Chapter 22: Confession
No one believed Zhou Dahu’s words. After all, he had just claimed he was drunk a moment ago. Such a clumsy lie was even more ridiculous than his drunken excuses. The villagers all shook their heads in disbelief.
That delicate-looking Ger could hit someone? Then pigs might as well climb trees!
“Believe me!” Zhou Dahu shouted, eyes wide and face full of desperation. “The wounds on my face—he did this! There’s blood! And he—he even kicked me… kicked me… down there!”
It was too indecent to say out loud, and even Zhou Dalang couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.
Ye Ning no longer defended himself. He merely lowered his head slightly, retreating with grace, his thin shoulders trembling faintly as if he had been terrified by Zhou Dahu’s outburst. After all, Gers were delicate by nature—especially Ning Ger, known as the most beautiful Ger in Qingtian Village. Just one look at that face, and no one could bear to yell at him like this.
The Jiang family’s matriarch clearly did not believe that Ye Ning was capable of hitting anyone. She said impatiently, “Take him away and bring him to the magistrate.”
“Let me go—!”
“Let me go! I’m not going! I refuse to see the magistrate!”
“I’m the eldest son of the Zhou family! My father won’t let you get away with this—”
Zhou Dahu struggled violently, managing to shove away a servant beside him. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression deranged like a beast that had tasted rotten flesh, and he lunged madly at Ye Ning. “You filthy whore! I’ll kill you—!”
Ye Ning was not afraid of him. With that sluggish reflex of his, Zhou Dahu wanted to attack him?
However, before Ye Ning even needed to move, Jiang Changxin—who had been standing protectively in front of him—suddenly acted. He took a single step forward. He didn’t confront Zhou Dahu head-on, but instead, “accidentally” stepped on the hem of Zhou Dahu’s robe.
“Ah—!” Zhou Dahu let out a miserable cry as his body pitched forward, crashing face-first into the muddy ground. In the dim night, something sticky trickled down from his mouth—it was blood.
“Pfft—” He spat, trembling. “My… my tooth! My front tooth—”
His front tooth was gone.
Jiang Changxin’s lips curved faintly for a split second before returning to his usual foolish grin. He clapped his hands and laughed naively, “Stupid! Fell down! Grown man still fall down!”
He was the very picture of a fool crying innocence after mischief, and since the night was so dark, no one noticed what he had done. Everyone thought Zhou Dalang had simply lost his footing and fallen by himself—he had only himself to blame.
Ye Ning shot a suspicious glance at Jiang Changxin, who was laughing gleefully. He couldn’t help wondering if it was his imagination—had that one step just now been too coincidental?
With his mouth full of blood, Zhou Dahu was dragged away by the Jiang family’s servants, hauled off like a dead pig to be presented before the magistrate that very night. Only then did the crowd of villagers begin to disperse.
Father Ye’s wrinkled face was knotted with worry, his expression one of grief and despair. If Zhou Dahu was truly brought before the magistrate, the engagement between the Zhou and Ye families would surely be canceled. Losing such a wealthy and influential match was, to him, no different from mourning a death.
Mother Ye slapped her thigh and wailed, “What a disaster! Such misfortune!”
She grabbed Ye Ning’s wrist roughly. “Come! You’re coming home with me! Running away and causing all this trouble—just look what you’ve done to our roof! Wait till we get home and see how—”
She glared fiercely, lowering her voice only because a few people were still watching. “Just wait till we’re home—then you’ll see how I deal with you!”
But when she pulled on Ye Ning, he didn’t budge. It wasn’t that he was strong—it was because someone else was holding onto his other sleeve.
Jiang Changxin was clutching the edge of Ye Ning’s sleeve—not his hand, not touching even an inch of skin—just the corner of his garment. His eyes were fixed anxiously on Ye Ning. Tall and well-built as he was, handsome and straight-backed, there was still something childlike in his demeanor, as if he were a simple-minded boy refusing to let go of his favorite toy.
“No go. Not allowed to go… not allowed to go.”
The matriarch glanced at her son, then at Ye Ning. She was a perceptive woman, and she understood perfectly well what was happening. Father and Mother Ye had just lost the chance to marry their son into a powerful family; once they returned home, they would surely vent all their anger on Ye Ning.
As for Ye Ning himself—he was clearly a good child: sensible, clear-headed, and had just saved her nephew earlier. Both reason and gratitude demanded that she step in and help him.
Moreover…
Moreover, Jiang Changxin treated Ye Ning differently from everyone else. As a mother, the matriarch of the Jiang family saw it clearly in just one glance—so obvious that no one could miss it.
The matriarch stepped forward, patted her son’s shoulder gently, signaling him not to make a fuss. Then, with a composed and gracious smile on her face, she turned to Father Ye and Mother Ye and said, “Ning Ger saved my nephew. For what happened today, we truly owe your Ning Ger our thanks.”
“N-no, no, there’s no need…” Father Ye cared deeply about appearances. He would never dare show a sour face in front of others—especially not before someone from such a powerful and respected family like the Jiangs.
After all, people say one shouldn’t strike a smiling face—and when that smiling face belonged to someone as wealthy and dignified as the Jiang matriarch, that was all the more true.
