"No grievances, no grudges? Hahaha..."

Dai Qiangsheng laughed uproariously toward the sky, his laughter eerily sinister, causing everyone to shiver involuntarily, their expressions changing slightly as a chill ran down their spines.

After a while, Dai Qiangsheng stopped laughing, his eyes narrow and filled with resentment and malice as they swept over the crowd, like a vengeful ghost reborn.

"You, always pretending to advise my father not to beat me, I know you actually revel in my misfortune; and you, gossiping behind my back that I am a rotten wood, incapable of greatness; you say I have a cold nature; you say I am not a man, that's why I can't have sons; your animals ate my crops; you sneakily moved the boundary stone onto my land, stealing my field; and you, you, you..."

Every time Dai Qiangsheng pointed at someone, he accused them of grievances between him and them, from the Clan Leader of Jinquan Village to the villagers, almost no one was an exception.

The crowd listened, dumbfounded.

What Dai Qiangsheng mentioned were trifles, some completely fabricated, yet he harbored grudges over these things, even plotting this plague that endangered the entire village. It was horrifying, utterly devoid of conscience; he deserved to be cut a thousand times!

Yang Mengchen's face was calm, his eyes as deep as the ocean.

The strictness of his parents, the hardships of life, the jealousy toward Liao Xiaofu, the unrequited love for Fang Qin, and the lack of proper guidance had all contributed to Dai Qiangsheng developing a paranoid personality and twisted mind.

He suspected others of malice in everything, and living under a state of oppression and gloom, given a trigger, it was natural for him to make a rash move, akin to what is known as schizophrenia in modern terms.

Xiao Hongtao looked stern and severe, "Just because of these, you planned this epidemic to harm the entire village?" Only a madman would do such a thing, right?

"Since they all look down on me and laugh at me, always opposing me, I want them to die! I want them to die!"

Dai Qiangsheng had indeed descended into complete madness. Since childhood, not a single day or event had gone his way. Now that his carefully arranged plan had failed, he would soon be reviled and executed, stripped of everything, everything.

Watching Dai Qiangsheng's frantic expression and loud screaming, Yang Mengchen said in a clear, cool tone, "Knowing that drinking the well water would lead to infection with the plague, and possibly death, why didn't you tell your wife? To my knowledge, since she married you, she has been thrifty and has never wronged you!"

"Wife?" Dai Qiangsheng showed undisguised disgust and disdain on his face, "I never liked her. If not for my parents' threat to take their lives, I would never have married her. Being with her in bed is like being with a log, completely uninteresting. She's also a hen that doesn't lay eggs. I have never acknowledged her as my wife, so of course I wouldn't tell her.

If she died, I'd immediately buy fireworks to celebrate!"

The crowd had seen shameless, but they had never seen someone as utterly disgraceful as Dai Qiangsheng, each person filled with anger and disdain.

Standing in the crowd, Dai Qiangsheng's wife, Hu Yueru, turned pale upon hearing his words, her lips pressed tightly as tears streamed down her face, her whole body on the verge of collapse.

The two sisters-in-law standing next to Hu Yueru hurriedly supported her, their faces full of worry and concern.

And Hu Yueru's two brothers were furious to the point of explosion; if Qing Qing had not stopped them in time, they would have already torn Dai Qiangsheng to pieces.

Seeing Hu Yueru's eyes brimming with sorrow and despair, Yang Mengchen sighed inwardly.

After finding out that Dai Qiangsheng was behind the ordeal, she had closely observed Hu Yueru, who seemed delicate and pretty but had a hint of firmness in her brows. Her demeanor was also appropriate, and the villagers praised Hu Yueru for being gentle, respectful, thrifty, and sincere.

Not wanting Hu Yueru to be implicated by Dai Qiangsheng, she had instructed Qing Qing to bring Hu Yueru and her family to witness the interrogation, so they could see Dai Qiangsheng's true character for themselves.

If Hu Yueru was willing, she would ask Uncle Xiao to grant her a divorce from Dai Qiangsheng on the spot, and then she could find a man who truly cared for her and lived happily ever after.

Dai Qiangsheng unexpectedly spoke such unspeakable words in public, damaging Hu Yueru's reputation, so naturally, it was not appropriate to mention the divorce.

It was not easy for ancient women to begin with, and if their reputation was destroyed, the psychologically fragile among them would surely seek death. It seemed she needed to find time to have a good talk with Hu Yueru and, should Hu Yueru need anything, she would try her best to help.

Considering this, Yang Mengchen glanced at Xiao Hongtao, who then gave a closing statement for the case, ordering the Government Official to take Dai Qiangsheng to the jail to await execution on a decided date.

Hu Yueru left quietly with her two brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, accompanied by Qing Qing.

After whispering a few words to Doctor Luo, Yang Mengchen arranged for them to go home, but Yang Chengning insisted on staying.

The Jinquan villagers sent Doctor Luo and the others off with tearful eyes, not heading home until they could no longer see them, as per Yang Mengchen's instructions.

Mu Songlin, carrying Liao Xiaofu's urn, and the Liao family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law directed Hai Tang and Bai He to the Liao family's home, where they then carried out the punishment of ten planks.

Doctor Zeng returned to the town.

Zhuo Shuiquan left to return to Sweet Water Village after bidding farewell to relatives.

Yang Mengchen, along with Sister Jin, Yang Chengning, Jing Feng as an attendant, Xiao Hongtao and his servants, the Clan Leader and Lizheng from Jinquan Village, and a dozen or so young and strong men, began searching for a water source in the village.

The group examined various spots in the village. Yang Mengchen occasionally stopped to observe the terrain and soil conditions, and after lunch, they continued their search, eventually designating two inconspicuous spots in the east and west of the village for the youths to dig.

As dinner time approached, one of the young men ran excitedly to the ancestral hall (Yang Mengchen insisted on staying in the ancestral hall to avoid troubling the villagers and they cooked their own meals), his voice filled with elation: "Water! Water! Both places have water!"

At that moment, Yang Mengchen was absorbed in drawing up plans, but she looked up upon hearing the commotion and smiled faintly. She didn't understand geology; it was only from the birds' reports that she had found those two water sources.

"Chenchen, there's water!" Xiao Hongtao stepped in with large strides.

Following him, the Clan Leader and Lizheng from Jinquan Village knelt on the ground, their tears flowing with gratitude as they said, "Thank you, Ninth Sister Yang, thank you!"

"Please get up," Yang Mengchen said, gesturing for everyone to rise. "This is purely a fluke. You don't need to do this; truly, I am embarrassed."

The people of Jinquan Village were collectively disheveled by the wind.

They knew how much effort their ancestors had put into finding a water source, other than that solitary well, but despite their efforts they never found one. Yet Ninth Sister Yang had found two water sources in one go, yet still claimed it was a fluke. Should they say Ninth Sister Yang was just lucky? Or should they say Ninth Sister Yang was a blessing? Of course, they all agreed on the latter.

Yang Mengchen pointed to the drawings on the table and said to everyone, "Come and take a look at this."

"What is this?"

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