The Peasant Wife: The Prime Minister's Beloved

Chen Xi raised his eyes slightly, and asked jokingly: "Hey, Old Lady Chen, what treasure did you lose? Tell me about it."

He pretended to be curious, but he knew it clearly in his heart.

Old Mrs. Chen was speechless for a moment, caught off guard by this sudden question, and a hint of hesitation flashed across her old face.

Under Zhou Xuemei's repeated urging, Old Mrs. Chen finally couldn't hide it anymore and gave up, telling the truth.

"The fifty taels of silver hidden in my room are gone. That was the money your father left for me to use in my funeral. Now it's all gone. How can I live?"

Her words were trembling, and before she finished speaking, Old Mrs. Chen threw herself into Zhou Xuemei's arms, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.

When Zhou Xuemei heard this, she was surprised but also angry and distressed.

The fifty taels of silver hidden by the old man in the family was a considerable fortune for the family, but now it was lost for no reason and the family members didn't even notice it.

In the village, it is not easy to even collect one or two taels of silver, let alone this sudden huge loss.

"Chen Xi, did you sneak into our house and steal the silver and earrings?" Zhou Xuemei asked sternly, her hands on her hips.

Chen Xi sneered and counterattacked, "You said I stole it, what evidence do you have? Words are useless, don't forget that defamation will lead to a lawsuit!"

Zhou Xuemei was speechless for a moment, feeling that she was in the wrong but helpless.

Old Mrs. Chen wiped away the tears from her eyes and pleaded in a hoarse voice: "Chen Xi, please return the silver to me because of my old age. That is the retirement money your grandfather left for me."

Her words were filled with pleading, and her eyes were blurred by tears again.

Chen Xi shook his head, his tone full of sarcasm, "It's really funny, you lost something but didn't go to the government, instead you came to me to complain, what's the point of doing this?"

Seeing that Chen Xi was not moved by threats or inducements, the disguise on Old Lady Chen's face gradually collapsed, revealing her original hideous face and speaking in a vicious tone.

"Don't think I really don't know. You took advantage of our absence and sneaked in to take it away! Today is my final warning to you. If you don't return the items to their rightful owners, I will personally report the case to the authorities tomorrow and have the police catch you in the act!"

Chen Xi sneered and replied disdainfully: "Go ahead if you want to. I will stay at home and wait for those so-called officials to come."

"In this village, besides you, who else knows our family's secrets so well? You've been holding that grudge for so long, now isn't a good time for you to take revenge?" Zhou Xuemei pointed her finger at Chen Xi angrily, her eyes burning with anger.

"Don't make up stories here without solid evidence. I, Chen Xi, am not a soft persimmon that can be bullied by anyone. If you really make me angry, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

After Chen Xi warned, he slammed the door shut, and a loud bang echoed in the quiet alley.

After closing the door, Chen Xi was secretly proud in his heart. Judging from the expressions of Old Lady Chen and Zhou Xuemei, his strong response just now obviously shocked them.

When he returned to his own courtyard, Xie Tianyi was busy in the kitchen. Seeing this, he asked with concern: "Are the people from the Chen family here to cause trouble again?"

Chen Xi sighed and replied, "Yes, they said they lost something and they wanted to frame me, saying that I stole it."

"What does this have to do with us? Aren't they being unreasonable?" Xie Tianyi looked puzzled.

Chen Xi smiled bitterly, "It's useless for them to shout. Without real evidence, this matter cannot be blamed on me."

Xie Tianyi was full of questions when he heard this, but seeing that Chen Xi was unwilling to discuss further, he had to suppress his doubts and lowered his head to continue eating the food in the bowl in silence.

Outside the door, having been turned away, Old Lady Chen and Zhou Xuemei whispered a few words unwillingly, and finally could only return home with frustrated looks on their faces.

Without solid evidence, it would be useless to report to the police. He had intended to use this to threaten Chen Xi, but he didn't expect that the other party would not accept it at all.

Whenever Old Mrs. Chen thought about the money she had saved with great difficulty disappearing inexplicably, she felt heartbroken.

How should I live from now on?

I usually live frugally. If I had known this would happen, I would have taken it out and enjoyed it early, rather than losing it in such an unclear way.

After entering the room, Zhou Xuemei still had hope and asked Old Lady Chen again, "Mom, is there really that much silver?"

For Zhou Xuemei, fifty taels of silver was an astronomical figure. She could hardly believe that her family had accumulated such wealth over the years.

Old Mrs. Chen sighed and said slowly: "That was the money your father saved bit by bit when he was still alive. He told me to hide it first and make plans after he passed away. Over the years, I have never been willing to use the money and just hid it quietly. When you said that the earrings were missing last night, I had a bad feeling in my heart. As a result, I took a look and found that the money was gone. Oh, my darling, I am so sad that I can't even express it..."

As she spoke, Old Lady Chen slapped her chest heavily, and it was obvious that the pain in her heart made her very angry.

"The village chief has called everyone to a meeting at the entrance of the village. Should we go?" Zhou Xuemei looked at Old Lady Chen cautiously, her eyes full of hesitation.

Old Mrs. Chen pondered for a moment and muttered, "All the money is gone, what are you going to do? Can you conjure up some silver?"

But then she seemed to change her mind: "You should go and listen to what they are discussing, and then tell me in detail."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuemei nodded silently, feeling mixed emotions.

The morning sun gently sprinkled on Chen Xi's shoulders. She ate buns, and a satisfied smile quietly climbed up the corners of her mouth.

After dinner, she carried a few silver ingots and walked on the stone road to the village entrance.

Not far from the door, Chen Xi's eyes happened to meet Mrs. Xiong who was walking from the opposite alley, and they both stopped at the same time.

"Chen Xi, are we going to the village entrance?" There was a hint of hesitation in Mrs. Xiong's eyes.

"Yes, Mrs. Xiong, let's go together. We can still talk on the way." Chen Xi responded enthusiastically and smiled at her.

"Well, you know the situation at home. This one or two taels of silver is really an astronomical figure for us. I thought that maybe I could find some work at the entrance of the village and collect the money first." Mrs. Xiong's voice was low, full of helplessness and humility.

Seeing this, Chen Xi immediately understood her difficulties.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Xiong. I'll pay your share. I specially prepared some extra silver today. When I get to the village chief, I'll say that we've paid both of ours together."

Chen Xi's words were firm and powerful, instantly dispelling the gloom on Mrs. Xiong's face.

When Mrs. Xiong heard this, a hint of surprise first flashed across her face, and then she was deeply moved.

"Chen Xi, you...how can you do this!" Her voice trembled slightly and her eyes began to turn red.

"Mrs. Xiong, you are always so caring towards your neighbors, this little help is nothing. You don't have to worry about it, you really don't have to pay this money back."