Divorce with three kids? I'll build a house and eat meat, driving my in-laws crazy.

Chapter 244: Sitting in jail
Chaochao explained, "Chu Xiu doesn't have a good relationship with his father. He ran away from home when he came to our village."

Lu Da said, "That doesn't matter. There's no lasting grudge between father and son."

Hai Shi and Pan Dayan thought so too, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief after learning the truth.

They ate and drank as usual in the prison cell, just waiting for Chu Xiu to rescue them.

Chu Xiu, who was given high hopes, was pleading with the magistrate of Chu County.

"Father, please let them go. They are all law-abiding citizens and have not done anything wrong. Why do you always listen to Xue's nonsense?"

Magistrate Chu raised an eyebrow and asked, "How rude! She's your aunt."

Chu Xiu pursed her lips and said, "My uncle is divorced, but she isn't."

"Then let me ask you, is Bailu at the Li family's house?"

Chu Xiu shook his head vigorously: "That's not true."

“Lying.” Magistrate Chu saw through his son at a glance. “The Bai family’s people are still searching. If they find anything, you can wait and see the Li family and the others spend the rest of their lives in jail.”

Chu Xiu was puzzled. "So what if Bai Lu is at Aunt Li's house?"

Bai Lu is no longer a child; she knows the good and evil in people's hearts, and she knows who treats her well and who doesn't.

Besides, Aunt Li did everything else besides providing her with shelter and food; she was just doing good deeds out of kindness.

Didn't you ever think about why Bailu wouldn't go back to her perfectly good home?

Chu Xiu said a lot, but Magistrate Chu didn't listen to a word he said, only asking, "Is this your reason for not going home?"

He ate that plate of shredded potatoes yesterday, and he knew that the person in front of him was Aunt Li, the one his son had mentioned.

He sighed and said, "This matter could be big or small, but in any case, the decision rests with Madam Bai."

If she doesn't care, that's fine, but if she does, she could be charged with human trafficking, and Li's life would be in danger.

The population of Datang is small, so it strictly regulates human trafficking and imposes severe penalties.

Trafficking in women and children is generally punishable by death or life imprisonment.

"My daughter was almost abducted, how can you expect me not to hold a grudge?" Madam Xue suddenly pushed open the door and entered, her peach blossom eyes red and swollen from crying.

Magistrate Chu quickly reassured her, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, I will definitely not let that shrew off. Have you found her?"

Madam Xue let out a heart-wrenching scream, crying so hard she almost fainted.

After she had finished crying, she wiped away her tears and said, "Not yet, I don't know where that Li family has hidden them."

The Bai family searched Li Ruru's courtyard thoroughly, but they couldn't find Bai Lu anywhere.

Xue pleaded, "Brother Yinglong, please, you must help me find my Lu'er."

Without finding Bailu, there is no way to find the deputy seal. The money in the household is only enough for three meals a day, and we can't even buy anything slightly luxurious.

Xue couldn't live like this for even a day longer; she married Bai Yuanwai in order to live a better life.

Her current life is not as carefree as it used to be.

Although Chu Yingtian was not as wealthy as Bai Yuanwai, he still earned quite a bit, and he spent it all on Xue Shi, being very generous with his money.

Unlike Master Bai, who was not only stingy with her but also constantly on guard against her.

Magistrate Chu helped Xue up and assured her, "Don't worry, if Li doesn't talk, I have a hundred ways to get her to talk."

Madam Xue was satisfied now, and covered her face, crying as she walked out.

As he approached the door, he gave Chu Xiu a smug look.

So what if he's her own son? The county magistrate is still completely under her thumb.

Chu Xiu glared at Xue Shi fiercely, "You damned woman, don't be too smug."

Looking in the direction Xue Shi left, Chu Xiu suddenly remembered what Fang Xingzhi had once said: "To persuade someone, you must cater to their preferences."

What's so good about Dad?

Oh, right, promotion, climbing the ladder. "Dad, do you remember when I told you that Aunt Li had a way to help with disaster relief?"

Chu Xiu grabbed Magistrate Chu's arm and asked, but Magistrate Chu shook his head blankly.

His son was too rebellious; he, as the father, never listened carefully to what his son said, so naturally he didn't remember it.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Chu Xiu's eyes, but he continued, "Aunt Li runs a maltose workshop. You know what maltose is, right?"

They made sugar from sprouted wheat and sold it; the business was booming.

This is a great thing that benefits the country and its people. If Father strongly supports and actively promotes this matter, and then reports it to the higher authorities, wouldn't that be a great achievement?

Magistrate Chu was stunned for a while before asking, "You mean the Li family can turn sprouted wheat into sugar? And sell it?"

"Yes, it's been selling for a month now, and business is booming."

Magistrate Chu stroked his beard, listening attentively to his son for the first time. "I understand. This matter is of great importance; please allow me to consider it."

Seeing that his father had taken his words to heart, Chu Xiu stopped pressing him. "Then think it over carefully, Dad. Aunt Li is still in jail. You'd better hurry up."

After much deliberation, Magistrate Chu wrote a letter to the Prefect overnight, briefly explaining the situation and hoping for the Prefect's support in making the sprouted wheat into sugar a success, benefiting countless ordinary people.

Chu Yu, who was always eavesdropping, also learned of this news. He wrote a letter claiming all the credit for himself and had his headmaster father ask someone to deliver it to the prefect's residence overnight.

Meanwhile, Li Ruru had already taken a nap against the wall in her cell.

As soon as I opened my eyes, a large bowl of scallion oil noodles suddenly appeared in front of me, glistening with oil and looking delicious.

There were also a few glasses of beer and peanuts on the side.

"This is... prison food?"

Is the food in prison really that good?

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was dreaming.

Fang Xingzhi coughed and said, "Eat quickly, it will get cold soon."

"Master Fang, what are you doing here? You've been arrested too?!"

Li Ruru let out a wail; the whole team was going to be wiped out.

She tugged at Fang Xingzhi's sleeve and kept apologizing, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."

Turning her head, she saw Xiao Yishan, Bai Lu, and Nie Tianlei in the cell, all smiling at her.

Li Ruru pinched herself hard. Ouch, it hurts! This isn't a dream.

"You...you were all arrested too?" Li Ruru was filled with grief; it really was a total wipeout.

That Xue family is too ruthless.

Fang Xingzhi patted her shoulder and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? We just came to see you."

By the way, we're all fine, so you can rest assured.

Bai Lu cried and threw herself into Li Ruru's arms, saying, "Aunt Li, I've dragged everyone into this. I'll go back to the Bai residence right now, and the magistrate will definitely release you when I get back."

Xiao Yishan shook his head and said, "You can't go back. Going back would be extremely dangerous."

No one wanted to go back to Bailu, but they couldn't think of a way to get out, so they were caught in a dilemma.

Fang Xingzhi stroked his beard and said, "Since things have come to this, let's eat first. We can't let ourselves go hungry."

He urged, "Eat quickly, it'll get cold soon."

Li Ruru, Pan Dayan, and the others hadn't eaten all day, and when they saw the fragrant scallion oil noodles, they couldn't resist.

Even if the future is uncertain, we still need to work hard for now.

After finishing her noodles, Li Ruru wiped her mouth and asked, "By the way, how did you get in?"

She remembered that the prison was heavily guarded, and she was a key person under surveillance, not even allowed to be seen by outsiders.

Not only did Fang Xingzhi come in, but he also brought in several other people and a large bowl of noodles.