Rebirth of the Three Kingdoms: Da Qiao doesn't want to be a widow anymore

Chapter 293: Hundreds of Pieces of Cloth

Mother Yang was also very clear that if she didn't tell the truth at this moment, she would surely die once her mouth was covered and she was dragged out.

She couldn't die, because if she died her son would have no way to survive.

When Chen heard what Grandma Yang said, a trace of panic flashed across her eyes. She then took out a rough-looking handkerchief from her sleeve and covered her nose with it, as if she disliked Grandma Yang very much. "Hurry up and take him away!"

The words that were about to come out of Yang Po suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes wide, tears welled up in her eyes, but her struggle became less intense. The servant beside her stuffed a wooden ball into her mouth, trying to drag her away.

"Wait!" Madam Wei also heard what she had just said and raised her hand to stop the servant from dragging her. "What did you just say? Who can guarantee that nothing will happen to you?"

The old woman beside Madam Wei hurried forward and took the wooden ball out of Madam Yang's mouth, then wiped her hands with a handkerchief in disgust, and then dragged her in front of the old lady, "Speak!"

Mother Yang looked at Chen. This time she had seen it carefully. Finally, she lowered her head and stammered, "I plead guilty. It was my fault. For the sake of the fourth room's dignity, I offended the old lady of the fifth room. I deserve to die."

Madam Wei was almost so angry that she almost laughed. She kept repeating this for nothing and played people around. "I'll give you one last chance. If you still don't tell the truth, I'll drag you down and beat you to death. You won't even have the chance to sell yourself off."

Mrs. Yang closed her eyes tightly, and was about to confess her guilt when Qiao Hui suddenly came out from behind Qiao Rui, took Chen's hand and said, "Madam, your handkerchief is dirty. Give it to me. I have a new one to exchange with you."

Qiao Hui was holding a brand new handkerchief with an orchid embroidered on it.

Chen was immediately panicked, fearing that others would hear her words. Seeing that no one had fully noticed her coming, she lowered her head and whispered to Qiao Hui, "Thank you, Hui'er. This is the handkerchief that you are used to using. Just take it back and take care of it. Hui'er needs to study, so he should use something better."

Qiao Wei smiled and said to Chen, "Sister-in-law, you are so polite. This is also Hui'er's good intention. Sister-in-law, you should accept it. It's just a new handkerchief. It's not worth giving it away. A child can't use such good material.

Hui'er is right. This handkerchief is dirty. If you take it out, people will think that our Qiao family is mistreating our daughter-in-law. The servants around are also tactless. The handkerchief is dirty, but they don't know whether to take it down to wash it or throw it away. "

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on her, Chen quickly put the handkerchief into her sleeve and said, "It's not a big deal. I'm used to it. I'm more used to old things."

Old Madam Wei narrowed her eyes slightly and realized something was wrong. The handkerchief was of an old style and even old ladies would never use such old fabrics.

However, the old lady next to the old lady had some experience and reminded her in her ear, "This looks like the rags used to press the bed for children."

There are similar customs in many places, and Madam Wei has heard of them. If a family member is in poor health, in order to pray for blessings, they will go to the homes of neighbors in the village and donate a small piece of old cloth to each person to make a quilt. If the cloth is not enough, they will also make sachets or small clothes, or socks or handkerchiefs.

In some poorer villages, several families would pool their money to buy a small piece of cloth as a gift. Although the piece in Chen's hand did not seem to have any signs of mending or stitching, the color of the handkerchief was different.

The materials given by the neighbors must have been woven by themselves. The color depth of the undyed cloth is not very different. If you don’t look carefully, you can’t see much difference when they are put together.

"Yes, Mrs. Yang has a son who is being raised at home. Why don't you bring him here?" Although the old woman's voice was not loud, everyone in the hall could hear it roughly.

After the old woman asked for instructions and got Madam Wei's nod, she immediately went down to make arrangements. Chen was completely panicked, "A servant has committed a crime, so just kick the child out..."

"This old woman never tells the truth. She says one thing at one moment and another thing at another. If you beat her son, she will still say the same thing and admit all the crimes. That would prove that she is telling the truth!" Madam Wei glared at Chen. "My niece didn't learn how to manage the household when she was at home. Let's take a good look today. Some servants won't tell the truth unless they suffer a lot."

Chen twisted her handkerchief in her hands, her mind racing, "So, this is a confession under torture."

"Fourth Aunt hasn't even beaten him yet!" Qiao Wei stopped Chen from saying, "Sister-in-law, why do you have to keep speaking for this servant? Didn't you just say you wanted to drag her down and beat her with a stick? Why can't you bear it this time?"

Qiao Rui didn't hear the wit in Qiao Wei's words, and just stupidly spoke for Chen, "Sister-in-law has always been like this, she can't stand these bloody things."

So weak? Qiao Wei looked Chen up and down and felt that she didn't look like that!

Chen had no choice but to smile apologetically, not daring to say another word. She lowered her head and winked at the people around her. The old woman next to her also looked at the situation and wanted to leave.

But before she had taken a few steps, she was stopped by Old Madam Huang, "Niece, when you are the housekeeper, are these servants so unruly? The master is still sitting here, and you dare to leave your post without permission?"

The old lady of the third house has also fallen ill recently, so Chen was asked to represent the third house. In terms of seniority, Chen and Qiao Wei are both younger generations.

Chen stood up in a panic, "My niece was in a hurry to come out today, and she didn't bring the pills she usually takes with her. Now she feels a little uncomfortable in her chest, so she asked someone to go back and get them."

Madam Huang was not stupid. She had been managing the household for so many years and had seen so many human affairs that she could see through Chen's calculations and tricks. She interrupted her directly and said, "I don't know how long you have been taking the pills, but you don't seem to be getting better. It looks like the prescription was written by a quack. Isn't the famous doctor from Wu County hired by the fifth niece right here? Let her take a look and prescribe a good prescription to cure your illness, so that you won't feel stuffy in your chest and groan about how uncomfortable you are."

Mrs. Huang's words were rather merciless, and Chen was scolded so hard that she couldn't say a word in rebuttal. The old woman beside her could only return to Chen's side dejectedly and wait, not daring to do anything to attract attention.

The Fourth House was indeed very efficient. In less than a cup of tea, they found the person they were looking for in the family's house. A child not even ten years old, skinny and with a pale face, was pulled in front of everyone.