After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Back at the clinic, Gu Lin handed the food to Sister Zhao, but she refused to accept it and told him to eat it himself. Gu Lin persuaded her, "I've already eaten. This is for Da Gen to nourish his body. Sister Zhao, please don't refuse it."

Upon hearing Gu Lin's words, Sister Zhao knew that if she refused him outright, it would not only seem distant but also hurt his feelings. She took the food box, patted the back of Gu Lin's hand, and said, "Thanks to you, Brother Lin."

When someone is suffering, too much comfort will not bring them strength, but will only increase their pain. Gu Lin had a similar experience, so he did not say much.

"Uncle Gu."

Zhao Dagen woke up. His parents had already told him about Gu Lin's help to their family. He gratefully said to the boy standing not far away, "If Uncle Gu ever needs anything from me, Zhao Dagen, please don't hesitate to ask."

For Zhao Dagen, if Gu Lin hadn't intended to help him seek justice, he would have had to swallow this loss and be ashamed to face his parents. He was already an adult and should have been the head of the household, but instead, his parents had to swallow their pride and borrow money from all sides to treat his injuries.

At the same time, Zhao Dagen was filled with worry. If what Uncle Gu had done that morning was exposed, then the Wang family's son-in-law would definitely not let it go. The other party had taken such a great risk to help him, and Zhao Dagen was not an ingrate. No matter what the outcome of this matter, he would remember this kindness.

Seeing Zhao Dagen's thoughts, Gu Lin sighed slightly. All three members of the Zhao family were kind and honest people, and they always felt guilty and uneasy when faced with help from others.

Gu Lin didn't want him to worry too much while he was recovering, so she reassured him: "Just focus on recovering and get better soon. I don't need your help making bamboo tubes at all."

"This little injury is nothing, I'll be back to work in a few days." Zhao Dagen's dry, pale lips parted into a simple, honest smile.

Gu Lin dared not agree to let him make bamboo tubes while he was injured, but he could not refuse outright either. So he said, "There is no rush for the bamboo tubes right now. Sister Zhao has made enough. While you are recuperating, could you help me figure out a shockproof wooden cart? I never dare to put the bamboo baskets on the cart when I ride in it, for fear of breaking the pottery jars inside."

Upon hearing Gu Lin's words, Zhao Dagen's smiling face turned somewhat disappointed and dejected: "I'm sorry, Uncle Gu, I haven't formally become an apprentice yet, so I can't make wooden carts."

Not only can he not do it now, but his reputation is ruined, and he may never be accepted as an apprentice by a carpenter again.

Seeing the other person's disheartened look, Gu Lin said, "I've seen the wooden chairs and tables in your house. I heard from Sister Zhao that you made them yourself. If I hadn't known beforehand, I would have almost thought that you had a carpenter specially made them. In my opinion, your skills are already good enough to make you a carpenter on your own."

Gu Lin spoke sincerely. He had seen all the furniture in Zhao's house, and each piece was sturdy, durable, and exquisitely crafted. The craftsmanship was definitely top-notch. Gu Lin was not lying to Zhao Dagen just to please him.

"Then I'll give it a try," Zhao Dagen said, gritting his teeth and making up his mind.

Zhao's wife had already set out the food. Since Zhao Dagen couldn't eat anything too greasy, she only served him a bowl of chicken soup before she and Zhao's brother started eating.

The braised pork was glistening and reddish-brown. The two of them ate until there was still some left. Zhao's sister-in-law couldn't bear to throw it away, so Gu Lin said, "Sister-in-law, you can put the meat in the food box to eat tonight, but if you don't finish it tonight, you'll have to throw it away."

Sister Zhao nodded quickly, then put the remaining braised pork in a food box to store it.

After they finished lunch, Gu Lin didn't leave. Brother Zhao had stayed up all night watching over Zhao Dagen and would definitely need to rest later. Sister-in-law Zhao hadn't slept well either and was feeling dazed, so Gu Lin was worried about leaving.

Since Zheng Hao hadn't finished school yet, Gu Lin decided to stay at the clinic and wait for Zheng Hao to finish school in the evening before going back to Xiahe Village together.

But unexpectedly, in the afternoon, a man came to the door with two constables.

The man was seven feet tall, with a fair complexion and black beard. He wore fine cloth clothes and had a sharp gaze unlike that of ordinary people. Two constables stood behind him, with him as their leader.

Li Xiaoli glanced at the four people in front of him, and finally his gaze fell on Zhao's wife. He asked, "Was your son Zhao Dagen injured by Wang the carpenter's son-in-law?"

Zhao's wife was stunned and didn't react for a moment. Gu Lin nudged her before she came to her senses. When she saw the man and the yamen runner in front of her, her face turned pale.

