Chapter 39: The Whole Family Together
The thunder faded away, the rain grew lighter, and a streak of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon.
The morning breeze passed through the rain shelter, and the tiny flames in the fire that had burned for half the night flickered and went out, turning into a wisp of blue smoke.
People gradually got up and started moving around, with fragmented voices of conversation sounding.
Liu Er, wrapped in half-dry half-wet bedding, shivered coldly and shrank inward. Just as he was thinking of catching a bit more sleep, the bedding on him was suddenly snatched away by someone.
“Your grandfather’s! Dare to snatch…” Liu Er lifted his eyelids to curse loudly, but upon meeting Shen Qi’s stern face, he immediately swallowed his words whole.
Shen Qi said coldly: “Whose grandfather?”
“Me, me.” Liu Er immediately crawled up and gave up his spot, nodding and bowing with a fawning smile. “This spot still has a bit of warmth, Officer, you sleep here. This little one will block the wind for you.”
“Pretty sharp-eyed.” Shen Qi kept a straight face. “Stretch out your arm.”
Liu Er didn’t dare ask more and obediently stretched out his arm.
Then… he was tied up tight with a hemp rope.
Liu Er: ?
“Officer, what… what are you doing?”
“Skinny as a bamboo pole, yet bullying men and women to plague the village—how are you so capable?” Shen Qi said coolly. “Like sleeping, huh? Not slept enough? Prison has plenty of space for you to sleep, sleep till you never wake up.”
“Officer! Officer! This little one is innocent!” Liu Er leaned back, resisting and refusing to go.
Shen Qi drew his official saber, the snow-bright blade pointed at him. Liu Er immediately cowered, shrinking his neck and obediently following behind Shen Qi.
The villagers watched from the side, none stepping forward to plead for him.
“Dad, Dad!” Liu Er saw Old Man Liu and immediately burst into loud cries. “Your son is innocent—help plead for your son!”
Old Man Liu sighed and turned his face away, the wrinkles on his face seeming to multiply.
From the day his second son started hanging out with Chen San, he knew the boy wouldn’t come to a good end.
He had tried to control him, but the kid’s wings had hardened, his legs were his own—unless he broke them, there was no way to rein him in!
How few were the apologies he’d made on behalf of others these years?
To clean up after this bastard, all the family’s money had gone out, the eldest daughter-in-law harbored resentment deep down, and even the eldest son wasn’t without a lump in his heart.
If not for Liu Er slacking off and dumping the pig-feeding chore on Yang Yang this time, how could Yang Yang have been pinned in the pigsty and nearly lost his life?
He couldn’t really let a good family break up over one worthless bastard!
Aunt Zhang cried beside them, sobbing uncontrollably. She opened her mouth to plead, but Wen Shi held her arm, her voice also choked with tears. “Mom, Yang Yang nearly lost his life.”
Thinking of her comatose little grandson, Aunt Zhang’s crying paused. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but the plea ultimately didn’t come out.
“Big Brother, we’re blood brothers!” Liu Er’s eyes turned red with anxiety. “When you were bitten by a snake as a kid, I sucked out the poison for you. I lay in bed for two days and nearly died—don’t you remember?”
Liu Cheng certainly remembered. Without that bond, given Liu Er’s bastard ways, he would’ve split the family long ago—how could things have come to nearly divorcing his wife?
“The Officer said your crime doesn’t warrant death.” Liu Cheng clenched his fists, staring hard at his younger brother’s face. “Fellow villagers, for Mom and Dad’s sake, won’t hold it against you much, but Liu Hu, don’t you know what you’ve done? You’re nineteen now—don’t make Mom and Dad worry about you anymore.”
“Bro…” Liu Hu hadn’t expected even his big brother, who indulged him more than Dad, to ignore him now.
He just bullied people a bit and took some benefits—killing was all Chen San’s doing. He hadn’t taken a life himself, and nothing happened before. Why suddenly prison now?
