Upon hearing they were going to the yamen, Baixiang, who had been obediently nestled in her father's arms, immediately perked up her head, eyes shining bright. "Father, Second Uncle! We want the reward money—thirty taels!"
The Lin family: "…"
The villagers: "…"
Baixiang paid no attention to how everyone around her was reacting. She giggled happily.
She remembered that an old granny who had come to visit their home before had mentioned that the yamen was offering a thirty-tael reward for the bandits. The granny had also said she'd never seen that much silver in her whole life.
That must be an awful lot!
Giggle giggle!
All of it would be theirs!
With lots and lots of reward silver, Grandma and Mother wouldn't have to worry about money anymore!
Lin Dashan held back and held back, but in the end he couldn't help himself. He hugged his precious daughter tightly and laughed out loud. "Alright, we'll take the reward money! If your father gets it, I'll buy sweet cakes for you and your brothers!"
The surrounding villagers joined in the laughter, teasing and chattering among themselves.
"That Baixiang of yours is a clever girl indeed! We were all so scared we nearly forgot about that—we really ought to claim the reward!"
"Exactly! We caught the mountain bandits fair and square, so we should get the reward fair and square!"
"Good heavens, thirty taels of silver… Just thinking about it makes my eyes green with envy, hahaha! But I know in my heart that this silver belongs to the Lin family. If Dashan and Erhe hadn't taken down those bandits first and spared our village from death and injury, who knows how many funerals we'd be holding tomorrow! You all should know that too!"
"Now you're talking like you're the only one with sense! We may be mud-legged farmers, but we understand right from wrong. I'm envious, sure, and I admire them too—but I also respect Dashan and Erhe's courage! No matter how much silver it is, they earned it with their lives!"
Lin Dashan and Lin Erhe exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between the brothers.
There were more than twenty bandits tied up in the courtyard. Not all of them, true, but it was still half of the bandits who had been plaguing the area. If the yamen kept their word, they ought to be able to claim half the reward.
At the time, only the two brothers had been facing off against the bandits in the courtyard.
Even they didn't know how the bandits had fallen, let alone anyone else.
That being the case, they might as well take the credit. The bandits had indeed been caught, and they had indeed fallen in their courtyard before the villagers came to help. As long as the brothers didn't say anything about what had really happened, no one could dispute it.
Lin Dashan was kind-hearted but not foolish. He would never let a free merit slip through his fingers. Just as his daughter had said, their family really did need silver right now—badly.
The wind and snow continued across the land.
The villagers remained gathered in the Lin family courtyard, not yet dispersing. Some squatted, some stood, some sat directly on the snow-covered ground, talking and laughing loudly without end.
Even more people who had heard the news came to join the excitement, and the courtyard grew more and more crowded.
With the first victory over the bandits, everyone's hearts were burning hot, and no one felt the cold at all.
Looking at those bandits tied up tightly over there was like looking at medals of honor—it felt immensely satisfying.
The ox cart arrived quickly, driven by the Wang family man, with the Old Village Chief coming along as well.
Before they left, the Old Village Chief clapped Lin Dashan and Lin Erhe firmly on the shoulders and said just one thing: "We owe this to you two. Go on!"
Lin Jiang came over carrying an umbrella. Taking the opportunity to hand it over, he whispered in Lin Dashan's ear, "Big Brother, tell the yamen runners the bandits were knocked out with knockout powder. Leave the rest to me."
Lin Dashan's eyes flickered slightly. He gave a small nod, turned, and jumped onto the ox cart.
The night was deep, and the ox cart slowly made its way across the snow. The wheels crunching against the frozen ground made faint creaking sounds as they gradually faded into the distance.
The village wasn't close to the town, and with the snowy night making travel difficult, the round trip would take at least two hours. The villagers didn't linger any longer and gradually dispersed.
