Chapter 179: Dongguo and the Wolf

Chapter 179: Dongguo and the Wolf

The two remaining scoundrels were caught, and Shuang He was very happy when she heard the news, her face brightening as she murmured, "It must be the gods watching over us."

Yu Sanbao was also relieved.

Although he wasn’t afraid, there were many children in the family. If he wasn’t careful and they hurt the kids, that would be his biggest fear.

Now that those two scoundrels were in the hands of the authorities, the children in his family were safe. What a relief.

"Speaking of which, what happened to Yang Xiangdie?" When Yu Sanbao mentioned Yang Xiangdie, his expression became unpleasant.

After all, they had saved her...

Liu Ge'er didn’t want to go into detail and only said briefly, "I heard that since she also escaped from the mountain stronghold, she needs to be detained for interrogation for the time being."

Yu Sanbao nodded and didn’t ask further, letting Liu Ge'er go rest.

He planned to find Constable Xie later to have a drink and ask about the situation.

Ah Wu saw Xingxing sitting at the table, practicing her handwriting with the seriousness of a little grown-up. Her eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands. "Good job, Xingxing!"

Xingxing smiled shyly at Ah Wu.

Seeing Xingxing doing well, Ah Wu felt reassured. She smiled and made a plan with Xingxing to visit again in a few days before preparing to leave. "...Xingxing, keep practicing your writing. It’s quite late, I’ll head back now."

Moliu breathed a sigh of relief.

Her young mistress was sensible and knew it was too late to disturb others.

Just as she thought this, her young mistress turned around, her eyes shining, and softly called out, "Siyang~"

Yu Siyang's ears turned a little red. "Are you going back? It’s quite late; it’s not safe. I’ll escort you."

But seeing how happy her young mistress was, Moliu softened and stayed quiet. She even fell behind a few steps on the way back, maintaining a not-too-far, not-too-near distance with the two guards.

...

Yang Xiangdie was released three days later.

The authorities confirmed that she was indeed an ordinary citizen who had been kidnapped to the mountain stronghold and had not conspired with the mountain bandits. She was let go.

As for the two remaining scoundrels, they naturally became part of the performance record of the Mapo County yamen and were strictly guarded by the county magistrate.

Constable Xie also revealed to Yu Sanbao that the magistrate now had a very good impression of the Yujia, considering them law-abiding citizens who alleviated the worries of the authorities.

Yu Sanbao chuckled. This was secondary; as long as the Yujia was safe, that was good enough.

After Yang Xiangdie was released, she came to the Yujia Commercial Store.

That day, Wei Pozi also came to the county town, and Shuang He could barely manage to hold a bowl and drink a few sips of water by herself.

Yu Sanbao’s gaze towards Yang Xiangdie was unfriendly, but when Yang Xiangdie tearfully begged him, saying she wanted to see Shuang He, Yu Sanbao thought for a moment and still brought Yang Xiangdie to see Shuang He.

When Shuang He saw Yang Xiangdie, she was also surprised.

While recovering at Yujia, Yang Xiangdie hadn't suffered any mistreatment. Though she wore Shuang He's old clothes, they were far better than her previous tattered rags.

And when it came to food, she always had plenty to eat, and there was often meat on the table.

During her stay at Yujia, Yang Xiangdie's gaunt cheeks quickly regained their plumpness.

But after three days in prison, she looked just as disheveled and dirty.

This time, no one felt any sympathy for her.

Not even Shuang He.

Shuang He was taken aback by her appearance.

With tears streaming down her face, Yang Xiangdie knelt before Shuang He. “Shuang He, I know I did you wrong, and I don't blame you for being angry. But I was absolutely terrified back then...”

Shuang He struggled to raise her hand in a gesture to stop her. “Don't say any more. I was scared too, but I wouldn't have pushed you into the path of a blade.”

Yang Xiangdie cried as she tried to explain. “It was... an accident...”

Wei Pozi could no longer contain herself and spat. “Accident? What accident! Since you came into our lives, Shuang He treated you like family. She let you sleep in her bed while she slept on the floor. She gave you her clothes and took you along with her wherever she went, afraid that you might be uncomfortable. And how did you repay her? When those people came to kill you, you pushed Shuang He into the path of the blade! You're so cold-hearted! And now you dare say it was an accident?”

Yang Xiangdie cried even harder. “Old Lady, I truly didn't mean to... I was just so scared. When I was at the mountain stronghold, they took turns bullying me, beating me whenever they were displeased... I was terrified of those days...”

She pitifully described her past experiences at the mountain stronghold to both Wei Pozi and Shuang He.

These were things she had mentioned before, and at that time, both Wei Pozi and Shuang He had felt deep sympathy for her, not daring to ask further for fear of touching on her painful memories.

But now, even as she cried about her past, neither Wei Pozi nor Shuang He were moved.

Just because she was pitiful, did that give her the right to betray everyone's trust and hurt them like this?

“Are you done?” Shuang He interrupted coldly, unmoved.

Yang Xiangdie, still tearful, looked at Shuang He in disbelief.

She couldn't believe how cold Shuang He was being.

“Shuang He...”

“Don't call me that,” Shuang He said coldly. “I won't even mention myself. Your life was saved by Old Lady and Third Master. How could you repay their kindness with betrayal?!”

“I didn't...” Yang Xiangdie denied, flustered and even a little angry. “I said it was an accident. How is that repaying kindness with betrayal...”

“I'm not talking about when you pushed me,” Shuang He said with disgust. “I heard everything from Third Young Master. When he went to report to the authorities, he ran into you. The direction you came from—wasn't it the Yujia Commercial Store? Yang Xiangdie, Old Lady and Third Master saved your life, gave you food and clothes, and yet you led the scoundrels to the Yujia?!”

The angrier Shuang He became, the more her words flowed. Recalling a story the young masters had taught Miss Xingxing a few days ago, she blurted out, “This is Dongguo and the Wolf!”

Yang Xiangdie's face turned ugly at Shuang He's harsh words.

Wei Pozi, on the other hand, tried to calm Shuang He down. “Alright, girl, don't get too worked up. Take a rest, and don't say any more. What if you aggravate your wounds?”

Shuang He, always obedient to Wei Pozi's words, meekly agreed and closed her eyes, too lazy to look at Yang Xiangdie anymore, lest she get angry again.