Chapter 106 You Don't Believe Me Either?

Chapter 106 You Don't Believe Me Either?

"What?!"

Jiang Yutang froze on the spot, her voice becoming somewhat shrill as she asked incredulously, "He...he's already killed someone?"

Jiang Huaiyu examined him closely from a distance for a while before letting out a deep "hmm," her tone grave: "His throat has been drained of blood."

The image of killing a chicken and bleeding it flashed through Jiang Yutang's mind, and she couldn't help but shudder, yet she was also filled with confusion.

Why would Cheng Lanzhou do this? Interrogation is a meticulous process, requiring multiple shifts and repeated verifications to extract complete intelligence. To kill someone so quickly seems more like... silencing a witness.

Did he get some important information from the woman that he couldn't let others know?

The two returned to the camp with questions in their minds. Jiang Song stepped forward and asked, "Why are you back so soon? Did you find out anything?"

Jiang Huaiyu threw the wooden stick to the ground in dissatisfaction and said in a deep voice, "The person has been dead for a long time, what are you still asking?" After saying that, he glared at Cheng Lanzhou.

Cheng Lanzhou seemed not to see his gaze, as if this matter had nothing to do with her, and simply uttered two words: "On the road."

After several hardships, the number of people in the group decreased by one. The Jiang family refugees felt somewhat guilty, after all, the disaster was caused by them.

Jiang Yutang walked along listlessly, his gaze occasionally lingering on Cheng Lanzhou's agile back.

This man is so composed and meticulous that he leaves no room for doubt in his actions. If he really wanted to hide something, no one would be able to find out anything.

She couldn't help but shake her head with a wry smile. In the morning, she had been righteously saying that the two families should not suspect each other, but in the end, she herself began to suspect him.

However, it wasn't all bad news. After all this commotion, the spies hidden in the team have been completely eliminated. Without potential informants and threats, the journey to Danzhou will be somewhat safer.

During the lunch break, Jiang Shengan suddenly called Jiang Yutang over.

Jiang Yutang's heart tightened, thinking that Jiang Shengan was not feeling well. His complexion had been off since last night, so she walked over and squatted down with a worried look on her face.

"Father, did you call me?"

To everyone's surprise, Jiang Shengan pursed his lips, his mustache trembling slightly. He lowered his voice, his expression extremely serious: "Tang'er, tell me honestly, are you still in contact with that Gu Wenxiao?"

Jiang Yutang's mind went blank for a moment, then her eyes filled with disappointment. A bitter smile tugged at the corners of her lips, and her voice was so low it was almost a whisper: "Father... don't even you believe me?"

Seeing the disappointment in his daughter's eyes, Jiang Shengan felt a pang of pain in his heart and quickly explained, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that you're too naive. I'm afraid you'll be taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives and suffer losses without even realizing it."

Jiang Yutang forced a smile and shook her head: "Don't worry, my daughter hasn't done anything to disappoint you again."

After saying that, without waiting for Jiang Shengan to say another word, she turned around and walked away, finding a secluded spot to sit down alone.

The weather in September gradually turned cool, and a cool breeze blew on her face, carrying the scent of grass and trees, but Jiang Yutang could not feel any comfort at all.

She pulled her legs together, buried half her face in her knees, and felt a sudden pang of sadness as a strong urge to go home surged within her.

Back in her modern home, she still has a grandfather who trusts and loves her.

She suddenly felt lost, wondering why she had stayed in this unfamiliar world of books and tried her best to protect her family.

Wasn't her original purpose to exchange for valuable antiques? When did she change her mind and start caring about the people here?

Suddenly, the sound of clothes rustling came from the side, and someone sat down.

She glanced at him sideways and saw it was Jiang Sumin.

The two sat there quietly, neither of them speaking. Jiang Yutang felt irritated and didn't want to talk to anyone, so she turned her head to the other side and stared blankly at the willow tree in the distance.

After a while, Jiang Sumin moved slightly, took out a jade pendant from his pocket, and handed it to her.

The jade pendant was a warm white, carved with simple orchid patterns, and gleamed with a gentle light in the sunlight. It was the one Jiang Shengan always wore around his neck; he had seen it a few times when changing his dressings and wiping his body.

Jiang Yutang sullenly shifted her gaze back, her voice muffled: "What?"

Jiang Sumin shook the jade pendant in his hand, his tone indifferent: "This is what my father asked me to give you."

"For me?" Jiang Yutang looked up at the jade pendant in confusion, her eyes still filled with lingering disappointment.

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Jiang Sumin frowned, stuffed the jade pendant into her hand, and explained with a hint of disappointment, "Father is worried that you will be fooled by that merchant."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. That person won't give us anything for nothing. If we owe them a favor, we might have to pay it back with our lives. Your father tells you to give this jade pendant to the merchant next time you meet him. Don't let favors get involved in transactions that can be settled with money."

Jiang Yutang stared blankly at the jade pendant in her palm, her thumb unconsciously rubbing it. The jade pendant seemed to still retain the warmth of Jiang Shengan.

Their gazes were fixed on the jade pendant, and Jiang Sumin's tone was a mix of anger and helplessness.

“This jade pendant has been passed down from my father’s ancestors. We don’t have anything else of value on us now, otherwise my father wouldn’t have been willing to use it as collateral.”

Hearing these words, Jiang Yutang felt a surge of bitterness welling up inside her. She took a deep breath, suppressed the stinging sensation in her nose, and stuffed the jade pendant back into Jiang Sumin's hand: "No need, give it back to Father."

"Tsk."

Jiang Sumin, dissatisfied, stuffed the jade pendant back into her palm: "If you want to return it, go return it yourself. I'm just a messenger."

Jiang Yutang stared blankly at the jade pendant until the group was about to depart, then spoke softly, "Fourth Brother, do you also think I'm a prime suspect?"

Jiang Sumin paused, frowned at her, and after a moment of consideration, replied, "I had my suspicions before."

Jiang Yutang tilted her head, stunned: "Before?"

He continued, “You used to be so pretentious and affected, but then you suddenly seemed like a completely different person. I did suspect you had ulterior motives back then. But during the last cholera outbreak, when I saw you disregard your status and do everything you could to save those refugees, I suddenly felt that you had really grown up, and I believed that you genuinely wanted to protect this family.”

After saying those spoiled words, Jiang Sumin awkwardly reached out and ruffled her hair to divert attention from the embarrassment.

Jiang Yutang looked at him, touched, her eyes slightly red: "Fourth Brother..."

Jiang Sumin suddenly withdrew his hand and wiped it on his clothes with a look of disgust: "You need to wash your hair, it's covered in oil and grease."

The touching atmosphere was completely ruined by Jiang Sumin's sharp tongue.

Jiang Yutang was so angry that she bumped his arm with her head and ran forward, determined to smear all the dust off her head onto his clothes.

Despite their playful banter, she really took the hair-washing incident to heart.

After completing the day's journey and setting up camp, she took a bar of soap and headed towards the river.

The setting sun painted the horizon with fiery orange clouds, reflecting a warm glow onto the river.

She found a flat rock to sit on, gently combed her long, black hair, and then carefully placed it into the water. The cool river water washed over her hair, carrying a faint scent of water plants.

She looked down at her reflection in the water; this was the first time she had seriously observed the original owner's appearance since transmigrating.