They had actually only accidentally discovered Zheng Qu's body in the woods. There was no witness or evidence to prove that Mei Nan's group had killed him.
However, Zheng Qu had come to the village with them, and during the ghost marriage ceremony, this group had disagreed. Zheng Qu, as a member of the village, had spoken a few words on behalf of the matchmaker Zhang.
From these events, it was possible that this group of outsiders, in a fit of rage, had killed Zheng Qu.
The young man pointed at the weeping old woman and the dejected old man, saying, "These are Zheng Qu's parents. Now the white-haired are sending off the black-haired. They just want to know the truth about their son's death. Are you unwilling to even give them this sliver of hope?"
The man's words were earnest, but Mei Nan and the others knew they absolutely could not admit to anything.
"We are also very sad about Zheng Qu's death, but we truly don't know how he died. You know, we disagreed with the ghost marriage. Zheng Qu left with the wedding party in the end. As for who he met, we are unclear."
Mei Nan adamantly denied it. In any case, at that time, the wedding party had left without looking back, and no one had noticed Zheng Qu being stopped by them.
However, the young man was relentless, insisting they had killed Zheng Qu and demanding they confess.
Mei Nan's head ached from his clamor. "The person is dead. What's the use of you making such a scene here? Why not let him be buried in peace as soon as possible?"
But this group was unwilling to let it go so easily. The old woman directly jumped up and said, "If you don't admit it, we'll put the coffin here and make you watch him at all times!"
"That's right! They killed someone but won't admit it! Leave the body here!"
"Do as you please. However, I will remind you that if a corpse is left for too long, it will rot and smell. If you wish for Zheng Qu to not have a peaceful afterlife, then by all means." Mei Nan had also learned a bit of Ning Wei's shameless tenacity.
The group was silenced by the retort but unwilling to leave just yet. So, they indeed placed the coffin in the courtyard and then strode away.
After these troublemakers dispersed, everyone glanced at the coffin and went about their other business.
Having gone through so much, what was one dead person? Especially one they had killed themselves.
Ning Wei woke up in the afternoon. The sun was shining brightly. She stood at the doorway stretching, and the first thing she saw was the coffin.
Tang Tang explained the situation to her, and Ning Wei went over to take a look.
Zheng Qu had died of freezing, his body covered in bruises. Now his family had dragged him into the courtyard. The sun was strong, and the corpse, subjected to alternating heat and cold, not only emitted an unpleasant odor but was also covered in lividity.
"So ugly," Ning Wei gave her final assessment.
Tang Tang heated the food and placed it on the table. The wedding dress was still on the table; no one dared to touch it or dispose of it casually.
Ning Wei walked over and knew at a glance what had happened. She looked at the timid Yuan Yuan and walked up to her, asking, "Do you want to get married?"
Yuan Yuan shook her head desperately!
"Then take it and burn it. There's still some fire in the hearth."
Yuan Yuan didn't dare.
Ning Wei continued to pressure her, "Do you want to wait for us to save you every time?"
Yuan Yuan fell silent.
Ning Wei turned and threw the wedding dress onto the floor, muttering "bad luck" under her breath, then ate her meal heartily.
Everyone deliberately ignored the wedding dress lying on the floor and paid no attention to Yuan Yuan's actions.
Suddenly, a burnt smell wafted through the air. It turned out Yuan Yuan had quietly picked up the wedding dress and taken it to burn.
Watching the wedding dress turn from bright red to ashes, the leaping flames reflected in Yuan Yuan's eyes, as if her own eyes were burning.
Ning Wei was very satisfied and winked at Tang Tang with a smile.
It wasn't a solution for Yuan Yuan to always hide behind everyone. Just like this time, when she was chosen by Young Master Zhou, it was all thanks to everyone's help.
Now that she had a clear mind, it was time for her to take action herself.
After burning the wedding dress, Yuan Yuan felt the pressure that had been weighing on her all day disappear. Her chest was filled with courage. Now, even if Young Master Zhou stood before her, she would dare to tell him "no" loudly!
As Ning Wei ate, Tang Tang told her about the day's events.
"Don't worry about the body. We can sneakily move it to his family's courtyard tonight."
Hearing this plan, Tang Tang couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "You're really... a little amazing."
She probably meant wicked, but it didn't seem appropriate to say it like that, as it was a consequence they all had to bear together.
"Then tonight, the matchmaker Zhang said if Yuan Yuan didn't lie down in the grave pit herself, Young Master Zhou would come looking for us..."
Ning Wei glanced at Yuan Yuan, who slowly walked over.
"I won't die, nor will I let anyone else die. If Young Master Zhou comes tonight, I will deal with it myself!" Yuan Yuan made up her mind.
"How will you deal with it? Can you beat him?" Ning Wei's question instantly shattered Yuan Yuan's courage.
Ning Wei took the last bite of her meal. "Don't worry. Later, we'll knock out the matchmaker Zhang and throw her into the grave pit. If we're discovered, and Young Master Zhou comes looking for us, we'll deal with it together with you."
Yuan Yuan's tense heart relaxed a little more, and she looked at Ning Wei with gratitude.
Everyone else also heard Ning Wei's "terrible idea" and strongly agreed.
Ning Wei still had things to do. Before leaving, she assigned tasks.
First, to find out what connection Zheng Qu had with this village. Second, to locate matchmaker Zhang. Third, to see if the grave pit had been dug.
"Where are you going then?" Zhuo Yulian couldn't help but ask as Ning Wei went out.
Ning Wei didn't answer, just waved her hand and disappeared from their sight.
She went to the Zhou family's house again and circled outside. Zhou Wei didn't appear, which struck her as strange.
"Isn't this child usually elusive?"
Just then, Zhou Wei appeared in Ning Wei's sight, carrying a heavy bundle of firewood on his back.
Ning Wei winked at Zhou Wei. Zhou Wei put down the firewood. "Grandpa, I'm going out again. I still have firewood to bring back."
"Go ahead." Accompanied by a cough, this was the village chief's voice.
Hearing the frequently occurring cough, Ning Wei couldn't help but think of Young Master Zhou, who had died young of tuberculosis.
Was there something wrong with the Zhou family?
As Zhou Wei went out, he glanced at Ning Wei, who was hidden in the shadows.
Ning Wei immediately understood his intention and followed him at a distance.
They walked until they reached the woods, and when there was no one else around, Zhou Yi stopped.
"What exactly do you want?" Zhou Yi asked Ning Wei with a frown.
"I don't want anything," Ning Wei replied innocently.
"Don't go to the Zhou family anymore. You stole so many flowers yesterday. If Grandpa hadn't handed over the garden management to me, you would have been caught long ago!"
"If I were caught, would I become fertilizer for the garden?" Ning Wei suddenly moved closer.