At the beginning of the famine, I became famous all over the world with my useless system

Zhao'er was very puzzled.

In her opinion, her parents had never done anything wrong.

Even if there is, there is no need to bow to your children.

Lin Qing was comforting Gu Ermiao's wounded heart. Gu Sihe slurped up the delicious soup and said proudly, "Of course, our mother gives us pocket money for doing housework!"

Zhao'er almost dropped the bowl in his hand.

This, this is getting more and more unbelievable...

His eyes unconsciously looked at Lin Qing, whose eyes were gentle, and he felt a sense of longing inexplicably.

How wonderful it would be if this lady was my own mother...

The noodle stall owner looked at them with a smile, thinking they were a happy family of four, and had an envious look on his face.

While wiping the table next to us, the boss said with a smile, "Don't worry, kids, eat as much as you want. If it's not enough, I'll give you more. It's just that there aren't many people here right now, and I'm not busy. Don't worry, I won't charge you more."

Lin Qing looked at the boss's slightly hunched figure in surprise and said admiringly, "Boss, you are willing to do business at a loss during this famine. It's really rare."

The boss put away the rag, smiled bitterly, and said with regret: "Alas, what business is there? Just consider it as accumulating good karma for yourself."

Just this sentence and this sad expression made Lin Qing sensitively realize:

There is a situation!

The boss must have a story!

Lin Qing drank the soup while observing and saw that the boss was the only one busy in the huge stall, unlike a traditional husband-and-wife team.

When she put down the bowl, she had already thought of a strategy to make conversation and pretended to be casual.

"Boss, you are in your prime and have a bright future ahead of you. How can you say such discouraging words?"

The boss stopped cleaning the stove and sighed heavily.

"To be honest, seeing how well-behaved your children are, especially your daughter... it reminds me of my Xiaowan.

"Every time I cooked noodles, I would add an egg to it. She would say so many words of thanks, which made me so happy... It's a pity that I can no longer hear them. I personally sent her to the Jia Mansion..."

Lin Qing shuddered.

Jia Mansion?!

Is this a case of a blind cat catching a dead mouse, or is there a new mission? How come all the information is delivered to my door automatically?

Zhao'er, who was sitting next to Lin Qing, wanted to say that she was not the lady's daughter, but when she heard the word Jia Mansion, she couldn't help but shudder.

Lin Qing had always remembered the strange reactions of Zhao'er and his daughter when they talked about the Jia Mansion. He had wanted to ask Zhao'er during the meal to see if she knew any inside stories of the Jia Mansion, but seeing her expression, he gave up for the time being.

He patted her shoulder to comfort her and whispered, "Don't worry, Zhao'er, you've escaped."

Zhao'er looked up at Lin Qing timidly, then lowered his head even lower.

Lin Qing looked at the noodle stall owner, pretending to be ignorant, and asked, "Although this is my first time in town, I've heard a lot. I know that the Jia Mansion is a famous wealthy family. Wouldn't it be a good thing for you to send your daughter there?"

"Besides, if your daughter gets married, will her husband's family be so overbearing as to not let her come back to see you? If you miss her, wouldn't it be better to call her back or go see her yourself?"

The boss stammered a few words but ultimately remained silent, his expression growing increasingly sad.

Seeing this, Lin Qing decided to increase the bet.

"But it's really a coincidence. Some time ago, my brother-in-law even found a way to send me to the Jia Mansion, where I could live a luxurious life."

Gu Sihe wanted to ask if his uncle had agreed to cancel the engagement, but he saw his second brother slowly shook his head at him, then lowered his head silently and continued to drink his soup.

As expected, when these words were spoken, not only the boss but also Zhao'er was surprised.

how come!

Madam seems to be such a clear-headed person, how could she be willing to jump into a fire pit like the Jia Mansion!

Ah, Zhao'er suddenly understood that the lady must not know the inside story!

Madam saved my life, so I should repay her kindness!

In a panic, she didn't know what to say. Before she could open her mouth, she saw the boss throw the rag on the table fiercely. The noise was so loud that it scared the diners who were eating in the distance.

The boss hurried to apologize, and after dealing with the problem, he hurried back.

He glared fiercely at the bustling Shuangxi Restaurant across the street and said in a low voice:

"Madam, although this is our first meeting, I'm telling you the truth: the Jia Mansion is a den of evil. You absolutely cannot go there! You should reject this marriage proposal immediately!"

Lin Qing's face changed with an "Ah", but he became even more curious about the Jia Mansion.

He stood up and quietly took out ten coins and stuffed them into the boss's pocket. He asked in a panic, "Do you know something? Please tell me!"

The boss turned his back and didn't take the money. He sounded like he was gritting his teeth as he whispered, "Ma'am, please come over here. There's no one here, so it's a good place to talk."

Lin Qing gestured to the children to wait where they were, and then followed the boss to the pot where noodles were being cooked.

"Please tell me in detail what happened."

The boss clenched his fists and said angrily, "My daughter Xiaowan was married into the Jia family as a concubine. She died suddenly of a sudden illness just a month later. I felt something was wrong, so I offered to go and see her off.

"But I didn't expect the Jia family to repeatedly refuse and refused to let my husband and I visit them. I knew that the Jia family was covering up the issue and guarding it so tightly because they must have done something sinful and didn't want anyone to find out..."

At this point, the boss's eyes were red, like an angry but incompetent beast.

"It's just a pity that my husband and I have no one to rely on in this town. We have no connections and no money to buy information. In the end, we had no choice but to report to the authorities and sue Mr. Jia."

Lin Qingxin said that in the world she lived in, this was undoubtedly the best choice.

But in this context, she couldn't guarantee it.

She even had an inexplicable feeling—

This would be the worst option.

It turned out that she was not wrong.

"But I never expected that the county magistrate, that bastard official, wouldn't serve the people. Instead, he only cared about those rich and powerful lords! Before the court even started, he directly convicted me of false accusation and threw me into jail, where I was held for a full month before being released!"

Lin Qing frowned.

She knew that in some places, officials and the rich would collude and combine their interests, but it was rare to see them go so far.

The boss wiped his eyes with his greasy cuff and continued:

"After I was released, I secretly went to the Jia Mansion again. That day they were marrying a new concubine and seemed to have completely forgotten about my Xiao Wan...

"An acquaintance stopped me from causing trouble and said that my complaint had angered Master Jia, and that a month in jail and daily beatings wasn't enough, and he had plenty of other ways to deal with me.

“It was then that I understood why my wife was taking almost all of our family savings and going back and forth while I was being beaten half to death every day in prison.

"If that were all, it would be fine. But that person also told me that if you still want to mess around here, you might as well go to the mass grave to find Xiao Wan and bury her properly. I...

"That bastard! He actually made it so difficult for Xiao Wan to leave peacefully! She was such a beautiful child, yet he actually, actually left her without even a single layer of clothing on, wrapped in a straw mat and thrown into a mass grave..."