CHAPTER 147: CHAPTER 145: PUNISHING MRS. WANG

Not only did Zhao Dong’s family return safe and sound, but they were also personally escorted by the constables. This news astonished everyone.

Just then, a sharp-eyed and quick-witted villager called out to Sun Mei, who was seated outside the horse carriage.

"Mrs. Sun! You better hurry back! Your mother-in-law, Mrs. Wang, and Xiao Wang are carrying hoes and heading towards your house!"

Because she was a woman, Sun Mei found it inconvenient to sit with several men inside the carriage, so she sat outside. This allowed her to clearly see the person speaking to her.

Upon hearing this, she was suddenly alarmed.

Would Wang Pozi dig out all the vegetables in their vegetable garden? She’s definitely capable of such a thing.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong, who was inside the carriage, also heard this. As their carriage turned into Zhao Family Alley, Zhao Zhitong lifted the curtain, eager to climb down.

"Young girl, slow down, don’t fall," Pei Yuanqing said, quickly stepping forward to lift her from the carriage.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Zhao Zhitong dashed towards their house. As she drew near, she saw a crowd gathered at their doorstep, and from within the crowd came the sounds of quarreling.

Among them were the voices of Mrs. Wang, Xiao Wang, and Mrs. Zheng, as well as her Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt.

Just as Zhao Zhitong tried to squeeze into the crowd, Sun Mei pulled her back and picked her up.

"Mother, Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt are here!" Zhao Zhitong exclaimed.

Sun Mei had heard them too.

At that moment, the onlookers saw Sun Mei and her family and immediately parted to make way, shouting loudly, "Zhao Dong’s family is back! Make way, make way!"

"Mrs. Dong, you’re finally back! Your ’wonderful’ mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, seeing you’d been taken away by the yamen officials, were about to seize your family’s property!" someone quickly informed Sun Mei.

"Exactly! If you hadn’t returned, your two sisters-in-law might not have been able to hold them off, and Mrs. Wang would have broken in!"

Sun Mei immediately pushed through the crowd and went inside. She saw her Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt, their hair somewhat disheveled, standing at their doorway, confronting the aggressive trio of Mrs. Wang, Xiao Wang, and Mrs. Zheng, not yielding an inch.

Their main door was intact, showing no signs of a forced entry.

Just then, Zhao Dong also got out of the carriage, pushed his way to the front, and said rather angrily, "Mother, what do you think you’re doing?!"

Mrs. Wang and the others had never expected Zhao Dong’s family to return safe and sound after being arrested by the yamen. They stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

Her son said it was a sure thing this time, so what happened? Mrs. Wang was still muttering to herself.

So, she instinctively blurted out, "You... how did you all get back?"

At these words, Sun Mei said with a sneer, "Mother, from the sound of it, you were hoping something bad would happen to us, weren’t you? So you could seize our property?"

As soon as she spoke, a wave of murmurs went through the crowd. They were all from the same village; who didn’t know a bit about everyone else’s troubles?

Everyone began to say that Mrs. Wang was too cruel. Even if Zhao Dong wasn’t her biological son, she shouldn’t wish for her son to meet with misfortune!

And to think she even wanted to seize Zhao Dong’s family property! She was truly despicable!

Hearing the insults hurled at her, Mrs. Wang’s face turned ashen. She immediately denied it, "No, what nonsense are you spouting? I... I was just worried that after you were arrested, there’d be no one to look after the house. So I thought I’d come over to help. Don’t mistake my kind intentions."

Aunt Liu sneered, "Pah! Kind intentions? You, look after the house? Whoever heard of looking after a house with hoes and shovels? Mrs. Wang, do you take everyone for fools? You disgusting woman! You just wanted to destroy my sister-in-law Sun Mei’s and her husband’s house and then seize their property!"

Mrs. Wang was still trying to argue evasively, "Don’t talk nonsense! I brought the hoe to... to drive away bad people..."