The courtyard that had been bustling for so long fell quiet once more. Lin Jiang stayed outside to guard the still-unconscious bandits, while the women of the Lin family returned to the main hall and sat down on the stools. Only then did they seem to finally come back to their senses—and feel how surreal it all was.
"So many bandits… Mother, did our family really win just like that? How did Big Brother and Erhe manage to fight them?" Zhang Cuie asked in a low voice, her face full of bewilderment.
Aside from the bandits' harsh threats, she hadn't heard a single extra sound.
The victory was too strange—like she'd seen a ghost.
Granny Lin was just as confused. With outsiders present earlier, she hadn't been able to ask any of the questions burning in her mind. Now she could only shake her head. "Wait until Dashan and Erhe come back, then we'll ask them in detail."
She paused, then added in a low warning, "You all remember—not one extra word to anyone outside!"
The two sisters-in-law immediately responded, "We know!"
Another moment of silence passed, and then the women looked at each other, slow grins spreading across their faces.
What a night of wild swings—the terror had been real, but so was the joy.
Zhang Cuie's gaze turned to the little girl obediently nestled in her mother's arms. She reached out with both hands and rubbed the child's chubby cheeks over and over. "Baixiang, your auntie just adores you! You always know exactly when to speak!"
Li Sulan: "…" She burst out laughing.
Even Granny Lin was beaming. "Our Baixiang has a clever tongue—sharp as a whip!"
She'd been praised! Baixiang's eyes sparkled with delight.
She puffed out her little chest, ready to declare that she had taken down the bandits herself. But just as the words were about to leave her mouth, a scene from long ago flashed through her small mind. The little girl's puffed-out chest deflated, and her small face was etched with disappointment.
—At such a young age, killing so many people with your own hands—you're a cold-blooded creature, a monster!
—A Bodhisattva in the right hand, a King of Hell in the left. You have abilities but no crystal core. You were always a monster created by the research institute! Not even human!
—Wahhh, monster, go away! Don't come near me, go away!
"Oh dear, what's wrong with my precious? Why did you suddenly wilt like that?" The old woman scooped the child into her arms, gently patting her back and rocking her while murmuring soothingly, "Did something scare you? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Grandma's here, no need to fear."
Baixiang looked up at the old woman's gentle face and instinctively tried to flash a sweet, endearing smile, but this time she couldn't quite manage it. She felt an inexplicable ache in her heart, and her nose tingled too.
She wanted to cry.
"Grandma, look what I have in my hand?" Baixiang pursed her little lips, raised her left hand, and opened her palm, her eyes fixed on the old woman's reaction, a nervousness she herself didn't recognize flickering in her gaze.
In the center of her palm, a wisp of smoke so pale it was almost gray coiled and swirled, threatening to dissipate each time before being drawn back together.
Granny Lin clasped the child's fair little hand and pretended to peer closely at her tiny palm. "Alright, let Grandma see. What does my precious have in her hand?"
With that, while the child was caught off guard, she lowered her head and pressed a kiss to that little palm, then laughed heartily. "Nothing at all—just fair and tender, perfectly clean!"
The child's little mouth rounded into an O, staring at her own hand with a dazed expression, utterly adorable in her bewilderment.
Li Sulan and Zhang Cuie burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs. Even Lin Huaisong and Lin Huaibai, who had been on the verge of dozing off, were amused and roared with laughter.
After a moment, Baixiang also smiled, her little lips pressed together. She raised her right hand to the old woman's mouth and said in a sweet, coquettish voice, "Grandma, this hand needs a kiss too."
"Alright, Grandma will kiss it!" Granny Lin's heart melted at her granddaughter's cajoling, and she planted two more hearty, smacking kisses on that little palm.
A wisp of vibrant, life-filled Green Smoke seized the opportunity to slip into the old woman's nostrils and vanish without a trace.
Baixiang tilted her little head and giggled. "Hehehe!"
She loved her grandma, and she wanted Grandma to live a long, long life.