Underneath A Thousand Skies ✔️

83 Foster Son, Don't Be So Crazy (20)

Xiang Feng's head was almost buried into his collar. Despite the panic that gradually gripped him, he pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing. His breathing was quiet, and he seemed to be trying his best to disappear.

Song Jia smiled helplessly.

She didn't have the heart to scold him anymore. Her hand reached out to gently touch the top of his head.

"Xiao Feng, I don't know why you don't like this dress, but I love it very much. If you really want to, I can go and change. However, I'll be sad."

She turned the corners of her lips downwards, shooting the child a pitiful look.

She really wanted to follow it with, "Do you want your Mommy to be sad?"

Song Jia resisted the impulse. She knew that Xiang Feng was still not ready to accept her as his foster mother, and rushing things would only make things worse.

Xiang Feng stared down at his polished black shoes. His lips slightly moved, "Shawl."

Song Jia didn't quite hear him. "Hm?"

"Jia needs to wear a shawl."

Knowing that he had compromised, Song Jia cupped his face and loudly kissed both of his cheeks.

"As I thought, our Xiao Feng is the best!"

The tips of Xiang Feng's ears turned red.

Her lips on his skin were light as a feather, tickling him. It was as if something was also tickling his heart, making him feel uncomfortable.

...

Nian Shou's court trial had already began by the time Song Jia and Xiang Feng arrived.

The Magistrate was in the middle of interrogating the cook who prepared the meat that Nian Shou had brought, and the atmosphere was casual, almost as if they were only meeting for afternoon tea.

"Based on what you said, the entire kitchen staff had seen that you didn't put any suspicious substance when you cooked the meat?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Are there any oral testimonies supporting your claim?"

A fat woman in blue beside the cook piped up, numerous jewelry choking off her pudgy wrists creating a ding-ling-dang-lang sound as she wildly gestured her hand.

"These are my people, why would they dare to hurt my son?! I say the culprit is right there in front of you, he's the criminal who poisoned my son!"

The Magistrate slapped her hand on the table.

"Silence. Since you have identified him as the suspect, do you have any evidence that he did something with the meat that he delivered?"

"If not for the meat that my son and his friends ate, would they get sick like this? Before they ate their lunch, they were healthy boys who couldn't even catch a cold during winter season!"

Song Jia leaned down towards Xiang Feng. "I guess the Magistrate didn't accept their bribe. Do you know why?"

He looked at her with wide eyes and slowly shook his head.

"Look at their shoes. Hers are clean and worn, with visible creases and cracks in the rubber. There are scratches on the sole. It's expensive, but it's also obvious that this merchant lady took care of it. Now, look at the shoes of the Magistrate. It's obvious that it's expensive and new. However, it's already slightly dirty. What can you conclude?"

Xiang Feng's dark eyes regarded the two people for a while. Then he calmly opened his mouth, "The merchant family could be only called wealthy in the village. In the capital, their money is nothing."

Song Jia laughed and rubbed his head, messing up his carefully combed hair and making it stick out in different directions.

"Good, very good."

Xiang Feng lifted his lips and tilted his head at her. "Jia knew all this by looking at their shoes?"

"Of course not. I noticed the lady's body language first. Could any lady brought up from an old and rich merchant family be as coarse as her? Her back isn't even straight, and she talks aggressively. My guess is, she came from a family that had just gotten wealthy recently. An aggressive personality would be useful during business negotiations. She's not a fragile flower raised inside a greenhouse, but someone who worked hard to get where she is right now."

There were merchant families in the capital that had deeply rooted foundations, which were given a noble title for donating their wealth one way or another to the royal family. Those were the true merchant 'madams.' This woman in front of her, on the other hand, could not even be called rich in the capital. She was a true example of the so-called 'frog in the well.' She did not know that there was a larger world beyond the one she had known.

The Magistrate shifted the documents that were placed in front of her.

"Then at best, this case could be only ruled as a homicide. The suspect has to spend ten years in prison, without any contact to the outside world. There were no prior interaction between the suspect and the victim..."

"He is a murderer! He deserved to be beheaded, not imprisoned. This citizen is certain that he is the one who hurt my son!"

The fat woman's face turned red from shouting, her enormous breasts heaving up and down in her bodice. She pointed a shaking finger at Nian Shou, who from beginning to end, didn't utter a single word and just quietly sat with his hands tied behind his back.

"Murderer! You scoundrel, daring to hurt my son behind my back..."

"Silence!" The Magistrate slammed her hand on the table. "Madam, you call the suspect a murderer when your son hasn't even died. I reviewed all the reports related to this case and did not find any reason for the suspect to intentionally harm your son. The final verdict for the suspect is negligent homicide, harming another person for not inspecting the meat thoroughly and deeming it fit for consumption. He will spend ten years in prison..."

"Wait."

Finally thinking that it was time to interrupt, Song Jia stood up.