Chapter 12 — Between Two Worlds: A Bride Exchanged for a Dumpling

Three days passed as tensely as three years. The village communal house of Bai Tro village, where the interrogation was held, was filled with people curious and worried about the fate of "Ky's son" whom they had gradually come to see as a support amid the famine. Ma Dac Uy sat in the chair, his face showing a triumphant look, confident that this time he would easily defeat his opponent and collect all of Thua An's assets in the name of confiscating illegal evidence.

But right when the interrogation was about to begin, a group of people on horseback appeared at the gate of the village communal house, led by an official dressed in district uniform, carrying official orders. Ma Dac Uy was stunned, not expecting Tieu Ha's news to have such an effect so quickly, forcing the district official to send someone to personally supervise an incident that seemed to be just an internal matter in the village.

"This official received a report that there was wrongdoing in a search in this village," the official spoke up, his voice serious, "so I personally came down here to supervise, making sure everything was handled fairly and that no one was unjustly wronged."

Although Ma Dac Uy felt uneasy, he still tried to remain calm and signaled for the interrogation to continue. He presented the "evidence" of the smuggled salt found in Thua An's warehouse, his tone full of confidence as if victory was firmly in hand.

In his turn, Thua An calmly stood up and presented the entire incident in the correct order: the watchman that night had detected signs of unusual disturbance in the corner of the warehouse since early morning, before Ma Dac Uy's search team arrived; The way the salt was packaged was completely different from the way his warehouse had always packed the goods, something anyone familiar with warehouse work could recognize; and most importantly, there were no transaction records in his books related to that amount of salt, while Tieu Mien had maintained a transparent, detailed bookkeeping system for many months that anyone could verify.

"If I really have been smuggling salt for a long time like the village chief implies," Thua An said, his voice calm but sharp, "then why in all my detailed books, is there not a single line of record about the origin or transactions related to this salt? A professional smuggler cannot be so negligent as to leave no trace of the transaction, while accidentally revealing the evidence so easily."

The watchman that night was also invited to testify, confirming that he discovered the warehouse corner was disturbed early the previous morning, before any search took place, and immediately reported it to Tieu Ha. That testimony made the district official, who was already sympathetic to Thua An, even more suspicious about the authenticity of the "evidence" that Ma Dac Uy gave.

Just as the situation was gradually tilting towards Thua An, Tieu Ha stepped out, holding a stack of papers that had been carefully prepared over the past three days. "Sir," she said, her voice clear and decisive, "while investigating this case, I discovered another truth that is much more serious. Over the years, the amount of relief food that the royal government has allocated to Bai Tro village has always been significantly reduced compared to the actual amount reaching the villagers. This is a comparison list between the official amount of relief aid and what the households actually received, collected by me myself from the testimony of more than twenty families in the village."

Tieu Ha in turn read out each number, each specific case - families were given much less than prescribed, relief payments were delayed for no clear reason, while Ma Dac Uy's house was always wealthy, unusually abundant compared to the official income of a village head. The crowd of villagers began to stir violently. Many people, who had been resigned for a long time because they were afraid of the village chief's power, now saw an opportunity and boldly spoke up to confirm that what Tieu Ha had just presented was the truth.

Ma Dac Uy turned pale and tried to deny it, but in the face of a series of specific evidence and the unexpected consensus of the villagers, all his excuses became weak and unconvincing. The district official, his face cold, ordered the accompanying soldiers to immediately search Ma Dac Uy's private granary that same day.

The result was not unexpected: in the village chief's private granary, a large amount of food, cloth, and even a large amount of silver were found, all showing signs that the relief portion had been reduced through many previous distributions. Faced with that irrefutable evidence, Ma Dac Uy knelt down, his face pale, and no excuse could save the situation.

The official announced that all charges against Thua An were dropped due to lack of authentic evidence, and at the same time sealed Ma Dac Uy's granary to wait for the court to strictly handle the crime of aid embezzlement. Although he was not immediately stripped of his position as village chief — that would require a decision from a higher level — Ma Dac Uy's authority and dignity seemed to have completely collapsed before the eyes of all the villagers.

When the warehouse was unsealed and returned intact to Thua An, a crowd of villagers cheered and gathered around to congratulate him and his family. Tieu Mien held her husband's hand tightly, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks, while Tieu Ha stood next to her, her eyes beaming with pride because she had made an important contribution to turning the situation around.

Thua An looked at Ma Dac Uy who was being escorted away under the scornful eyes of the villagers. There was no feeling of gloating in his heart but only a silent vigilance. He knew clearly that a person who had just lost all face and power like Ma Dac Uy will not easily let go of this hatred, and this was probably just the beginning of more dangerous plots that lie ahead.

Before leaving the village communal house, the district-level official came to see Thua An privately, his face was less serious, replaced by true respect. "The gentleman handled the situation very wisely and had a heart for the people," he said. "This mandarin will fully report this incident to the district mandarin. If you need any support from the government in the future, please feel free to send someone to report, we will consider it properly and not let abusers like this village chief continue to run rampant." That promise, even if it was just a courtesy, was enough to make Thua An feel somewhat secure about his support in the coming time, knowing that the relationship with the district government is now stronger than ever.

News that Ma Dac Uy was exposed for embezzlement spread throughout the region in just a few days, making Thua An's reputation even more illustrious. Many families from neighboring villages, hearing the story, went to Bai Tro village just to meet with their own eyes "Ky's son" - who not only became rich thanks to a mysterious business deal, but also dared to stand up to expose injustice and defend righteousness for the entire community. Many small traders in the area also proactively sought out cooperation, wanting to participate in the purchasing and distribution network that Thua An and Tieu Ha had painstakingly built, causing the scale of his business to make a significant leap in the following weeks.

That evening, when everything had calmed down, the three people sat together in the house that was now much more spacious than the dilapidated kitchen. Tieu Mien opened the notebook and summarized everything they had experienced in a few short months - from a poor couple relying on each other through famine, to becoming a powerful family with a voice, strong enough to confront and defeat even a greedy and cunning village chief. "We've come a long way," she said, sounding both tired and satisfied. "But I have a feeling this is just the beginning of bigger challenges ahead."

Thua An nodded, squeezed his wife's hand, his eyes looked out to the dark yard, where the moonlight was gradually rising. He didn't say it out loud, but in his heart he also felt the same thing - today's victory, even though it was complete, was just a small battle in a long war ahead, when both worlds he was carrying on his shoulders had potential dangers he could not yet foresee. That night, before going to bed, he did not forget to go to the warehouse and place his hand on the familiar wooden cabinet door. The light blue halo of light appears steadily and steadily as usual, a reminder that no matter how fierce the storms outside are, as long as the foundation between him and Tieu Mien is still solid, that gate will always be the most reliable support for the whole family.