PNB Chapter 234: Ungrateful
Chapter 234: Ungrateful
Pei Yan was only concerned about the safety of Fang Xiaoxiao and his brothers, and remained unmoved by Li Yuting's enthusiasm.
This made Li Yuting's resentment towards Fang Xiaoxiao even deeper.
One day, while Fang Xiaoxiao was out gathering herbs, she went to Pei Yan's residence again.
“Young Master Pei, look at that Fang Xiaoxiao, she doesn’t know what’s good for her. She’s not as considerate as I am to you.”
Li Yuting said coquettishly.
Pei Yan frowned and said.
“Miss Yuting, please have some self-respect. Fang Xiaoxiao is our savior; we hope you will not make things difficult for her.”
Li Yuting said angrily.
“Young Master Pei, why can’t you see my good points? My father is the village chief. As long as you follow me, I will definitely make sure you live a comfortable life in this village.”
Pei Yan's face darkened, and he said.
“Miss Yuting, my heart belongs to someone else, please stop bothering me.”
Li Yuting stomped her foot, then ran out crying.
When Fang Xiaoxiao returned from gathering herbs, she saw Li Yuting running away crying, and she roughly guessed what had happened.
She shook her head helplessly and went inside.
"How are you feeling today?" Fang Xiaoxiao asked.
Pei Yan nodded.
"Thanks to you, Xiao Xiao. But that Li Yuting..."
Fang Xiao smiled.
"Don't worry about her, she just acted impulsively and made a mistake."
But the matter did not end there. After running home, Li Yuting cried and told the village chief her story.
Although the village chief felt that his daughter was somewhat willful and reckless, he still felt sorry for her, and therefore he also felt some dissatisfaction with Fang Xiaoxiao and the others.
That day, several chickens suddenly went missing from the village, and some people began to spread rumors that it was Fang Xiaoxiao and her fellow outsiders who were responsible.
In an instant, the villagers' attitude towards Fang Xiaoxiao and her group turned hostile again.
After learning about this, Fang Xiaoxiao was determined to find out the truth and clear her name, as well as everyone else's.
She searched around and observed carefully, and finally discovered that a rogue in the village had stolen the chicken at night and was trying to frame them.
After Fang Xiaoxiao noticed the rogue's actions, she quickly summoned Pei Yan and the others together and resolutely decided to confront the rogue face to face, determined to resolve this matter thoroughly.
The crowd tightly surrounded the rogue in the middle. Fang Xiaoxiao stared at the rogue with sharp eyes, showing no sign of backing down, and said solemnly.
"You stole the village chickens, don't even think you can get away with it!"
Upon hearing this, the rogue showed no sign of panic. Instead, he adopted a haughty and arrogant demeanor, letting out a disdainful snort.
"You're saying I stole it? Where's the evidence? Don't just spout nonsense and frame an innocent person!"
Fang Xiaoxiao remained calm and composed, speaking methodically.
“I have investigated thoroughly. Last night, I clearly heard roosters crowing near your house, and more than one person saw you sneaking out in the middle of the night. Your sneaky behavior is extremely suspicious.”
The rogue's eyes darted around, and he shouted loudly in his hoarse voice.
"What does that prove? Just because I went out, you think I stole chickens? I just went out to relieve myself in the middle of the night. How can that be a reason for you to frame me?"
Pei Yan took a big step forward, his gaze sharp as lightning, and rebuked him sternly.
"Stop your sophistry and excuses! If you didn't do something wrong, why would we find brand-new chicken feathers in your house that are exactly the same as the missing chicken? Is this just a coincidence?"
The rogue stubbornly persisted in his illogical arguments.
"I might have just picked up these chicken feathers by chance on the roadside. How can you accuse me of stealing chickens based on that?"
At this moment, Li Renyi stepped forward and said coldly.
"Then we'll search your house thoroughly. If we can find the missing chicken, let's see what excuse you have left!"
Upon hearing this, the rogue's face turned deathly pale, but he still stubbornly insisted on his words.
"You have no right to search my home; this is a pure invasion of my privacy!"
Fang Xiaoxiao smiled slightly and said slowly.
“If you have nothing to hide and are upright, why be afraid of a search? Many villagers are here watching, and everyone knows right from wrong.”
Seeing that everyone was adamant and showed no sign of backing down, the rogue knew he would have no chance of escaping. Suddenly, he turned around and tried to break free from their encirclement and escape.
Long Jinyan reacted quickly, rushing forward and firmly grabbing the rogue's arm.
Seeing that escape was hopeless, the rogue resorted to tantrums and begged for mercy at the top of his lungs, like a pig being slaughtered.
"Please, everyone, have mercy on me this time! I promise I'll never do it again!"
Fang Xiaoxiao remained unmoved and said with a serious expression.
“If you do something wrong, you must bear the corresponding consequences. You must honestly come with us to apologize to the village chief and the villagers and compensate them for their losses.”
Seeing Fang Xiaoxiao's resolute attitude, the scoundrel rolled his eyes, changed his tune, and began to feign pitifulness.
"Oh dear, I was just confused for a moment. We were really starving, so I had this wicked idea."
Please, everyone, have mercy on me this time. I promise I will mend my ways and start anew.
As she spoke, she even squeezed out a few tears, looking utterly disgusting.
Fang Xiaoxiao snorted coldly.
"Where were you all this time? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you were stealing the chicken? Now you know to beg for mercy, but it's too late!"
When the rogue realized that feigning helplessness was not working, his face darkened and he said viciously.
"Don't push us too far! At worst, we'll all go down together, and nobody's going to get away unscathed!"
Pei Yan shouted angrily.
"You dare threaten us? Today, we'll make sure you get the punishment you deserve!"
Seeing this, the rogue knew he couldn't escape, so he simply collapsed to the ground and started acting like a scoundrel.
"I'm not leaving, let's see what you can do to me!"
Everyone was somewhat helpless for a moment, just then the village elders arrived.
The rogue saw a respected old man in the crowd, his eyes lit up as if he had grasped a lifeline, and he immediately got up and ran to the old man's side to cry and plead.
"Uncle, you must do me justice! I've been wronged! They arrested me without even asking what happened; this is outrageous!"
The old man frowned and looked at Fang Xiaoxiao and the others.
"How is this going?"
Fang Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward to explain.
“Grandpa, he stole chickens from the village, and we have solid evidence.”
The scoundrel argued illogically.
“Uncle, they’ve framed me! I’m innocent. They just don’t like me and are deliberately picking on me.”
The old man was a little confused and looked around at the people.
The scoundrels continued to fan the flames.
"Uncle, you know me. Although I am not very successful, I would never do such a petty thing as stealing chickens."
They must have made a mistake. Now they want to arrest me; aren't they going to ruin my reputation?
Pei Yan couldn't help but say.
“Sir, we have ample evidence. There were chickens clucking near his house last night, and someone saw him sneaking out in the middle of the night. We also found chicken feathers in his house that match those of the missing chicken.”
"That rogue shouted."
“I picked up those chicken feathers. Just because someone saw me go out doesn’t mean I stole chickens. It’s all a coincidence. They’re just trying to frame me.”
The old man's expression turned serious.
"Stop arguing, I need to investigate this matter thoroughly."
The rogue seized the opportunity to speak.
"Uncle, so many of them are bullying me, you have to stand up for me!"
The old man was silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Take the person to the ancestral hall first, and then make a conclusion after the investigation is completed."