The County Magistrate Isn’t a Scumbag—She’s Very A - Chapter 10

Jiang Wuyi looked at Jiang Fanyin with a face full of remorse. “Yin’yin, I came too late.”

He was genuinely frustrated. He hadn’t expected Song Boxue to survive that stormy night, and he couldn’t fathom where his plan had gone wrong.

Jiang Fanyin watched him with a scrutinizing gaze. Jiang Wuyi was her adoptive brother; years ago, he had broken ties with her father for reasons she never fully understood, subsequently joining the army and remaining away for years.

She had always sensed that while her father cared for Wuyi, he didn’t fully trust him. If he had, he would have told her to seek refuge with Wuyi after the family’s downfall, rather than sending her to Song Boxue in Pingchuan County.

Witnessing the scene before her, her suspicions deepened: her brother was hiding something.

Had this been a few days ago, she might have believed the doctor’s testimony. But now.

Song Boxue was a woman. It was impossible for her to have “close relations” with the doctor’s son in that manner. Furthermore, while the Magistrate suffered from a strange mental affliction that caused erratic behavior, she had never shown the level of cold-blooded depravity described by the doctor. Especially after the events at Pavilion Above the Clouds today, Jiang Fanyin had begun to see Song Boxue as a fundamentally decent person.

Looking at the battered physician, it was obvious he had been tortured. His “confession” was likely scripted by his captor.

“Brother,” Jiang Fanyin asked calmly, “how did you know I was here?”

Jiang Wuyi stiffened, his brow furrowing. “After I heard of our father’s misfortune, I searched everywhere for you. A few days ago, I learned you were in Pingchuan. I used military business as an excuse to rush here. Yin’yin, tell me, did that Song Boxue do something to you?”

At the thought, a dull ache throbbed in his chest. The girl he had secretly loved for years had been defiled by another—the thought was unbearable.

“She treats me very well,” Jiang Fanyin replied, noting the strange intensity in his eyes. Her confusion grew.

Jiang Wuyi gripped his saber, his expression contorted with pain. “Yin’yin, you don’t have to comfort me. I want nothing more than to hack that dog official into ten thousand pieces. Don’t worry, I will avenge this insult for you.”

The night he heard of his adoptive father’s arrest, he’d had a dream. In it, the girl he cherished was stripped of her innocence on a rainy night and left to wander the streets. Initially, he hadn’t believed it, but concern drove him to Pingchuan. Everything he saw matched the dream—including the moment he witnessed Song Boxue buying knockout drugs from this very clinic. He was now convinced the prophecy was true.

Jiang Fanyin stared at him for a long moment. “Song Boxue treats me well. Nothing the doctor claimed ever happened.”

“Yin’yin, don’t lie to me. I, I won’t hold it against you.” Overcome by emotion, Jiang Wuyi lunged forward, grabbing her arm in an attempt to pull her into his embrace.

Jiang Fanyin stepped aside, dodging him. “Brother, you’ve had too much to drink.”

She began to understand. The rift between her father and Wuyi likely involved her. Seeing the wine on the table, she offered him a graceful way to retreat.

“I am perfectly sober! Yin’yin, don’t you understand?”

He tried to embrace her again. Jiang Fanyin backed away, and as he continued to press forward, she drew a sharp dagger from her sleeve. “Brother, you are drunk.”

This dagger was originally intended for Song Boxue. She hadn’t expected to use it like this.

Seeing the blade, a look of hurt flashed in Wuyi’s eyes. “Yin’yin, don’t be rash. I, I’ve had too much. Just take it as drunken nonsense. I would never hurt you.”

Jiang Fanyin watched him warily. ‘I would never hurt you’—Song Boxue had said those exact words. But between the Magistrate and the man standing before her, she found she didn’t know who to trust.

“Song Boxue is my fiancé. Do not do anything foolish, Brother. Let us act as if today never happened.”

Holding the dagger before her, she backed toward the door and hurried away the moment she reached the exit.

“Yin’yin.” Jiang Wuyi’s expression turned predatory. He gripped his sword, but in the end, he did not give chase.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Jiang Fanyin returned to the yamen’s inner quarters to find Song Boxue standing by the courtyard gate, seemingly waiting for her.

“Sister Jiang, where did you go?” Song Boxue asked naturally, her tone laced with genuine concern rather than suspicion.

Jiang Fanyin blinked, momentarily dazed by the warmth. “I went to see a friend. Why were you looking for me?”

Song Boxue hesitated, finding the words difficult now that they were face-to-face. Seeing her reluctance, Jiang Fanyin didn’t press her. She walked into the room, giving Song Boxue time to gather her thoughts.

Once inside, Song Boxue finally spoke. “About the money I owe you, I might have to wait until I receive next month’s salary to pay you back. I came to give you a formal IOU.”

