The black-bellied peasant girl is reborn, and her weird relatives are mad

The door opened and a little head popped out. The child looked up at Tang Zhongbai, who was dressed in official uniform, and asked in panic, "Who are you looking for?"

Tang Zhongbai saw that it was a child and smiled, "Little brother, where are your parents?"

"My family only has me and my grandfather, and he is sick."

"May I come in?"

The boy opened the door and let Tang Zhongbai into the yard.

This courtyard is very small, with only two rooms. Next to the gate is a small, shabby wooden kitchen. Compared with the luxurious house of the Lin family, it looks like a slum.

The sound of an old man coughing was heard in the house. The boy ran in front and Tang Zhongbai followed him into the house.

There was only a bed and a broken table with a missing corner in the room. It was completely bare.

"Grandpa, someone is looking for you."

The boy sat next to the old man and patted his back with his little hands to calm him down.

When the old man saw Tang Zhongbai, he forced himself to sit up and asked, "What do you want to see me about?"

"Old man, I want to ask you about someone. Have you heard of Lin Shu?" Tang Zhongbai stared into his eyes, not missing any reaction.

The old man was surprised and asked, "Hasn't she been dead for more than 20 years? Why are you asking about her?"

Tang Zhongbai's eyes lit up. It seemed that the old man knew Lin Shu. He pulled over a broken stool and sat opposite the bed. Then he asked, "Old man, do you know her? Can you tell me about her?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, but when he thought that all the members of the Lin family were dead, he no longer had any concerns.

There was a light in the old man's eyes and he was lost in memories.

He smiled and began to talk about the past. "Don't look at me because I look old. In fact, I grew up with the third lady of the Lin family, Lin Shu. I am a few years older than her, and she is not favored at home, so she, I and the son of the Lin family who is in charge of the family, the three of us secretly played together."

From the old people, I learned that Lin Shu's mother died when she was three years old, leaving her alone and disliked by her father. Her sisters often bullied her, and only her son, who was in charge, protected her.

But there is a difference between master and servant, and the son in charge did not dare to speak up for her openly.

He had to bring her out secretly, far away from the Lin family, and wait until they were all asleep before he dared to go back.

The old man and the Lin family were neighbors. Over time, he started playing with Lin Shu and the others.

Year after year, they grew up slowly, and Lin Shu became more and more beautiful.

When she was thirteen or fourteen years old, she seldom went out, and the old man could only see her once in a long time.

Every time he met the housekeeper's son outside, he just sighed and said nothing.

Later, the old man got married and stopped contacting them.

Until one night three years later, the manager's son knocked on his door in a panic.

It was his father who opened the door at that time, but when he saw that it was someone from the Lin family, he didn't let him in at all. He only found out about this after Lin Shu died.

Three days later, I heard from the neighbors that Lin Shu had hanged herself at home.

The steward's family also disappeared from the Lin family, and since then, he has never seen the steward's son again.

"Old man, do you remember the name of the steward's son?"

The old man frowned and thought for a long time before he remembered, "Oh, his name is Yunxiao. I praised his name for being nice back then."

The old man looked at Tang Zhongbai and asked, "Is he back, or has he done something wrong? For so many years, I have always wanted to say sorry to him."

The old man sighed and said slowly: "You don't know, for so many years, I have always wondered, if it was me who opened the door that year, would Lin Shu not die, and would he not disappear?"

Tang Zhongbai patted the old man on the shoulder and advised: "Old man, this is fate. You don't have to blame yourself. If it was you who opened the door, maybe we wouldn't be sitting here talking."

Tang Zhongbai had already gotten the answer he wanted, so he stood up and said goodbye.

There was a knock on the door outside. It was Tang San looking for him.

Before leaving, Tang Zhongbai secretly stuffed a silver ingot under the old man's pillow.

As soon as he reached the door, the boy ran out and called him, "Sir, my grandfather asked me to ask you something. If you find Yunxiao, can you let him see him?"

Tang Zhongbai nodded vigorously, "Okay."

The two left from the east of the city and went directly to the prison.

The prison in Suanzao County is located in the southwest corner of the city, adjacent to the Yellow River in the south and a hill covered with jujube trees in the northwest.

A breeze blew, bringing a chill, and the two men were sweating as they walked.

After entering the men's prison, the jailer led them straight to the cell where Lin Xiao was imprisoned.

The prison in Suanzao County is full of petty thieves, and the mobility rate is extremely high.

Now that we have entered the coldest season of winter, those from poorer families have to find some things to exchange for money to fill their stomachs at night.

Therefore, there are many petty thieves in prison today.

This was the scene Tang Zhongbai saw when he walked into Lin Xiao's cell.

Many thieves were guarding the prison gate, chatting animatedly with Lin Xiao, with looks of admiration on their faces.

"Go back, everyone. Look how arrogant you are. If you are not beaten, you will tear off the roof." The jailer raised the whip in his hand to scare them.

These people were not afraid of him. They took a few steps back and focused their eyes on the three people who had just entered.

"Tang Juecao, please ask slowly. I'll get busy first." The jailer nodded and bowed. Now that everyone in the yamen knew Tang Zhongbai's identity, no one dared to give him a hard time.

Lin Xiao looked at Tang Zhongbai with a half-smile on his face.

"What? Are you trying to get me to be convicted? You officials really don't take the lives of the people seriously. Can you sacrifice me for the people you care about?" Lin Xiao curled his lips and sneered, his eyes full of sarcasm.

Tang San leaned against the prison door, looking ahead.

"Oh, really?" Tang Zhongbai took a few steps forward and whispered, "Yunxiao, the son of the Lin family's housekeeper. Did I call you by the right name?"

Tang Zhongbai supported the elbow of his other arm with his left hand, and put his right hand on his chin as if thinking, "Well, let me guess. Twenty years ago, Lin Jianfei forced Lin Shu to break her virginity. Unable to bear the humiliation, he hanged himself. And you? Yunxiao, you two grew up together, and you protected her for a long time. Lin Shu became more and more beautiful, and you had already fallen in love with her. After you learned the truth, you wanted to seek revenge on Lin Jianfei, but your parents stopped you and took you away from the Lin family overnight."

Tang Zhongbai put down his arms, grabbed the wooden railing, stared into his eyes, and said word by word: "By chance, you met Wei Yuean, and learned that he was from Suanzao County, so you followed him here and started your revenge plan. Tell me, is what I said wrong?"

"So what? But I didn't kill the Lin family. I thought they were too dirty." Lin Xiao gritted his teeth, with a huge hatred in his eyes.

"Is it dirty?" Tang Zhongbai approached the wooden fence and whispered, "You took so much money from them, how come you don't mind the dirtiness? Do you want me to take out the account book?"

Lin Xiao's face darkened and he looked at him in disbelief.

Tang Zhongbai waved his hand, motioning him to come closer. He whispered in Lin Xiao's ear, "Originally, I thought that after the case was settled, I could secretly release you. After all, the Lin family is not a good family, and their death is not a pity. But you disappointed me so much that I found evidence that forced me to bring you to justice. I'm curious, if you die, will your master behind you feel sorry for you?"

Lin Xiao was disheartened. If he had discovered the account book, he would have been dead even if there was no such case.