Without realizing what had happened, Li Yue Shu, like every day after finishing her work, prepared to go to the county office.
After handing the children over to Old Man Liu, she habitually patted Shen Wei's head, "Let's go, I'll take you with me today."
Hearing this, Shen Wei, who had already prepared his excuse for not going, swallowed it all back, his face full of joy.
And so, the two came to the dungeon again.
But before they could go to Old Man Zhang, the jailer spoke with a troubled expression, "Madam Shen, we have a female prisoner here who keeps insisting on seeing you."
"See me?" Li Yue Shu looked bewildered.
The jailer nodded, "She was sentenced to a year in prison, but yesterday she almost committed suicide in her cell just to see you. We are at our wits' end, so we came to ask for your opinion."
Li Yue Shu thought for a moment and agreed.
Seeing this, the jailer, as he led her inside, said, "She caught her husband fooling around with another woman and in a fit of anger, injured the woman. The other party pressed charges at the county office, and her husband even became a witness for them."
"Recently, all the prisoners in the cells know that Madam Shen promised Old Man Zhang one favor just to get a lung from him. I guess she's here for that."
After understanding the situation, Li Yue Shu had a plan.
Upon arriving at the cell, she saw a woman in prisoner's clothing sitting on a pile of straw. Although the environment was dilapidated, it was significantly cleaner than other cells.
The moment Li Yue Shu stepped into the cell, the woman suddenly knelt down to her, "Madam, I will give you my lung. As long as you help me check on my daughter, I will give you anything from my body!"
Li Yue Shu looked calmly at the excited woman and suddenly asked, "Is your surname Wei?"
The woman was startled and slowly nodded, "Madam recognizes me?"
Li Yue Shu shook her head, "I drew blood from everyone when I was here before, and I have an impression of you."
Among the three blood samples that could be matched, this Wei Niang was one of them.
However, her blood test showed abnormalities, making her unsuitable.
Wei Niang did not know this and said, "Since Madam remembers me, we are fated. Madam, please help me. I will give you any part of my body you want."
Tears welled up in Wei Niang's eyes, "My daughter is called Hu Ling, and she is only six years old. Not long after she was born, she had a high fever that damaged her brain. I really can't leave her alone."
She crawled forward a few steps on her knees, her face full of pleading, "Madam, please be merciful and help me check on my daughter. I will be content even if I die, as long as I know she is doing well."
Looking at her, Li Yue Shu couldn't help but frown, "I do want a lung, but I don't intend to achieve my goal through murder. Old Man Zhang has been sentenced to death, which makes him a better candidate than you."
Wei Niang's face turned pale, but she still did not give up, "Although I was only sentenced to a year, I won't live for much longer, so it doesn't count as you killing someone."
Tears streamed down her face, "Madam, I only have less than half a year to live, and the only thing I can't let go of is my daughter. She lives at number seventeen, Northwest Road, in the town. Please just take a look for me, I will kowtow to you."
She directly kowtowed with a "bang." Li Yue Shu immediately dodged.
She looked at the pitiful person before her and sighed silently, "I'm sorry, I can't help you."
Her words were somewhat cruel, "The cancer cells in your body have already spread, making organ donation impossible."
Although she hadn't conducted a more detailed examination, based on her experience and the blood report, she could already give an answer.
Wei Niang didn't understand the words she used, but she grasped the meaning of her sentence.
She collapsed onto the ground, her face filled with despair.
Li Yue Shu said no more and turned to go to Old Man Zhang's cell.
Shen Wei silently followed her, like a transparent person, his presence even weaker than before he regained his senses.
Li Yue Shu didn't notice any of this and, as usual, laid out the food and began to persuade him.
However, Old Man Zhang didn't pounce on the food as he normally would. Instead, he lay on his straw mat with his back to them, seemingly unwilling to interact with them.
Clearly, Li Yue Shu's words yesterday had not been entirely in vain.
She continued to speak along those lines and, seeing that the time was right, left with Shen Wei.
She had a premonition that the time for Old Man Zhang to yield was not far off.
Emerging from the dungeon, Li Yue Shu unhitched the ox cart and ambled slowly through the town.
Shen Wei sat in the back, looking at the road, which clearly was not in the direction of home, and felt a little surprised.
But he didn't speak, remaining a transparent person throughout.
Li Yue Shu was lost in thought and didn't notice his silence today.
Soon, the two arrived at a more secluded residential area.
Shen Wei looked at the sign on the wall and was slightly surprised.
Number seventeen, Northwest Road, wasn't that the place Wei Niang had just mentioned?
He turned to look at Li Yue Shu, only to see her knocking on the main door.
A man opened the door. Upon learning that Li Yue Shu's purpose was to inquire about her imprisoned wife's daughter, the man directly drove her away.
Before Shen Wei could even think, his body moved ahead, shielding Li Yue Shu behind him.
After he reacted, he froze on the spot, feeling annoyed.
Protecting this woman had almost become an instinctual reaction for him!
Li Yue Shu, not noticing his awkwardness, turned and left, then knocked on the neighbor's door to inquire.
This inquiry revealed that the man had brought another woman home the day after Wei Niang was imprisoned and had even driven out their daughter, Hu Ling.
Having learned of Wei Niang's condition from the jailer, she knew this man was no good, but she hadn't expected him to be so utterly despicable!
"Auntie, do you know where Hu Ling is now?"
The kind neighbor said, "I heard she was rescued by a kind young lady, a noble daughter from Chongzhou! If you ask me, that girl Hu Ling is quite lucky this time; perhaps her future won't be so arduous."
A noble daughter from Chongzhou?
Li Yue Shu almost instantly thought of Li Xiang Ru.
She bid farewell to the neighbor and planned to investigate the specific details, not noticing Shen Wei behind her, whose eyes held an unusual flicker upon hearing the word "Chongzhou."
The town wasn't large, and it was easy to gather information. Li Yue Shu confirmed that the person who rescued Hu Ling was indeed Li Xiang Ru.
She couldn't help but feel a little strange.
As the protagonist of the book, anyone connected to Li Xiang Ru, even a minor character, had a name and a role.
But she thought for a long time and couldn't recall any girl named "Hu Ling" from the book.
Could there be a problem with the plot?
Looking at her furrowed brow, Shen Wei, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't help but ask, "Why are you suddenly looking for this Hu Ling?"