Chapter 91 - Chapter 91: Chapter 091 Inquiring (1/2)
Chapter 91: Chapter 091 Inquiring
Translator: 549690339
“Alright,” Lian Rong agreed, and followed Zhang Yongchang out.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Qingning had arrived at the tofu stall and indeed saw a man leading two government officials standing in front of the stall, their faces looking rather displeased.
Zhuang Qingsui, in her frantic state, upon seeing Zhuang Qingning approach, hurriedly grabbed her hand. “Sister, government officials have come and asked whether I was the girl who encountered the kidnappers. I’m unsure of what exactly transpired and suggested they might have identified the wrong person. However, they said that ours is the only tofu stall in town, and there was no chance of error.”
“Sister, what’s going on, and what’s this about kidnappers? When did we meet any kidnappers?”
“It’s okay, Qingsui. I know about it, and I will talk to them. Don’t be scared.” Zhuang Qingning gently patted Zhuang Qingsui’s hand to comfort her.
Only when Zhuang Qingsui had stopped sobbing did Zhuang Qingning turn and address the three men. “You must be here because of the kidnappers detained a few days ago. It was indeed me who encountered those people, not my sister, she knows nothing about this.”
“Please accept our apologies.”
The man leading the group, Ding Gaochang, gave Zhuang Qingning a cupped-hand salute and said, “At first, we only knew that a lady selling tofu in town had an encounter with them. When we arrived here and saw your sister, we thought it was her. Despite our questioning, she didn’t say anything, only professed ignorance. We assumed she was too scared of the kidnappers to speak, so we tried to persuade her.”
“We didn’t anticipate that the young lady was timid and we ended up frightening her instead. We should have obtained more information beforehand, I sincerely apologize.”
Ding Gaochang saluted once again.
“It matters not. You simply did not know the situation,” Zhuang Qingning responded politely to the amiable and courteous man in front of her. “May I know your name, sir, and what would you like to ask?”
“I am the county magistrate’s assistant in charge of all the cases in the county. A few days ago, the three kidnappers were sent to the County Government Office, and this case has been assigned to me. After questioning, I learned that Miss Zhuang was the one who nearly fell victim and came over to understand the situation.”
Ding Gaochang continued, “Can Miss Zhuang describe in detail what happened that day?”
“Certainly.”
Zhuang Qingning then detailed how she had come across the kidnappers, discovered them, and finally how she had escaped.
“That’s about everything. When I encountered such an incident, I was terrified. I also saw that others were chasing them and thought they would be brought to justice, so I didn’t linger.”
“Hmm.” Ding Gaochang nodded slightly, “It’s roughly the same as what those people confessed. The circumstances align.”
“In addition…”
“Do you have any grudge or conflict with Li Fang, the former employee of Fushun Tower, or Chang Yuanda, the manager of Changji Tofu Store?”
Caught off guard with this question, Zhuang Qingning was momentarily stunned, “Why does your honor ask?”
“Can you just tell me whether you had any conflicts?” Ding Gaochang responded without giving an answer.
“If you are asking about conflicts, I indeed do have some disagreements with Li Fang…” Zhuang Qingning recounted the matter of wanting to deliver tofu to Fushun Tower and the subsequent dismissal of Li Fang.