Chapter 10: Little Dew's Edge

The old man stepped forward to block the stout noodle shop owner and said, "Young lady, just speak your mind."

"Firstly, you two are a couple. I could tell from the way you helped her just now. Your physical contact was very natural. If this girl is truly a pure and innocent young lady, how could she be so indifferent?" Chu Si said.

The girl's palms tightened slightly. "I was just too scared to notice. How could you..."

"I haven't finished speaking yet. Next time you come out to falsely accuse someone, remember to change into cleaner clothes. Your chest and sleeves are all stained with oil. You must have been working in the kitchen for a long time. But according to this boss, you come from a poor family, so you shouldn't have these stains," Chu Si continued.

"I felt sorry for her, so I let her help out in my kitchen. What's wrong with that?" Before Chu Si could finish, the noodle shop owner interrupted.

"The boss allowed a pure young lady to help out in your kitchen?" Chu Si continued, "And I see that your noodle shop isn't very big. Besides the waiter, it's just you. A girl from a respectable family probably wouldn't do this, unless she's your relative or your wife."

The noodle shop owner gritted his teeth but couldn't refute.

"Secondly," Chu Si continued, her eyes shining brighter, "he looks very similar to this girl. Is this just a coincidence?" Chu Si pointed to a man in the crowd who had been supporting them all along.

Everyone turned to look, and the man blushed and teased, "Things in this world are never clear."

Everyone laughed, "So this girl is probably your father's illegitimate child. Why don't you go acknowledge your sister?"

"What about the third point?" someone asked, and the old man looked at Chu Si with shining eyes.

"Look at the old man's clothes, clean and tidy, not a speck of dust. It seems he just changed into these clothes to go out. But this girl, coming out of the kitchen, not only has oil stains, but also a lot of dust because she's in a noodle shop. If the old man had deliberately approached her, he would have been stained too."

Everyone looked carefully, and the old man's clothes were indeed very clean, especially the gray color. If there were any dust, it would have been easily noticeable, but there was none from head to toe.

The noodle shop owner and his companions all looked unfriendly. "Young lady, this town is small. Be careful when you walk in the future."

"I don't live in the town. I live in the temple on the mountain, so I naturally walk very carefully," Chu Si smiled.

The noodle shop owner choked and signaled to the crowd, and someone immediately began to approach her and the old man.

"You dare!" The old man naturally noticed something amiss in the crowd and shouted loudly.

The noodle shop owner's face turned fierce. "On my turf, I dare you to act recklessly. You want to see the county magistrate, don't you? I'll send you to eat prison food!" He was about to pounce, but then heard the sound of horse hooves, followed by an anxious voice, "Sir..."

Chu Si's tense heart finally relaxed. Just in time, within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

"Sir?" Everyone was stunned. They saw the old man straighten his robe and walk out with a serious expression. "Mr. Liu, you handle things well."

The slightly chubby man in a round-collared official uniform who hurriedly got out of the sedan chair was so scared that his legs went weak. He bowed to the old man, "Your Honor, are you okay?" He had thought there wouldn't be any trouble after the imperial censor arrived last night, but who knew he would sneak out early in the morning and cause such a commotion.

"How am I?" the imperial censor, Zhang, looked at the stunned noodle shop owner and the girl, and then at Chu Si, who was equally surprised. A hint of a smile appeared on his serious face. "Thanks to this young lady. It's a pity she's not a young man."

Listening to the imperial censor's sigh, Chu Si didn't feel any regret.

Before Chu Si could speak, there was a commotion in the crowd. "Not good, they're trying to escape," Chu Si said.

The imperial censor's face turned cold. "Don't let them get away!"

Mr. Liu almost collapsed when he heard this. Before giving the order, he glared fiercely at Chu Si and then commanded, "This girl seems very familiar with them. She's probably their accomplice. Men, go and capture them all!"