Dawn broke.
Liu Ming'an and Jiang Ning, who had not slept all night, walked into what used to be their home. The fire had long since extinguished, leaving only charred remains.
Liu Ming'an went to where the box had originally been, but a beam was lying on top of it. Jiang Ning, seeing his intention, kicked the wooden beam aside with her foot.
The box had been burned to ashes. Liu Ming'an, not minding the dirt, searched through the area with his hands. After a while, he only found some blackened mirror fragments and a small, charred iron ring.
"What's this?" Jiang Ning asked, looking at the iron ring.
"It's from the slingshot my father made for me. It was for shooting birds, but I had terrible aim and never hit anything..." Liu Ming'an answered with a smile, his eyes filled with deep nostalgia.
Jiang Ning walked to other areas, kicking and prodding with her foot. In the kitchen area, there was a pile of broken porcelain shards. Only the large iron wok and the fire tongs remained intact.
Jiang Ning discreetly turned her head to observe Liu Ming'an, noticing he was still trying to find more items. She quickly made a decision and walked to the back of the house, starting to dig a hole with her dagger.
Liu Ming'an was still lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard Jiang Ning calling his name. He got up and saw Jiang Ning crouching somewhere, doing something.
"What is it?" Liu Ming'an asked as he walked over.
He saw Jiang Ning take out a familiar box from a hole in the ground. When she opened it, inside were the gold and silver pieces.
"This..." Liu Ming'an was surprised.
Jiang Ning lied without changing her expression: "I buried this box behind the house yesterday. Fortunately, we're not left with nothing. After reporting to the officials, we can go to town and buy a house."
Liu Ming'an was shocked by Jiang Ning's foresight, murmuring, "Jiang Ning, you're really so clever!"
Jiang Ning had already heard the sound of cattle. Without saying anything else, she discarded the cumbersome box and distributed the gold and silver pieces between their pockets. Then she said to Liu Ming'an, "Go wash your hands. The Village Head and the others will be here soon."
The water vat, having always been placed outside the kitchen, hadn't been burned, but it had cracked slightly due to the high temperature. There was still about half a vat of water left.
As the two walked towards the kitchen, there were two blackened lumps in the passageway. White bones and teeth were vaguely visible - they were the two rabbits.
"What a pity. We should have just eaten them," Jiang Ning said, looking at the rabbits' remains.
Liu Ming'an looked at the black ashes, his eyes filled with compassion: "Being burned alive must have been too painful."
Jiang Ning raised her eyebrows slightly, her voice barely audible: "Good thing they were just rabbits..."
Liu Ming'an washed the ash off his hands with the water, then wanted to wash his face. Jiang Ning reminded him, "Don't let it touch your lips. This water contains a large amount of sleeping drug."
Liu Ming'an paused, nodded, and carefully washed his face.
After Jiang Ning had also washed her hands and face and put on her veil, sure enough, the Village Head and Zhuzi arrived with an ox cart.
"Ming'an, let's go to the government office!" the Village Head called out.
Zhao Qiang, who had been tied to the tree, was now awake and struggling. Unfortunately, both his hands had been dislocated by Jiang Ning, so he had no strength. He could only kick wildly when Zhuzi and Liu Ming'an went to untie him.
"Get away! Get away! I'm not going to the government office! Get lost!" Zhao Qiang shouted.
Seeing Zhao Qiang being so unruly, Jiang Ning narrowed her eyes and pulled Liu Ming'an aside to prevent him from being kicked.
Then everyone watched as Jiang Ning walked to the tree, coldly said "You don't know what's good for you," and then chopped the back of Zhao Qiang's neck with her hand. The arrogant man immediately slumped over, unconscious again.
Jiang Ning didn't need anyone's help. She bent down, grabbed Zhao Qiang by the collar, and dragged him onto the ox cart like a dead dog.
"Let's go," Jiang Ning said calmly after finishing all this.
The Village Head and Zhuzi, however, were stunned by Jiang Ning's actions, looking at each other in disbelief.
Zhuzi, being a child, couldn't hide his thoughts and secretly asked Liu Ming'an, "Brother Ming'an, the wife you bought is really fierce. Does she beat you often?"
In the past, whenever Liu Ming'an heard someone misunderstand his relationship with Jiang Ning, he would always rush to explain. Now that he had recognized his own feelings, hearing Zhuzi say the word "wife" filled his heart with irrepressible joy.
