A collective gasp and murmur rippled through the surrounding crowd.
After all, most people here were still simple and honest. Even if a father did such a thing, his own son would drag him out and give him a beating. Moreover, those who had gathered around weren’t truly concerned about Zhang the Lame—they were there out of contempt for Jiang Yuanyuan.
Unaware of his clansmen’s expressions, Zhang the Lame kept begging Chu Jing, crying and sniveling pitifully. “If you want to blame someone, go find her uncle! Her uncle and grandmother have no conscience—they even took ten taels of silver from me and never returned it! I only did this wicked deed because I couldn’t bear to lose that money. Please, let me go! For us farming folk, ten taels of silver is hard to come by!”
Chu Jing took a step back, causing Zhang’s grasping hands to meet empty air. With his imposing, cold demeanor, towering height, and striking looks that made him stand out in the crowd, he was impossible to ignore. He turned to Jiang Yuanyuan, waiting for her to speak.
So obedient? The young women and girls in the crowd secretly clicked their tongues in disbelief. How did Jiang Yuanyuan find such a compliant man? In ordinary households, wasn’t it always the man who made the decisions? Why was he listening to a woman even in public?
Still, reputation mattered most. What decent man would be involved with a woman in such an ambiguous way? Even if he were obedient and handsome, they wouldn’t want someone like that!
Jiang Yuanyuan did indeed want to report this to the authorities, to teach Zhang the Lame and the others a lesson. Without hesitation, she declared, “Report them to the authorities! Let them all taste the rod!”
Someone in the crowd asked, “Will you report your grandmother too?”
Jiang Yuanyuan shot back, “If you were nearly violated today, would you report it or not?”
The person fell silent. If it were her, she truly wouldn’t have the courage to report it, but she wouldn’t be able to endure it either. At the very least, she’d have her father or brothers teach that old hag and Zhang the Lame a lesson. But Jiang Yuanyuan had lost both her parents, and it was her own uncle and grandmother who had harmed her. If she didn’t report it to the authorities, who else could she turn to for justice?
In any case, Zhang the Lame’s fate was sealed. The crowd gradually dispersed, waiting for Jiang Yuanyuan to return from town with officials after lodging her complaint. They could still enjoy the spectacle—such incidents hadn’t happened in their village for a long time.
Just as the two reached the village entrance, the village chief hurried over, panting heavily. “Yuanyuan, Yuanyuan, you mustn’t go!”
The village chief was sixty this year, with hair and beard mostly white. He was generally fair-minded in village affairs and had rallied the villagers to help when Jiang Yuanyuan’s parents passed away.
Jiang Yuanyuan stopped in her tracks. Zhang the Lame, bound hand and foot and slung over Chu Jing’s shoulder, began struggling as if he had seen a savior, but he quickly quieted down after a sidelong glance from Chu Jing.
Before even catching his breath, the village chief pleaded, “Yuanyuan, do me a favor today—don’t report this to the authorities!”
Jiang Yuanyuan parted her lips slightly but turned her head away without speaking.
“Yuanyuan, I know you can’t swallow this injustice. Listen to me—let it go this time,” the village chief urged earnestly. “Many young men in our village are getting married or taking brides this year. If word of this gets out, who would dare marry into our village? Who would dare marry our village girls?”
The village chief wasn’t one to confuse right and wrong. “About your situation, I’ll make the decision. I’ll have Zhang the Lame compensate you with ten taels of silver. From now on, if he so much as approaches your house, I’ll beat him once for every time. How does that sound?”
Jiang Yuanyuan was moved by these words. Ten taels of silver could last a long time—her parents had saved their entire lives just to accumulate that much. She pursed her lips and glanced at Chu Jing. Now she had an extra person to support, and without money, she truly couldn’t afford to drag things out. As for Zhang the Lame, she would definitely seek revenge when the opportunity arose in the future!
So she smiled and said, “Since we’re all from the same village, let’s just forget it. But as for the money… I’m afraid he won’t be willing to give it.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang the Lame nodded vigorously. “I’ll give it, I’ll give it! I bought you for ten taels of silver. I’ll go ask Granny Yu for it and pay you back! Just tell your man not to hit me anymore!”
