Chapter 8, Gift of the Red Plum

The person who holds authority in the East Street County Magistrate's Office is naturally the county magistrate. Since ancient times, the common people have not fought against the officials. Although everyone in the West Street area is exclusionary, when it comes to their own family interests, no one is willing to wade into this murky water. The crowd that had originally gathered together immediately dispersed.

"If Madam does not hand over the silver to me, how can I inquire about the silver?" Jiang Ruan said with utmost seriousness

Is there none? Jiang Ruan retorted, her petite figure wrapped in a loose cotton coat, presenting a seemingly frail posture, yet exuding an extraordinary firmness, as if there were nothing in the world that could shake her composure and calmness by even a fraction.

Her expression remained unchanged, and her tone was gentle, leaving one momentarily unsure whether her words were praise or criticism

Seeing that the situation was not favorable, Jiang Ruan changed from her previous submissive demeanor to a more assertive attitude. Aware that further argument would be of no benefit, she immediately picked up the little girl and said, "I will not argue with people like you. Qiao Jie'er, let's go."

Madam, please hand over the silver to me

A curious young boy in the crowd stretched his neck and asked, "Has it spoken?"

The old man was taken aback, not expecting that the little girl who had always supported him would suddenly be so indifferent towards him. Confused, he asked, "What grievances do you have against me, old man?"

"You little girl," the old man said, his neck stiffening. "Seeing you come to the rescue, I thought you were someone with a bit of chivalry and courage, but it turns out you are no different from the others. Right and wrong must be clearly distinguished; I am in the right, so I am not afraid to confront them."

"Old sir," Jiang Ruan did not listen to the other party's words at all, turning to the old man and saying: "The matter is quite simple. Since so many people are unable to make a decision for the old sir, there is no need to waste time here. It would be better to go to the county magistrate's office on East Street and inquire; perhaps there is someone who can make a decision for the old sir."

The crowd was abuzz with discussion, and when they looked at Jiang Ruan, they all expressed their astonishment. Such delicate and transparent thoughts at such a young age truly deserve admiration

Bai Zhi then brought over a basin of clear water and placed it neatly at Jiang Ruan's feet

Her voice was plain and unremarkable, yet it uniquely conveyed the nuances of intonation, clearly elucidating the ins and outs of the matter in a single sentence, while simultaneously silencing any potential arguments from the woman. Should the woman attempt to argue further, it would only serve to make her intentions more conspicuous.

"Alright," Jiang Ruan said, "Bai Zhi, please go fetch a basin of clean water."

On the clear surface of the water, a thin layer of oil floated, and this golden oil was exceptionally conspicuous on the water's surface

The sharpness of the sword comes from being honed, and the fragrance of the plum blossom arises from the bitter cold. The noble character of the old gentleman is indeed quite similar to that of the red plum. Bai Zhi, presenting the red plum to the old gentleman can be considered as fulfilling a certain destiny.

Jiang Ruan thought for a moment: "Indeed, it is admirable that an elderly gentleman of such advanced age still engages in public debates with others; his integrity is truly commendable. I can only imagine that in his youth, he was equally unafraid of authority and insisted on arguing his point in the face of challenges"

Among those present, only three people, apart from Jiang Ruan, did not smile. There is no need to mention Lian Qiao and Bai Zhi; the old man merely furrowed his brows tightly, carefully observing Jiang Ruan's actions

Jiang Ruan held the silver in the palm of her hand, her face showing little expression, yet her voice was extremely gentle as she said: "Oh silver, please tell me, who is it that is lying?"

The woman nearly laughed out loud and sarcastically said: "Little girl, are you talking nonsense? Can you really make money speak? If you have such a skill, hurry up and let everyone see it. If you are just spouting nonsense, don't let everyone be a laughingstock."

Jiang Ruandao: "It is common for the old gentleman to finish eating the oil cake and then go to grab some coins, with the vegetable oil on his hands smudging the silver. However, I wonder how the lady managed to get the silver smeared with grease. Could it be that the lady has only just remembered that she or Qiao Jie also went to buy oil cakes?"

The old gentleman is quite stubborn, yet it is unknown which noble family he belongs to said Jiang Ruan coldly

The people around, puzzled, all turned to look into the basin of water, yet could not discern the reason behind it

Indeed. Jiang Ruandao observed the old man in a daze once more and then spoke calmly: "In encountering such matters, if there is a dispute that cannot be resolved, the elderly gentleman should immediately report it to the authorities. Having lived a long life, the elderly gentleman should understand that there are limits to everything. If I had not arrived today, the elderly gentleman might have argued here for an entire day without reaching a conclusion, and who knows what charges might have been fabricated against him."

Moments later, one person exclaimed, "Look! Something happened on the water surface!"

The woman holding the girl still wanted to argue: "Your one-sided words..."

"What are you talking about?" The woman was becoming somewhat impatient: "With so many ears around, is it only you who can hear it speaking?"

The old man kept watching every move of Jiang Ruan, and upon seeing her effortlessly clear her name, he was naturally astonished and delighted. His gaze towards Jiang Ruan softened a bit, no longer exhibiting the stubbornness that had previously kept others at a distance.

"It is not what is heard, but what is seen." Jiang Ruan stared into the water

Lianqiao shot a glare at the surrounding crowd, or perhaps the laughter of the crowd gave the woman some confidence, as she took the silver from the girl's hand and handed it to Jiang Ruan, saying: "Here, you must ask clearly, everyone is listening."

The people around are unaware of what Jiang Ruan is planning. A street vendor says, "I have fresh water available, which I can lend to the young lady for her use."

The woman cast a suspicious glance at Jiang Ruan, and the young girl clutched the money pouch even tighter.

It was like this! Someone exclaimed: "This silver belongs to the old man, for he bought oil cakes and got them greasy. Now the silver can only be revealed when it meets water; isn't it just the silver speaking!"

"Silver naturally speaks for itself," Jiang Ruan said淡淡道: "Let me ask again, madam, is this silver truly yours?"

Jiang Ruan did not even glance at her; as soon as she let go, the silver coins fell with a thud into the basin of water at her feet, causing a shallow ripple to spread out. She said, "The silver has already spoken."

The woman let out a chuckle: "Little girl, you mustn't say that the money was just told to you like this. You're simply trying to fool us; don't treat us like fools!"

"Naturally, it is entrusted to Qiao Jie'er by me." The woman raised her head, speaking with righteous indignation

Silver can speak? How can silver speak? This statement is quite amusing, and the crowd turned to look at Jiang Ruan. The old man, who was so angry he was about to jump, also turned his head in confusion to look at Jiang Ruan. Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao exchanged glances, both unsure of how Jiang Ruan would respond.

As soon as these words were spoken, a low murmur of laughter arose from the surroundings. The number of onlookers had already been increasing, and at this moment, seeing this seemingly refined young girl suddenly speak in such a manner, they couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. She appeared to be a clever girl, yet it turned out that she had some issues with her reasoning.

After the woman left, Jiang Ruan took the silver from the basin and handed it to the old man. The old man received the silver and looked at Jiang Ruan with curiosity: "This young girl is quite interesting, which family are you a young lady of?"