Proving Innocence
Up on the mountain, Lily Evans had everyone hide far away while she and Lucky set up traps.
Mark Hunter had seen Lily catch wild game before, but the others hadn't.
The Village Chief stroked his beard, watching Lily tinker with something in the distance. The other villagers were just as puzzled.
Mrs. Thompson eyed Lily, who looked so confident. She felt a bit uneasy, but forced herself to look unfazed, not wanting anyone to see her nerves.
After setting the trap, Lily and Lucky walked over. Lily said to the Village Chief, "That's just my own silly way of catching wild chickens and rabbits. If I can catch something, it proves I wasn't lying. The wild game at my house is caught by us, and has nothing to do with Mark Hunter."
The Village Chief nodded. "Makes sense."
Mrs. Thompson glared, "Look at you, acting so capable! What does a little girl know? You think you can fool people just by tossing some stuff around? Let's see how you explain yourself when you catch nothing!"
The villagers waited in the distance for a while. Suddenly, the Village Chief spotted movement in the grass where Lily had set the trap—a rabbit's ear poked out.
Lily fixed her gaze on the rabbit, and sure enough, it stepped right into the trap!
"Wow, she actually caught a wild rabbit!"
"That's right! Wild rabbits are so clever—Lily's trap actually caught one!"
The villagers looked on in disbelief. The trap had seemed so simple, yet it worked so well!
Lucky ran over and picked up the rabbit, grinning. "Wife, we've got meat for dinner again!"
The Village Chief eyed the plump rabbit and praised, "Didn't expect it—Lily's got real skills and a clever mind."
Mrs. Thompson stared at the fat rabbit—real wild game! She hadn't tasted meat in half a year. Her eyes burned with jealousy as she muttered sourly, "It's just a rabbit. Anyone could catch one. Just dumb luck, that's all."
The Village Chief shot Mrs. Thompson an annoyed look. "You saw it with your own eyes—Lily and her husband can set traps and catch rabbits. It has nothing to do with Mark Hunter. Stop spreading rumors and ruining their reputation!"
Mrs. Thompson spat quietly, then suddenly rushed out and snatched up the other traps Lily had set in the grass, clutching them to her chest like treasures.
Mrs. Thompson figured, if Lily could catch rabbits with these traps, so could she! From now on, she'd go up the mountain every day for wild game—meat for her table!
The other villagers saw what she did and immediately condemned Mrs. Thompson for her shamelessness.
These were Lily's traps—her means of making a living. Of course she wouldn't just teach anyone her skills. How could Mrs. Thompson be so brazen, running off with someone else's traps?
"Those traps belong to Lily—why are you taking them?" Cynthia Wu couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to confront Mrs. Thompson.
Mrs. Thompson clung to the traps and refused to let go. "I found them, so they're mine!"
"How can you be so shameless!" Cynthia Wu's face flushed with anger.
Lily felt a warm glow in her heart, grateful for Cynthia Wu's support. She said, "It's fine, let her take them if she wants. But don't blame me for not warning you first: this mountain and its wild game have a spirit. If someone lacking virtue tries to catch them, they'll get nothing."
Lily's words were half a jab at Mrs. Thompson, half the truth.
Did Mrs. Thompson really think she could catch wild game just by tossing a few traps around? Lily had honed her skills in her previous life—the traps themselves weren't special, but knowing where to place them was the real trick. Only Lily could read the land and spot where the animals would appear.
With those traps in Mrs. Thompson's hands, and no clue where rabbits or pheasants would show up, she'd be lucky to catch anything in a whole year, no matter how many she set.
Mrs. Thompson hugged the traps and started down the mountain. Lily called after her, "Mrs. Thompson, aren't you forgetting something? I've proved my innocence—don't forget the ten taels of silver you owe me as compensation!"