Chapter 253: Court Hearing

Chapter 253: Court Hearing

When they arrived, both Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua were equally worried, but now it felt like a great weight had been lifted from their hearts.

After Xingxing helped her grandmother and Big Aunt draw their fortune sticks, she stretched her little head to look outside the hall. "...Xingxing thought she saw Brother Yan flash past the window."

The old Taoist Master smiled. "Perhaps. Do you want to go play with him for a while?"

Xingxing hesitated and looked at Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua.

Wei Pozi, her eyes full of affection, looked at her granddaughter. "Your Big Aunt and I need to stay here a little longer. If you want to go play with Young Master Wei, you can go. Just don't wander too far."

Xingxing happily responded and, with her little legs, ran out of the hall.

It was already late autumn, and being close to Maple Gorge, there were some fiery red maple leaves on the mountain top.

Wei Shiyan sat on a branch of a maple tree, looking down at Xingxing who had come to find him.

Xingxing looked up. "Brother Yan, that's so high, aren't you afraid of falling?"

When Wei Shiyan stood up, Xingxing let out a gasp of surprise.

The wind blew across the maple tree, and the branches swayed slightly, causing Wei Shiyan's figure to wobble slightly as well.

Xingxing held her breath in fright, covering her eyes with her hands, peeking at Wei Shiyan through the gaps between her fingers.

Wei Shiyan couldn't help but smile and jumped down from the tree.

Seeing that Wei Shiyan had grown taller, Xingxing was a little envious. "Brother Yan, how did you grow so fast?"

Wei Shiyan said, "You're still too young, so you grow slower."

Xingxing puffed her cheeks.

After chatting for a while, it was almost time for Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua to leave, so Xingxing waved goodbye to Wei Shiyan.

"Brother Yan, Xingxing will come find you to play again," Xingxing called enthusiastically.

Wei Shiyan didn’t respond, but the corner of his mouth curled upwards as he waved, indicating he understood.

Watching the lively Xingxing, both Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua felt more uplifted, and their steps became lighter on the way back.

After returning home, Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua told their family about the result of Xingxing drawing the fortune sticks for them. "...The Taoist Master said that Huai Ge'er will definitely be fine tomorrow!"

This slightly eased the tense mood at home.

The next day was the day when Huai Ge'er would be publicly tried.

Early in the morning, Yu Daniu and Li Chunhua were already dressed and sat anxiously waiting to leave.

Yu Sanbao harnessed the carriage and took Wei Pozi, Yu Laotou, Li Chunhua, Yu Daniu, and, not forgetting Xingxing—the family believed she was a little lucky star, and her presence would greatly increase the chances of Huai Ge'er turning danger into safety.

The five adults and one child from the Yu family headed towards the county courthouse.

That day, Bai Ge'er and Gui Ge'er had asked for leave from school, and Liu Ge'er had also asked for leave in advance from Grandfather Liu. The three boys had already headed towards the courthouse early.

The courthouse wasn't open yet, but they were already waiting outside.

They had arrived even before Wei Pozi and the others.

This case wasn’t a major one, but whenever the courthouse held a trial, the local residents would come to watch. Fortunately, both Bai Ge'er and the group with Wei Pozi arrived early. As soon as the constables pushed open the main gate, they hurried inside, making sure to stand in the front row of the spectators.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people yet, giving them ample room.

After a short while, Xingxing sensed something and glanced over her shoulder.

It was a man dressed in brocade, seemingly in his twenties.

What made Xingxing take a second look was the woman next to this brocade-clad man—someone she recognized.

It was Li Xuefeng.

Although Li Xuefeng was still dressed in luxurious clothes, jade hairpins, and gold bracelets, she didn’t look well.

Her face was slightly pale, and though she had applied some rouge, the bruises on her temples were barely hidden.

Xingxing couldn’t help but stare.

Perhaps sensing Xingxing’s gaze, the man next to Li Xuefeng looked over.

Seeing that it was only a little girl, he chuckled meaningfully, "An acquaintance of yours?"

At just those words, Li Xuefeng trembled violently.

This reaction seemed to amuse the man, who let out another soft laugh, "Alright, watch closely later."

Li Xuefeng managed a smile that seemed more like a grimace, "...Yes."

Xingxing found both of them quite strange. She suddenly noticed that the man was missing a tooth and a half when he spoke, which looked somewhat funny.

Xingxing couldn’t help but think of Ju Ge'er, who had lost a tooth the previous evening while eating.

At that time, Ju Ge'er had made a fuss, complaining that it looked ugly, and Grandma had comforted him, saying that every child loses their teeth.

Do grown-ups lose their teeth too?

Thinking of Ju Ge'er’s silly appearance after losing his tooth, Xingxing couldn’t help but giggle.

However, the man, seeing Xingxing laugh in his direction, immediately pressed his lips together, his eyes turning fierce as he glared at her.

Startled, Xingxing quickly turned around and buried herself in Wei Pozi's arms.

Wei Pozi, assuming the serious atmosphere of the courthouse had scared Xingxing, quickly hugged her, "Sweet child, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid."

Xingxing buried her head in Wei Pozi’s chest.

It was almost time for the trial to start, and the constables brought Huai Ge'er to the hall.

The Yujia family grew tense.

Li Xuefeng couldn’t hold back and cried out, "Huai Ge'er!"

Huai Ge'er looked tired but didn’t seem too bad. His face and clothes were relatively clean, with no visible stains or injuries. The scratches on his face had scabbed over, leaving only faint marks.

Hearing his mother call out to him and seeing his anxious family outside the courthouse, and little Xingxing shouted, "Big brother, don’t worry, everything will be fine!"

A warm feeling welled up in Huai Ge'er’s heart.

He asked himself countless times in prison, if he would still step forward to help if he encountered such a situation again.

He believed he would.

In this world, there were not only deceitful people, but also his family, and many others who deserved to be treated well.

Huai Geer's eyes hardened with resolve as he knelt before the court.

The magistrate sat high on his seat, following the procedure, opening the court, summoning the criminals and the victims.

The girl named Yi Wen, with red-rimmed eyes, knelt before the magistrate. Before he could ask a few questions, she broke down in tears, looking extremely vulnerable.

Li Chunhua looked at the frail Yi Wen and felt a pang of guilt.

Although her son was also a victim, he had indeed wronged this girl. Maybe… she should have her son marry the girl?

It would provide the girl with some closure and might also help her son avoid punishment.

The only question was whether the girl would be willing or not.

Li Chunhua pondered, her brow furrowed in worry.

In Wei Pozi’s arms, Xingxing watched the sobbing Yi Wen, feeling a sense of familiarity, though she couldn't place where she'd seen her before.

Xingxing thought so hard her head spun, then couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the strange gap-toothed man standing beside Li Chunhua.

She saw the gap-toothed man eyeing the kneeling Yi Wen with a sinister grin!