Wang Li knocked on the Lu family's door and was relieved to learn that the person had woken up. He was now the village chief of Wangjia Village, and he knew it would be difficult to explain this to his father. So he rushed back to tell the village chief the good news.

The village chief breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that he's awake. Here's what you'll do: hand Wang Shugen over to the Lu family. Let them beat or scold him as they please."

"Father?" Wang Li was somewhat incredulous. "The Lu family will cripple him."

They'll probably only leave one person alive.

The village chief said indifferently, "Tree roots are no good anyway. They're crippled, so be it. As long as the Lu family doesn't make a big fuss, the reputation of our Wang Family Village can be preserved. The rest is not important."

Wang Li frowned. "Father, the Lu family might not dare to make a big fuss, after all, it will affect Zhao Fang's reputation. She's a woman who was robbed. No matter what happened at the time, she was still alone with her husband. It wouldn't sound good if word got out."

After a moment's thought, the village chief said, "Alright, go and try to persuade them."

Wang Li brought Wang Shugen to the Lu family's house. Qin Xiaozhou was still sitting under the eaves of the main house, staring at the people in the courtyard.

Wang Shugen had been beaten black and blue, tied up all night and left in the ancestral hall without a drop of water. He was now in a sorry state and completely dejected.

Wang Li said in a gentle tone, "Nephew of the Lu family, this person is yours to take care of. You can beat him up to vent your anger. The hairband has already been returned. Let's leave it at that. After all, we're from the same village, and we'll run into each other again. It won't look good if things get out of hand."

Lu Yunfeng shook his head, "My mother suffered this misfortune for no reason. We will not let her off easily. This matter is not over. Uncle Li, you should leave this alone."

“My dad is the village chief, how can we not care about what happens in the village?” Wang Li frowned.

“Making a big fuss about this won’t do your mother any good either. No matter what happened, a widow being robbed by a man will always be criticized. Just think of your mother as someone who’s been bitten by a dog. She can’t chase after the dog and bite it back, can she? She’ll just get covered in fur.”