bayedsolid Chapter 180
Chapter 180
The little maid suddenly took the bundle in her hand into her arms, turned around and ran out. Li Jiaojiao was originally sitting on the bed, looking anxious, thinking about what she would do in the future. She didn't know whether Zhang Wenbin could come out. She was more than five months pregnant, and it was probably impossible to abort the child.
When she heard the noise and looked up, she saw the maid who had been serving her pick up the bag containing gold, silver and jewelry and ran away. Li Jiaojiao was immediately panicked because all her silver and money were in that bag.
She subconsciously stood up and was about to chase him, but her body was not functioning well and she moved too hastily. She took only one step and fell heavily to the ground. Her stomach ached slightly, but she didn't care about that and stood up and chased after him.
He chased her and shouted, "Stop right there, you little thief! Stop her now."
But now no one in the yard listens to her. When she was favored before, she would beat or scold the servants. Now, considering that she is pregnant, they don't punch her.
Because the maid ran too hastily, she didn't tie her bag properly, and suddenly a gold ingot fell out of it with a crisp sound. Originally everyone was minding their own business, but when they saw the gold ingot on the ground, they suddenly lost their composure and all of them surrounded the maid.
The little maidservant was so frightened that she panicked and held the bundle tightly in front of her body. But she was no match for this group of people and the bundle was torn to pieces in a few seconds. The things inside were scattered all over the floor and everyone started to scramble for it.
In the blink of an eye, they were sold out. Li Jiaojiao stared at this dramatic scene in a daze, her face as pale as death. It was gone, all gone.
Zhang Yaozu fell, and everyone in the county government fled within a day. In the end, Li Jiaojiao returned to the Li family. This was the first time the Li family had seen her since Li Dajiang was dismissed.
Old man Li had visited her once before, wanting to borrow money from her, but Li Jiaojiao said she was sick and didn't see him. Later, Liu came back and went again, but Li Jiaojiao still didn't see him for the same reason.
But now she suddenly came back, and she came back in a ox cart. After all, she was her own biological daughter. Although Liu felt a little resentful in her heart, she still cared about her.
"Jiaojiao, what's wrong with you? You look so embarrassed."
At this time, Li Jiaojiao's clothes were dirty and her hair was messy, as if she had just escaped from a refugee camp.
As soon as she saw Liu, she could no longer control the grievance in her heart. She leaned on Liu's shoulder and sobbed.
Liu didn't understand why, so she could only persuade him gently.
Li Laosi, who was standing aside, looked at Li Jiaojiao with a squint and snorted.
"My dear niece, you are the daughter-in-law of the county magistrate. Why did you come to our remote village? We don't have good food to entertain you."
Then he continued, "Why, are you well?"
Hearing the implicit meaning in Li Laosi's words, Li Jiaojiao stopped sobbing, her face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head embarrassedly.
Yes, Old Man Li and Mrs. Liu had gone to the county government twice to look for her before, because Zhang Wenbin said that a daughter who is married off is like spilled water, and he did not allow her to have any contact with the Li family.
At that time, Li Dajiang had just been dismissed from his post, and her position in the county government was deteriorating, so she obeyed Zhang Wenbin's words.
Even though she knew that the Li family was having a hard time, she never gave them a single penny.
When she came back this time, all her silver had been robbed, leaving only a few taels of loose silver on her body. She had no place to go, so she had to return to Qinghe Village again.
"Okay, much better, Fourth Uncle." Li Laosi mentioned this deliberately, and Li Jiaojiao stuttered a little.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Since Zhao Lanlan left, Old Man Li started smoking his pipe again. He was hunched over and his face looked much older, like an old man in his twilight years. He originally had only a few white hairs on his head, but now most of them were gray.
In just one month, he seemed like a different person. Sometimes he didn't say a word for the whole day and just stared blankly straight ahead. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Grandpa, my father-in-law was reported by someone, and Wenbin and the other two are now in jail." Li Jiaojiao was about to cry when she said this. It was not that she cared about Zhang Wenbin that much, but it was related to her future life. She was pregnant now. If Zhang Wenbin was sentenced, she, as his wife, would be a stain wherever she went.
"What?" Li Dajiang, who had been silent, suddenly stood up from his seat with an expression of disbelief on his face.
After returning from Chengyang County, Li Dajiang still thought that after all, he had been a county magistrate and had a good relationship with Zhang Yaozu. Even if he was dismissed, he could still find a job in the Jiunu County government. However, man proposes, God disposes, and Zhang Yaozu fell again. Wouldn't all his ideas be in vain?
"When did this happen?" Liu was anxious. Zhang Wenbin was arrested, so what should she do with her daughter? What evil had happened in this family that such misfortunes kept happening one after another?
"Oh, no wonder. You have nowhere to go, so you think of our Li family. Jiaojiao, you really have a good plan." When Li Laosi heard that the Zhang family was finished, he spoke even more impolitely. Now he thought of the Li family, what were they doing before?
"It was today that he was thrown into jail." Li Jiaojiao deliberately avoided Li Laosi's words, because she was not in the right in this matter. If he had come to her at that time, even if he had given her a few taels of silver, there would not be this situation now.
"Jiaojiao, you are the young lady of the county government after all. Even if the two of them were arrested, you should have a lot of money on you." Jiang suddenly asked. After the fall of the Zhang family, it was natural for Li Jiaojiao to return to her parents' home. But if she wanted to come back, she had to take out the money.
At the mention of money, everyone in the Li family became excited and looked at Li Jiaojiao.
At this moment, Li Jiaojiao was like a frightened deer, not daring to look up at any of them.
"Jiaojiao, tell me, how much silver do you have?" Liu couldn't help but ask from the side.
"Something happened at home, and the backyard of the county government office was in chaos. I had planned to pack up the silver and bring it back, but they snatched it all away. All is gone." When Li Jiaojiao said this, tears could not stop flowing down her face. That was the money she had saved for a long time.
"Hmph, if you want to come back and live here, just give us some money. We in the Li family don't keep idle people." Li Laosi was the first to stand up and disagree.
"Yes, the situation at home is different now than before. We have to spend money everywhere. It's sad." Jiang also agreed.
Li Jiaojiao blushed immediately and looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes. Liu had many complaints about her in her heart, but could she really ignore her? She was in this state now, with a big belly and no money. She would starve to death if she went out.
But as a woman, she had no say in family affairs. She looked at Li Dajiang again. Since he was dismissed from his post, Li Dajiang had seen too many people's false faces. They put on one face when they had money, and immediately changed to another face when they lost money. Isn't Li Jiaojiao the same as them?
Fortunately, she was his own daughter. He couldn't even take care of himself, so how could he take care of her? He stood up and left without saying a word.