Zhao Laoliu said, "Madam Wang never intended to let either of us leave. We came through the back alleys, dodging people and entering through the back door; no one besides the Wang family knows we were ever here. If anyone comes looking, the people in town will only assume you and I went to deliver goods at the tea house, and as for where we went afterward, not a soul knows."
"Just as you said, an artisan and a boatman like us are both outsiders in Songjia Village. All they have to do is spread the word that the two of us were waylaid and murdered for our money on the way home, leaving not even a skeleton behind. Who, I ask you, would ever seek justice for us?"
Du Chunzhi nodded. "That's right, the Wang family is well-practiced at this sort of thing. But what I want to ask is, you've always just played the enforcer and left the wrangling to me—why the sudden decision to stay?"
Chapter 54