The vegetables! Can’t let others know about them! Thinking this, Mrs. Wang stuttered for a long moment, finally concocting an excuse even she didn’t believe.

Now, the onlookers were even more convinced that Mrs. Wang and her companions were there to seize Zhao Dong’s family’s property.

Meanwhile, Pei Yuanqing and Sir Feng, still in the carriage as it was inconvenient to get down, sighed helplessly. Will we even get to eat any vegetables today?!

Hearing the commotion outside, Pei Yuanqing rubbed his temples. He then lifted the curtain and beckoned to the head constable who had escorted them. After the head constable came over, Pei Yuanqing whispered a few words to him.

Thus, just as Mrs. Wang was still shamelessly making a scene, the constables, with sabers at their waists, rushed over in unison, shouting, "Make way, make way!"

Only then did the crowd realize that the constables had actually returned with Zhao Dong’s family!

The gawking onlookers were instantly frightened and began to retreat, making way for the constables, terrified that the constables, if displeased, might implicate them.

Mrs. Wang, Xiao Wang, and Mrs. Zheng were all startled. Before they could react, the constables had surrounded them.

The head constable in charge said sternly, "Audacious Mrs. Wang! Do you confess your crimes?!"

Mrs. Wang was stunned, her face turning pale with fear. Why are the constables suddenly targeting us? She stammered, unable to utter a coherent word. Even someone as shrewish and insolent as her on a normal day was terrified of officials.

The head constable snorted coldly. "Truly unrepentant! As a mother, you are so unkind, only thinking of harming others and seizing their wealth. You thoroughly deserve a beating! Men, drag her away and give her twenty strokes of the heavy paddle!"

Mrs. Wang was scared witless. "Ah, Officer, spare me! Officer, spare me..."

The head constable completely ignored her pleas. Instantly, two constables stepped forward, dragged Mrs. Wang away, and right there in the street, pinned her to the ground and began administering the paddle.

SMACK! SMACK! The sounds echoed, mixed with Mrs. Wang’s bloodcurdling screams and pleas, draining the color from countless onlookers’ faces.

The surrounding people were stunned. Xiao Wang and Mrs. Zheng huddled together, shivering, terrified they would also be punished.

Fortunately, the head constable merely glanced at them and did not punish them.

Only after Mrs. Wang’s twenty strokes were completed did Xiao Wang and Mrs. Zheng, trembling under a constable’s orders, take the battered Mrs. Wang and scurry home in disgrace.

The surrounding crowd also dispersed in an instant.

From then on, news of Mrs. Wang being paddled by the constables swept through the entire village like a gust of wind.

After the head constable reported back to Pei Yuanqing, Pei Yuanqing dismissed them.

Sun Mei also learned from her Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt that her mother, Zhao Guifen, had fallen ill. Apparently, even on her sickbed, Zhao Guifen worried that her daughter would be bullied by Mrs. Wang. So, she had asked Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt to come to their house to keep watch and prevent Mrs. Wang from causing trouble. That was how they had encountered Mrs. Wang, armed with a hoe and preparing to break down the door.

Sun Mei felt both worried and touched, eager to go and visit Zhao Guifen immediately.

Her two aunts knew Zhao Dong’s family had guests and it wasn’t a convenient time for Sun Mei to leave. They reassured her, "It’s alright, don’t worry. Mother was just frightened when she first heard you’d all been arrested. We’ll go back and tell her you’re safe, and she’ll be fine."

Since the two aunts were in a hurry to get back and deliver the news to Zhao Guifen (the children’s grandmother), they didn’t stay any longer and took their leave.

Only after everyone else had departed did Boss Feng and Pei Yuanqing finally alight from the carriage.

Sun Mei prepared a sumptuous meal for them. The two ate to their heart’s content and left feeling thoroughly satisfied. As they were leaving, they even helped themselves to a head of cabbage from the vegetable garden.