After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

"My lord, I don't think we should go."

Zhang He expressed her concerns.

After hearing Xu Wenjie's account of what he had seen and heard in town, he gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with his fingers until his knuckles turned white.

She said with dissatisfaction, "That registrar has all sorts of capable people under his command, yet he insists on getting you, a newcomer from the north, involved. He even wants to investigate some accounts. He must have listened to that Constable Chen. He's so trusting of others. He might really suspect you, my husband, of being the murderer. Regardless of whether he's a benefactor of Constable Hu or not, I don't think he's a good person."

Xu Wenjie smiled wryly, pried open Zhang He's hand that was clutching the hem of her clothes, and grasped it with his broad palm.

He said slowly, "Whether he is a good person or a bad person is another matter, but it is reasonable for him to have some doubts. In other words, this is actually a good thing for us. At least it has brought us into contact with the government, which will make some people with ulterior motives more cautious."

He lowered his voice even further as he spoke, afraid of waking the sleeping people in the room.

Zhang He was puzzled and indignant. "But what does this have to do with us? Do they really suspect that you, husband, did it?"

Xu Wenjie shook his head, his brows furrowed, and said, "I have done nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. I am not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door."

Under the moonlight, he stood upright, his figure radiating honesty, yet his eyes betrayed his worry: "I am more concerned about something else."

As he spoke, Xu Wenjie paused and whispered, "He Niang, we need to keep a close eye on the two children these days. Try not to go out, especially at night."

Zhang He felt a chill run down her spine. Recalling Xu Wenjie's earlier mention of chasing after the two children, she felt a wave of fear and gripped her husband's hand tightly.

"Husband, do you think that person is really Zhang Xiaolin?"

Xu Wenjie didn't answer, but simply patted the back of her hand gently.

If not, then who could it be?

Worries about their child kept the young couple sitting in the yard until late into the night; it was destined to be a sleepless night…

Mei Xiangyun, who was also unable to sleep, was also unable to fall asleep.

She was awakened the moment Xu Wenjie and his wife stepped out of the room.

Although the couple spoke very softly in the courtyard, Mei Xiangyun inside the house couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could roughly guess what they were talking about.

Looking at Xu Zhuzhu sleeping soundly beside her, and recalling the figure that had been chasing them relentlessly earlier that day, a thick gloom seemed to hang over her chest, making her feel incredibly heavy.

Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she let out a long sigh, smiled, closed her eyes, and looked relieved...

-

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhang He got up to prepare breakfast, only to find that Mei Xiangyun's spot was empty, the bed on that side was neatly arranged, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Sister Xiangyun?" She walked out of the courtyard and called out twice, but no one answered, and the courtyard was empty.

Xu Zhuzhu woke up in the morning with an urgent need to urinate. She rubbed her eyes and got up, only to find that Zhang He and Mei Xiangyun, who were sleeping next to her, were gone.

As soon as I came out of the house, I saw my mother standing in the yard calling out to Mei Xiangyun.

Upon closer inquiry, they learned that Mei Xiangyun was missing: "Sister Mei is gone?"

Zhang He was also puzzled. She shook her head and checked the area around the house, but found no trace of Mei Xiangyun. It seemed she had left.

Xu Zhuzhu looked around and suddenly noticed something on a stool next to the stove in the kitchen, which seemed to be weighed down by a bowl.

"Mother, look over there!"

The mother and daughter went over to take a look and discovered that it was a note with calligraphy practiced by Zhang Xu'an.

Mei Xiangyun was indeed literate.

Xu Zhuzhu pursed her lips and flipped through the papers in her hand.

The ink on the front and back of the paper had blended together, and the entire paper was covered in watermarks, but a line of text could be vaguely seen on the back.

[Leaving without saying goodbye was out of sheer desperation; I will repay your life-saving grace in the future.]

The handwriting had long since dried, indicating that Mei Xiangyun had been gone for some time.

"They were perfectly fine yesterday, why didn't they even say hello..."

Seeing this, Zhang He murmured to herself, feeling a slight sense of regret.

She went back into the house to check, wanting to confirm whether Mei Xiangyun really intended to leave without saying goodbye. Only then did she suddenly remember that Mei Xiangyun didn't even have a bundle, only a thin, tattered set of clothes, which she had already thrown away.

I was at a loss for words.

Xu Wenjie woke up to the noise and was surprised to see the mother and daughter standing blankly at the door early in the morning. He quickly asked what had happened.

"Sister Mei is gone."

Xu Zhuzhu looked up at her father, "Father, did you hear that noise?"

Xu Zhuzhu guessed that she didn't know that even her mother, with her sharp ears, hadn't heard it, so how could her father have?

Sure enough, Xu Wenjie shook his head, his brows furrowing slightly: "Gone? When did this happen?"

The couple talked late into the night, and he had been running around all day. He went straight to bed after returning home and didn't notice anything amiss.

Zhang He sighed and handed the papers in her hand to Xu Wenjie, but her doubts only grew stronger.

She recalled what happened yesterday and wondered if Mei Xiangyun had overheard something.

She avoided Xu Zhuzhu and pulled Xu Wenjie aside, asking softly, "Husband, do you think she suddenly left without saying goodbye because she overheard what we were saying last night?"

Xu Wenjie looked at the neat handwriting on the paper, pondered for a moment, and comforted Zhang He, saying, "Judging from this handwriting, it doesn't seem like a hasty departure. Perhaps she heard something and was afraid of being implicated by us."

Actually, it's better that they left; it'll be more convenient for their family.

Zhang He was depressed and somewhat dissatisfied: "He should at least say something. After all, he saved her life. Yesterday he said we would go to thank Brother Li together today, but today he left without saying a word."

"This is only natural."

He had a guess in his mind that Mei Xiangyun might be hiding from someone, but he couldn't say it to Zhang He.

Xu Wenjie just smiled and told her not to mind, then changed the subject to reassure her, "I'll go fetch some water."

Zhang He rolled up her sleeves, turned around sullenly, and went to start a fire to boil water.

Xu Wenjie was helpless to do anything about Zhang He's behavior.

Xu Zhuzhu felt it was a pity. She thought Mei Xiangyun was a good person, like an older sister, but she also knew that Mei Xiangyun couldn't live in their house forever, so she could only express her deep regret.

Because of this, Zhang He was sullen all morning, and even when Xu Zhuzhu teased her, Zhang He's smile was very forced.

The seedlings that Hu San Niang gave her were all wilting, and Zhang He had no interest in tending to her vegetable garden in the backyard. She just sat blankly in her room all morning.

Seeing Zhang He's expression, Xu Wenjie knew she was unhappy and didn't bother her. He and his two sons, Xu Zhuzhu and Xu An, quietly prepared lunch.

No sooner had the family set the table than there was a knock on the courtyard gate.

Zhang He suddenly stood up, wondering if it was Mei Xiangyun returning, and excitedly ran to open the door.

When the door opened, Zhang Chenshi was standing outside the courtyard with a smile on her face, but the smile froze on her face.

Zhang He had previously thought that Zhang Chenshi was such a gentle old lady, but she just didn't know how to raise children.

But ever since I heard Zhang Chenshi cursing Zhang Wangshi, I haven't had a good impression of her.

Besides, after Zhang Xiaolin's incident, everyone in the village knew that the two families were at odds. Why is she now coming to their door with a smile on her face?

"Aunt Zhang, what brings you here?"

Zhang He greeted her with a half-smile, sizing her up as she observed her true intentions.