Chapter 10: Trial of River God (I)
Translator: Flying Lines
Edited by Lord Immortal

Xie Mengxuan looked around, and finally, her eyes fell on Aunt Cui. Aunt Cui took a deep breath and stepped forward. She said with anger, “Mrs. Geng, if you are not willing to pay the money, we won’t blame you, but you needn’t disgrace yourself.”

“Aunt Cui, you should speak on your conscience. If my wife was unwilling to pay the money, why did she give you her Bu Yao and hairpin instead of simply saying she had no money?”

“Geng Zhishan, you have been speaking for your wife. Are you going to allow us to speak or not?”

“Let them talk. I want to know what disgusting things I’ve done.”

Aunt Cui went forward with a fierce look. “Your jewelry has been changed into money, and each family has its share. Why did you steal the money back at midnight? If you’re short on money, our Cui family can lend it to you without any condition.”

Aunt Cui said with indignation and pity, which made others also feel anxious. How catching!

“Yes! What shameful behavior! She even took away our eggs which I intended to feed my young grandson.”

“It was the same with us. We are not rich, and just had two portions of salt meat at the door. They were also stolen.”

“And our corncobs!”

“Our vegetables were stolen as well!”

So many men, so many minds. Everyone was talking about their stolen things. The more they spoke, the brighter the smile of Xie Mengxuan became, and the darker the face of Geng Zhishan turned.

Who did these immoral acts? He showed an anxious look and came forward. “Don’t be confused, everyone. My wife never left home. How could she steal your things with an injured leg?”

There was something sinister in the eyes of Aunt Cui. “Her leg was indeed injured, but there’s someone else who’s healthy.”

Geng Zhishan raised his eyebrows. “You are doubting me?”

He perfectly played the role of a man who felt sorrow for being suspected but had no way to explain.

With a wave of Aunt Cui’s hand, others scattered to expose the Zhao brothers. “The Zhao brothers saw you with their own eyes. Are you going to deny it?”

Xie Mengxuan was excited as if she was watching a movie. Geng Zhishan felt nothing he could do inside, but had to maintain his anxiety and anger.

“I know how your money was gone! Yesterday, these two men entered my house and took away the silver bracelet of my wife. When they were out, they were highly likely to sneak into others’ homes.”

When Geng Zhishan finished speaking, his words seemed to give the Zhao brothers leverage against himself. They said out loud, “Look, look, as I’ve said before, he’ll definitely slander us.”

Zhao Long went to the forefront and saluted the villagers with his hands folded. “Fortunately, we’ve already told the villagers about the cause and effect. Otherwise, we were bound to be defiled by your gossip.”

The face of Geng Zhishan turned red from anger. “If so, why did you steal the silver bracelet of my wife?”

Pointing at Geng Zhishan, Zhao Hu immediately said, “Geng Zhishan, We always thought that you are an honest man, a real man. Now it seems that you’re also tempted by wealth and beauty. The woman intended to bribe us with these two things.”

The two men righteously threw the things in their hands onto the ground. The eyes of Xie Mengxuan fell on the silver bracelet and shone faintly, but the smile remained.

She asked slowly, “Since it’s a bribe, what are you doing now?”

Looking at each other, Zhao Hu and Zhao Long had no trouble answering her question. “We all belong to the same village. How can we be against our folks for these worldly things? We pretended to receive her bribe as evidence.”

Clap! Clap! Clap! Xie Mengxuan could not help applauding. When everyone was attracted by her, she said, “If so, I’m really guilty.”

“Have you received the money? Did you all hide the money in the same place? There are so many families. Even if my leg had recovered, how could I, a weak woman, not be tired after sneaking into that many houses in a night?”

“What an eloquent speaker! You must have another accomplice!”

Xie Mengxuan wore a faint smile. “If I really had an accomplice, how could you still live in peace?”

Someone chimed in to help Aunt Cui. “How unreasonable you are! There are both the witness and the material evidence. How dare you deny it? Let’s bind her and hand her over to the River God.”

This suggestion immediately got the support of everyone. They all shouted in unison: “Yes! Hand her over to the River God!”

Handing her over to the River God, in other words, was directly binding her to a stone and throwing her into the river so that she would drown to death. They called this in a disguised manner, but actually, they wanted her to die!

Geng Zhishan was really anxious. In front of so many people, it wasn’t easy for him to save Xie Mengxuan without being exposed. But if the people he had secretly arranged saved her, they would directly send her back. His pretending all those days will be in vain if it really happened.

Geng Zhishan stepped forward and reproached, “How dare you!”

The honest and simple man was filled with indignation at this moment. He went half a step forward while full of momentum. He no longer looked like a common farmer.

The villagers had never seen Geng Zhishan behave in this way, and they were shocked at the moment.

Xie Mengxuan slightly narrowed her eyes and became even surer that this man was absolutely not ordinary.

“Geng Zhishan! What are you doing? Are you scaring us?”

Different from others, Zhao Long and Zhao Hu regained their thoughts and took the lead in regaining their thoughts to reproach.

This yell made others quickly react. Immediately, Geng Zhishan became the target of public criticism and was blamed by everyone, but he stood in front of Xie Mengxuan without retreating. Whatever they said, he didn’t recede.

“If you want to kill my wife, kill me first!”

Although the villagers were domineering, they had never thought of killing Geng Zhishan. After all, they all belonged to the same village.

Aunt Cui was also a bit timid, but when she thought of the large sum of money, she went one step further and said, “Geng Zhishan, we will hand this girl over to the River God according to the rules of the village. If she comes back safely, it means the River God has judged her not guilty. Then we will never find faults with this girl in the future but help you hold the marriage banquet instead! This solution is fair and just. What do you think?”

“No! My wife can’t swim. Even if the River God forgives her, she can’t live in the deep water. At that time, you’ll find whatever excuse you like.” Geng Zhishan refused.

What he said scared Xie Mengxuan. She could not swim, but only a handful of people knew this. It seemed that this man was not only extraordinary but also clear about her.

The eyes of Xie Mengxuan fell on Geng Zhishan and slightly narrowed.

Geng Zhishan felt her eyes pierce his back like a needle. He also knew that he had said he should not have in a hurry, but his back remained straight and still.

“Are you willing to accept the trial of the River God?” Aunt Cui suddenly turned to Xie Mengxuan.

Xie Mengxuan combed her hair with her fingers and said, “Okay.”

Aunt Cui showed a faint smile of victory, while Geng Zhishan looked incredulous with his eyes opened wide.