Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ah Jiao was a stutterer. She couldnât speak fluently to begin with. Now that so many people were looking at her, she couldnât speak even more.
âI didnât steal anythingâ¦â Ah Jiaoâs hand was swinging like a pendulum.
âIf I steal something, Iâll die a horrible deathâ¦â
This oath was quite vicious, but it could not wash away Ah Jiaoâs suspicion. From the stage to the room, only the two of them had touched the jewelry box, so the thief was definitely one of them.
âYou were the only one who took the box after Ah Ju left. If you didnât steal it, who else could it be?â Mrs. Taoâs head hurt a little.
âYouâre a good child. I believe you did this because you were confused. If youâre willing to take out the jewelry, I wonât blame you.â
Ah Jiao was a stutterer. Her father disliked her for not speaking properly, so he left her and her mother behind. Later, when Ah Jiaoâs mother died, Ah Jiao helped others wash dishes on the street.
Once, when Mrs Tao passed by, she thought that this little girl was quite cute, so she brought her back to work for them. Although Ah Jiao couldnât speak, she was very hardworking. Mother Tao liked her very much.
âMadam, I didnât steal itâ¦â Ah Jiao was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat. âIâm not the only one who took the box. Everyone has taken it beforeâ¦â
She pointed at the maids. âThey said they wanted to see it, so Ah Ju showed it to themâ¦â
Tan Rou asked Ah Ju, âOther than the two of you, did anyone else touch the box?â
Ah Ju nodded. âEveryone took the boxes because they said that these pieces of jewelry are very beautiful. If they wear them on their bodies, they will definitely look very good.â
Tan Rou thought for a moment and turned to ask the other maids, âWhen you got the box, were the jewels still there?â
The few of them nodded. âYes, when we took it, the bracelet and earring were still there. After we finished reading it, we returned the box to Ah Ju. We didnât secretly take anything.â
âAlright, since you donât want to admit it, then thereâs no need for you to stay in the Tao family. There are guests at home today, so we canât call the police. You can just pack up and leave. Iâll transfer this monthâs salary to your accounts after this.
The maids were crying. They didnât steal anything, and they didnât know who stole it. âMadam, please give us another chance. I didnât steal anything. You have to believe us!â
Zhuang Liu looked around and whispered something into Tan Rouâs ear. Tan Rou immediately understood what Zhuang Liu meant, so she instructed Aunt Zhou, who was standing at the side, to find something. Then, she walked back to the maid and asked a few simple questions.
âWhere do you usually work? One by one, donât rush,â Tan Rou said.
Ah Jiao was the first to say. âI⦠I work in the gardenâ¦â
âI work in the kitchen,â said another maid.
The remaining maids were responsible for cleaning the house and did not have a fixed position.
âWho usually comes to clean this room?â Tan Rou asked another question.
Ah Ju and another maid raised their hands and said they had been there.
Tan Rouâs gaze lingered on Ah Ju for a while, then she chuckled. âOh, then youâve worked hard. This room is quite big and you would need a break from time to time, right?â
Everyone did not understand what she meant, but Zhuang Liu understood. âYou canât rest during working hours. If a person wants to rest, she will definitely find a place without surveillance cameras. There are only corridors in this house that have no surveillance cameras.â
Ah Ju immediately pointed at the maid next to her. âHer! Every time she comes to work, sheâll slack off. She especially finds a place where there are no surveillance cameras, so she must be the one who stole it.â
The maid who was accused looked confused. âBut every time I take a break, youâre also resting. If you ask me, youâre suspicious too.â
Ah Ju said, âLast time, you said that your brother owed a lot of money from gambling. It must have been you who stole it. You wanted to steal something to exchange for money to go home and pay off your brotherâs gambling debts, right?â
The maid was very angry. âI didnât. Besides, Iâve already cut ties with my brother. I wonât give him money at all.â
Ah Ju refused to give up. âYou must have stolen it.â
With that, the two of them started fighting.