Chapter 578: Locked Up Tight
The next day, villagers on their way to work saw Phoenix Golding hog-tied on the ground and quickly reported it to Jethro Golding. Phoenix Golding was locked back in the ancestral hall. Its doors and windows were nailed shut with wooden boards, leaving only a small opening for food to be passed through. She had to eat, drink, and relieve herself all inside the hall.
After a month in there, during the hottest part of July, she would probably be rank by the time she got out.
But all the villagers were curious: who was the righteous soul who had tied up Phoenix Golding?
"Aurelia, was that you?"
The village chief’s wife asked curiously. Several women were still gathered at the Hawthorne residence, sewing clothes. The pay for an adult’s skirt was eighty cents a piece. Even though it used more fabric, the effort required was similar to making children’s clothes. Phoebe Huxley and the others were now quite proficient and could make at least ten or so pieces a day, easily earning seven or eight yuan.
Phoebe Thorne was in her postpartum confinement. Rosalind Green couldn’t keep up with cutting the fabric by herself, so Preston Thorne, Byron Thorne, and the others discussed it and had Jethro Golding’s granddaughter-in-law come over to do the cutting. The pay was the same as Phoebe Thorne’s—ten cents a piece—and she could also earn two or three yuan a day.
Phoebe Huxley didn’t even lift her head, deftly pedaling the sewing machine. Her booming voice drowned out the machine’s whir. "If it had been me, I’d have smashed that bitch’s head open!"
The other women considered this and agreed. Phoebe Huxley was ruthless. If Phoenix Golding had fallen into her hands, she might not have survived. But when Phoenix Golding was found that morning, the wound on her head wasn’t deep—she had only bled a little—and the ropes were tied haphazardly. It really didn’t seem like Phoebe Huxley’s handiwork.
"Who could it have been, then? And why so secretive!" the accountant’s wife muttered to herself. None of them could figure out who would do a good deed and not want to be recognized.
"It must be someone from the village who doesn’t want anyone to know," Fiona Rhodes guessed. "Anyway, it’s a good thing Phoenix Golding didn’t get away. A month locked up in there and she’ll be half-dead."
The others nodded in agreement. Perhaps the person didn’t want to make an enemy of the Golding family and had decided to keep it quiet. They were happy to see Phoenix Golding’s misfortune. A shameless, unchaste bitch like her deserved a harsh lesson.
"Wasn’t Linden’s mother going to introduce a man from the coal mines to Phoenix Golding? What happened with that?" Phoebe Huxley asked. She’d been stewing over the matter.
"I heard he was supposed to come see her in a couple of days. That’s definitely not happening now that she’s locked up." Though Juliana Rhodes was quiet, she always said something surprising when she spoke.
Phoebe Huxley slapped her thigh. "Serves her right!"
The more misfortune befell Phoenix Golding, the happier she was. To her, it would be best if the woman fell into a cesspit and had to eat maggots.
Tang Xiaonan was getting sleepy listening to the gossip. She was tired of hearing it every day. Amanda Chapman had been busy taking care of Phoebe Thorne and her new baby brother lately and didn’t have time to play with her. Jim Thorne and Patrick Thorne were nowhere to be seen all day—busier than the president. Adrian Hawthorne was the same. The only one left to play with her was Dollar, but Dollar was more interested in the big goose and spent all day chasing it.
"Mama, I’m going home to sleep."
Tang Xiaonan yawned, her eyes heavy with sleep. Phoebe Huxley took a ten-cent coin from her pocket and tucked it into Tang Xiaonan’s. "Buy an ice pop later."
"Okay."
Tang Xiaonan nodded. The ice pop seller would be by in a little while; he always came around this time. She wanted to buy two—one for herself and one for Amanda Chapman.
"Dollar, let’s go home!"
Tang Xiaonan called out. Dollar reluctantly bid farewell to the big goose and ran ahead of Tang Xiaonan like a little bodyguard. Dollar wasn’t fully grown yet; at only three months old, he wasn’t very big, but he was agile, extremely protective of his owner, and remarkably bright.
The path from the Hawthorne residence to her grandfather’s house went past the Spann family’s home. It was empty now and gave off a somewhat sinister air. Tang Xiaonan couldn’t help but glance over. She didn’t see Jacqueline Spann. These days, Jacqueline rarely showed her face, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.