Chapter 228 -220: Rubber Hand Gripper

“But who would have known? When the man hanging out the clothes saw me looking at them from outside, he hurriedly snatched them back in.”

Meng Nan’s expression began to change. “Are you sure they were the uniforms of the Capital City Martial Servants?”

The Jin guard said, “I’m certain they were the uniforms of the Capital City Martial Servants. I have a younger cousin who serves in the Capital Mansion, and every time I see him, he’s wearing a uniform just like that one—they’re identical. My cousin told me they’re custom-made for the Capital Mansion. The style and pattern are unique.”

Hu Feng, who was standing to the side, interjected, “So, you’re saying the mountain bandits only stole the grain and silver, but they let all the escorting Capital City Martial Servants go? And even left them money to stay at the posthouse?”

Meng Nan was no fool; how could he not understand Hu Feng’s sarcasm? He thought back on Lord Gu’s strange behavior around him lately. What had been just a few faint shadows of doubt were now, without him even realizing, steadily growing.

Bai Zhi said, “Brother Meng, I know this has nothing to do with you, but the common people won’t see it that way. The court clearly dispatched relief funds, funds meant to save lives, yet certain people have used various means to embezzle them. They’ve taken the grain that the people should have received for free and are instead selling it at exorbitant prices, profiting from this national crisis.”

“The common people can’t tell who is loyal and who is a traitor. They only know that whoever gives them a chance to live is a good person, and whoever pushes them toward death is a vile fiend.”

“And you, Brother Meng, as the Assistant Governor of Qingyuan Town, you’re no different from the County Magistrate in the eyes of the people. You’re both officials of the court. You clearly have the power to save them from this disaster, yet you choose to look on coldly and do nothing to help.”

Meng Nan shook his head. “I…” He wanted to say that he hadn’t, but then he thought about his actions over the past few days. ‘What’s the difference between what I’ve done and simply looking on coldly?’

Seeing Meng Nan’s distress, the Jin guard grew anxious and hurriedly asked, “Miss Bai, you know my young master’s character. He’s not a cold and heartless person. It’s just that there are some matters where it isn’t appropriate for him to personally intervene.”

Bai Zhi naturally knew this. She truly considered Meng Nan a friend; after all, he hadn’t just helped her, he had saved her life.

“I have an idea.” She smiled faintly, a cunning spark flashing in her eyes.

Both the Jin guard’s and Meng Nan’s eyes lit up, and they asked in unison, “What is it?”

Bai Zhi leaned in and whispered in Meng Nan’s ear for a moment.

The Jin guard couldn’t make out a single word, and he grew frantic. “Can’t even I know?”

Meng Nan nodded repeatedly as he listened, praising the brilliance of the plan.

This made the Jin guard even more anxious. But since even Hu Feng hadn’t said a word, he felt it would be improper to press the matter and could only bear it in silence.

After removing Meng Nan’s stitches, Bai Zhi handed him a rubber grip strengthener. This sort of thing didn’t belong in a first-aid kit; it seemed one of Lin Yang’s patients had used it, and he had simply tossed it into the medical kit afterward without getting a chance to put it away.

‘It’s just what he needs, so I can’t let it go to waste.’

“What is this?” Meng Nan asked, looking at the brightly colored, strangely shaped object in his hand. ‘She’s always pulling things I’ve never seen before out of that cloth bag of hers.’

Bai Zhi took the grip strengthener back to demonstrate its use a few times. “It’s a grip strengthener. Whenever you have a spare moment, you should exercise your fingers and wrist strength like this. Do it in the morning, at noon, and in the evening, each for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn. The duration can’t be too long or too short. You need to get the benefits of the exercise without becoming overly fatigued.”

After explaining, she handed the grip strengthener back to him to try out.

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