The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 638 - 601: Exposing the Truth (First Update)

Chapter 638: Chapter 601: Exposing the Truth (First Update)

The sky in the twelfth lunar month was naturally somewhat gloomy, and now the tense atmosphere felt as if layered with gray gauze, suffocating and oppressive.

Old Mrs. Lu was already supported by Mrs. Xiao Liu into the hall.

The noble ladies followed in, either standing or sitting.

Faced with a table full of delicacies, nobody had much appetite.

The woman who had been persistently hounding Wen Wan, surnamed Miao, accompanied by Granny Song by Old Mrs. Lu’s side to call for witnesses, had not returned.

Old Mrs. Lu said nothing, and everyone else naturally remained silent, yet they exchanged glances in small groups.

Today, there was undoubtedly a grand drama to unfold.

Wen Wan stood beside Old Mrs. Lu, having not spoken since entering the hall.

Mrs. Xiao Liu came over and whispered in her ear, "Although Second Uncle and Second Aunt have asked to be removed from the family, this matter is still related to the Lu Family. Mrs. Song, rest assured, the Lu Family will not sit idly by. Once everything is clear, there will surely be an explanation for you."

Wen Wan wasn’t familiar with Mrs. Xiao Liu and didn’t know what kind of person she was, but from just these few words, Wen Wan felt a sense of goodwill towards her.

Nodding her head, Wen Wan said, "I’m fine."

Just at this moment, an innocent voice suddenly came from outside, "Mother~"

Before Wen Wan could react, she saw Jinbao push through the crowd and run inside from outside.

The little fellow didn’t care about anything and rushed directly into Wen Wan’s arms, followed by Song Jiao who was panting heavily.

Wen Wan bent slightly, reached out to wipe her son’s little face, and then asked him, "Where did you play earlier?"

Jinbao’s eyes twirled and said he went to a fun place.

Wen Wan laughed softly, using a negotiating tone, "Why not go out to play with Big Sister for a while longer? Mother will come to find you as soon as she finishes her business."

"No." The little guy shook his head emphatically, then touched his stomach, "Mother, Jinbao is hungry."

As he spoke, he drooled while looking at the food on the table.

Mrs. Xiao Liu immediately reacted, calling everyone, "Perhaps they’ll take a bit longer to return, why don’t everyone take their seats? Today is the birthday of the old gentleman here, and regardless of what happens, we still need to eat; we can’t let everyone come hungry and leave hungry. That would really be our Lu Family hosting poorly."

The tense atmosphere was broken, and everyone at the table picked up their chopsticks.

After all this commotion, the dishes on the table had long gone cold, tasting bland like wax.

Wen Wan was arranged to sit by Mrs. Xiao Liu, with Song Jiao and Jinbao on either side.

Wen Wan had little appetite and focused on picking food for Jinbao.

Jinbao took two bites, looked up at Wen Wan, noticed her a bit distracted, and quietly leaned over to her ear, "Mother, with Dad here, there’s nothing to fear."

Wen Wan looked at her son in surprise.

Jinbao gave her a big smile, "I’ve already told Dad that someone is bullying Mother."

Wen Wan shifted her gaze to Song Jiao.

Song Jiao swallowed the food in her mouth and quickly explained, "I tried to stop him, but the little guy didn’t listen to me, and dashed towards the outer yard."

Sighing, she continued, "Actually, I think it’s good that he told Dad, maybe Third Uncle can find a way to help Third Aunt."

"This is the inner courtyard, your Third Uncle can’t come in, so even if he knows, what can he do?" Regarding this matter, although Wen Wan hadn’t thought of any good strategy yet, what she least wanted was for her husband to worry.

While she was lost in thought, the granny who had previously gone out with Mrs. Miao to call for witnesses returned.

Following her were Mrs. Miao and several simply dressed rural women.

Wen Wan immediately recognized Widow Liu, who was dealt with by her and Song Yuanbao years ago, among them. Beside her was an older woman named Meng, whom Wen Wan had met at the small courtyard of her maiden home when she got married; she was the eldest daughter-in-law of Granny who helped her comb her hair. The remaining two women, one about forty years old, was the very Aunt Song criticized heavily by Granny Song at the Song family banquet, narrowly avoiding spitting blood; the last one was around fifty or sixty years old, whom Wen Wan found unfamiliar and couldn’t remember where she’d seen her.

Seeing this lineup, Wen Wan knew the other party had come prepared.

