I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 137 - 134: Night Visit to Lotus Village

She didn’t say where she was going, and the car arrived at Lotus Village. Jiang Mingyue only realized afterward that there were no secrets from Yan Jinzhi here.

Fine! From now on, honesty is the best policy.

"Which house are we going to?"

Jiang Mingyue: I thought you knew everything! Finally, her mood improved a bit.

"Go straight ahead to the house at the edge of the village, Zhou Shusheng’s place. I need to talk to him, get him to report the case. Three years ago, his daughter eloped with a stranger without a word, and the Zhou Family was shamed and ridiculed by everyone in the village for no reason. In fact, his daughter didn’t elope at all. Only by revealing the truth can Uncle Zhou’s family hold their heads high again, and it’s also to bring Yang the Third to justice and give Zhou Lanlan a fair treatment."

"Do we know anyone here? Zhou Shusheng doesn’t know us, convincing him might be difficult."

Regarding this matter, Jiang Mingyue has long been prepared.

At Uncle Niu’s house, the old man lay in bed unable to sleep, his insides were clamoring—not with hunger, but craving wine. Last time, the blind woman brought him some wine when she found him with a fever, but she didn’t leave any behind, leaving him so angry that he didn’t want to talk to her. He hadn’t had any wine since.

Sigh! Isn’t living just for that taste of wine? Without wine, life feels meaningless.

Just as Uncle Niu was thinking this, his nose suddenly caught the scent of wine.

Uncle Niu sat up in a flash, sniffed around a few more times, and confirmed it was indeed a rare fine wine, possibly plum wine, cool and mellow. This seemed more enticing than any wine he had ever tasted.

The old man got out of bed and didn’t forget to grab the cane beside him. As for shoes, they weren’t important; having wine was what mattered.

"Creak" went the door as the old man, with a voice full of energy, called out under the light, "Come out, which rascal is it?"

The "rascal" Yan Jinzhi was pushed out by someone without a conscience, and Uncle Niu was surprised to see a dignified young man, immediately caught off guard but switching to a friendly tone, "Young man, did you get lost?"

Jiang Mingyue smirked; it was always a face-recognizing world, regardless of the era.

Before Yan Jinzhi could answer, Jiang Mingyue quickly poked her head out, "Uncle Niu, I’m here to bring you some wine."

Upon seeing Jiang Mingyue, Uncle Niu instantly changed his expression and snorted coldly, "Disturbing my sleep at such an hour, how dare you have the nerve."

"Don’t be mad! Have a drink to calm your nerves."

Uncle Niu was amused but tried to continue ranting at the audacious girl when a bowl of cool, mellow wine appeared before him. Uncle Niu couldn’t focus on anything else and hurriedly took it, only to find it wasn’t as he had expected: the bowl was large, but only the bottom brimmed with aroma, leaving him quite peeved.

"Don’t rush, have a taste first."

Alright! I’ll trust this troublesome girl just this once.

Uncle Niu tipped his head back and downed it in one go, but the pure and aromatic flavor seeped into his heart, causing him to smack his lips and sigh with admiration, "Good wine!"

His bowl extended outward, clearly hinting at wanting more, but the impudent girl started to play hard to get.

"No rush! Help me with one thing, and the five pounds of wine in my basket are yours."

If he still didn’t understand the meaning behind the girl’s words, he really would have lived in vain.

With a cold snort, he said, "Let’s hear it."

Jiang Mingyue didn’t waste time and explained the matter clearly in just a few words.

Upon hearing it, Uncle Niu thought: This is truly a monumental affair! For years, he had been neighbors with Zhou Shusheng and had seen how he endured the sneers and ridicule from others. Everyone in the village cared about reputation, and Zhou Shusheng’s had been trampled underfoot. If what this girl said was true, the entire family could finally reclaim their dignity. But on the flip side, if something really happened to her daughter, the repercussions would be dire for the family—it seemed like a bitter situation all around!

"Uncle Niu, only the Zhou family can decide if it’s bitter or sour," Yan Jinzhi, who had been silent all this time, interjected.

Uncle Niu paused, then stood up with his cane, "Yes, whether it’s bitter or sour, only Shusheng can decide. Come with me."

At the Zhou family courtyard, there was no door or fence; you could step right in.

Late at night, there was the sound of crying, and Uncle Niu sighed.

"Shusheng’s wife, is Shusheng awake?"

The crying woman was Zhou Shusheng’s wife, Zhou Lanlan’s mother.

The crying stopped upon hearing the voice, and there was a rustling sound from the room. Soon, the door latch in the main room moved, and a haggard man, slightly bent, walked out.

"Uncle Niu, what’s up?"

Uncle Niu nodded and spoke solemnly, "Shusheng, let’s step aside and talk."

Zhou Shusheng’s brow twitched, sensing something was off, but he followed Uncle Niu’s words and led them to the kitchen, which was separate from the thatched living quarters.

Uncle Niu brought the fire, but Zhou Shusheng still lit a candle on the stove and closed the kitchen door.

"Uncle Niu, who are they?"

"They’re my niece and nephew from the city. They heard about your situation from me before and kept an eye out. They ended up discovering something significant. Shusheng, your daughter didn’t elope with someone else, do you believe that?"

Zhou Shusheng only paused for a second before slapping his thigh in delight, "I knew it! How could I not know my own daughter? She would never do such a thing."

"Shusheng, but your daughter is missing. Would you report it and ask the authorities for help in finding her?"

In the candlelight, the joy on the honest man’s face hadn’t faded completely before it froze.

His forlorn and troubled appearance mirrored the anguish within him.

After a long pause, he spoke, "Uncle Niu, do you think... do you think Lanlan is in trouble?"

Everyone knew the answer in their hearts.

If the girl didn’t elope with someone, something likely happened to her. Otherwise, how could such a dutiful child bear to let her parents suffer without revealing herself?

"Shusheng, whether something happened is for the authorities to decide, but regardless, shouldn’t her name be cleared?"

...

Convincing Zhou Shusheng was easier than they had anticipated. In the end, he agreed to meet at 8 a.m. in front of the department store in the city.

In Uncle Niu’s yard, Jiang Mingyue fulfilled her promise by bringing out a jar of wine, along with two marinated chickens and two servings of spicy rabbit pieces.

Uncle Niu, however, was no longer in the mood, so Yan Jinzhi took everything inside for him. The old man instructed him to store it all in the cabinet and locked it up.

Taking leave of the old man, Yan Jinzhi told Jiang Mingyue to rest inside the space.

"No, I want to stay with you."

Yan Jinzhi smirked, "Then put on my coat."

Jiang Mingyue stopped his hand and went inside the space to fetch a coat to wear, "It’s okay, I have one." Clearly, he could feel the cold too.

Yan Jinzhi felt a pang of disappointment.

Midway, the flashlight tied to the front of the car suddenly went out, plunging the path into darkness.

"Yan Jinzhi, stop the car."

Yan Jinzhi obliged and stopped, as Jiang Mingyue jumped out quickly to perform a "bare-handed wood split." Of course, it wasn’t that; with spiritual power, such a task was trivial. She picked a good stick to start a fire, and the darkness was once again lit up.