The county magistrate fell into deep thought, still weighing the matter.
However, the scholars and candidates outside the yamen could no longer contain their impatience.
Six generations of washing away daughters?
Although the idea of male superiority over female had been around for ages, the Qin family's act of "washing away daughters" was simply too shocking!
Qin Jin was a scholarly man, always polite and gentle in his interactions. No one would have ever thought that he could be so heartless as to harm his own flesh and blood with his own hands!
Mianmian had been well - nourished by Li Ying and Granny Sun. She had rosy lips and white teeth, and her chubby little face was so cute. Now, in front of her biological father Qin Jin, she was crying so hard that she was almost out of breath. Anyone who saw her would feel heartache.
What shocked them even more was that this simple - dressed fisherwoman in front of them was actually the owner of the "Bright Moon Fruit"?
It turned out that when Li Ying sold the coconuts to Feiyan'er that day, to dispel her doubts, Li Ying casually wrote a few poems about the bright moon for her and assured her that with these poems, they would surely attract many literati.
Feiyan'er did as she was told, and as expected, it worked.
But she was just a common and vulgar woman. Those patrons came here out of admiration, but after seeing her lack of knowledge, they left disappointed.
As a result, there was a rumor in the town that the person who sold the "Bright Moon Fruit" was the real great scholar with outstanding talent.
Li Ying had been busy boiling the glue in the past few days and had turned a deaf ear to these rumors. She had no idea that without realizing it, she had already become the dream lover of countless scholars and candidates.
Now that she had revealed her identity, combined with the shock of the Qin family's "washing away daughters" incident, the scholars immediately became excited and shouted with raised arms.
"Your Honor! Please make a fair judgment and give Lady Li justice!"
The two yamen runners that Li Ying had bribed in advance also timely advised, "Your Honor, it's hard to go against the public's anger. How about..."
Seeing that the situation was not good, Qin Jin frowned tightly.
Getting a divorce was already embarrassing enough. If it really came to a lawsuit for divorce... Where would the Qin family's face be?
Qin Shao had a sudden inspiration. He crawled a few steps on his knees, knelt in front of the county magistrate, and shouted loudly, "Your Honor! Don't be deceived by this woman! She is unchaste and already has a lover. All this is a deliberate scheme of hers just to elope with someone!"
Oh?
The county magistrate raised his eyebrows and said, "Where is this lover?"
Qin Shao looked smug and quickly replied, "Your Honor, that person is a coolie at the dock. His surname seems to be Lu."
Not long after, Lu Xunguang was brought to the courtroom.
He looked tired, as if he had been sleeping and was forcefully dragged here.
"Do you know this woman?"
Lu Xunguang nodded. "I do. She's the new Boss Li at the dock. She has excellent skills."
"Have you had any improper or over - stepping interactions with each other?"
Lu Xunguang frowned and thought for a moment. "There have been interactions, of course. Three copper coins for a meal every day. Boss Li sells food. If we don't pay, isn't that just robbing? That would be over - stepping the line, wouldn't it?"
He said this so calmly that it defused the situation easily. Li Ying secretly gave him a thumbs - up in her heart.
Qin Shao was not willing to give up. "Your Honor, don't listen to this cunning coolie's nonsense. Under severe torture, he will surely confess their illicit relationship!"
Just as he was shouting, a loud roar came from outside the door.
"Bullshit! Brothers work themselves to death carrying heavy loads every day. We are all honest and down - to - earth people. You scheming scholars, do you still want to force us to admit something we didn't do under torture!"
Li Ying turned her head and saw that the coolies at the dock and the fisherwomen had somehow got the news and rushed over in a hurry to speak up for her.
The coolies had always disliked these pedantic scholars. Now, they were on the verge of an outburst and started shouting and swearing.
"Your Honor... It's hard to go against the public's anger. What do you think...?"
The two yamen runners timely reminded.
The county magistrate pressed his temples and slapped the gavel hard again.
"I've made my decision! The marriage between Lady Li and Qin Jin, the eldest son of the Qin family, has come to an end. Their affection and righteousness are broken. Since things have come to this, Qin Jin, write a letter of divorce. From now on, go your separate ways and each find your own happiness! Don't entangle anymore and waste your official career in vain!"
The county magistrate still took into account that Qin Jin was a scholar and left him some dignity.
