The Double
Chapter 317 - 118: Favors_5

Chapter 317: Chapter 118: Favors_5

That evening, Jiang Li and Ye Mingyu found themselves without any leads. However, one of Ye Mingyu’s subordinates managed to persuade a couple who ran a noodle shop, known as Mr. and Mrs. Ah Guai. The couple had been deceived, their property deed was problematic, and they almost lost their noodle shop, along with their livelihood. Xue Huaiyuan had presided over this case, allowing Mr. and Mrs. Ah Guai to retrieve their deed, thus preventing them from becoming homeless.

Hence, Mr. and Mrs. Ah Guai had always been grateful to County Magistrate Xue. Now that Xue Huaiyuan was imprisoned, the couple wanted to speak out against the injustice but didn’t know what they could do, feeling as insignificant as a mantis trying to stop a chariot. The arrival of Jiang Li and her group brought them unexpected joy; it finally seemed like they knew what they could do and they agreed without hesitation.

"We’ve found a total of three people," Ye Mingyu said, "Should we send the order to Xiangyang tomorrow?"

Jiang Li nodded, "That’s enough."

Ye Mingyu asked, "Should we continue looking for people?"

"Yes," Jiang Li replied, "The more people we have, the bigger a stir this will cause. Whether it’s appealing to Dali Temple or filing a royal petition, it’s the only way to make this issue so big that no one can suppress it, and to let everyone in the world see just how much chaos the real Tongxiang County Magistrate caused behind the facade."

Ye Mingyu said, "Got it, let’s continue then!"

That night, Jiang Li slept quite peacefully, dreaming of seeing Xue Zhao and her father. The three of them were walking home through Green Stone Lane. Surrounded by the night, Xue Zhao, with a sword on his back, proudly demonstrated a set of sword moves in front of Jiang Li, which earned him a scolding chuckle from Xue Huaiyuan.

It was a warmth that made Jiang Li reluctant to wake up.

Until Bai Xue gently woke her, "Miss, it’s time to get up."

These days, Jiang Li had been getting up very early. There was no choice; time was of the essence. Her heart was still recalling the beautiful dream from last night that she had been reluctant to leave, yet her actions were clear and decisive. In just a brief moment, she had finished washing and eating and was ready to leave.

Out of five hundred and sixty-eight households, she had yet to visit half. And of the half she had visited, only three were willing to stand up.

Is that sad? Perhaps. But one should be glad that there are not none, and it wasn’t the worst-case scenario yet.

Ye Mingyu greeted Jiang Li with a smile, "Jiang Li, we’re in for another busy day."

Jiang Li smiled back, "Today, Uncle and all the brothers will have to work hard again."

They all walked out laughing, opened the gate, and then suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Aunt Chun Fang stood at the door. She was thinly dressed, had been waiting for who knows how long, and was trembling slightly. When she saw Jiang Li, her eyes lit up.

"Aunt Chun Fang?" Jiang Li looked at her in confusion, "Why have you come?"

"I... I..." Chun Fang stumbled over her words, and seemed to take a long time to muster the courage to say, "Miss, I... I’m willing to stand out, to testify for Lord Xue!"

Jiang Li was taken aback.

"I’ve thought about it. Lord Xue helped us a lot. If we ignore this, we’d be heartless. I’m willing to stand out!"

This timid woman seemed to have gained inexplicable courage, her voice suddenly louder as she looked up, resolutely speaking.

Neither Jiang Li nor Ye Mingyu had expected her to say such a thing.

After a moment, Jiang Li smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Chun Fang."

Chun Fang’s face turned red, and she hurriedly waved her hands as if embarrassed, "It’s not just me, others too."

Then, from around the corner, two more people emerged. It was Daiyun, holding Pingan’s hand.

Seeing Jiang Li, Pingan gave a sweet smile, while Daiyun said, "Miss Jiang, I’ve thought about it. Lord Xue saved Pingan, and we can’t be heartless towards her savior. We have received help from Lord Xue while living in Tongxiang, and we cannot allow our selfishness to cause a good person to suffer injustice. We are willing to stand up."

Jiang Li looked at her. Daiyun was holding Pingan’s hand tightly, it was clear that making this decision had been a struggle for her. But now, she was here with Pingan.

"Thank you," Jiang Li smiled, "With you, Lord Xue’s case will be much easier, and I believe that the day of his vindication is not far away."

"It’s not just us," said Chun Fang, "Take a look outside." She pointed in a direction.

Jiang Li walked a few steps forward.

At the entrance to Green Stone Lane, the passageway was already crammed with a dense crowd of people. Some were outside, some inside, blocking the passage so tightly that there was no room to move. Conservatively speaking, there were at least a hundred of them, men and women, old and young, all from Tongxiang County.

When they saw Jiang Li, they shouted, "Miss Jiang, we are all willing to be witnesses for County Magistrate Xue!"

"Miss Jiang, let us help County Magistrate Xue! Whoever has received the tiniest grace should respond with a spring of kindness. We’ve all benefited from Lord Xue’s benevolence; now it’s our turn to repay him!"

"We’ve come here specifically to find Miss Jiang; we know of your plans. Whatever you ask of us, we’ll do, as long as it helps Lord Xue!"

Jiang Li was stunned as she looked at everything before her.

Ye Mingyu and his men stepped forward and also witnessed the scene, Ye Mingyu murmured in disbelief, "My goodness..."

Compared to the fruitless door-to-door search of the previous days, today’s turn of events felt like a dream. These people from Tongxiang, of all ages and from all walks of life, had undeniable courage in their faces.

Those whom Xue Huaiyuan had once helped, those who had been hiding amongst others, fearful of standing up for various reasons, had gone through struggles, hesitations, wanderings, and unease. In the end, righteousness had conquered their fear, and they stood up nonetheless.

Is it worth to have faith in humanity?

Is humanity not worth the faith?

Pingan broke free from her mother’s grasp, ran forward a few steps, and took Jiang Li’s hand, softly saying, "Sister, we’re willing to stand up."

Jiang Li felt a warmth in her eyes and was at a loss for words.