The phrase “your man” made Chu Jing frown. He didn’t understand how the villagers could think this way, mistakenly believing he and Jiang Yuanyuan were husband and wife.
Hearing this, the village chief smiled, untied the rope binding Zhang the Lame, and said coldly, “I’ll give you until today to pay Yuanyuan back. Otherwise, even if she decides to take you to the authorities, I won’t interfere!”
Zhang the Lame nodded like a pestle pounding garlic. “I’ll give it, I’ll give it! I’ll go get it right now!”
After Zhang the Lame left to fetch the money, Jiang Yuanyuan added, “My uncle, aunt, and grandmother were also involved in this.”
It’s hard for even an honest official to settle family disputes. The village chief thought for a moment and asked, “So, Yuanyuan, what do you want to do?”
Zhang the Lame was a scoundrel. If he had to pay Jiang Yuanyuan back, he’d likely go to Uncle Jiang’s house and cause trouble, maybe even break some things. But that punishment still felt too light.
Jiang Yuanyuan’s eyes instantly reddened, and she began wiping away tears. “My life is so hard. My parents passed away early, and I have no siblings, only one uncle by blood. Yet they treat me like this. These past few days, I haven’t been eating or sleeping well, and I’ve lost a lot of weight. They borrowed things from my home and never returned them…”
The village chief glanced at Jiang Yuanyuan, who was plump and well-nourished, better cared for than any other girl in the village, and fell into rare silence. “Then… how about I make Granny Yu compensate you with three egg-laying hens to help you recover?”
Jiang Yuanyuan beamed. “And they have to return the things they borrowed.”
The village chief said, “Alright.”
Chu Jing watched Jiang Yuanyuan, whose expression changed faster than flipping a book, and his gaze fell on her wrists, bruised and purple from being tied. He spoke up, “They should also pay for medicine.”
This was the first time the village chief had heard him speak. Seeing the man’s dignified appearance, he thought he couldn’t be a bad person, so he went along with it. “You really did suffer quite a shock today. I’ll make the decision—they’ll pay you another tael of silver for medicine.”
Jiang Yuanyuan’s eyes curved into crescents. “Alright. Then please have them bring the things to your house first. I’m really too afraid of being bullied. I’ll come pick them up from your house after I return from town.”
The village chief’s eyebrows twitched. “Why are you still going to town?”
Jiang Yuanyuan put on a pitiful look. “There’s no food left at home, only cabbage and radishes. I still want to eat fish, and we’re out of salt and oil. I also need to buy some flour and a pound of meat…”
The village chief could see it now—this girl had more tricks up her sleeve than an anthill has holes. But to avoid further complications, he said, “My family has some. I’ll have your auntie bring you some. For now, don’t go to town.”
How could Jiang Yuanyuan refuse? Although she had suffered a bit today, she had saved money and even made a hefty profit. She was overjoyed!
Seeing her like this, Chu Jing frowned. If an ordinary girl from a respectable family encountered such a thing, many would likely not even want to live anymore. He wondered how much suffering she had endured to be able to act so indifferent…
The village chief led the two to his own courtyard. His house was built with blue bricks and large tiles, looking particularly impressive. Jiang Yuanyuan quietly said to Chu Jing, “When we have money in the future, let’s build one like this too.”
Chu Jing almost blurted out that he could give her something even better, but he swallowed the words at the last moment and simply nodded instead.
The village chief, listening from ahead, couldn’t help but think to himself that this young man was probably a freeloader. But being a freeloader wasn’t a big deal—as long as he had strength, he could at least protect Yuanyuan.
After hearing the whole story, the village chief’s eldest daughter-in-law immediately went with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Zhao, to fetch supplies. The second daughter-in-law, heavily pregnant, also went to help.
Some poured oil, others scooped flour—no one uttered a word of refusal. Even the village chief’s eldest son, who had just returned from hunting, heard about the matter and gave a pair of his captured baby rabbits to Jiang Yuanyuan.
This trip could truly be described as quite fruitful.
Chu Jing thought Jiang Yuanyuan would be happy now, but when he looked at her, he saw her staring enviously at the village chief’s second daughter-in-law’s belly.