The moment the head constable saw the unconscious girl who had clearly been beaten up, he was nearly certain—she was the fugitive they'd been hunting in connection with the jade theft case at the East City Jade Pavilion!
It turned out the other two women already in the county jail had confessed everything, including identifying this third woman, Meng Yan, and even describing her appearance.
To be safe, the constable immediately ordered his officers, "She's cunning—tie her up tightly so she doesn't escape again!"
Hearing the command, the officers didn't hesitate. They brought out all the ropes they had and tightly bound the unconscious woman.
If Meng Yan had been awake, she wouldn't have been able to move at all. She'd be wriggling like a worm.
The constable then looked at Jewel, clearly trying to confirm something. "Are you the owner of the new restaurant on Dongshun Street?"
He found her face familiar. He had been off-duty during the grand opening of Yanxi Restaurant and had visited it with a group of friends just for fun.
"I am," Jewel nodded.
"That woman tried to snatch my husband. That's why I hit her," she added.
Of course, the constable believed her. They'd been trying to catch Meng Yan for several days now.
What they hadn't expected was that Meng Yan would still dare to commit another crime—openly attempting to abduct an innocent man in broad daylight. It was as if she had no regard for the law at all!
"Our magistrate will want to question you. You'll need to come with us to the county office and explain what happened," the constable said.
Jewel was more than willing.
Because according to the original memory she had, this "third sister" had committed many crimes—stealing, flirting with men in secret, and other shameful acts.
She figured it was time Meng Yan paid the price for all those past deeds.
But Xavi didn't feel the same.
He recognized that this woman—the same "third sister" who had tried to catch him on the day he first left the house with Jewel—was now once again after him.
Thinking about it, he realized that if his wife hadn't protected him just now, he might have ended up in that woman's hands.
The more he thought about it, the colder he felt inside.
If something like this happened to another man, people would blame him for being indecent, and his wife might even divorce him—regardless of whether it was his fault.
Men were often judged harshly by society.
Xavi knew his wife had always treated him well. But deep down, he still worried—would she think he lacked proper morals?
He snuck a glance at Jewel and saw that her expression hadn't changed. She was still firmly holding his hand, and he felt reassured.
Jewel noticed his gaze, turned to look at him, and saw his slightly timid expression. She tightened her grip and gently pulled him closer.
She softened her tone and said with warmth, "I'm here, Xavi. You don't need to be afraid of anything."
Jewel never cared about things like "male virtue" or reputation. To her, protecting her family was simply her duty as the head of the household.
Unlike other women in this matriarchal society, she didn't see this as something shameful.
She was never one to tolerate injustice. She didn't shy away from trouble.
Most importantly, she wouldn't let her beautiful husband live in fear of going out dressed nicely just because of how he looked.
Whoever committed a crime must face the consequences!
If someone broke the law, she'd stand up and fight. She wouldn't let criminals go unpunished.
Meanwhile, in the crowd, an old monk who had once warned Meng Yan stood watching from a distance.
Seeing Meng Yan being taken away by the officials, he sighed, bowed slightly, and muttered, "Amitabha… may peace be upon her…"
Meng Yan, still unconscious, had no idea her reckless behavior had drawn the attention of the authorities.
She had been trying so hard to hide from them—and in the end, she walked straight into their hands!
In the end, Meng Yan, the notorious "third sister," was convicted of multiple crimes, including hiding stolen goods. She was sentenced to over ten years in prison.
Afterward, Jewel, worried that Xavi might be feeling upset or sad, bought him lots of fun things to cheer him up.
She also stopped focusing so much on work and began spending every day with him.
They read storybooks together, talked about money management, and Jewel often cooked his favorite dishes herself, making sure he ate well every day.
Every time Xavi woke up, his wife was showering him with affection, even more than before. How could he resist?
After every delicious meal, he would let her cuddle and pamper him to her heart's content.
Xavi understood what she was doing. Since she stood firmly by his side and cared about him deeply, he didn't see the need to dwell on past troubles.
So, he let go of his worries and started feeling happy again…
---
"You just laze around all day while I'm out chopping firewood!"
"Hurry up and wash these clothes, split the rest of the wood in the yard, and fill the water tank! Useless thing…"
Father Li barked orders at Ansu with his hands on his hips, treating him like a servant. He had just finished feeding Ansu's baby and now had him running all over the place.
"Father, can I finish nursing Nuonuo first—"
Ansu tried to speak up. After all, the old man was always nagging loudly, and it was giving him a headache.
Unfortunately, Father Li didn't let him finish before tripping over something in the yard.
"Oww!"
"I'm dying! Agh—!"
He clutched his waist, his face twisted in pain, and wailed loudly.
Ansu rushed out from the house and helped him up.
After resting a while on a bench in the courtyard, Father Li started complaining again:
"You left things lying around like that! I could've broken my back! Useless brat."
Ansu replied flatly, "Father, I won't do it again."
"You always say that! Never learn anything…"
"This yard is full of stuff. You should also watch where you're going," Ansu muttered, clearly annoyed by the endless nagging.
He felt like he could predict every word that would come out of Father Li's mouth.
"Oh, now you're blaming me?"
"When I talk, you just listen! What kind of son-in-law talks back like you? I say one thing, and you throw ten back!"
"Ungrateful little thing… If you keep this up, I'll tell my daughter to divorce you!"
Just then, the third daughter, Li San, walked in.
She had already heard the argument before even stepping through the door—and just happened to catch her father's final line: threatening to have her divorce Ansu.