Jiang Huaiyu steadied herself. As she slightly turned back and lowered her gaze, she saw the jade pendant lying on the ground.
She truly hadn't expected Xu Chunhua to be this bizarre—hiding the pendant against her chest of all places.
"Isn't… this my jade pendant?"
Even so, the play still had to be acted out. Jiang Huaiyu paused for a moment, then raised her hand to half-cover her lips, her face filled with astonishment.
Xu Chunhua froze.
She had thought victory was already in her grasp, that she could even squeeze out a few more advantages in the process. How could it be that after Jiang Huaiyu merely staggered, the jade pendant ended up exposed?
Despite being someone who never reasoned with others, even she had no idea how to argue her way out now.
But the Village Head reacted far more quickly.
To be able to sit in this position, even if he wasn't a great villain, he was exceedingly slick when handling matters.
He slammed his smoking pipe onto the table with a sharp bang, sprang to his feet in fury, and delivered a solid slap across Xu Chunhua's face.
The sound was so loud it made people's teeth ache. Xu Chunhua's cheek instantly swelled red.
She clutched her face, disbelief written all over her expression. Then she became agitated, but her words came out garbled, only saliva flying.
"When did Wangjia Village ever produce something like you!" the Village Head roared.
"Stealing someone else's property—this must be punished severely to set an example!"
His posture and expression were nothing short of righteous. Turning to Jiang Huaiyu, he said,
"Miss Jiang, the jade pendant is here. Please check whether it's intact. If there's any damage, her crime will be compounded."
Jiang Huaiyu waved her hand lightly.
"It's intact. But this woman wishes to know—how does the Village Head plan to deal with her?"
"According to the laws of the Great Yun Dynasty, theft valued at thirty taels of silver earns one year of forced labor for every ten taels. Since the item is intact, compensation may be waived, but the labor cannot. Within three days, I will have someone escort her to serve her term."
His expression was solemn.
Jiang Huaiyu said calmly,
"The Great Yun laws do say that. But Village Head, you seem to have forgotten—this aunt broke into my home to steal the pendant. There is another clause in the law: burglary carries the risk of lethal harm and is punished more severely."
"She—"
"She has broken into my residence more than once!" Jiang Huaiyu suddenly stepped forward.
Her once gentle eyes widened, filled with an anger that brooked no argument.
"Village Head, tell me—if such behavior is not punished severely, and others learn that they can act without consequence, what am I to do? I am a lone woman, caring for an innocent child. How am I supposed to protect myself?"
The Village Head was rendered speechless.
Even the gossiping women who had been buzzing with excitement at the sudden reversal fell silent at Jiang Huaiyu's outburst. Some of them even began to follow her reasoning—and found themselves agreeing.
The weak party only needs to cry and make a scene to win sympathy. After all, the crying child gets the candy. And in this matter, Jiang Huaiyu truly was innocent.
They knew it. Some of them had even advised Xu Chunhua before, teaching her how to make things difficult for this young woman.
Now, seeing Jiang Huaiyu standing there so firmly, they inexplicably felt a twinge of guilt.
"Yes… Miss Jiang, you're right."
The Village Head's voice turned hoarse. Making this decision seemed difficult for him.
"Xu Chunhua shall serve three years of forced labor. In addition, she will be reduced to slave status and assigned to you for five years. If she shows repentance after five years, her freedom will be restored."
Xu Chunhua felt as if thunder had struck her from a clear sky.
She scrambled forward and dropped to her knees at the Village Head's feet, wailing,
"Uncle! You can't do this! I didn't steal her jade pendant, and I didn't break into her house! I picked it up! Yes—she framed me! This is all her doing! You're so vicious!"
As she screamed, realization finally dawned on her.
Yesterday hadn't been a blessing from the heavens—it had been a trap.
Xu Chunhua pointed at Jiang Huaiyu and cursed nonstop. Her eyes looked as if they were soaked in poison, locked onto Jiang Huaiyu with deadly hatred. If looks could kill, Jiang Huaiyu would have been pierced through a thousand times already.
Jiang Huaiyu frowned and stepped back. Zheng Xiaoyue, fearing Xu Chunhua might go mad and attack, shifted her stance, ready to block her at any moment.
"Auntie, your words are truly amusing," Jiang Huaiyu said coldly.
"Was it I who made you covet my tofu recipe?
Was it I who made you lure a wealthy young master from the county, trying to seize it by force?
Was it I who caused you to be kicked when I refused his unreasonable demands?
