The Officials at the Gate
The yard went silent.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate again, as if it had learned the rules of this place.
Zhao Cheng stepped forward first.
Not quickly.
Not aggressively.
Just steadily, until he stood at the broken gate.
Lin Shu followed after a brief pause, staying slightly behind him this time-not out of fear, but awareness.
Zhao Jun stayed close to Zhao Mei and Zhao An, watching everything with tight shoulders.
Outside the gate stood three men.
They were dressed differently from the debt collectors.
Cleaner clothes.
Neater posture.
Wooden badges at their waists.
Official envoys.
The leader spoke again, voice calm but firm.
“Zhao Cheng. We are here under county order.”
Zhao Cheng’s expression didn’t change.
“What order?”
The man lifted a scroll.
“Inspection of unpaid grain tax irregularities and reported violence against official collectors.”
A pause.
Then his eyes shifted slightly.
“And… the household known for repeated disturbances.”
Lin Shu felt his stomach drop.
So the earlier attack wasn’t just debt collectors.
It had been recorded.
Twisted.
Reported.
The system was already moving.
Zhao Jun whispered angrily, “They lied.”
Zhao Mei’s face paled.
“If officials are involved…”
She didn’t finish the sentence.
Everyone already understood.
When officials entered the matter, it stopped being a local dispute.
It became law.
And law here did not always mean justice.
Zhao Cheng didn’t react immediately.
Then he said, “We defended our home.”
The official nodded slightly.
“We have witnesses stating excessive force was used. Several injured men. One seriously.”
His gaze sharpened.
“And we are told you harbored a known offender.”
That last sentence made the air shift.
Lin Shu immediately felt it.
The wording.
Not “husband.”
Not “family member.”
Offender.
They were referring to him.
The original Lin Shu.
Zhao Jun turned instantly.
“What does that mean?”
Zhao Cheng didn’t answer him yet.
His eyes were fixed on the officials.
“…Who made the report?”
The leader smiled slightly.
“That is not your concern.”
A pause.
Then:
“Step aside. We will conduct a search and question all members of the household.”
Zhao Cheng didn’t move.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then he said quietly:
“You will not enter.”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The officials stiffened slightly.
One of them spoke more sharply.
“Are you resisting county authority?”
Zhao Cheng’s voice remained calm.
“You are standing in a broken yard with no warrant shown properly and no acknowledgment of household rights.”
A beat.
“This is not authority. This is intrusion.”
Silence.
Lin Shu’s heart pounded.
He had never seen someone argue like this here.
Not against officials.
Not this directly.
The leader’s expression cooled.
“You are making a mistake.”
Zhao Cheng replied simply:
“No. I am drawing a line.”
The wind picked up slightly.
Dust moved between them.
The officials exchanged glances.
Then the leader spoke again, slower this time.
“Then we will do this the proper way.”
He gestured slightly.
“And if resistance continues, the county will treat this household as hostile.”
Zhao Jun whispered sharply, “Father…”
But Zhao Cheng didn’t look back.
Instead, his eyes briefly shifted.
Just once.
Toward Lin Shu.
And in that glance-
Lin Shu understood something immediately.
This wasn’t just about taxes anymore.
It was about him.
His presence.
His past body.
The reason everything kept circling back.
Zhao Cheng spoke lowly, only for him to hear:
“Stay behind me.”
Then, louder:
“No one enters.”
A pause.
And finally-
“If you insist… you will regret stepping one foot inside this gate.”
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