Seeing the woman's fearful reaction, Li Xiaoli's initial dissatisfaction with her not responding promptly vanished. He said, "Don't worry, I am an official of the county government. The county magistrate was furious when he learned that Chen Xiaoli was abusing his official position to act tyrannically and cause death. He specifically ordered us to find the victim and go to the county government to cooperate with the investigation."

Chen Xiaoli was the son-in-law of the Wang family.

"Really? Really?"

Upon hearing this, Sister Zhao's eyes welled up with tears, and she asked in a trembling voice, her face full of disbelief.

Seeing the woman's incredulous expression, Li Xiaoli, despite his desire to eliminate his enemies, couldn't help but feel pity. He patiently said, "It is indeed true. The magistrate even ordered us to carry the victim to the county office. You can appeal to the magistrate. He hates evil and will surely punish the perpetrators severely."

"Brother Lin".

Sister Zhao turned to look at Gu Lin, her eyes filled with unease. Although Li Xiaoli made a promise that he would not harm them, the Zhao family had been farmers for generations and had always avoided the county government. They couldn't help but feel panicked and afraid at the prospect of going to the county government.

Gu Lin thought for a moment, then looked at Li Xiaoli and said, "Sir, I wonder if I can go with the Zhao family? The Zhao family is currently injured and old, and they need others to run errands for them in many ways."

Li Xiaoli naturally recognized the young man in front of him as the owner of the cold dish stall. Seeing that the three members of the Zhao family were indeed old and injured as he had said, he said, "Alright, let's go together."

As soon as Li Xiaoli finished speaking, the two yamen runners behind him stepped forward and lifted Zhao Dagen onto the wooden bed frame. Seeing this, Gu Lin led Zhao's wife and brother to follow Li Xiaoli to the county yamen.

As soon as they entered the county government office, Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao's legs began to tremble. Gu Lin tried to comfort them, but it was no use. It wasn't until they entered the main hall of the county government office and saw Chen Xiaoli kneeling below that Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao's attention was immediately drawn to him. Their legs stopped trembling, and they glared at him with hatred in their eyes.

Besides Chen Xiaoli, a man wearing an official hat and robe was also sitting in the main hall. At Li Xiaoli's signal, Gu Lin and the other two knelt down and bowed to the man, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Excellency the County Magistrate."

Although Gu Lin was disgusted by the idea of ​​kneeling, he wouldn't cling to his pride when facing the county head who held the power of life and death over him.

Isn't it obvious enough that ordinary people are treated like dirt, their lives as cheap as weeds, at the mercy of others?

Magistrate Ye's sharp gaze swept over the crowd below, finally settling on Zhao Dagen. He asked in a deep voice, "Victim Zhao Dagen, were the injuries on your body inflicted by Chen Xiaoli?"

Gu Lin glanced at Chen Xiaoli, who had been looking at them with venomous eyes ever since they entered.

Zhao Dagen used to be afraid of Chen Xiaoli, but now, seeing his aged parents and Gu Lin who was working hard for him, and thinking of his family that was on the verge of breaking apart in the past two days, he mustered up his courage and said to Magistrate Ye with red eyes: "Please, Your Excellency, do justice for me. I was injured by Chen Xiaoli for no reason and almost lost my life. If it weren't for my elderly parents, I would have died long ago."

The words Zhao Dagen spoke were taught to him by Gu Lin. Ordinary people tend to panic when they enter the yamen (government office), and they might not be able to utter a complete sentence when questioned. To avoid any accidents and to give Chen Xiaoli a chance to turn the tables, Gu Lin had already discussed with Zhao Dagen what to say in the county yamen.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhao Dagen finished speaking, Chen Xiaoli reacted quickly and cried out his innocence: "Please, Your Honor, investigate thoroughly! I have been wronged! I was in a hurry and accidentally pushed Zhao Dagen, causing him to get injured. But it was unintentional and I had no intention of harming him."

Faced with Chen Xiaoli's distorted facts, Zhao Dagen became furious, and his pale face turned even more bloodless.

Seeing this, Gu Lin would not let Chen Xiaoli exonerate himself. He said to Magistrate Ye, "Please judge for yourself, Your Honor. If Chen Xiaoli's injury was unintentional, then why did he leave Zhao Dagen at home after injuring him and delay in making compensation? Why did he collude with Yue's family to ruin the victim's reputation?"

Seeing Gu Lin refute him, Chen Xiaoli was furious, but he had no choice but to reply: "I sent him home because my wife's family and I thought Zhao Dagen's injuries were too serious and he needed to be sent home to rest. We also don't know who is ruining Zhao Dagen's reputation outside. As for compensation, I was going to offer it today, but I didn't expect to be sued in court."

