Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2346: Chapter 2345: Murder and Plunder

Yizi smiled at Teng Ya and said, ”Yes, we set up an array, so no one outside can come in or hear what we’re saying.”

Teng Ya looked curious; she had no idea what the array was about.

Teng Liu sighed and said, ”Let me explain this. She’s just a child and only knows part of it.”

He then slowly began to speak, and Bai Ruozhu and the others finally understood what was going on.

It turned out that there were many unknown shady dealings on this boat. Zheng Xin was greedy and always bullied the people below him. On top of that, he acted recklessly since he had backing from his uncle in the Shipping Department and was the helmsman of the boat, so no one dared to do anything to him.

Because this boat operated via sea, it was nearly impossible for those on board to go ashore, so the ship workers couldn’t resist Zheng Xin’s oppression. However, some did outright reject Zheng Xin’s extortion, but later, when a storm hit at sea, they unfortunately fell into the sea.

After several such incidents, people began to realize that not everyone could be so unlucky as to fall overboard, but Teng Liu’s family was honest and poor, so they never discussed these matters with anyone.

Until one day, when Teng Liu accidentally witnessed something...

That night, Teng Liu had stomach trouble and got up to find a place to relieve himself, accidentally overhearing a conversation between Zheng Xin and his subordinates.

”We’ll enter the storm area by tomorrow at the latest. Throw that boat merchant into the sea,” Zheng Xin said in a low voice.

”Boss, isn’t this too risky?” a subordinate asked worriedly.

”What are you afraid of? He’s just a low-ranking officer, and the sea is ever-changing; no one will blame us. Don’t hesitate. If we aren’t ruthless, he’s going to help Liu Laosan below report us,” Zheng Xin said.

”Alright, I understand. There’s no turning back; that boat merchant’s money will be ours,” the subordinate said with a sinister smile.

Teng Liu was petrified with fear, squatting motionless. He didn’t move until Teng Xin and the others had left long ago, then staggered back to his room, lost in thought.

His wife noticed his strange demeanor and pressed him for an explanation. Overwhelmed, he recounted what he had seen and heard, awakening Teng Ya as well, who overheard the incident.

Fearing trouble, Teng Ya’s mother sternly told her daughter, ”Remember, you must not tell anyone about this; perhaps they were just talking.”

”I understand the seriousness of it, mother, I won’t tell anyone,” Teng Ya quickly promised.

The next day, the boat indeed entered the storm area, and later, the boat merchant unexpectedly fell into the sea.

The wind and waves were strong, and the man disappeared in an instant, impossible to retrieve.

Teng Ya’s family was petrified with fear and henceforth they avoided Zheng Xin. Fortunately, Zheng Xin hadn’t noticed Teng Liu and never picked a fight with them.

More likely, Zheng Xin wasn’t interested in them since they had no money or influence. But Bai Ruozhu’s reward to Teng Ya caught Zheng Xin’s attention.

”I should have been clearer about the situation and not brought trouble to Teng Ya,” Bai Ruozhu said through clenched teeth. ”We cannot tolerate a person like Zheng Xin, but we need to gather evidence first. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate to make a hasty arrest without proof.”

”No!” Mo Beishan objected, ”Even if we have evidence, we should wait to arrest him on the return journey. Otherwise, who will steer the boat and guide us along the route?”

Feng Lanying widened her eyes, ”Are we just going to let him bully these ship workers and kill people for profit? If you officials find it hard to manage, let us, the people who run the Jianghu, take care of it for the people!”

Bai Ruozhu raised a hand to stop Feng Lanying and said, ”We must not let Zheng Xin go. I can tolerate his greed by giving him some extra silver as a bribe, but he is insatiable and even harms lives, which cannot be tolerated!”

Jiang Yichun nodded, ”I don’t believe we can’t find another person who understands the route. Teng Liu, you have been on the boat for a long time; do you have someone to recommend as a replacement for Zheng Xin?”

Teng Liu shook his head, ”The deputy helmsman is Zheng Xin’s subordinate, the two collude and will surely not implicate Zheng Xin. As for the others, most of them are just ship workers doing hard labor on the boat.”

Bai Ruozhu worried — but they couldn’t tolerate Zheng Xin exploiting the ship workers and committing murder just because his position was essential?

Such things neither she nor Achun could stand for!

”Teng Liu, you’re familiar with the people on the boat. Try to find out who could replace Zheng Xin these days, and do it discreetly without alerting Zheng Xin’s side. You can look at old sailors or ship workers who often sail these routes; there must be someone who remembers the route but is too afraid of Zheng Xin to speak up,” Bai Ruozhu thought and said.

Teng Liu quickly bowed, ”Understood, I’ll be very careful. It’s just that...”

He glanced at Teng Ya’s mother, looking hesitant.

”Just say whatever it is directly,” Bai Ruozhu said.

”Both Teng Ya’s mother and I are descendants of condemned ministers. Having us by your side may cause someone to use our status to trouble you in the future,” Teng Liu said.

Bai Ruozhu nodded silently. Teng Liu was a sincere person, thinking she was unaware of the situation and took the initiative to explain.

”The steward told me before that regarding your father’s generation’s matters, I evaluate people based on character and ability alone. If you prove trustworthy, you’ll stay by my side in the future,” Bai Ruozhu said.

Teng Ya’s mother’s eyes lit up; Bai Ruozhu’s ”future” wasn’t referring merely to the time they were on the boat. If they performed well on this trip, Bai Ruozhu intended to keep them around when they returned.

”Thank you, Madam; we will surely do our best for you!” Teng Ya’s mother quickly knelt and bowed.

Bai Ruozhu helped her up, ”First, go back to your room and rest. In the evening, get the meal yourself. No matter what happens on the boat in the future, tell me; I don’t like my people being bullied.”

”Yes.” Teng Liu’s eyes turned red, how many years had it been, who cared about the life or death of their family, who would care for them like this?

After Teng Ya’s family withdrew, Jiang Yichun said with a cold face, ”Even if it’s not best to deal with Zheng Xin now, we can’t let him get away this easily.”

Bai Ruozhu narrowed her eyes, ”Husband, what are you planning?”

Mo Beishan shivered at the sight of the couple grinding their teeth, thinking he’d better not cross them again.

”We’ll go together later.” Jiang Yichun smiled.

Feng Lanying pouted, ”Such a good thing doesn’t come my way; I want to beat him so badly he loses his teeth! He sold me a pack of rubbish medicine for ten taels of silver and even snatched a small girl’s silver earrings. I’ve never met someone so shameless!”

”Don’t be idle either; we still know too little about the situation on the boat. Let’s divide the tasks and stealthily gather information from various places; report the findings together every evening,” Jiang Yichun said.