To gather all these people in the Capital, the mastermind had certainly put much effort into this plan.

Song Jiao turned pale seeing many familiar faces, looked at Wen Wan in distress, "Third Aunt, what shall we do?"

Before Wen Wan could speak, Jinbao snorted, "Dad is here, no one can bully Mommy."

Although Song Jiao did not doubt Third Uncle, the current situation was beyond anyone’s expectations, clearly turning Old Mr. Lu’s birthday banquet into Third Aunt’s main event, showing someone had set up a snafu, bringing these people from Ningzhou early to the Capital, waiting for this day.

Indeed, Third Aunt came to attend today’s banquet only to fall into a trap.

Who could be so malicious?

Song Jiao felt deeply aggrieved.

Mrs. Miao and the others had already stood up in the hall.

Having found backing, Mrs. Miao changed from the previously tearful, timid look, now looking at Wen Wan with disdain and provocation.

At the main seat, Old Mrs. Lu took a sip of tea and snickered, "You seem well-prepared."

This was a sarcastic jab at Mrs. Miao’s calculated planning.

At this point, everyone could see someone had set a trap waiting for Wen Wan, but their concern was not who set the trap, but Wen Wan’s true identity.

On those gossiping faces, curiosity was written all over.

Those watching a play generally think—seeing your discomfort makes me feel happy.

Song Jiao was furious, her face turning livid.

Wen Wan subtly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to stay calm, then looked at Mrs. Miao, "Let them speak about what they know."

Wen Wan’s calm and unflappable response surprised Mrs. Miao again, making her freeze for a moment, then asked Mrs. Meng to speak first.

Mrs. Meng was a rural woman, had only been to the most decent place which was Pingjiang County. She’d never seen such a grand scene, and upon being pointed out, her whole being turned tense, seemingly not knowing what to do.

Mrs. Miao urged her, "Don’t be nervous, just say what you know. With so many people here, no one dares to do anything to you."

Only then did Mrs. Meng shiveringly say, "Twenty-some years ago, Wen the Second was a peddler, carrying a pole through the streets selling small trinkets for a living. Later, as business got better, he started operating in the county town, returning only once every couple of months.

I remember one time he went out for particularly long, about three or four months, at that time his mother, Ma, came to our home to ask if we’d seen her son when we went to the county. The county being so large, naturally, we didn’t see him, yet advised her not to worry, perhaps Wen the Second had expanded his business, and would soon come to take her to the county to enjoy a good life.

Not long after, Wen the Second indeed returned from the county, no one knew how his business fared, but he brought back a smart-looking young lady, Mrs. Lu, who was already showing pregnancy at that time. Villagers discussed this, and Wen the Second claimed that the child inside Mrs. Lu was his. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

An unmarried pregnancy was shameful upon spreading, Wen the Second didn’t throw a grand ceremony, just set off firecrackers and made good food at home to make up for Mrs. Lu’s marriage rites."

The next speaker was the elderly woman unfamiliar to Wen Wan, she said, "A few months later, Mrs. Lu gave birth, Wen the Second invited me to assist with the delivery. I’ve worked in this field for decades and have some experience. Once the baby is born, full-term or preterm, I can tell with a glance. That baby was clearly full-term, but considering the time Wen the Second left, it should have been preterm. I’m just a midwife, living by earning from helping at births. The hosts didn’t suspect, so I naturally wouldn’t speak up. I just took the payment and left."

At this point, Mrs. Miao continued, "There’s no need for me to elaborate on who the newborn was, as everyone has guessed it. It’s currently Mrs. Song sitting here in the hall."

After a pause, she went on, "When Mrs. Song was three years old, Wen the Second claimed to the public that Mrs. Lu died in an accident, saying she was washed away by the river and no body was found, so an empty grave was made as a cenotaph. In reality, it wasn’t so; we have witnesses to prove Mrs. Lu wasn’t washed away by the river but taken by someone."

While speaking, Mrs. Miao looked at Aunt Song.

Aunt Song, feeling inwardly guilty, took a glance at the seated Wen Wan, shakily stood up, and stammered, "Indeed, this humble woman can attest, Mrs. Lu was taken away by guards wearing armor and swords at their waists, using a carriage."

As she spoke, she grew more excited, "This humble woman witnessed it by chance, but aside from me, Song Sanlang was present, too. Before leaving, Mrs. Lu entrusted her daughter to Song Sanlang. As for witnesses, he is indeed the most credible one."