Xi Qingyue drove the mule cart slowly on her way back. Seeing no one on the road, she took out two cups of yogurt, and she and Xi Weilan drank them happily.
"Sister, can I learn this?" Xi Weilan pointed at the reins in Xi Qingyue's hand.
Xi Qingyue initially wanted to shake her head and refuse, but thinking about how her younger sister was born with extraordinary strength—unlike ordinary children—learning seemed fine.
So she nodded and began to carefully explain how to drive the cart. She even let Xi Weilan try driving. Aside from being too short, the girl had no issues at all.
Along the way, their mule cart drew the attention of passersby. In this small place, everyone bought cheap flatbed carts and would just get an ox or a donkey. Almost no one bought a mule cart like theirs—especially such a luxurious, enclosed one.
Xi Qingyue paid no attention to the stares of others on the road. If it weren’t for the fact that pulling out a car would be too conspicuous, she wouldn’t have needed to buy a mule cart in the first place.
By the time the two drove the cart back to the village, the yamen constables had already arrived and were currently at Xi Erniu’s house.
But the constables weren’t there about the burning of Xi Erniu’s house. They were investigating the case of the wealthy landlord Wang.
The village head and some other villagers were also gathered at Xi Erniu’s house, where the constables were interviewing the villagers.
They had learned from the Wang family that the only people with recent grudges against the rich landlord Wang were Xi Erniu and Xi Qingyue.
Xi Qingyue was too young, so from the start, the constables set their sights on Xi Erniu as a suspect. But by questioning him about the situation at his house the previous night, they found it impossible for him to have been at the crime scene.
According to the coroner, the time of Wang’s death and the time the fire started were less than a quarter of an hour apart, leaving no opportunity for Xi Erniu to have committed the crime.
As for Xi Qingyue, they didn’t even bother asking. A child couldn’t have run all the way to town in such a short time.
“Constables, you have to do right by me! My house has been burned down to the ground. You’ve got to find the culprit!” Xi Erniu begged the constables humbly.
The constables were full of impatience. “We didn’t come here to deal with a small matter like yours. We’re here to investigate a murder. Don’t interfere with our work.”
With that, the constables strode off. They were only looking for the murderer to recover the stolen money. Otherwise, who would bother coming to a place like this?
Once the constables left, the others gradually dispersed as well.
Xi Erniu’s eyes burned with resentment. He had gone to the county office early that morning, only to be turned away before even making it through the door. The clerks had mocked him too.
“What’s the big deal about a burned house? Just rebuild it. That kind of trivial matter isn’t worth reporting. Our magistrate is busy. If you keep making trouble, you might get a beating.”
Afraid of getting the bamboo board treatment, Xi Erniu didn’t dare stay any longer and came back. Now that the constables had arrived in the village, why were they completely ignoring his case?
Just then, he overheard the villagers gossiping.
“I heard Big Girl bought a mule cart. Seems like since they left here, the sisters are living better and better. Truly, you never know what life will bring.”
“Exactly. Ever since moving over by the big willow tree, Big Girl’s been going into the mountains and coming back with a wild boar a day. She must’ve found other good stuff too. Only two days after moving, she has the silver for a mule cart. That’s dozens of taels of silver! Come on, let’s go take a look. I’ve never seen what the inside of such a cart is like.”
With that, the aunties headed toward Xi Qingyue’s thatched hut, eager to see the inside of the mule cart—something only the wealthy could afford.
When Xi Erniu heard this, he jumped up and also stormed toward Xi Qingyue’s hut, fury evident in his eyes.
He stopped a few steps later, then turned around and chased after the constables, who had already left.
Outside the thatched hut, the mule cart was parked next to the big willow tree. A few curious children circled the cart, and more villagers were heading over.
Xi Qingyue was lying in a finely made bamboo rocking chair, swaying gently back and forth. She had taken two of them out from her storage space after returning home. These collapsible chairs were cool and comfortable in summer; in winter, one could put a long cushion on them. Today, buying the mule cart made having two such chairs less suspicious. If anyone asked, she would say she ran into a traveling merchant on the road and bought them; with no witnesses, who could dispute it?
She also took out a collapsible low table and several small bamboo chairs with backs. All of them could be folded. Since she and her sister were not very tall yet, the items suited them perfectly. They were nicely made too, looking like things only wealthy households would use.
She didn’t think much of it. These things were cheap in the modern world.
Even if she took out her worst things, the villagers would still think them superior, so she might as well use what she liked. There was no need to bother herself. If it came to it, she could always move away and live somewhere else.
After all, her storage space held a huge variety of things. She would live however she wanted.
Apart from the table and chairs, she also took out a collapsible bamboo bed, which was a generous meter and a half wide—perfect for the weather. It was cool to the touch and very comfortable.
With the cover of the mule cart, she brought all these things out. If anyone asked, she would just say she bought them from a stranger selling items by the roadside, and the seller had left by then.
Xi Weilan lay on the rocking chair beside her, happily munching on a stick of tanghulu, her small form taking up less than a third of the chair.
Under the deep shade of the towering, leafy willow tree, the two of them didn’t get hit by the sun at all, looking thoroughly comfortable and content.
When Aunt Wang and some of the other aunties arrived, they saw the two sisters enjoying themselves so luxuriously. For a moment, they thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.
“Oh my! Am I seeing things? Is that Big Girl and Second Girl? When did you two change into such nice clothes? It’s like a whole makeover!” Aunt Wang exclaimed in admiration.
“Auntie, did you need something from me?” Xi Qingyue rose from her rocking chair as she saw the women approaching.
Aunt Wang stepped forward, smiling and waving her hand. “Nothing much. We just heard you bought a mule cart and came to see. In all my life, I’ve never seen such a cart like yours.”
Xi Qingyue gestured toward the mule cart and said politely, “Aunties, feel free to take a look. If you like, you can even sit inside for a little.”
Hearing this, Aunt Wang and the others broke into happy expressions and hurried toward the cart’s enclosed carriage.
Xi Qingyue went back to her rocking chair. Maybe now she could finally settle down in peace for a while.
But before she could enjoy herself for long, Xi Erniu showed up—and he brought the constables, who had just left, back with him.
Pointing at Xi Qingyue, Xi Erniu shouted at the constables, “Sir, it’s her! The day before yesterday, from the time she left Willow Tree Village until she brought Second Girl back from town, less than half a quarter of an hour passed. Last night, the one who killed rich landlord Wang had to be her! Otherwise, where would she get the silver to buy a mule cart?”
The constables glanced at the newly bought mule cart, then exchanged looks, nodding. Even if a child couldn’t be the culprit, there was no harm in getting a little silver out of this.
One constable, the leader, stared sharply at Xi Qingyue. His tone was stern. “Are you Xi Qingyue? Where did you get the silver to buy that mule and cart? And was it you who killed Mr. Wang last night and stole his money?”
Xi Qingyue slowly rose from the lounge chair, her face full of shock as she looked back at the government officer. "Sir, you can't be serious, right? How could a kid like me go out in the middle of the night to kill someone? And as for this silver, I came by it honestly. Just today, I sold a wild boar and two ginseng roots in town. If you don't believe me, you can check for yourselves. I got everything from the mountain behind the village. It's not like you can claim the mountain belongs to your family, can you?"
