For the past few days, Zheng Xiaoyue and her husband had been busy from dawn till dusk.
Although the business of selling soft tofu had come to an end, firm tofu was selling just as well. The couple had come to understand Jiang Huaiyu's temperament by now, so they never insisted on taking a larger share for themselves.
Instead, they divided the earnings carefully:
four parts were set aside for Jiang Huaiyu,
four parts saved for opening a shop in the county town,
two parts handed over to the clan,
and only the remaining one part did they keep for themselves.
Zheng Xiaoyue and her husband were not foolish people. They had their own moral bottom line. Money was not something they could accept with a clear conscience just because Jiang Huaiyu said she did not want it.
They planned to return all the accumulated silver to her in one lump sum after a year.
With the support of the clan, Wang Dazhuang no longer had to shoulder the burden of selling tofu alone. Several able-bodied young men from the village were selected to sell tofu together, while the women helped with production.
People in the county town were well aware that another tofu business had emerged. But whether it was soft tofu or firm tofu, neither was easy to suppress. All they could do was watch as soft tofu became popular dishes that attracted customers, while firm tofu—cheap yet steady—quietly accumulated profit drop by drop.
Jiang Huaiyu slept exceptionally well that night.
After drawing some well water and letting it settle, she wiped clean the rosy little face of Tangbao, who was still half-asleep, then carried the child on her back and stepped outside.
She headed straight to the village head's office—a plain mud-brick house, but one that functioned much like a local magistrate's office within the village.
Inside, the elderly village head, his hair already graying, was puffing steadily on a dry tobacco pipe. Jiang Huaiyu spoke up calmly:
"Village Head, there's been a theft at my home. I'd like to ask you to come take a look."
"W–What?"
The village head only noticed her then. Upon hearing the word theft, he nearly choked on his tobacco.
Jiang Huaiyu nodded.
"Yes. A few days ago, someone trampled my chicks to death. Yesterday, a jade pendant went missing—worth thirty taels of silver. I bought it recently from Suoxue Pavilion in the county."
At first, the village head grew impatient. Petty matters like this were hardly worth troubling him over.
But when he heard thirty taels of silver, he jolted upright.
"Is that true?!"
"Of course," Jiang Huaiyu replied evenly. "I know the punishment for false accusations. How would I dare joke about such a thing?"
The village head tapped his pipe, his expression darkening.
"A jade pendant worth thirty taels… that's no small sum. If the thief is caught, they'll face at least ten years of penal labor. Very well. I'll go see the scene first. If we can't find the culprit, I'll report it to the authorities and have a constable sent."
This was no longer a trivial matter.
Only then did Jiang Huaiyu smile, as if relieved.
"Thank you for troubling yourself, Village Head."
She led the old man back toward her home. On the way, they ran into Zheng Xiaoyue, who was heading out to buy pork. Zheng Xiaoyue greeted Jiang Huaiyu with a bright smile—until she noticed the village head. Her expression froze.
In the village, the village head was equivalent to the county magistrate. Any dispute brought before him could easily end with beatings or imprisonment.
Even the clan elders had no authority to interfere.
After greeting the village head respectfully, Zheng Xiaoyue leaned close to Jiang Huaiyu and whispered anxiously,
"Yu-niang… are you asking the village head to punish Xu Chunhua?"
"Yes," Jiang Huaiyu answered, surprised she had guessed so easily.
Zheng Xiaoyue grew alarmed. She glanced at the village head, who was paying them no attention, and whispered urgently:
"I forgot to tell you earlier. Do you know why Xu Chunhua can act so lawlessly in the village and still be fine? It's because the village head is her mother's cousin!
That's why even when she steals small things, everyone hates her but says nothing—once it reaches the village head, it always gets brushed aside."
Jiang Huaiyu raised an elegant eyebrow, her expression utterly calm.
"Don't worry, Sister-in-law," she said softly. "Even if the village head were Xu Chunhua's own father, I'd still make him uphold the law."
If the village head wanted to keep his position, then today's case had to be handled properly. Thirty taels left him no room to turn a blind eye.
Besides, Jiang Huaiyu knew well how much resentment the villagers had been holding back.
With so many eyes watching, if the village head dared protect Xu Chunhua again, Jiang Huaiyu would at least praise him for his courage.
Unaware that he was about to be forced into playing the role of an incorruptible judge, the village head followed Jiang Huaiyu inside. At a glance, he spotted a small patch of farmland in the courtyard, marked clearly with footprints cutting through the damp soil.
The trail led straight toward Xu Chunhua's neighboring house, climbing the wall before fading at about shoulder height.
The village head froze.
He knew exactly whose house lay in that direction. His heart sank—had Xu Chunhua truly dared to commit theft and leave such obvious evidence behind?
Suppressing his shock, he turned back, stroked his beard, and cleared his throat.
"Do you have the purchase receipt for the jade pendant? I need to confirm its value before determining the nature of the theft."
Jiang Huaiyu produced the receipt stamped with Suoxue Pavilion's seal. The old man's pupils contracted as he read it, momentarily at a loss.
Zheng Xiaoyue, seeing the price clearly listed as thirty taels, widened her eyes.
"Yu-niang… that jade pendant was stolen?"
"Yes," Jiang Huaiyu replied calmly. "I noticed it missing this morning and saw the footprints, so I went to ask the village head for help."
She was far too composed for someone who had just suffered a major loss, but neither of the others had the presence of mind to notice.
The village head was troubled. Both the evidence and his own instincts pointed to Xu Chunhua. He knew her character all too well.
He had heard earlier about Jiang Huaiyu's chicks being trampled and wondered if she would come to him. He hadn't expected that his inaction would embolden Xu Chunhua to commit outright theft.
Regret gnawed at him.
"Are these footprints left by the thief?" Jiang Huaiyu asked lightly, gesturing toward the wall.
The village head sighed inwardly.
"This household next door… judging by the direction of the footprints, the jade pendant was most likely stolen by them. Come with me. Let's take a look."
He turned and strode out.
The knock on Xu Chunhua's door was fierce enough to rattle the wood.
Inside, Xu Chunhua was admiring the jade pendant, its luster exquisite. Startled by the pounding, she nearly dropped it. Cursing under her breath, she hesitated—then quickly stuffed the pendant into her undergarment.
When she opened the door, she froze.
The village head's face darkened as he barked,
"Who are you cursing at, you wretched thing?! When did you become like this?!"
Xu Chunhua immediately plastered on a smile.
"Uncle, why are you here? I thought it was Da Niu bringing debt collectors, that's why I cursed. Please forgive me."
But when she saw Jiang Huaiyu and Zheng Xiaoyue behind him, her expression twisted.
"What are you two doing here?! Get lost!"
The village head's voice turned cold.
"Xu Chunhua, tell me—did you climb over the wall yesterday and steal from Jiang Huaiyu's home?"