CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: MOTHER, DON’T GO

The County Magistrate ordered someone to fetch the silver and insisted on paying Meng Yao the consultation fee.

A full ten taels of silver.

Meng Yao thought about it for a moment and accepted it.

Initially, she was pondering whether this favor could get her into the County Magistrate’s good graces.

But by offering the consultation fee voluntarily, it indicated a clear-cut transaction.

It seems that he truly is a good official.

Meng Yao gave some instructions on precautions, bowed, and took her leave.

"Mother, don’t go." Meng Yao’s sleeve was held by An Ge, whose small eyes were filled with reluctance, "An Ge misses you so much."

Meng Yao looked embarrassed.

The County Magistrate also appeared awkward as he stepped forward to pick up An Ge, gently coaxing him, "Be a good boy, An Ge, let go, you’ve mistaken her for someone else; she’s not your mother."

An Ge clung tightly, unwilling to let go, "She is my mother, she is."

Meng Yao found herself in a predicament, unable to neither pull away nor remain still.

"Bad father, you are bad, you won’t let me be with mother." An Ge was very angry.

The County Magistrate, steeling his heart, pried An Ge’s hand away and placed him in the arms of a servant, "Apu, carry the young master back to his room."

An Ge struggled and cried out, but it was all to no avail.

He couldn’t break free, only able to cry in heart-wrenching anguish.

The County Magistrate’s eyes were filled with both reluctance and helplessness.

"Sir, the child has just gone through a lot, and his trachea and vocal cords must have been affected; it’s best not to let him cry like this," Meng Yao cautiously spoke.

She wasn’t naive, or brainless; knowing that in such a critical moment An Ge’s mother did not appear, and An Ge was calling her mother, it was likely that the mother was no longer in this world.

Most likely, An Ge had never even met his mother.

Sure enough, the County Magistrate couldn’t suppress his grief, "My son was rude to you, madam; I hope you can forgive him. His mother died during childbirth, and she couldn’t be saved. I’ve been keeping it from him, fearing he would grow up blaming himself because of this."

Well, Meng Yao didn’t know how to respond; after a long pause, she squeezed out two words, "My condolences."

"Come, I’ll see madam out," the County Magistrate said.

Meng Yao kept a proper distance, following behind the County Magistrate.

When the two appeared in the rear government office, the village chief finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The County Magistrate appeared as usual, thank goodness Madame Meng didn’t act out of line to provoke the County Magistrate.

"You all can go back; if there’s anything, I’ll send a government officer to inform you," the County Magistrate stated.

The village chief hurriedly agreed, leading the Zhao family’s whole brood out.

Once outside the county government, the village chief let out a long sigh of relief, and the villagers who came along straightened their backs.

"Mistress Meng, how could you be so bold just now? The county government is not a place you can casually intrude! Just because the County Magistrate is kind, otherwise..." the village chief couldn’t hold back.

Meng Yao said calmly, "A matter of life and death, I couldn’t care about much else."

At this point, Meng Yao felt there was nothing left to hide; her medical skills were bound to be revealed sooner or later.

"You also knew it was a matter of life and death, why did you get involved?" Meng Qingshan glared viciously at Meng Yao.

Now, his old wife, son, and daughter-in-law were all detained in the government.

The whole family was left with only him and his granddaughter.

And all of this was thanks to Meng Yao.

Meng Yao slowly took out a silver ingot, held it in her palm, allowing everyone to see it clearly.

"This silver, given by the County Magistrate. Why was the silver given? Naturally, because I saved the young master of the County Magistrate’s family," Meng Yao said calmly.

The glistening silver ingot captured people’s gaze.

Most people didn’t even clearly hear what Meng Yao was saying.

However, Meng Qingshan heard it clearly, and the village chief heard it clearly too.

But instinctively, they didn’t believe it.

How was it possible? How could Mistress Meng, a rural woman, have the ability to save the young master of the County Magistrate’s family?

"Meng Shi, you shouldn’t talk nonsense like this. Such words, if known to the County Magistrate, could bring punishment upon you!" the village chief said sternly, "Dahe, quickly tell your mother, this is the county government, that’s the County Magistrate, not our rural people!"

"Village chief uncle, if the County Magistrate wanted to punish my mother, he wouldn’t have just courteously sent her out just now," Zhao Dahe said pointedly.

Indeed, the County Magistrate hadn’t uttered a single word of accusation.

In fact, he seemed to speak a bit more politely than a moment ago.

So, could Mistress Meng really possess medical skills?

"How can that be?" Meng Qingshan questioned loudly.

She was raised in the Meng family; if she had such skills, how could they not know it?

Moreover, all these years, no one heard of her practicing medicine.

Medical skills aren’t something one can acquire so casually; hence, there must still be some issue with Meng Yao!

"You definitely are not Meng Yao!" Meng Qingshan shouted.

"Whether I am or not, didn’t you confirm it with the Daoist you sought out? Oh, right, that Daoist you found was unreliable!" Meng Yao chuckled lightly, "Now they are all detained. Why don’t you find another expert? See who I really am?"

Not waiting for Meng Qingshan to retort, Meng Yao continued, "Besides, my identity, does it concern you? Don’t forget, now I’m no longer associated with your Meng family."

The County Magistrate agreed to Meng Yao’s request.

"No matter what, it was the Meng family who raised you! How could you be so ungrateful?" Meng Qingshan said furiously.

"Ungrateful? One hundred twenty taels of silver given to the Meng family, and you have the gall to call me ungrateful?" Meng Yao sneered.

The village chief gave Meng Qingshan a fierce glare; the Meng family caused this disastrous outcome by themselves.

Greedy hearts devour more than they can swallow.

Acquiring one hundred twenty taels of silver, a modest life could have been sustained.

Yet unable to remain quiet, they brought endless trouble upon themselves, leading to over half their family being taken away.

"The County Magistrate stated that the lock plaque should be returned to Meng Yao. Also, don’t forget the fine silver of one hundred and five taels; I still have to make another trip to the county government to hand it over!" the village chief said irritably.

Meng Qingshan was clearly aware of the silver in the house.

Although he didn’t know the exact amount, it wouldn’t be less than two hundred taels.

"Where on earth will I come up with so much silver?" Meng Qingshan lamented.

"Whether you can gather it or not, that’s your matter. If the fine silver isn’t paid, additional labor will be added by half a year," the village chief said.

What’s the worry about doing an extra half-year of labor? After all, the old wife and son wouldn’t earn over a hundred taels in a year either.

Meng Qingshan was determined to keep the over hundred taels.

In the late afternoon, the group returned to Shanghua Village, with someone always watching at the village entrance; soon, almost the entire village came out.

Voices clamored as they questioned the village chief.

The village chief briefly explained the situation to everyone.

"So, there’s no issue with Mistress Meng, right?" someone asked, worried.

"If there were an issue, would the County Magistrate let her return?" chimed in one of the men who went along, "The issue is with the Meng family; the Meng family did no good deeds, and the County Magistrate took them all in custody. Not only gave them beatings but also sentenced them to labor, and fined them silver!"

The notable people of the Meng family went to the government office, yet Meng Qingshan was the only one returned.

"Grandfather, where are my grandmother, my father, and my mother?" Meng Ruyu finally squeezed to the front, anxiously asking.

Meng Qingshan opened his mouth but said nothing, sheepishly pushed through the crowd, fleeing toward home.