"Ahem!" Liu Ming'an cleared his throat with a cough, trying to hide his emotions, but his gaze towards Jiang Ning was incredibly gentle.
"She's never beaten me. She's very good to me," Zhuzi heard Liu Ming'an say.
Zhuzi showed disbelief and, after getting on the ox cart, still felt uneasy, sitting far away from Jiang Ning.
The group of five arrived at Lingshan Town, where people on the street all turned to look at their unusual procession.
The five went straight to the county government office. Jiang Ning looked up at the four characters "Baoji County Government" on the vermilion plaque, feeling somewhat emotional.
In her previous life, she had mostly lived in the shadows, doing evil deeds her entire life. Now, unexpectedly, she was entering the "police station" as a "victim". Life truly was unpredictable.
As Jiang Ning was lost in these thoughts, the Village Head had gotten off the cart and walked to the large drum beside the government office door. He took the drumstick and started beating the drum with a "dong dong dong" sound.
After a while, three people came out from behind the large door. The man in front was short and pot-bellied, wearing a gauze cap. His expression was arrogant as he looked at the five of them and said, "Who's beating the drum here?"
The Village Head bowed respectfully and said, "Your Honor, this humble villager is He Jizhong. I have a case to report."
"Oh, then come in and speak," the official said.
Glancing up, he saw someone lying on the ox cart behind them. The official asked again, "Who's that? What's going on?"
The Village Head answered again, "Your Honor, that is the thief we want to report. He tried to escape and has been temporarily knocked unconscious."
"Oh~" the official drawled, then turned to the two yamen runners behind him and said, "You two, go bring him in."
"Yes, sir!"
The two yamen runners responded promptly and walked to the ox cart, lifting the unconscious man from both sides.
The official had been watching their movements, and when the two brought the so-called "thief" up, he finally saw the face clearly.
"Zhao Qiang?"
The previously composed official instantly lost his composure. He ran down the steps in a few strides, approached Zhao Qiang, and reached out as if to take him.
The two yamen runners, having recognized Zhao Qiang's face, also looked uncertain.
The Village Head seemed to have anticipated this scene. He bowed again and addressed the anxious official respectfully but firmly, "Clerk, this man is indeed the thief this humble villager wishes to report. Please, Your Honor, do justice for us!"
Jiang Ning now understood that this clerk was Zhao Qiang's uncle!
Everyone fell silent, watching the clerk. Under the public gaze, he had no choice but to handle the matter impartially.
"Bring him in!" the clerk said, taking the lead in entering the government office.
"Yes, sir!" the yamen runners responded, carefully supporting Zhao Qiang as they entered, trying not to let him bump into anything.
The county government office occupied a vast area. Directly opposite the main gate was a courtyard, and beyond the courtyard was the main hall.
The clerk was extremely anxious, frequently turning his head to look at Zhao Qiang, with obvious worry on his face.
"You say he's a thief, so what did he steal?" the clerk still couldn't believe it. His nephew, though mischievous as a child, had been brought to work at the government office as a martial arts instructor under his supervision. He hadn't caused any trouble, and at most just gambled a bit and drank some alcohol. How could he have become a thief?
"Your Honor, this humble villager doesn't know the details. A villager reported that Instructor Zhao had stolen something and conspired with accomplices to commit arson. As the village head, I couldn't turn a blind eye," the Village Head answered honestly.
By now, the group had reached the courtyard. The clerk stopped upon hearing this and turned to face the others. "So you're saying that one of you is making the accusation?"
Liu Ming'an stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Honor, this humble villager, Liu Ming'an, is the accuser."
"Where's your written complaint? Let me see it first!" the clerk extended his hand towards Liu Ming'an.
"Well..." Liu Ming'an hesitated, having forgotten about this detail. He could only answer, "Your Honor, my home was burned down, and I didn't have time to write a complaint."
The clerk frowned and said, "How can you make an accusation without a written complaint? Go find someone to write one for you and come back tomorrow."
"Then what about this thief?" Jiang Ning asked the clerk, her gaze penetrating.
"Temporary detention! Come back tomorrow with your written complaint, and we'll hold another hearing," the clerk said irritably, waving his hand. The two bailiffs dragged Zhao Qiang towards the other side of the courtroom, and after a moment's thought, the clerk followed them.