that Gao Jin can’t keep his official hat," Song Chongjin said, unable to hide the weariness between his brows.

He realized how formidable the people he had ruthlessly driven away were only when he personally undertook the investigation.

His current subordinates, mostly trained by those predecessors, still made many detours, wasted time, or progressed too slowly, often missing key clues when handling matters.

He had trouble enough just uncovering the collusion between Gao Jin and the local ruffians; now, he worried about how he could take down Gao Jin and the local ruffians once he had the evidence.

At this point, although he didn’t regret driving away the insubordinate elders, he couldn’t help but rue that he and his current team were still too green, lacking in means and resources in every aspect.

If it had been his old associates, they likely would have already completed the investigation and come up with a solution.

The more Song Chongjin became aware of the chasm between his current men and the former group, the more nervous he became.

Just how powerful were those former associates, and why did they seem to have connections everywhere?

Song Chongjin dared not think too deeply about it.

Seeing Song Chongjin’s troubled expression, Wang Yongzhu naturally expressed her concern and, after listening to Song Chongjin’s analysis, she fell silent.

It took a while before she spoke again: "To achieve this level, they must have either been in the intelligence business, which is why that group of people had so much experience. Those in the intelligence field often handle complex, entangled situations. From your description, that previous group was practically a mature intelligence-gathering organization."

"To possess such an extensive intelligence system without being detected speaks to a powerful force behind the scenes, one we probably can’t even touch," Wang Yongzhu said, pointing towards the direction of the Capital City.

Song Chongjin gave a wry smile: "That’s what I was thinking too. It’s not possible for such a large force to exist within the civilian population without being noticed. The person behind this must be an influential official with considerable power—"

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