Chapter 8: The Silver's Testimony
How could silver speak? The notion was absurd. The crowd turned their attention to Jiang Ruan, intrigued by her words. Even the fuming old man paused to look at her in confusion. Zisu and Lianqiao exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what Jiang Ruan intended to do.
The woman nearly laughed out loud, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Little girl, are you spouting nonsense? Can you really make silver talk? If you have such skills, show us quickly. But if you're just bluffing, don’t embarrass yourself in front of everyone."
"Silver can indeed speak," Jiang Ruan replied calmly. "Let me ask again—madam, is this silver truly yours?"
"Of course I gave it to Qiaojie," the woman declared, lifting her chin defiantly.
"Good," Jiang Ruan said. "Zisu, fetch a basin of clean water."
The onlookers were baffled by her request. A nearby street vendor offered, "I have clean water here. You're welcome to use it."
Zisu brought the basin over and placed it steadily at Jiang Ruan’s feet.
"Madam, please hand me the silver."
The woman eyed Jiang Ruan suspiciously, while the little girl clutched the money pouch even tighter.
"If you don’t give me the silver, how can I ask it to speak?" Jiang Ruan said with perfect seriousness.
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd. More and more people had gathered to watch the spectacle, and now, seeing this refined young girl suddenly speak so strangely, many pitied her. She seemed intelligent, yet perhaps there was something wrong with her mind.
Lianqiao glared at the crowd. The laughter seemed to embolden the woman, who finally took the silver from the girl and handed it to Jiang Ruan. "Here, make sure you ask it properly. Everyone’s listening."
Among the crowd, only three besides Jiang Ruan remained unsmiling—Lianqiao and Zisu, of course, and the old man, who frowned deeply, scrutinizing Jiang Ruan’s every move.
Jiang Ruan cradled the silver in her palm, her expression unreadable, her voice soft yet firm. "Silver, silver, please tell me—who is lying?"
The woman burst into laughter. "Little girl, don’t tell me the silver actually answered you! This is pure trickery. Don’t take us for fools!"
Jiang Ruan ignored her. With a flick of her wrist, she dropped the silver into the basin. A soft splash echoed as the water rippled slightly. "The silver has spoken," she announced.
"Spoken?" The woman scoffed impatiently. "With so many ears here, are you the only one who heard it?"
"Not heard—seen," Jiang Ruan said, her gaze fixed on the water.
A curious young man in the crowd craned his neck. "Did it really say something?"
"Didn’t it?" Jiang Ruan countered. Her small frame, wrapped in an oversized cotton coat, should have looked frail, yet she exuded an unshakable resolve, as though nothing in the world could disturb her composure.
The crowd murmured in confusion, peering into the basin but seeing nothing unusual.
Then, after a moment, someone gasped. "Look! There’s something on the water!"
Floating atop the clear water was a faint, shimmering layer of golden oil.Jiang Ruan said, "It's common for the old gentleman to get vegetable oil on the silver after eating fried cakes and handling coins. But I wonder how the madam's silver also got greasy. Could it be that you or Qiaojie also bought fried cakes just now?"
Her tone was calm, yet the rise and fall in her voice was unmistakable. With just a few words, she laid out the whole story clearly and blocked any possible excuses the woman might have had. If the woman continued to argue, it would only seem like she was trying to cover up the truth.
"So that's how it is!" someone exclaimed. "The silver belongs to the old man—he got oil on it from the fried cakes. Now that the silver's been dipped in water, the truth is revealed. The silver speaks for itself!"
The crowd murmured in discussion, and when they looked at Jiang Ruan, they clicked their tongues in admiration. Though young, she had such sharp and clever reasoning—truly remarkable.
The old man had been watching Jiang Ruan's every move. Seeing how effortlessly she cleared his name, he was both astonished and overjoyed. His gaze toward her softened, no longer as stubbornly aloof as before.
The woman holding the little girl still wanted to argue. "You're just making baseless claims—"
"Old sir," Jiang Ruan ignored her entirely and turned to the old man instead. "This matter is simple. Since so many people here refuse to stand up for you, there's no point wasting time. Why not go to the county office on East Street? Perhaps someone there can help you."
The one who could settle matters at the East Street county office was naturally the magistrate. Since ancient times, commoners knew better than to fight with officials. Though the people of West Street were all clannish, when it came to their own safety and interests, no one wanted to get involved. The crowd that had gathered immediately dispersed.
Seeing the situation turning against her and Jiang Ruan suddenly adopting a firm stance instead of her earlier meekness, the woman knew further argument would be pointless. She quickly picked up the little girl and said, "I won't waste my breath with you people. Qiaojie, let's go."
After the woman left, Jiang Ruan took the silver from the basin and handed it to the old man. He accepted it and studied her curiously. "You're quite an interesting little girl. Which household's young lady are you?"
"You're quite stubborn yourself, old sir. I wonder which household's elder you are," Jiang Ruan replied coldly.
The old man was taken aback, not expecting the girl who had just helped him to suddenly treat him with such indifference. "Do you have some grievance against me?"
"Yes," Jiang Ruan said. Seeing the old man freeze again, she continued, "When faced with such a dispute, you should have reported it to the authorities immediately. At your age, you should know the importance of moderation. If I hadn't shown up today, you could have argued here all day without resolution—and might even have been falsely accused of something else."
"You little girl," the old man bristled. "Seeing you step in to help, I thought you had some sense of justice and courage. Turns out you're no different from the rest. Right and wrong must be clearly distinguished—if I'm in the right, I won't back down from confrontation."
Jiang Ruan thought for a moment. "True. For someone your age to argue in the streets like this, your integrity is truly admirable. You must have been just as unyielding against authority in your youth, always insisting on debating every matter."
Her expression remained unchanged, her tone gentle, making it impossible to tell whether her words were praise or criticism."The edge of a fine sword comes from grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms emerges from bitter cold. The old gentleman's character is quite similar to this red plum. Zisu, present the red plum to the old gentleman as a token of this serendipitous encounter." Jiang Ruan smiled faintly.
(End of Chapter)
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