The matriarch continued, “It’s quite late tonight, and I shouldn’t be making unreasonable requests at this hour. However… since Ning Ger saved my nephew, there are still some details we’d like to clarify with him. I wonder if it would be possible for Ning Ger to come back with me for the night?”
When the matriarch saw Father Ye’s troubled expression, she smiled knowingly and said, “Ah, look at me, I nearly forgot. Ning Ger is now our family’s benefactor. Of course, a token of gratitude must be given. If Ning Ger comes back with me tonight, I can personally make sure he receives it properly. Don’t you agree?”
Mother Ye’s eyes lit up so brightly they almost pierced through the darkness. “There’s… there’s a gift of thanks too?”
Father Ye, embarrassed by her lack of decorum, snapped at her, “Don’t act so shamelessly! Do you want people to laugh at us?”
Mother Ye quickly shrank back, lowering her head and quieting down.
The matriarch could tell she had found the right point of persuasion. Smiling, she said warmly, “Yes, of course there’s a gift. If it weren’t for Ning Ger, my nephew might have suffered a terrible misfortune tonight. The Jiang family may not be the grandest household in Great Liang, but we do value honor, propriety, and gratitude. It’s only right that we repay this kindness. I hope you won’t refuse.”
Father Ye and Mother Ye’s hearts fluttered with excitement like rabbits thumping inside their chests. Father Ye nodded quickly and gave Mother Ye a meaningful look. She immediately pushed Ye Ning forward impatiently, saying, “Go on! Didn’t you hear the Jiang matriarch calling you? Hurry, hurry!”
She was afraid that if Ye Ning moved too slowly, the “thank-you gift” might somehow shrink in size.
Ye Ning was pushed toward the matriarch, who took his hand and looked him up and down. “Look at you, you’re completely soaked. You’re so frail—careful not to catch a chill. Come with me and change into dry clothes, warm yourself up a bit.”
Then she turned to Father Ye and Mother Ye and said, “I’ll take Ning Ger with me for the night. Tomorrow, I’ll send a few attendants to escort him back home.”
Mother Ye nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes, of course! No need to trouble yourself, Matriarch. Ning Ger can come back on his own.”
The matriarch said nothing more and instructed the maid beside her, “Hold an umbrella for Ning Ger.”
“Yes, Matriarch.” The maid immediately stepped forward and respectfully shielded Ye Ning from the rain.
With that, the group headed north toward the Jiang family mansion.
After all the commotion, it was already well past midnight by the time they arrived. As soon as they entered through the gates, the matriarch began giving orders: “You’re all soaked through. Quickly, prepare hot water—have Ning Ger and my nephew bathe and freshen up.”
“Yes, Matriarch.”
“Also, prepare some clean clothes—new ones.” The matriarch glanced over them and added, “Ning Ger’s build seems close to my nephew’s. Bring out two of the new outfits I had made for him recently. Once they’ve washed up, let Ning Ger change into them.”
“Yes, Matriarch.”
After issuing all these commands with her usual authority, the matriarch softened her expression and said to Ye Ning gently, “Go on and take a bath. You must be tired. Stay here tonight and rest properly.”
Just then, Jiang Changxin squeezed forward and interrupted, “Food! Want food! Hungry!”
He had heard from Zhang Zhiyuan earlier that Ye Ning had been locked up at home all day. Father Ye and Mother Ye were cruel and hadn’t given him a drop of water or a single grain of rice. Ye Ning must have gone hungry for an entire day—how could his body handle that?
The matriarch suddenly realized, “Ah, yes. Tell the kitchen to prepare some food—something warm.”
Ye Ning looked at Jiang Changxin in surprise. He truly was hungry, but after surviving so long in the apocalypse, going without food or warmth had become second nature. He had learned to endure hunger well. Yet somehow, this “fool” Jiang Changxin had noticed?
Ye Ning said, “Thank you, Madam Jiang.”
The matriarch smiled even more warmly at his politeness. “Go on then.”
Ye Ning and Qian Ger followed the maid forward to wash up. They hadn’t gone far when the matriarch couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. She grabbed Jiang Changxin’s arm and asked in a low voice, “Xin’er, you must tell me the truth. Why are you so protective of that Ning Ger?”
Why indeed?
Jiang Changxin narrowed his eyes slightly. The night was so dark that even the sharp-eyed, perceptive matriarch failed to notice the faint change in his expression.
Why else? Jiang Changxin no longer wished to be controlled by Empress Wang. He didn’t want spies and informants from the empress placed all around him. On top of that, his mother kept trying to arrange a wife for him. What he needed now was someone who could act as a stand-in—someone he could marry as a shield.
And among everyone in Qingtian Village, Ye Ning was the best choice.
It just so happened that Ye Ning didn’t want to marry into the Zhou family, while Father Ye and Mother Ye were desperate to sell him off quickly. Jiang Changxin decided to intercept Zhou Dalang and strike first.
If anyone else were asked such a suggestive question, they would probably answer vaguely or dodge it altogether. But fortunately, Jiang Changxin was currently regarded as a “fool.”
Suppressing the sharpness in his eyes, he lifted his head and gave a big, silly grin—clumsy and guileless. Without stammering even once, he shouted loud and clear—so loud that Ye Ning, who hadn’t yet gone far, could hear every word distinctly:
“Like! I like Ye Ning!”
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