His gaze swept over the crowd, unexpectedly meeting a pair of clear, cold eyes.
Shang Wan’s lips curved slightly. That’s right, she was the one who told Shen Qi.
Liu Hu didn’t even know Chen San had woken up—he was already useless to her. Perfect timing with Shen Qi coming to Elm Tree Village; might as well take him away while at it.
Liu Hu’s pupils shrank. This woman had never intended to let him go from start to finish!
“Chen San is mmmph! Mmmph mmmph!” Liu Hu had just started speaking when Shen Qi stuffed a cloth towel in his mouth. Liu Hu couldn’t say another word.
Liu Hu was extremely unwilling. Contrary to his earlier compliance, he struggled like a madman.
For such a thug plaguing the village, Shen Qi had no patience. A few scabbard strikes later, Liu Hu hopped in pain and soon behaved.
The Liu Family couldn’t bear to watch and had long gone elsewhere.
On the other side, Luo Si with his broken leg also happily earned a trip to prison.
But unlike the Liu Family, the Luo Family protected Luo Si fiercely. Old Man Luo blocked in front of Luo Si, declaring that taking Luo Si meant beating him to death first.
Dan Dajun was irritated. Last night he’d clearly beaten an old man senseless—how was he so muddled over Luo Si?
Shang Wan was also a bit surprised.
Xiao Huan, mixed in with the aunts and wives last night, knew some gossip. She leaned to Shang Wan’s ear and whispered it.
“The Luo Family originally had four sons. The third died young. When Aunt Wu gave birth to Luo Si, it was a difficult labor, nearly one corpse two lives. Aunt Wu begged the midwife to save the child. She breathed her last right after the baby came out.”
“Uncle Luo felt Luo Si was bought with Aunt Wu’s life, so he doted on him extra, even more than his grandkids. He repeatedly instructed Luo Da and Luo Er to protect their little brother. Whatever good things the Luo Family had went first to Luo Si.”
Shang Wan was speechless. The whole family protected and spoiled him, and they raised a bastard plaguing the village? The Luo Family’s family education was hopeless.
“Last year Luo Si was taken by Chen San to the gambling house and lost a hundred taels of silver. The gambling house came to collect the debt. Uncle Luo emptied his coffin savings and borrowed a lot from villagers to cover it—still not paid back yet.”
“Sis, look at their clothes.” Xiao Huan subtly pointed to the patch-covered clothes on Luo Da and the others. “Luo Da and Luo Er are both good at hunting, said to be especially accurate with bows—nine out of ten shots hit. They don’t slack on field work either. If not for using all their earnings to clean up Luo Si’s messes, how could they not even afford decent clothes?”
Shang Wan had noticed earlier—the Luo Family dressed especially poorly, the three kids’ little faces sallow yellow like they weren’t fed enough.
Though patching clothes was normal in the village, the Luo Family’s patches upon patches could only be rivaled by the Liu Family.
Neither family was lazy or idle—men and women all hardworking—yet both raised a bastard.
If it were Shang Wan, having carefully raised a scourge, she’d have beaten him to death with two sticks long ago to avoid harming others and themselves.
Seeing Dan Dajun at a standoff with the Luo Family, Shen Qi walked over, his sharp gaze sweeping over them like a knife. “Hindering officials from arresting someone will be punished as the same crime. Want your whole family to go to prison neatly together?”
Dan Dajun still cared a bit about fellow villagers’ feelings, but Shen Qi didn’t. He directly gave the Luo Family a choice: either Luo Si goes to prison, or the whole family does.
Who wanted to go to prison these days?
The Luo Family’s attitude softened slightly. Daughter-in-law Liu Shi and Wang Shi both took the kids and retreated.
Old Man Luo protected his fourth son, but reason remained—he didn’t want to harm the whole family.
Unsure if Shen Qi was bluffing, he turned to look at Lu Chengjing sitting not far away. “Lu Xiucai Scholar, is there really a law for same crime?”
