Chapter 66: The Girl in the Box Bed

  Xiao Jiading finished speaking, and more tears rolled down from Su Yunxia's eyes.

  Xiao Jiading sighed and said, "I came today just to express my condolences and admiration for you. Also, I wanted to ask if there's anything I can help you with? If there is, feel free to say so, and I'll do my best to assist you."

  Xiao Jiading was indeed very sympathetic to this girl, unfortunately he couldn't change the law, what he could do for her was just that.

  Su Yunxia didn't say anything, she just silently shed tears.

  Xiao Jiading let out a sigh again and said, "Alright, I'll have them help you get rid of the coffin bed. Let them treat you better. Consider this my small gesture to help you. If you have any other requests, have them pass it on to me. —I'm leaving."

  He turned around and walked out of the prison cell, just as he was about to leave, he heard Su Yunxia's extremely weak voice: "Zhi Yi Gege..."

  If it weren't for his exceptionally keen hearing, he definitely wouldn't have been able to hear her words. Xiao Jiading stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her. Her face was blocked by the wooden bars of the bed, so he couldn't see what kind of expression she had on, but he could only hear her faint voice: "You... really willing to help me?"

  Xiao Jiading walked back and stood beside her head again, looking at her.

  Su Yunxia's eyes were filled with tears as she stared at him, her small cherry lips moving slightly as she asked again.

  Xiao Jiading nodded: "What do you want me to help you with? I'll do my best."

  "If possible, can you help me... go to my mother's grave... burn some incense and paper? My mother is the only relative I have, I don't have a way to personally go give her offerings... If you're willing to help me... then please help me..."

  "No problem, where is your mother buried?"

  "I... I don't know..." Su Yunxia choked, "After I was caught... no one came to see me... and I don't even know what happened to my mother's funeral arrangements..." By the end, Su Yunxia was sobbing uncontrollably.

  Xiao Jiading said: "Don't be sad, I'll go ask and find out. This is something I can help you with. Is there anything else you want me to do?"

  Su Yunxia gazed at him with tearful eyes, as if probing whether Xiang Jia Ding's words were true or not. In the end, she found a definitive answer, and her tears overflowed again. With gratitude, she blinked, and her tears fell like broken pearls. Sobbing, she said: "If it's not too much trouble... after I die, can you, Da Ge... bury me next to my mother's grave? Let us be reunited as mother and daughter..."

  "Your family should handle your aftermath."

  "No way, my mother and I... were originally from that household... excess people, no one would care about us..."

  "Isn't your dad still around? He shouldn't just ignore it, should he?"

  "Dad didn't like me to begin with, and this time I reported my stepmother... Dad must hate me to death. He won't care about me..."

  Xiao Jiading was silent, this statement is correct. If her father wanted to take care of her, he should have spent money to make her suffer less in prison. But there wasn't, she had been detained for almost two months and was locked in a cangue all the time, which was the best proof.

  Xiao Jiading said: "Alright, if at that time your family doesn't handle the aftermath for you, I will do it according to your requirements. You can rest assured."

  Su Yunxia's head, which was stuck in the wooden cangue, nodded slightly with difficulty as she looked at him and sobbed: "Thank you... Brother Exi, what is your name?"

  "My name is Xiao Jiading."

  "Xiao Gege, in this life and this world, I have no way to repay your kindness. In the next life, I will bind grass and wear a ring to repay Xiao Gege's favor..."

  "You're welcome. Is there anything else?"

  Su Yunxia shook her head slightly and continued to cry.

  Xiao Jia Ding saw her pretty face full of tears, and thought to find something to wipe them away for her. However, he didn't have the habit of carrying a handkerchief, so he could only use his own sleeve to wipe away her tears. He felt that although her pretty face had become thinner due to the torture of imprisonment, her skin was still very smooth.

  After wiping away his tears, he found that Su Yunxia's face had an additional hint of shyness, and he also felt a bit reckless. Fortunately, his skin was always quite thick, and he wouldn't blush, so he said nonchalantly: "I'm leaving, they'll let you out of the coffin soon."

  "Thank you, big brother..."

  When she called Xiao Dage "Dage", it was clear that there was an extra affection in her heart. Xiang Jia Ding smiled and helped her tidy up her messy hair, then walked out of the big prison.

  Jiang Dianyu stood at the entrance of the great prison, chatting with several dead prison guards. Seeing Xiao Jiateng come out, he hurriedly came up to accompany him with a smile. Xiao Jiateng asked: "How is Su Yunxia's mother doing? Is she also on the pallet bed?"

  "Nothing, nothing," said Jiang Dian hurriedly. "Her husband has already spent money to bribe his way in, and she was taken away the same day without even wearing a cangue. And there's special food provided for her, she's living better than us."

