“Sir, the Song family never went to Tonglu, not even for a moment. We can testify to that.”
"Yes, they were adamant about not going from the beginning. The passageway was organized by the Qiao family, and they even wanted money from the Qiao family. Since the Qiao family didn't agree, they never went there for a single day."
Upon hearing this, the officers realized they were just trying to take advantage of the situation. The leader sneered, "You haven't done any work, yet you want money? You even dared to try and trick me. Who gave you the audacity?"
“Sir, we, we really went! Everyone was busy working and didn’t notice us. We swear to God, we really went,” Old Song hurriedly said.
"You didn't see it, so it's because the Song family didn't go. Can you please stop being so unreasonable?" Song Lao Er glared angrily at the villagers.
“Who’s being unreasonable? You clearly didn’t go, but you insist you did just to swindle money from the officials.”
“If you really go, won’t there be a single family speaking up for you? Your relatives are among them.”
The Song family's relatives hid in the crowd to avoid being implicated by the Song family's bizarre behavior. They didn't actually get along with the Qiao family either, but they were worried that if they didn't go, they would lose face when they saw the villagers and be looked down upon.
So I went there every few days, and unexpectedly, I ran into the supervisor that time. My name was written down, and I got lucky.
They were so glad they went; they earned two taels of silver after only a few days of work.
Where can you find such a good job?
The Song family searched for their relatives, hoping that one of them would stand up and speak for them, but their relatives all turned their faces away and hid themselves even better.
They knew these people were afraid of being implicated.
They're all heartless.
“You dare lie to my face? Do you think you can just take the benefits from the government as you please? Tie them both up and send them to dig roads through mountains. Release them in six months.”
The leader, his mood dampened, gave the order with a cold and stern expression.
While they were happily distributing silver and receiving the villagers' loving and grateful gazes, these two incredibly wise men suddenly appeared.
The Song family members' faces changed. They never expected that just trying to gain a little advantage would lead to them being sent to hard labor.
Old Mrs. Song quickly led her family members, big and small, to kneel down and plead.
"Sir, they were just confused for a moment. Please let them go. They won't dare to do it again next time."
"You, as a mother, gave birth to them but did not raise them. You saw them cheating and swindling, and you didn't even say anything to stop them. You have no respect for your age. If it weren't for your age, I would have taken you with me." The leader showed no mercy whatsoever.
Upon hearing this, Shen and Chen swallowed back the pleas for mercy that were on the tip of their tongues.
They didn't want to suffer the same fate.
Even after the woman was taken away, she still had to pound rice and wash clothes every day without interruption.
The eldest and second eldest Song brothers pleaded, kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
But it was no use. Their mouths were quickly gagged, and their bodies were bound tightly like crabs, then tied to the horse's back.
Zhao, the village head, stepped forward and bowed to the official in charge: "I'm sorry, sir. It's my fault for not doing a good job as village head. I've tried to teach the Song family before, but they just won't learn their lesson. I'm powerless to do anything about it. With your guidance, sir, they will definitely learn a lesson."
The leader could tell that he was an upright and honest man, and said, "It's not your fault. Every village has a few bad apples. Almost everyone in your village volunteered to repair the road, which solved the problem for the officials and pedestrians. You deserve the title of a village of righteousness."
"I just heard that the Qiao family organized the road repairs. In that case, the Qiao family can give an extra tael."
Boss Qiao stepped forward and accepted the silver with both hands.
"Let's go, everyone please make yourselves at home." The leader stepped into the stirrups and mounted his horse, followed by the other officers and soldiers, who then rode away with Song Lao Da and Song Lao Er.
The eldest and second eldest Song brothers were tied to the horse's back, staring wide-eyed and whimpering, their eyes filled with despair.
They begged the villagers to intercede for them, but the villagers all thought they deserved it and wouldn't even give them a second glance.
"Oh my god, both of our pillars of support have been taken away. What are we women supposed to do at home now?"
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