Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Unable to Report to the Authorities (2/2)

Han Hu and Han Ping, however, were somewhat swayed by Su Wenyue’s words. If the county magistrate of Xinye was indeed good, perhaps they could report to the authorities. After all, it was their mother who got hurt. They couldn’t find the thief by themselves, and that grudge was not going to swallow itself. But the ultimate question was whether what the fourth daughter-in-law said was true. They didn’t want to invite trouble, though Han Lin might be simple-minded, he had a point.

“Fourth sister-in-law, from what you are saying, it seems you’re acquainted with the magistrate of Xinye County. Is he truly as just and incorruptible as you claim? He won’t try to take advantage of the situation and demand silver from us? Our family cannot afford that. Mother needs money for recovery,” said Han Ping.

Han Yu listened to Su Wenyue’s idea and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. His wife was not someone to be taken lightly—coming up with such a good solution so quickly was perfect to deal with Han Lin and Mrs. Wang. Even he had not immediately thought of going to the authorities, considering it’s not an arena for commoners. However, with the connection to the Su Mansion now, it was different. Han Yu knew that Master Su was no ordinary wealthy merchant with connections in Imperial Court; this could mean the authorities wouldn’t be too harsh, not to mention he had heard good things about the magistrate of Xinye County.

“Elder Brother, Second Brother, I am also a member of the Han family. If the Han family has problems, I cannot ignore them. I wouldn’t joke about such a matter. Although I have not met the magistrate of Xinye County, my father and elder brother have, and they’ve interacted with him, praising him as a good official dedicated to the country and its people. That’s why I suggested this. Even if we do need money to handle things later, I am here.”

Hearing Su Wenyue speak so confidently, neither Han Hu nor Han Ping could disbelieve her. But they couldn’t make a decision on such a serious matter alone and looked to Old Man Han and Han Yu: “Father, Fourth Younger Brother, what do you think? Should our family report to the authorities?”

Old Man Han took a couple of puffs on his smoking pipe before responding,

“Fourth Child knows a lot. Let’s listen to Fourth child.”

In his heart, Old Man Han had already guessed something. He understood his partner better than his own sons did. Even though she claimed not to have seen the thief’s face clearly, she probably had a suspicion already, or she wouldn’t have hesitated when speaking. Perhaps there were some concerns, and considering what Han Yu said, Old Man Han had his suspicions too.

Old Man Han was not like Mrs. Yang; although he valued heirs, he wouldn’t ignore everything else for his eldest grandson like Mrs. Yang, who showed blind favoritism. In his view, Mrs. Wang’s mother’s family was way too overbearing. They caused a commotion in the Han family before, and this incident was likely related to the Wang family as well. Such troubles couldn’t continue without consequences. Reporting to the government seemed the best course of action.

Nonetheless, Old Man Han wasn’t knowledgeable about government matters. Even though the Fourth Daughter-in-law said what she did, he still harbored worries and doubts. So he left the decision to his youngest son. Fourth child had always been precise and trustworthy in his actions, and he had several friends in the county town who knew about these matters—he would know what to do. It was best to let Fourth child decide this one.

“You’ve all gone mad; how can we just listen to one side of the story from the

Fourth Daughter-in-law? We must not report to the authorities!”