  Xiao Jiading nodded and sighed, saying: "The relatives of Su Yunxia's birth mother found me through connections and asked me to help take care of her in prison. Alas, it's all about human relationships, I couldn't ignore it. I know the brothers in the prison are working hard, just talking is not enough. I've only recently learned some rules of the prison, so I didn't bring money this time. Let me send someone to deliver the money later. First, release her from the cangue and don't make her wear those shackles. She's a weak girl, she won't be able to escape from the big prison anyway. Those shackles are useless. Also, find two sets of clean clothes for her to change into and arrange for better food. It's pitiful that she ended up like this in order to avenge her birth mother. How is it, Prison Officer Jiang?"

  Jiang Dian's face turned red, his mouth saying "dare not" one moment and "yes" the next. He wanted to interrupt but didn't dare cut off Xiao Jia Ding's words. Finally, when Xiao Jia Ding finished speaking, he hastily nodded and bowed, saying: "I didn't know about this small matter earlier, it's really embarrassing, I've troubled Su Niang. Quick! Hurry up and release Su Niang from the wooden bed! Damn it, hurry up! Get two sets of clean clothes for her to change into immediately. Don't put any shackles on her again! You guys hurry up! Deserve a beating!"

  Several prison guards were scolded by Jiang Dian until they rolled and crawled away to release people. The prison head in charge of the death row ran a few steps and came back, panting and saying: "This woman's clothes... we don't have this..."

  "Your grandma!" Jiang Dian kicked him. "You damn well better get a few sets of clothes for your family first, you hear?"

  "Alright!" The jail head rubbed his buttocks, somewhat embarrassed and smiled, "My wife is too fat, the clothes are too big and don't fit. But my sister-in-law is about the same size as her, so her clothes should be wearable. I'll go get two sets of my sister's clothes for her to change into."

  "Hurry up! Make it clean!"

  "Alright, I made two new sets during the New Year's, only worn once, just right..." The squad leader said as he ran out the door.

  Xiao Jiading saw them busy, smiled and didn't speak. After they finished speaking, he said: "You've worked hard, I'll have someone send the money over now..."

  "Absolutely not!" Jiang Dian was almost in tears, repeatedly bowing his head and saying: "If I accept Xie Yi's money, what face would I have left to stay in the yamen? For such a small matter, just one word from you is enough, I will definitely take care of it!"

  Xiao Jiading is just pretending, now is the time to use money, how can he spend money on this kind of thing? After hearing Jiang Dianyu say so, he nodded and cupped his hands: "Then thank you, Brother Jiang."

  "No, no! You are my elder brother, I am younger brother, hehe." In fact, this Jiang Dianyu is already middle-aged, but the relationship between brothers is often not determined by age, but by power.

  Xiao Jia Ding didn't stand on ceremony either, and patted his shoulder: "Alright, from now on we're like brothers of the same family. If you need any help with anything, just speak up!"

  Xiao Jia Ding's light slap was enough to make Jiang Dianyu's head spin, and being able to be brothers with Xiao Jia Ding was an honor that couldn't be bought with money. He made up his mind to serve Su Yunxia like his own mother.

  Xiao Jiading left the prison, stood in the yard, and thought for a moment. Tomorrow was a rest day, so he would go to help the young girl pay her respects to her mother then. During the Tang Dynasty, officials rested one day every ten days, called Xunxiu. Tomorrow happened to be Xunxiu Day.

  Xiao Jia Ding returned to the signing room and continued reading the case files, unaware that it was already time for the noon break.

  In the afternoon, County Magistrate Kang finally arrived, still dizzy and disoriented. Seeing Xiao Jia Ding, he smiled wryly: "Jia Ding, your drinking capacity is too formidable! I haven't gotten drunk like this in a long time."

  Xiao Jiading heard that he had changed his way of addressing himself again, calling him by name, which made him feel more intimate and happy in his heart. He cupped his hands and said: "The boss is indeed a good drinker!"

  This "Lao Da" is an informal term used to refer to a superior in modern times, Xiao Jiading was used to calling it before, so he casually called out, after speaking, he felt that something was wrong.

  The county magistrate of Kang was slightly surprised, because this title did not exist in the Tang Dynasty, but he knew what it meant after listening to it. The county magistrate of Kang pondered for a moment and said: "Old Big Brother? Hehe, I like it."

  Xiao Jiading finally let out a sigh of relief and hastily said, "Boss, there's nothing else this afternoon. The cases of Zhao Shi and Liu Xiangzheng have been settled and the documents have been submitted to the prefecture."

  "Ah! That's good."

  County Magistrate Kang entered the signing room, and Xiao Jia Ding continued to review the case files. Just after reading for a while, he heard someone whispering at the door: "Big Brother Xiao!"

  Xiao Jiading looked up and found it was actually that chubby Du Erniang.

  Xiao Jiading hastily got up and said: "You've arrived, come on in."

  Du Er Niu's grandfather was an old clerk in the yamen, and the whole yamen knew this chubby girl, so he could come and go freely in the office area. Du Er Niu didn't come in, but she signaled for him to leave.

  Xiao Jiading had no choice but to step out of the doorway and ask, "What's going on?"

  Du Er Niu looked around and said in a low voice: "Go to your home, that thing last time!"