Daily life of farming and supporting a family on the ancient Loess Plateau

Behind the desk in the main hall, Huo Zhenglian continued with a cold expression, "When did you discover that Li was missing?"

"Sir, I gave her a few words of reprimand and then went to rest for the afternoon, so I don't know when she disappeared."

"On what basis do you conclude that Li committed suicide rather than being murdered?"

“Sir, Madam Li doesn’t go out often and has never made enemies, but she often says that she doesn’t want to live anymore. I even tried to persuade her. Today, she was still telling people at the market that she didn’t want to live anymore, and many people on the street have heard about it,” Zhu Gou Niu said hurriedly, then slightly turned his head and gestured with his chin toward the crowd behind him.

Several people outside the hall immediately shouted, "Sir, we all heard Li say that she did not want to live. We can testify to that."

Zhu Gou Niu slightly raised his lips.

At this moment, a constable dressed as a yamen runner quietly stepped forward and whispered a few words to Huo Zhenglian in the hall. Huo Zhenglian frowned, waved his hand, and signaled him to leave.

Then, "smack!"—another sound of the gavel.

The magistrate said sternly, "Summon the other witnesses."

Soon, the yamen runners brought over several people.

Ji Yongling looked and saw that the old woman who sold cloth before was also inside.

Huo Zhenglian said to the people kneeling below the hall, "I have invited you here to find out if this Li has ever disrespected her parents-in-law or taken household property to her parents' home without permission."

The old woman selling cloth immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Honor, I am an old woman living next door to Zhu Gou Niu's house. Ever since Gou Niu's wife married into the family, she has never had a normal day. She is either beaten by Zhu Gou Niu or by her mother-in-law. She suffers from hunger every day, so how could she dare to disrespect her mother-in-law?"

As for taking household belongings to her parents' home without permission, that's even more impossible. Zhu Gou Niu and his mother don't even allow Gou Niu's wife to return to her parents' home, so how could she possibly take household belongings to her parents' home without permission?

Another villager chimed in, "Indeed, this dog-ox's wife has suffered too much since she married into the family. We all said that sooner or later she would either be beaten to death by Zhu Gou-niu or starve to death."

The old woman selling cloth kowtowed twice more and said, "Sir, I was also at the market today. Dog and Ox's wife did say she didn't want to live, but she had no intention of dying. She even wanted to see her widowed mother. Her mother is her biggest concern, and she would never easily leave before her mother."

"You old hag—" Dog Niu said in a low voice, his head lowered and his teeth clenched.

"Tell me about the usual conditions of this well," Huo Zhenglian said sternly.

The old woman selling cloth crawled forward two steps on her knees and said, "Sir, this well has been dry for many years. When Dog Ox's father was alive, he had people bring soil to fill it up, but it's only a few meters deep now. And it's usually covered with thick stone slabs, so ordinary women can't lift it at all. Dog Ox's wife is so thin and weak, it's even more impossible for her to lift herself up and jump into the well—"

"My lord, my lord, don't listen to this old woman's nonsense. That Li woman has been with quite a few men; maybe some random guy came to help carry the stone slab." Zhu Gou Niu hurriedly interrupted the cloth-selling woman.

Huo Zhenglian lowered his eyes and said coldly, "You keep saying that Li has a lover, but do you have any evidence?"

"This—" Dog and Ox hesitated for a moment, then shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.

"Bang!" Another gavel sounded.

"The story of the man who dug the well—"

Soon, a man covered in yellow dust and trembling was summoned to the court.

Upon entering the hall, the man immediately knelt down in the spot furthest from Dog and Cow's wife: "My...sir, I...I only went down the well to help that merchant from the south find something to earn a little money. I...I really didn't expect to step on such soft flesh. I was terrified! I've never done anything wrong in my life...how did I end up like this..."

"Tell me about the circumstances under which you discovered Li's body."

The well digger glanced sideways at the corpse of Dog and Cow's wife, then immediately turned to the magistrate and kowtowed, saying, "Your... Your Excellency, I was so scared at the time. I only know that Li was upside down at the bottom of the well, and I don't remember anything else. Later, the people above threw down a rope, and I tied Li's feet and pulled her up."

How deep is that well?

"I estimate it's only about three meters deep, not very deep."

Huo Zhenglian, sitting in the hall, frowned and glanced at the well diggers below. After thinking for a moment, he said to the people below the hall, "The original coroner of the county yamen has passed away. A new coroner has not yet been transferred, so we cannot examine the cause of death of this Li woman for the time being. Take her away first, and detain Zhu Gou Niu for the time being."

Zhu Gou Niu hurriedly cried out, "Your Honor, I'm innocent! I'm truly innocent. Your Honor, it's so hot now, I'd better take my wife back for burial as soon as possible, she can't be left here for long."

Huo Zhenglian said expressionlessly, "I have already sent someone to fetch a doctor. I will interrogate you after examining the body with Madam Li!"

"My lord, wait!" Ji Yongling shouted.

A bailiff wielding a fire-and-water stick shouted, "Who dares to disrupt the court!"

Ji Yongling bowed and said, "My lord, I have something important to tell you."

"Hey, Miss Ji!" Huo Zhiyuan, who had been hiding behind the county government office, exclaimed in surprise.

The magistrate in the courtroom slightly raised his eyelids, looked towards the door, and asked, "What is it? Is it related to this case?"

“My lord, this woman fainted in the market today. My aunt and I rescued her, and we gave her two ten-tael silver ingots and five copper coins. This old woman in the courtroom can testify to this. I suspect that this woman was murdered for money.”

The old woman selling cloth turned around and saw Ji Yongling standing at the entrance of the main hall, speaking ramrod straight to the magistrate. She quickly whispered, "Go back quickly, you brat, what are you meddling in for!"

Huo Zhenglian slammed his gavel, looked at the cloth-selling woman, and asked, "Is what this child said true?"

The old woman selling cloth was startled and trembled. She quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Honor, what this girl said is true. At that time, the steamed bun in Dog Ox's wife's arms fell out. It was for her sick mother. I felt sorry for her, and since this girl generously gave her five copper coins, I also took out five copper coins for her."

"Where are the two silver ingots?"

"This? The girl did give Dog and Ox's wife two things wrapped in leaves, about the size of a ten-tael silver ingot. I'm guessing."

Another person said, "Sir, I was there too. The girl did give Li two things wrapped in leaves and five copper coins. Not only me, but many people saw it. And when Li left, I even called out to her to be careful and not to be targeted by bad people."

Zhu Gou Niu was glaring fiercely at Ji Yongling when he heard what the cloth seller and the villagers were saying. He quickly turned back to defend himself, saying, "Your Honor, please understand! When Li returned home, she only had two pieces of pastry and ten copper coins in her pocket. She didn't have any silver ingots. Moreover, this girl was dressed in rags. How could she be someone who could produce two silver ingots?"