Mother Song was a miser at heart. She had handed over the two hundred taels Song Boxue had “collected,” but the moment she heard about the five taels for Jiang Fanyin, she threw a fit.

Mother Song’s logic was: “I’ve thought it over. If you want to marry Fanyin, I won’t stop you. Since we’ll be family sooner or later, there’s no need to pay her back.” Because Mother Song had spotted the “hickey” (the insect bite) on Jiang Fanyin’s neck, no amount of explaining from Song Boxue could change her mind.

Song Boxue felt she couldn’t use the money in good conscience without giving the female lead a formal note of debt.

Jiang Fanyin’s eyes fixed on Song Boxue’s face. “Did you buy knockout drugs at the Yuekang Medical Clinic?”

She had intended to find other ways to verify the truth, but seeing Song Boxue now, she changed her mind. A direct question felt like the quickest way to see through a lie.

Yuekang Clinic? Knockout drugs?

Song Boxue’s expression shifted. She remembered now—the original owner of the body had gone there to buy drugs. But hadn’t they already cleared the air? Was the female lead settling old scores now?

She looked at Jiang Fanyin. The girl’s clear eyes were devoid of their usual softness, replaced by a cold, piercing gaze that seemed to see through her soul.

Song Boxue sighed, resigning herself to the truth. “I was having an episode that day. My brain misfired, so I went to buy them. You know the rest of what happened.”

Jiang Fanyin’s face turned as cold as frost. After a long silence, she asked, “Do you know the doctor’s son? And did you say unspeakable things to him?”

Her voice was steady, as if stating a fact, yet there was a faint flicker of uncertainty in her tone.

Song Boxue focused her thoughts and said firmly, “I don’t know any doctor’s son. I didn’t even remember the name of that clinic clearly, and I certainly never said anything ‘unspeakable’ to anyone.”

She couldn’t help but wonder: Who did the female lead go to see just now? Is she investigating me in secret?

Jiang Fanyin swept a glance over her, and for some reason, a weight lifted from her heart. As she suspected, her adoptive brother must have secretly induced the doctor to sprout nonsense.

She pursed her lips and said coolly, “In the future, if you suffer another ‘episode,’ do not act recklessly. I will help you.”

Unbeknownst to her, the scales in her heart had begun to tilt, a shift the owner herself had yet to notice.

Song Boxue’s mouth twitched. Help me? How? By letting me bite her hand again? She didn’t exactly have a fetish for that, and besides, it wasn’t guaranteed to work.

She furrowed her brows. “Sister Jiang, what made you think to ask about this suddenly?”

Song Boxue felt a quiet drumbeat of anxiety in her chest. Strange. The female lead is acting very strange. Is she really digging into my past?

“It just came to mind, so I asked. Let’s write the IOU,” Jiang Fanyin said, rising to fetch paper and brush.

Seeing her get down to business, Song Boxue suppressed her doubts. Whatever the female lead wanted to do, she would just cooperate. Once she finished cleaning up the mess left by the original owner and resigned from office, the sky would be wide and the birds would fly free—she wouldn’t be in anyone’s way anymore.

They drafted the IOU, each keeping a copy. Song Boxue felt a bit more at ease; with things written down clearly, neither owed the other anything.

“Will Sister Jiang be coming to the yamen with me tomorrow?”

“Mhm,” Jiang Fanyin replied softly. Thinking of Jiang Wuyi, she added, “Be careful.”

She didn’t want Song Boxue to suffer any undeserved disaster because of her. For that reason alone, she felt compelled to stay by Song Boxue’s side for the time being.

“I will.” Song Boxue raised an eyebrow inwardly, feeling a bit curious about the sudden “be careful.” Seeing that it was late, she stood up to leave.

Returning to her room, she found Mother Song greeting her with a mysterious air, even going as far as to bolt the door behind them.

“Mother, have you had a change of heart? Are you finally willing to give me some silver?”

Mother Song raised a hand and rapped her on the head. “Give you silver? In your dreams. If you want money, go ask your wife for it.”

Song Boxue sighed. “Mother, there really is nothing between Sister Jiang and me. Besides, I can’t go out every day with empty pockets. What if I need money for an emergency? Just give me half of my salary.”

The original owner’s monthly salary was forty-five taels. She wasn’t sure whether to praise the original for being filial or foolish for handing every single cent over to Mother Song.

Mother Song curled her lip. “You ungrateful brat, that’s your tribute to your old mother. Your wife follows you around every day now; just use hers. Besides, after the wedding, her dowry will be yours anyway.”

Song Boxue rolled her eyes and gave up the struggle. There was no reasoning with her. “Then, Mother, what are you looking for me for so late at night?”