Was it I who made you harbor resentment, climb over my wall, and destroy my property?
Was it I who forced you to take my jade pendant, then lie and argue shamelessly?"
"From beginning to end, I, Jiang Huaiyu, can stand by the words 'a clear conscience.' But you—do you dare say the same? Are you worthy of it?"
"If everyone were as shameless as you—able to shirk responsibility by simply saying 'the other person harmed me'—then where would the laws of the Great Yun Dynasty stand?!"
Her words fell like pearls, each one striking solidly.
Xu Chunhua was stunned into silence.
Just as she tried to hurl more curses, a sharp 啪 rang out. Her vision filled with stars, the world spinning.
The Village Head slapped her across the other cheek without mercy.
Facing Xu Chunhua's shock, grievance, and hatred, the Village Head sighed inwardly.
Only now did he realize—this entire affair might have been calculated by Jiang Huaiyu from the start.
But so what?
Their eyes met—hers clear as a mirror. The Village Head froze, then let out a bitter smile.
To think, at his age, he had still been led by the nose by a young girl.
He understood now: Jiang Huaiyu knew full well of his relationship with Xu Chunhua, and that was precisely why she had summoned him. She had forced him into a position where he had to act personally—because of the word impartiality. Even if the constables came, they could not judge more fairly than he did.
Cold sweat soaked his back.
With a wave of his hand, he ordered,
"Take her to the ancestral hall first. Inform the clan head of everything in detail. In three days, escort her to Shengnan to work on the canal."
Even support labor on canal projects was grueling. In winter, the wind cut like knives; in summer, the sun scorched like fire. Day after day of relentless toil.
Jiang Huaiyu hadn't expected the Village Head to be this ruthless. With such a decision, no one could fault him—but Xu Chunhua was doomed. After three years, she'd likely return dark and weathered beyond recognition.
Xu Chunhua, who had only been wailing perfunctorily, completely lost it when she heard she was going to forced labor. She threw herself onto the ground and howled.
She never thought she had done anything wrong—only that she hadn't planned carefully enough and had let Jiang Huaiyu catch her tail.
Jiang Huaiyu didn't wish to watch her disgrace any longer.
Calmly, she said to the Village Head,
"Since my jade pendant has been recovered, I trust the Village Head will handle the rest properly."
Without waiting to see how ugly his expression became, she took Zheng Xiaoyue's hand and left.
At the doorway, she suddenly turned back. The gossiping women from Xu Chunhua's house looked at her awkwardly.
Jiang Huaiyu didn't even bother with a polite smile.
"It's already this late, and you still have the mood to chat? Go home and cook something. Can gossip fill your stomachs?"
Their faces flushed in embarrassment. They exchanged glances, then, for reasons they couldn't explain, felt a deep fear of Jiang Huaiyu.
Back inside, Xiang He was tying knots, while Tangbao crawled around on the bed. Whenever he got too close to the edge, the little girl carefully pulled him back.
"Such a good child," Jiang Huaiyu said with a genuine smile. "Isn't this little one exhausting?"
Xiang He shook her head, called Zheng Xiaoyue "Mother," then answered,
"Little Brother Tangbao is very well-behaved. He doesn't cry or fuss."
Jiang Huaiyu's eyes curved with warmth.
"There's some malt candy on the table outside. Take it home and eat it."
Xiang He hesitated, instinctively looking to her mother—but Zheng Xiaoyue was lost in thought.
"Go on, it's fine," Jiang Huaiyu urged again.
Only then did Xiang He nod and leave.
Jiang Huaiyu teased Tangbao while waiting. Her mood was unusually light.
After a while, just as she considered starting dinner herself, Zheng Xiaoyue spoke hesitantly,
"Yuniang… Xu Chunhua may be terrible, but she has three children. Three years of labor—won't that be too much…?"
Jiang Huaiyu sighed inwardly. Zheng Xiaoyue was still too soft-hearted.
"Are you thinking I should forgive her this once? That after being punished, she'll remember the pain and never trouble me again?"
"She did seem afraid," Zheng Xiaoyue said uncertainly.
"Have you ever seen a snake?" Jiang Huaiyu asked.
"Yes."
She told the story of the farmer and the snake, then said softly,
"I didn't say everything outright, but I tolerated too much before. That's why Xu Chunhua thought I was easy to bully."
"Even a Buddha who saves all beings has moments of wrath. She broke into my yard and stole my jade pendant—how can I be sure the next thing she steals won't be my child?"
Her voice was gentle. Her gaze was cold.
That was her bottom line.