The village chief was a few years older than Tang Dashan. His surname was Zhao, and he was warm-hearted, straightforward, and responsible. He had always looked after the Tang family.
Tang Yunshu had wanted to invite the village chief and his family over for a meal, but Tang Dashan thought it wasn’t appropriate:
“The village chief’s household is too big—there are elders, young children, and several sons who haven’t split off yet. That’s over twenty people. Our tables, benches, and dishes aren’t enough. Let’s find another way.”
The next day, Tang Yunshu followed her father and brothers to the town. They first sold their collected herbs at the pharmacy, earning seven taels of silver.
With the silver in hand, they wandered the streets happily, planning to buy some meat, cakes, and other items to give to the village chief’s family as a token of thanks.
No one expected that, from an alley, a man with messy hair would suddenly appear. He was about 1.9 meters tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular, wielding a butcher’s cleaver, attacking anyone in sight.
At that moment, Tang Yunshu and Fifth Brother were at a toy stall, looking at bamboo toys. She was fascinated by a small bamboo horse that seemed to move, quietly thinking, “The ingenuity of these ancient people is impressive.”
Tang Erzhang, sharp-eyed, noticed the knife-wielding man charging at Yunshu and shouted, “Little Sister, watch out!” He lunged and shielded her with his body.
In the process, his back was slashed by the madman. Yunshu had already noticed the danger and was about to move, but her second brother had her protected in his embrace.
Even after injuring Tang Erzhang, the man continued swinging the cleaver wildly. The crowded street instantly descended into chaos; women and children screamed and ran.
Tang Yunshu urgently said,
“Second Brother, you’re hurt! Move to the side!”
“Little Sister, watch out for that madman, run!” Tang Erzhang shouted through the pain.
At this moment, Tang Dashan, Third Brother, and Fourth Brother rushed over, trying to restrain the attacker.
But the man was massive and strong, wielding the cleaver like a madman, shouting,
“I’ll kill you! Give me back my daughter’s life! Give me back my wife’s life!”
In moments, a woman was slashed in the arm. Other men on the street were too intimidated to intervene—the bloodied cleaver glinted menacingly in the sunlight.
Second Brother was injured, Third and Fourth Brothers were still young, leaving only Tang Dashan as a capable adult male, clearly no match for the madman.
Yunshu, physically weaker and knowing she couldn’t fight head-on, quietly picked up several stones, flicked her wrist, and sent them flying like arrows. With precise aim, the stones struck the man’s knees.
The attacker screamed in pain; his muscles cramped, and he collapsed to one knee with a “thud,” dropping the cleaver.
“Father, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, hold him down!” Yunshu shouted, instantly startling the crowd.
The Tang family swarmed forward, holding the man tightly. He struggled, but his knees were immobilized, and his arms were firmly restrained.
By then, someone had already reported the incident to the authorities, and the constables arrived shortly after.
After understanding the situation and hearing consistent accounts from witnesses, they confirmed that the man had attacked people without reason. The constables demanded,
“Hey! What’s your name? Why did you attack people?”
The man kept repeating,
“I’ll kill you! Give me back my daughter’s life! Give me back my wife’s life!”
The constables moved his messy hair aside, finally revealing his face to the crowd.
Someone recognized him:
“I know him—that’s the butcher!”
Another added,
“Yes, it’s Old Chen who sells meat in town.”
Many in the crowd confirmed; he was indeed well-known in the town for selling meat. The constables recognized him too.
A woman stepped forward and sighed:
“This Old Chen… his daughter was violated by a thief, and she couldn’t bear it and hanged herself. His wife, seeing their daughter gone, also couldn’t go on and took her own life. Old Chen couldn’t bear the shock and went mad, only thinking of revenge. Officials, you must catch the thief soon, or more innocent girls and families will suffer!”
The constable nodded,
“The government will capture the thief quickly. If anyone can draw, please go to the office—we’ll have the thief’s likeness drawn. If your family finds anything or has clues, report it to the authorities, and we’ll act faster.”
Tang Yunshu listened carefully—she could draw. But right now, Second Brother was injured, so going to the pharmacy to treat him took priority.
Her brothers helped the injured Tang Erzhang back to the pharmacy.
The shopkeeper saw them enter and asked,
“Miss Tang, is there a problem?”
“Uncle, my Second Brother was slashed by a madman. Please help treat him.”
They took Tang Erzhang to a back room. His wound wasn’t too deep—luckily he had only grazed the blade while shielding Yunshu, or it could have been serious.
Once treated, a woman rushed in—the same one who had been slashed in the arm.
By then, the madman had already been locked in jail.
After leaving the pharmacy, Yunshu said,
“Father, brothers, the government is looking for someone to draw the thief’s likeness. I can draw—I want to help. If the thief is caught sooner, the townspeople can live in peace.”
“Alright, your father and brothers will accompany you to the office,” Tang Dashan said.
“Father, you and the brothers can either rest at the inn or go to Uncle Li’s house to repay the money. I’ll join you after I finish. Don’t tell anyone about me drawing the likeness, or it might bring trouble to our family.”
“Yunshu, be careful. Your brothers will wait near the office. I’ll go to Uncle Li’s house to repay the money, then wait near the office for you,” Tang Dashan reminded her.
In her previous life, no one had cared or protected her like this. The warmth and concern from her family made her heart feel full.
Second Brother risked his safety to protect her, and her father and brothers insisted on waiting nearby.
In this life, she was truly happy. She was grateful to her previous life’s chance at rebirth, and even to the Lord of Death, for giving her this opportunity.
She vowed to care for the Tang family—they were her true family.
Tang Yunshu walked alone into the town office, declaring that she could draw the thief’s likeness.
The office had been seeking a skilled artist for some time but hadn’t found a suitable candidate. Seeing her, the official smiled and hurried to greet her.