A cold glint flashed in Gu Lin's eyes. What a silver tongue! With just a few words, he portrayed himself as an innocent person who accidentally injured someone and sincerely repented, without mentioning at all that he had intentionally harmed Zhao Dagen.

Fortunately, they had made preparations before they arrived.

Gu Lin said, "Sir, I have witnesses who can testify that Chen Xiaoli intended to kill Zhao Dagen."

Chen Xiaoli's face darkened, and Magistrate Ye's expression hardened slightly as he said, "Summon the witness."

As soon as Magistrate Ye finished speaking, an old man, over fifty years old, walked in with a hunched back. His body trembled as he bowed his head and said, "This humble subject, Wang Erniu, greets Your Excellency, Magistrate."

Magistrate Ye asked, "Did the witness Wang Erniu personally witness Chen Xiaoli's attempt to kill Zhao Dagen? In court, if even half a lie is told, the punishment will be severed by the rod."

Wang Erniu replied in a trembling voice, "This humble subject dares not deceive you, sir. Yesterday, when Chen Xiaoli and Zhao Dagen were fighting, I happened to pass by the Wang family's house. I wanted to step forward to mediate, but the two fought more and more fiercely. Later, I saw Chen Xiaoli deliberately push Zhao Dagen onto a saw. Zhao Dagen was seriously injured and unconscious. I was afraid of getting into trouble, so I didn't dare to stay and quickly ran home."

“Afterwards, I always felt uneasy about my conscience. When the Zhao family came to my door asking me to appear in court as a witness, I came.”

Upon seeing the witness enter, Chen Xiaoli understood immediately. It was clear he was being targeted. He turned to look at Li Xiaoli, who looked at him directly without flinching, a hint of mockery on his lips.

As expected, it was the other party who did it. Chen Xiaoli's face was contorted and his breathing was rapid. If the other party hadn't interfered, how would the county magistrate have known about this? And how would these lowly people dare to confront him in court?

Li Xiaoli withdrew his gaze and said solemnly, "I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly and give the victims justice."

Magistrate Ye slammed his gavel and glanced at Chen, the junior clerk below, saying, "Chen Mu, do you have anything else to say?"

Chen Mu stared at Gu Lin and his group with a sinister look in his eyes, regretting that he hadn't eliminated Zhao Dagen completely, otherwise Li Xiaoli would never have been able to find any fault with him.

Now all the evidence points to him, and Chen Mu has no way to refute it.

Upon seeing this, Magistrate Ye ordered: "From this day forward, Chen Mu shall be dismissed from his post as a minor official, imprisoned in the county jail for three years, and ordered to pay the Zhao family ten taels of silver in compensation."

Seeing that he had been dismissed from his post, Chen Xiaoli's eyes were bloodshot, but when facing Magistrate Ye, he still had a sliver of reason left: "This humble subject confesses his guilt and thanks Your Excellency for your mercy."

"Court adjourned!" Magistrate Ye slammed his gavel down heavily.

Seeing the wicked man being punished and dragged away by the yamen runners, Sister Zhao cried and laughed with excitement. When she received the silver from Li Xiaoli, she still couldn't believe that she had really received compensation, and that the mountain that was originally unshakeable had been punished.

The entire Zhao family was overjoyed, but Gu Lin did not forget that one person had played a crucial role in making the matter go so smoothly. He gestured to Zhao's wife, who followed his gaze and then walked over.

Sister-in-law Zhao: "Thank you very much, Brother Wang, for appearing in court as a witness today."

Wang Erniu took a puff of his water pipe, coughed a few times, and said, "No need to thank me. I'm just avenging my daughter. If it weren't for Chen Mu and the Wang family, my daughter wouldn't have had her reputation ruined and been married off to another place."

Gu Lin hadn't expected this to happen, which showed how much evil Chen Mu and the Wang family had committed in the village over the years. Now, it was as if one of their evil deeds had been eliminated.

"If you want to thank someone, then thank Li Xiaoli. Without his guarantee, I wouldn't dare to stand in court as a witness," Wang Erniu said before leaving.

After dealing with Chen Mu, Zhao's wife still had to stay in the county town to take care of Zhao Dagen. Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Lin said goodbye to them and went to pick up Zheng Hao.

As soon as Zheng Hao stepped out of the school, he saw a young man standing not far away. The way the young man stood outside the school, looking up and waiting, seemed to be like other parents picking up their children from school.

Zheng Hao walked over and, seeing his relaxed expression, asked, "Is the problem solved?"

Gu Lin had been holding back his words for a long time, but he couldn't tell Zhao's wife and the others involved. Now that Zheng Hao asked, Gu Lin couldn't help but tell them everything that had happened that afternoon.

Bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, the two walked down the street, their shadows, one large and one small, stretching endlessly as they slowly faded into the afterglow.