The Supporting Female Character Refuses to be Cannon Fodder Chapter 58

The living room suddenly became quiet. Everyone watched as Jiang Chan calmly retracted her leg and lowered her skirt, maintaining an air of dignity and composure. The only sound left was Jiang Xing’s cries of pain, and everyone exchanged glances.

Lin Shi picked up her tea bowl, hiding a slight smile at the corner of her mouth. Wang Shi had already rushed over to hold Jiang Xing with a distressed look, eager to lift her clothes to check for any injuries.

Zhou Xing looked at Jiang Chan with starry eyes, not expecting the girl to have such a skill. Jiang Chan remained very calm, so it’s best not to get into a fight with her. If it really comes to that, who knows who would suffer.

Jiang Chan’s skills were honed at the orphanage. Although not formal, they were more than sufficient to handle the likes of Jiang Xing.

Jiang Sen blinked, pretending not to see anything the next moment. Jiang Mu, trembling, pointed at Jiang Chan, “She’s your sister, how could you hit her so hard?”

Jiang Chan looked innocent, “How was I to know if she was aiming to hit Zhou Xing or me? It was self-defense.”

Jiang Mu’s fingers trembled slightly. He wanted to say something but couldn’t, only glaring at her with eyes that seemed on the verge of tearing apart, filled with deep resentment.

Just as the main hall was in chaos, Uncle Zhong arrived with two yamen runners. Upon seeing Jiang Sen, the yamen runners¹ immediately smiled and said, “Master Jiang, your steward came to beat the drum, saying he wanted to file a report. Has something happened?”

Jiang Mu’s family didn’t expect Uncle Zhong to actually report the incident, and they were all taken aback. Even Jiang Xing, who had been crying out in pain, paused, swallowing her cries.

Jiang Mu forced a smile, “Eldest brother, we are blood brothers. There’s no need to report this to the police, right? Making such a big fuss and letting others know wouldn’t sound good, would it?”

Jiang Chan spoke decisively before Jiang Sen could say anything: “Brother Yayi², it was I who sent Uncle Zhong to report the case.”

She glanced at Jiang Mu and the others, seeing the guilt, unease, and panic on their faces, then continued, “I’m not afraid of being laughed at. These two are my biological parents. They know that I’m living well with my current parents, but they came here insisting on claiming the dim sum recipes I developed as their dowry. I have no choice but to take legal action.”

The yamen runners are all sharp-minded. Who in the town doesn’t know about Jiang Chan’s shop? Therefore, when Jiang Chan said so, the two yamen runners exchanged a glance, and the younger one stepped forward and said.

“Right and wrong, go straight to the hall and explain clearly. Let’s go to the yamen together first. The county magistrate will naturally give you an explanation. We will absolutely not wrong a good person, nor will we let someone with evil intentions succeed.”

This statement was made with both direct and indirect pressure, leaving Jiang Mu and the others thoroughly discouraged. The yamen runners had already said they would have to go see the county magistrate, and naturally they couldn’t refuse.

Considering that both Jiang Miao and Jiang Mu were scholars, the yamen runners didn’t make them wear any instruments of punishment. Even so, a large group of people marching toward the yamen attracted a lot of attention.

People are generally quite curious. In this era, when the local magistrate is adjudicating cases, the common people can stand by the gate of the yamen and listen in. Before long, the area outside the main hall becomes so crowded that there’s hardly any room to move.

The county magistrate is a newly appointed scholar this year, around thirty years old, a prime age of vigor and strength. Once Uncle Zhong explained the cause and effect of the situation, the county magistrate immediately understood.

He glanced at Jiang Chan, who was standing below the hall. Jiang Chan had a unique demeanor, neither humble nor arrogant, exuding a distinctive aura from head to toe. Naturally, he had heard of Jiang Chan’s shop, and he was also a regular customer there.

The right and wrong of things, the county magistrate could see at a glance. The magistrate slammed his gavel and Wang Shi and Jiang Xing’s courage suddenly diminished by half

They are the typical bullies at home, acting all high and mighty within their own walls, but the moment they face a real situation, they are the first to be scared. Especially Wang Shi, who barely recognizes a few characters and whose biggest experience of a grand occasion was Jiang Chan’s coming-of-age ceremony.

As they arrived at the solemn and majestic hall, Wang Shi and Jiang Xing were trembling in their legs. If Jiang Miao hadn’t been supporting them on the side, it’s likely that the two would have been so frightened that they would have collapsed to the ground.

The two were so shocked that when the county magistrate questioned them, their answers were disjointed and incoherent. It didn’t take long for them to reveal their intentions. Jiang Miao was standing nearby, constantly giving them meaningful looks, but unfortunately, Wang SHi and Jiang Xing were so frightened that they didn’t notice anything. Jiang Miao’s signals were completely wasted.

Their confession sparked an uproar outside the court.

“These are her own biological parents, yet they are so eager to seize their own daughter’s possessions. I can’t understand how they could do such a thing.”

“If you ask me, that Miss Jiang from the Jiang family is a bit too forthright. If you have something to say, just say it properly. There’s no need to make a scene in the main hall. How does that let others keep their dignity?”

As soon as he said this, everyone around him distanced themselves. The scholar was puzzled: “What’s wrong with what I said? It’s just common sense.”

An older lady sighed and said, “You scholar, you too absorbed in your studies. People have come to your door to take away your livelihood, and you’re still worried about making it hard for them?”

“If someone told me to hand over my wealth to someone else, I would have slapped them long ago.”

The crowd continued to discuss, and an informed lady added, “I heard the Jiang Miss had a hard life at home. Look at their youngest daughter, she’s almost as tall as Miss Jiang now, even though she’s two years younger. It shows how hard Miss Jiang’s life used to be.”

“It’s not just talking about it, with such biased parents, naturally you won’t be valued at home.”

Jiang Mu and Jiang Miao heard the outside discussions and couldn’t maintain their composure. They had come with high hopes, but now they were extremely embarrassed.

If there were a crack in the ground, the two of them would have wished to crawl into it immediately to avoid being seen. They never expected Jiang Chan to use such a thunderous method, reporting to the authorities as soon as she said she would, leaving them completely unable to react.

Now that the verdict in the main hall has reached its conclusion, even Wang Shi, who is usually so unruly, knows that she must bear the reputation of plotting to seize someone else’s property on her own.

Jiang Miao and Jiang Mu are scholars, after all. She is still hoping that Jiang Miao will achieve high ranks in the future. Although Jiang Miao also participated in planning this matter, Wang Shi could not implicate Jiang Miao no matter what.

As for Jiang Xing, if she also gains such a reputation, it will be even harder for her to find a husband in the future.

So, Wang Shi claimed that asking for the dim sum recipes was her own idea, and Jiang Miao, Jiang Xing, and Jiang Mu were unaware of it; they were just there to support her.

1. 
   A yamen runner (also known as a yamen bailiff or yamen constable) was a type of government official or law enforcement officer in imperial China. Yamen runners worked for local government offices known as yamen, which were administrative and judicial centers. Their duties included a wide range of tasks such as serving legal documents, arresting criminals, maintaining order, collecting taxes, and carrying out various administrative errands. They were essentially the foot soldiers of the local government, ensuring that the magistrate’s orders were executed and that the laws were enforced at the local level. ↩︎
2. “Brother Yayi” is a respectful term used to address someone with the title “ya yi” (衙役), which refers to an official or guard in ancient China, especially in a governmental or legal context. It’s a term of respect, akin to “Brother Guard” or “Brother Officer.” ↩︎