"You think a casual 'sorry' is enough to just let this slide? My fiancé got hurt for nothing?"
"Sorry, but I don't accept that apology."
Before Jiang Tao could say anything, Jiang Xiu exploded.
She had already humiliated herself by bowing to Xie Jiaojiao in front of so many people — what else did Xie Jiaojiao want? For her to kneel and kowtow in apology?
"What right do you have to not accept it?"
Jiang Xiu looked utterly wronged, as if she'd been deeply insulted.
"Because I nearly lost my life!"
"Because my fiancé was injured!"
"Because you're so arrogant, your apology is insincere!"
Xie Jiaojiao's fierce triple accusation caught Jiang Xiu off guard.
No doubt, her apology had been half-hearted.
Jiang Xiu felt a flicker of guilt but, thinking that she never actually caused the near-death or the injury to Jiang Ye, she straightened her back and said defiantly,
"You're talking nonsense." She planted her hands on her hips and argued loudly, "I just assigned you to work in the west end of the village. Don't start slandering me every time your lips move."
"That hoe wasn't the one you deliberately gave me this afternoon?"
Xie Jiaojiao pointed at the hoe lying on the ground, broken in two, her tone firm and accusing.
Seeing the bloodstains on the tool, Jiang Xiu suddenly realized she was in trouble. She denied hastily, "Just because you say so, does it mean it's true? I assign so many tools every day, how would I know?"
Xie Jiaojiao's cheeks puffed out with anger at Jiang Xiu's blatant evasion.
Seriously, Jiang Tao was such a straightforward, upright man—how could he have such a daughter?
At that moment, an honest-looking man stepped forward from the crowd. He inspected the wooden handle and the bloody hoe with curiosity and said,
"Xiu, isn't this the hoe I used this morning?"
Jiang Laiwang's interruption made Jiang Xiu's face flush with panic, but she stubbornly replied, "Uncle Laiwang, you're mistaken."
"You told me this morning yourself—the hoe was blunt and loose, needed fixing. How could I dare give out a dangerous hoe?"
He had worked the fields half his life; there was no way he couldn't recognize his old 'partner.'
"No, I couldn't be wrong." Jiang Laiwang shook his head firmly. "See, there's a dent here."
Everyone's eyes followed his finger and indeed saw a small pit about the size of a thumbprint.
"Ah, you're right."
"Could all of them have dents?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xiu grasped at the words like a lifeline and quickly responded, "Tools get worn after long use. What's a dent? It's perfectly normal."
Jiang Xiu tried to gloss over the issue, but she forgot one thing—villagers had little entertainment beyond working the fields. Now that there was some excitement, they wouldn't let this go easily.
One by one, they began checking their own hoes.
"Nope, mine doesn't have that."
"Mine neither."
"This one's dented, but not there."
Hearing the growing chorus of denials, Jiang Xiu felt her forehead break out in cold sweat.
Smack.
Jiang Tao, watching Jiang Xiu's repeated dodging and refusal to admit guilt, grew furious. Unable to hold back, he struck her face again—harder than before, with full force.
Jiang Xiu's ear rang, her vision blurred, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Dad!"
Jiang Xiu was in pain, angry, and deeply humiliated.
"Shut up!"
"Go home. I'll deal with you later."
Jiang Tao's sharp glance silenced her, but those hateful eyes kept burning a hole in Xie Jiaojiao.
Unfazed, Xie Jiaojiao even stuck her tongue out at Jiang Xiu when Jiang Tao wasn't looking.
Ahhh!
Jiang Xiu now wanted nothing more than to kill Xie Jiaojiao, but faced with her father's long-standing authority, she could only seethe in silent rage.
After dealing with Jiang Xiu, Jiang Tao turned his gaze to Xie Jiaojiao.
Before he could say a word, Xie Jiaojiao grasped Jiang Ye's injured hand and tugged it forward, playing the victim.
"Captain, look at the size of the wound on my fiancé's hand and how much blood he lost. If he hadn't blocked it, my neck would've had a huge gash."
While speaking, Xie Jiaojiao even gestured at her neck.
"And then, I probably wouldn't be alive. So, Captain, you have to punish Jiang Xiu severely."
Jiang Tao's eyes flicked to Jiang Ye's hand; his lips twitched slightly. He was old, but not blind.
From the depth and shape of the wound, it was clear it wasn't caused by a hoe. And judging by the blood—he suspected it had been smeared, not fresh.
But now that Xie Jiaojiao had made such a fuss, if Jiang Tao couldn't see through her scheme, he might as well have been a useless captain all these years.
She wanted to bring Jiang Xiu down, prevent her from becoming the scorekeeper.
Jiang Tao had met Xie Jiaojiao twice and roughly understood her character. Given her cunning, if she didn't think of this plan, she probably would've stopped after the two slaps.
With that thought, Jiang Tao's gaze landed on the tall figure beside Xie Jiaojiao—his second young master.
"How's that? Captain, planning to cover for your own daughter?"
Jiang Ye's unruly brows lifted, voice sharp.
"Or do you think it's enough to just slap Jiang Xiu twice when my wife almost lost her life because of her?"
Jiang Tao sighed faintly, ignoring the prickly atmosphere around Jiang Ye, then turned to Xie Jiaojiao and asked,
"Xie Zhiqing, what do you want to do?"
"I think Jiang Xiu is mixing personal grudges with public duty, and she's unfit to be scorekeeper."
Hearing Xie Jiaojiao target her job, Jiang Xiu lost it. Forgetting her fear of Jiang Tao, she jumped out and taunted,
"I'm unfit? And you are?"
Xie Jiaojiao ignored Jiang Xiu's outburst and clearly laid out Jiang Xiu's three main offenses.
"First: as scorekeeper, Jiang Xiu took personal revenge and assigned me to work the west end of the village where only men work, just because I once liked Su Zhiqing."
"Second: as scorekeeper, Jiang Xiu deliberately gave me a broken hoe, trying to harm me."
"Third: As scorekeeper, Jiang Xiu showed favoritism. Because she likes Su Zhiqing, she always assigned Su Zhiqing to the shady, easier work spots on the east side of the village, and repeatedly padded Su Zhiqing's recorded points."
"What?"
Points — in these days, they were everyone's lifeline. The more points Su Zhiqing had, the more grain she'd get at the end of the year. This was basically robbing from everyone else. How could they ever accept that?
The crowd immediately surrounded Xie Jiaojiao, pressing her.
"Xie Zhiqing, you're not making this up, are you?"
She wasn't lying. This was something Jiang Xiu had confessed in a moment of regret in her dreams.
Today, Jiang Xiu would have to face the consequences of her own actions.
Xie Jiaojiao said with quiet confidence, "If it's true or not, just have Comrade Jiang Xiu show everyone her scorebook. That will settle it."
By now, Jiang Xiu had been stunned silent ever since Xie Jiaojiao revealed this damning evidence that could easily destroy her in front of everyone.
Seeing Jiang Xiu's expression, nobody had any doubts left. One by one, they spoke up to Jiang Tao.
"Captain, I don't agree with Jiang Xiu staying as scorekeeper."
"Me neither."
Jiang Tao raised his hand, silencing them.
"That's enough!"