The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Old Mrs. Chen was like a trapped ant, searching everywhere in the room, leaving no corner or crevice untouched, but the fifty taels of silver seemed to have evaporated without a trace.

Finally, she sat down on the ground weakly, tears welling up in her eyes.

All the years of forbearance and dedication seemed to have vanished overnight, making her feel unprecedented despair and helplessness. Even the strength to cry seemed to be taken away by an invisible force.

Faced with this situation, Mrs. Chen was at a loss for words, and she didn't dare tell Zhou Xuemei about this heavy loss for fear of causing unnecessary panic.

She forced herself to calm down, but her heart was full of doubts and confusion: the place where she hid the money was so hidden, how did the thief take it all away quietly?

In an instant, a figure clearly emerged in Mrs. Chen's mind, like lightning streaking through the night sky—Chen Xi.

It must be her, thought Old Mrs. Chen, because she was the only one absent from the important meeting last night, which undoubtedly provided her with a perfect opportunity to do that evil thing.

Old Madam Chen secretly made a vow in her heart that when dawn came, she would go to Chen Xi in person to ask for an explanation.

That night, an indescribable atmosphere of tension permeated the Chen family courtyard.

Old Mrs. Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, her mind racing, unable to sleep all night.

The next morning, before the sun had completely dispelled the darkness, Chen Xi and Xie Tianyi were awakened from their dreams by a rapid and somewhat urgent knock on the door.

Chen Xi rubbed his sleepy eyes. In a trance, he seemed to hear the village chief's familiar and slightly anxious voice penetrating the door and echoing in the air.

The village chief called on every household to prepare one or two taels of silver and gather at the village entrance at dawn so that they could pay taxes to the court in time.

Chen Xi lazily sat up from the bed, and heard the crisp clucking sounds of several newly purchased hens.

Chen Xi was delighted, and hurriedly put on his clothes and got out of bed, walking into the slightly simple but lively chicken coop.

The scene in front of her made her smile knowingly. Four warm eggs lay quietly in the nest made of straw. Among the five chickens, one was obviously absent from today's contribution.

She bent down and carefully picked up the eggs on the ground.

Afterwards, Chen Xi picked up the wooden spoon beside him, scooped up a bowl of golden grains, and spread them evenly on the ground while humming a tuneless little song. He said cheerfully to the chickens that gathered around him, "Eat more. Only when you are full can you have the strength to lay more eggs for me."

However, this tranquility did not last long in the Chen family's courtyard.

Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen, two women who had not slept a wink last night, were feeling suffocated by the village chief's words.

Their eyes met, each other's eyes were full of worry and helplessness.

"Mom, what should we do? We have to collect that one or two taels of silver today, but where can we get any extra money at home?" Zhou Xuemei's voice was filled with impatience and helplessness, and she was very anxious.

Although Old Mrs. Chen also had a sad look on her face, the years of experience had already made her a calm and composed person who remained unperturbed by any change.

"Why are you panicking? Go see how other families deal with it first. Are we the only one who is in trouble?"

After she finished speaking, Old Lady Chen added, as if she had already made up her mind, "Besides, our house was robbed last night, your earrings were gone, and my jewelry was missing too. There must be an explanation for these losses."

When Zhou Xuemei heard this, her eyes suddenly opened wide, with surprise and confusion written all over her face.

"Your things are missing too? Do you suspect it's Chen Xi?"

Old Mrs. Chen nodded, a firm look flashing in her eyes, "I guess it's almost certainly Chen Xi. She knows everything about our family, but she was the only one who didn't attend the village meeting last night, so she's the most suspicious."

Zhou Xuemei was impatient. When she heard this, she immediately jumped up and said, "Then let's report to the police and have her arrested!"

Due to her personality, once she discovered any clues, she would immediately take action to eliminate the root of the problem.

Old Mrs. Chen was more experienced. "Guessing is useless. We need evidence. I plan to keep quiet and test her attitude to see if I can find any flaws."

When talking about the lost fifty taels of silver, Old Mrs. Chen felt as if her heart was being slowly pierced by a needle, the pain was unbearable.

That was the hard-earned money she had saved over the years by living frugally. Just like that, it disappeared without a trace. It was like cutting her flesh and digging out her heart, excruciatingly painful.

At this moment, in Chen Xi's home, everything seemed to remain as peaceful as before.

The family sat around the table, enjoying a simple but warm breakfast.

However, this tranquility was broken by the sudden and violent knocking on the door outside. The rapid "bang bang" sound indicated that the situation had spread to the doorstep.

Chen Xi's heart tightened, and he guessed that this matter was closely related to the theft last night, and the spearhead was directly pointed at him.

Xie Tianyi stood up to answer the door, but Chen Xi gently held his hand, motioning him to eat in peace, while he stood up to greet him.

The door opened slightly, and as expected, standing outside were Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen with complicated expressions.

Chen Xi rubbed his sleepy eyes, leaned against the half-open door frame with a cold face, and with a bit of impatience in his eyes, he slowly glanced at the two people in front of him.

"What can I do for you two so early in the morning? I remember you said in front of the clinic that you would not trouble me anymore. Why did you change your mind now?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in her words, and it was obvious that she didn't appreciate this sudden visit.

Zhou Xuemei's brows suddenly darkened when she heard this, and she asked rapidly, "You're asking even though you already know the answer. What were you doing last night instead of going to the meeting?"

There was a hint of anxiety and dissatisfaction in her tone. Her absence last night became the root of all the problems.

Chen Xi smiled contemptuously, leaning against the door frame more relaxedly, with his arms folded over his chest, looking nonchalant, "Do I have to report to you what I did last night?"

There was a gleam of provocation in his eyes, and it was obvious that he was not going to give in to the other party's questioning easily.

"I think you are guilty. Did you break into my house and steal something last night?" Zhou Xuemei made the accusation directly and mercilessly.

Her eyes were sharp, and she seemed to have determined that Chen Xi was the thief.

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Chen at the side couldn't help but sigh secretly.

A hint of helplessness flashed across Old Mrs. Chen's face, but she could only wait and see what happened.

After hearing this, Chen Xi sneered with disdain, "Why would I go to your house? What valuable things do you have at home? I don't even care about them."

After she finished speaking, her eyes revealed an arrogance that was superior to that of ordinary people, as if she was mocking the other person's ignorance and suspicion.

If there was really solid evidence, Zhou Xuemei and Old Lady Chen would definitely report it to the police directly instead of standing here and getting entangled with them.

"You stole my most precious pair of earrings, and my mother's things are also missing."

Zhou Xuemei spoke with certainty, but she had no idea that her real target was actually the hidden property of Old Lady Chen, and the earrings were just the result of the thief's casual theft.