Qin Jin gritted his teeth. He never expected that he would end up like this in the end. But he also knew that the county magistrate was right, so he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
Holding the letter of divorce with the ink still wet, Li Ying felt a burst of relief in her heart.
She was finally free!
The common people gathered around and talked about it in all directions. Everyone sighed. They didn't expect that the Qin family, a well - known family in the town, would do such a despicable thing behind their backs.
The two yamen runners also came over to greet her. "Congratulations, Lady Li. If anyone bullies you and your child in the future, just come and report it to the authorities."
Li Ying smiled and bowed. "I'm really grateful to you two constables for your help today. I'll cook some delicious dishes tomorrow and invite the brothers in the yamen to drink!"
The two yamen runners waved their hands repeatedly and just said, "It's easy to talk about."
After everyone left, Li Ying looked around but couldn't find Lu Xunguang's figure. She frowned slightly.
It was really not her intention to involve him in this.
Although she didn't know where this man came from, since he was hiding his identity, he must have his own reasons.
Wouldn't she... have caused trouble for him?
Thinking of this, Li Ying couldn't help but feel a little uneasy in her heart. But she didn't show it. She had to cheer up and go back to the village with the fishermen.
To celebrate the successful divorce and to thank the villagers for their support, Li Ying specially bought dozens of catties of noodles.
She bought some black fungus and hazel mushrooms in the mountain goods store, then went to the bean curd shop to buy some gluten and dried tofu, and finally went to the meat shop and cut a large piece of streaky pork.
The big green mule was fully loaded on the way back. The fishermen were amazed. They didn't expect that in just three days, she bought an old black donkey first and then led back a mule.
"A Ying, you can't eat this mule this time, right? Hurry up and give it a name!"
The wife of the bamboo craftsman Li joked with her. Li Ying was busy slicing the cooked streaky pork and casually replied, "Well, I've thought of a name. It's called Wu Zhui!"
Since she couldn't afford a horse, it shouldn't be too much to give the big green mule the name of a famous steed, right?
Mrs. Li had never heard of "Wu Zhui", but Li Ying was always full of unexpected new ideas, so she didn't really care.
While chatting, the hazel mushrooms, black fungus, and cauliflower had already soaked into a full basin.
Li Ying sautéed scallions and ginger until fragrant, then stir - fried the sliced meat until it curled slightly. She added the dried tofu and gluten. After stir - frying evenly, she added the mountain goods and the soup from soaking the hazel mushrooms, as well as salty sauce, oyster sauce, and salt. After boiling over high heat, she thickened it with starch, and finally poured in the beaten egg liquid.
The three - fresh gravy was floating with a thin layer of egg flower like a cloud. It was most suitable for mixing with noodles.
Li Ying washed the pot and then started to stir - fry four hot dishes to go with the noodles.
The shredded meat was evenly coated with starch to lock in the moisture. After being cooked, it was soft and juicy. Paired with the fresh dried tofu and chives, it was refreshing and not greasy.
The tiger prawns were shelled and the shrimp veins were removed. They were marinated with yellow rice wine to remove the fishy smell and paired with cucumber segments. The shrimp meat was red and the cucumbers were green. They were crispy and delicious when eaten.
The gluten was cut into thin strips, deep - fried until crispy to get rid of the greasy cold oil, and then coated with a layer of sweet and sour sauce. It was sweet and sour, which was most popular among women and children.
Finally, she stir - fried a plate of fluffy eggs.
The fisherwomen who came to help had already prepared the side dishes according to Li Ying's instructions. The soybeans were cooked and drained, the bean sprouts and green vegetables were blanched and cut into sections, and the radishes and cucumbers were also cut into thin shreds. They were neatly arranged on the table, looking fresh and pleasant with their yellow and green colors.
Pick up a chopstick of noodles that had been rinsed with water, mix in the four hot dishes and side dishes, and pour on the thick three - fresh gravy. A bowl of noodles was colorful, salty, fresh, and chewy, with the crispy sweet and sour gluten shreds in between. It was like a treasure hunt, and every bite brought unexpected surprises.
The coolies at the dock and the fishermen held large bowls and slurped the noodles loudly. Some were discussing the Qin family's unkindness, while others were surprised that Li Ying, such a young girl, had such great skills. It was a happy and harmonious scene.
However, among this lively crowd, Lu Xunguang's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Li Ying felt restless for no reason.