Chapter 61 It's a misunderstanding
Chen Kangzhong was worried about the harvest. The autumn heat was severe and the soil was dry and cracked. Several rains did not quench the soil at all.
He had been forced by Old Man Chen to sign a military order: if he couldn't pay the "public grain" he was supposed to pay to support Chen Kangnian by the end of the year, the old man would have to take his wife's dowry to make up the difference. He was squatting in the field, sighing and groaning, wishing he could squeeze every clod of dirt out of it.
Hearing the fourth brother, Chen Kangji, rushing in noisily, he became even more furious. Without even looking up, he cursed, "What's going on? Is the sky falling?"
"Second brother! This is worse than the sky falling!"
Chen Kangji sat down beside him, completely ignoring the dirt on the ground, closed the door, leaned close to his ear, lowered his voice, and tearfully described how his wives Liu and Qian had embarrassed themselves in the town during the day, and how they had been slapped in the face in public by Feng Lan and her daughter. He exaggeratedly described the incident.
In his mouth, Feng Lan and Daya became bullies who took advantage of their power to bully others. Not only did they steal business, but they also colluded with outsiders to humiliate the elders in front of the whole town. This was simply treason. And his wife Liu became a poor person who was humiliated in the street and had no way to express her suffering.
"Second brother, think about it! The eldest wife is getting more and more proud!" Chen Kangji pounded his chest, looking heartbroken. "They're digging wells and selling embroidery, and they're about to make a fortune! That eldest girl can earn two hundred coins a day! What about us? We dig for food in the fields, working ourselves to death all day long, and we don't even hear a sound! When that happens, won't Dad's heart be completely biased towards their family? How can we still have a good life?"
Chen Kangzhong was already furious, and hearing this only added fuel to the fire. What he hated most was that his eldest wife lived better than him, as that would make him look particularly incompetent.
He scratched his hair in frustration and spat angrily, "Then what do you say we should do? We can't beat her, and we can't win by scolding her! That bitch Feng Lan is as sharp as a knife now!"
"If we can't do it openly, let's do it secretly!" A sinister light flashed in Chen Kangji's eyes. He looked completely different from his usual lazy and gluttonous appearance.
"I have an idea. I'm sure it will make them give back double the money they took in, and it will also make them never dare to act arrogantly in front of us again!"
He leaned close to Chen Kangzhong's ear and whispered something like this.
As Chen Kangzhong heard this, his eyes widened. Fear first showed on his face, and then it was replaced by greed.
"This... Is this possible? Kidnapping is a serious crime! What if we get caught..."
"What are you afraid of!" Chen Kangji encouraged him.
"Let's do it cleanly. Who would know it was us? Let's kidnap the cleverest girl in their family! That girl is Feng Lan's favorite. Let's hide her in the abandoned cave in the back mountain. Then we'll write a letter saying it was done by bandits and ask them to pay three hundred taels of silver to ransom her!"
"They just sold some embroidery, so they must have some money! Just think about it, three hundred taels! After we're done, we'll split the money 20-80, I'll split 20-80! How's that, Second Brother?"
Three hundred taels of silver!
This number, like a red-hot iron, instantly burned into Chen Kangzhong's heart. He could already see the silver lining beckoning him, as if he could no longer have to look at the old man's face and could speak to his wife with his back straight. The hesitation and fear in his heart were immediately swept away by the overwhelming greed.
"Okay! Let's do it!" He gritted his teeth and became furious.
The next afternoon, the children were playing in the open space at the village entrance. Erya was having a great time playing shuttlecock with a few friends. Suddenly, Chen Kangzhong approached, forcing a smile that looked uglier than tears.
"Erya, your father asked you to go to the back mountain. He said the canal is a little clogged and asked you to go and take a look."
Erya stopped, tilted her head, and glanced at him with her dark eyes. Dad always went to the back mountain alone or with Daya. Why would he let a little girl like her go to see the canal? She immediately became suspicious, but she still said "Oh" obediently and turned to walk towards the back mountain.
Chen Kangzhong was delighted, thinking that this little girl was easy to fool, and hurriedly followed her.
The two walked one after the other and soon reached a quiet path on the back mountain. Seeing that there was no one around, Chen Kangzhong could no longer hold back, revealing a ferocious face, and rushed forward, reaching out to cover Erya's mouth.
"Don't scream!"
Although Erya was young, she had been through so much with her parents that she was no longer an ordinary child. She was always on guard! Just as Chen Kangzhong's hand was about to touch her, she suddenly ducked down, like a nimble little loach, dodging the big hand. At the same time, she opened her mouth, turned around, and bit Chen Kangzhong's arm that was trying to hug her, and bit it hard!
"Ah!" Chen Kangzhong screamed like a pig being slaughtered in pain, and loosened his grip.
Erya seized the opportunity to break free and ran, screaming with all her might as she ran, "Help! Second uncle is going to kill someone! Help!"
Her voice was clear and loud, echoing far away in the silent forest.
Daya, who was helping her mother pack up in the yard, was terrified when she heard her sister's terrified cry for help. Without a second thought, she dropped her things and rushed out of the yard, running towards the back mountain while shouting at the top of her lungs, "Dad! Mom! Help! Erya's in trouble!"
Chen Kangbo and Feng Lan were testing the newly-drilled well water in the courtyard. They had barely had time to rejoice when they heard Daya's heart-wrenching cry. Their faces suddenly changed. Chen Kangbo grabbed the shoulder pole from the corner and rushed out like an enraged lion, his eyes red.
Chen Kangzhong's attack failed, and he was bitten by Erya. He was anxious and angry. Seeing that Erya was about to run away, he was furious and was about to chase her. At this moment, a black shadow with the force of thunder and lightning fell from the sky.
"You beast! How dare you!"
Chen Kangbo roared, and with all his anger, he mercilessly hit Chen Kangzhong on the back with the carrying pole in his hand.
With a dull thud, Chen Kangzhong was knocked to the ground like a broken sack, falling flat on his face. Before he could even get up, Chen Kangbo had already stepped on his back with such force that he felt like his spine was about to break.
"Uncle Kang! Don't... don't hit me! It's a misunderstanding! It's a misunderstanding!" Chen Kangzhong was so scared that he peed his pants and begged for mercy.
Feng Lan also rushed over and hugged Erya, whose face had turned pale with fear, tightly in her arms. She checked her daughter from head to toe and finally felt relieved when she saw that she was only frightened and not injured. But when she saw Chen Kangzhong's panicked face, the rage in her eyes almost burst out.
It's them again! Over and over again, endlessly!
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