After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 523 Clues Provided by Ding

If word got out that her father-in-law was kneeling before his daughter-in-law, she would lose all face. Public opinion is a powerful force, and she had no choice but to accept it.

Because she was seething with anger, she didn't take the initiative to look for Mo Dali even though he was gone for two or three days, because she felt ashamed.

Seeing that Mo Chunxiang was not there, they instinctively thought that they had succeeded.

Mo Dali was almost exhausted and didn't have time to speak. He quickly went to the kitchen to drink a large bowl of water and said in a panic, "I didn't bring the child back, and I won't be able to bring him back in the future!"

Huang's accusations came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a look of astonishment. "What happened? Judging from your father's expression, I thought he wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal!"

Mo Dali smiled bitterly, "That's what he planned and did, but he didn't expect Xiong Feng and Niu Shi to come back and disrupt all his plans. Now Chunxiang has been kidnapped by Niu Shi, and there's nothing Father can do."

This news is even more explosive than the news of stealing Shen Xi.

Huang immediately pressed on with gossip, "You said Niu and Xiong Feng came back, but why didn't we see them return to the village?"

Mo Dali was filled with even more regret and stamped his feet. "Xiong Feng is the newly appointed magistrate of Zhaohua County, and Niu is now the magistrate's grandmother. You know how Chunxiang treated them back then. If Niu wants to settle accounts with Chunxiang later, what can your father do?"

There was nothing that could be done about the Niu family, so they could only accept their fate.

Huang's eyes widened in shock as she covered her mouth in horror. "What should we do? Will Xiong Feng cause us trouble?"

She kept thinking back to whether she had wronged Xiong Feng in any way back then. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't think of anything special, which made her feel much more at ease.

Coming to her senses, Huang couldn't help but ask curiously, "How much money did Xiong Kai leave for Niu back then? Where did these two, grandfather and grandson, hide? How did they suddenly become county magistrates and return to their hometown?"

Mo Dali shook his head. "If only I had known. Although we didn't do anything to Xiong Feng back then, we still went to the Xiong family to cause trouble a few times to support Chunxiang. I'm just afraid that the child will hold a grudge. From now on, we shouldn't interfere in the Xiong family's affairs, nor should we."

Mr. Huang agreed wholeheartedly.

Old Mo, lying in the room, remained expressionless.

The couple ignored him.

It wasn't until the next day that Mo Dali discovered that Mo Laotian was ill and unable to get out of bed.

Aunt Ding, Xiong Kai's second aunt, heard from somewhere that Xiong Feng had become a county magistrate, and eagerly went to Mo Dali's house to inquire about the news.

Huang didn't hide anything and told her everything.

Ding returned home overjoyed, packed her things, and took her son and daughter-in-law to the county town by oxcart.

Just as Madam Niu was enjoying herself after giving Mo Chunxiang a good beating, the butler rushed in.

"Madam, there is a woman from Ximen Village outside the door who claims to be your sister-in-law."

Madam Niu immediately guessed who it was and said calmly, "Please come in."

As soon as Ding entered the door, she rushed forward happily, but was stopped by the maid.

She then remembered the housekeeper's reminder and hurriedly led her son and daughter-in-law in an awkward bow to Madam Niu. Madam Niu was delighted and had tea served, saying, "Sister-in-law, you've come so quickly! I was originally planning to bring Feng'er back to the village sometime later!"

Ding smiled ingratiatingly, "Sister-in-law, what are you saying! You have no idea how many times we've been looking for you and Feng'er over the years. Now that we know about your situation, we had no choice but to come and see you as soon as possible!"

Niu tugged at the corners of her mouth, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. When Xiong Kai was still alive, the two branches of the family had a pretty good relationship, helping and supporting each other. She always remembered the kindness shown to the second branch.

After Xiong Kai got into trouble, she struggled to raise Xiong Feng all those years. The second wife was afraid they would come to borrow money or food, so they would avoid them whenever they saw the grandfather and grandson.

Niu Shi gradually grew disheartened. Although there were no major conflicts between them, it was impossible for them to be as close as they had been at the beginning.

Ms. Ding was filled with remorse, but since the deed was done, she could only try to make amends.

"Sister-in-law, you left in such a hurry back then. After Xiong Kai's accident, we didn't touch your house. It's still there. Now that Feng'er is returning home in glory, what are your plans?"

Madam Niu raised her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "That house is fine, since Feng'er won't be going back to Ximen Village anyway. Since you're here today, I'll just ask how my son died!"

Xiong Kai's death has always been a pain for the grandfather and grandson. Over the years, Xiong Feng has worked so hard so that one day he can avenge his father.

Ding hurriedly explained, "Back then, A-Kai's case was personally tried by the county magistrate. That bitch Mo Chunxiang insisted that Shen Yi did it, but when they investigated further, they found that the murderer was actually Sang Yong."

Sang Yong said that it was because A Kai failed to protect Sang Rong, leading to Sang Rong's tragic death, that he sought revenge for his son, using the same methods they used to kill Ma Xingteng. Everyone knew this during the coroner's examination. Wasn't Sang Yong the one who killed A Kai?

Niu's face turned ashen, and she clenched her fists in anger. "The murderer is Sang Yong, but there are people behind Sang Yong!"

Xiong Feng had reviewed the entire case file and explained everything to her.

The grandfather and grandson believed that Sang Yong was merely a tool in the hands of the real culprit, and that someone must have said something to Sang Yong that drove him mad. They were now looking for that person.

The Ding family of three were all taken aback, looking at each other blankly.

Xiong Dao frowned and said, "Aunt, after my eldest cousin's accident, Sang Yong also died, and the Sang family is gone. We can't find anything even if we want to investigate. But the most likely culprit is Shen Yi."

He and his eldest cousin had a long-standing feud; there was no one else who could be at fault.

Mr. Ding expressed his strong agreement.

Niu was speechless and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You know that Shen Yi and A Kai are enemies, but do you know that Shen Yi and Sang Yong are also at odds? Sang Yong hates Shen Yi to death. Do you think he would believe Shen Yi's words?"

They had their suspicions about Shen Yi. Xiong Feng had even kept a close eye on him for several years, investigating him thoroughly. But in the end, Shen Yi not only had no problems, but he also repaid evil with kindness, treating Shen Xi extremely well despite knowing her background.

Moreover, Shen Yi had plenty of opportunities to harm Xiong Kai, and there was no need for Sang Yong to intervene. After repeated deliberation, Shen Yi's suspicion was actually the lowest.

Because Shen Yi was excluded, the grandfather and grandson had no target left.

Ding had come to build connections, and when she saw Niu deny it outright, her mind immediately started working. After a moment, she excitedly slapped her thigh, "I remember now! During that time you weren't here, besides disciplining Mo Chunxiang every day, he also went to the county town. I don't know what he did there."

"How did you know?" Mrs. Niu was very concerned about this news.

Ding was secretly pleased with herself, but said reservedly, "Because when he came back to the village, I saw that he brought some snacks from the county town. He was in a good mood that day and even gave me a bag. I thought he had made a fortune, so I asked him a couple of questions. He just laughed heartily and said that he had gone to collect debts. He also said that people who offend him would not have a good ending. We don't know what enemies he has in the county town. If you hadn't asked, I would have almost forgotten about this incident."