"You've been stealing things all your life, and you're not afraid of being embarrassed, but I am, and so is my sister!" Liu Dong was completely desperate. His face was red with anxiety, his eyes were red, and his chest was heaving violently. He walked quickly towards the Guo family with the sheep in his arms, and said stubbornly:
"No one can stop us. The sheep must be returned to the Guo family!"
Liu Laozhu was old and couldn't stop his young and strong son. He was so angry that he jumped up and down, picked up the broom and hit him horizontally and vertically, and shouted at him: "Stop, you bastard, you stop right there and go home!"
"Dongzi, Dong'er, what's wrong with you? He's your father, and you're disrespecting him? Stop right there! Don't do anything stupid!" Lao Zhu's wife was in a state of panic. She tried to pull her only son and persuade her husband, "Old man, stop hitting him. If you hurt your son, who will take care of us in our old age?"
Liu Dong turned a deaf ear to him, held the sheep tightly, and walked on like a bull.
"Bah, come on!" Liu Laozhu flew into a rage, spitting fiercely in his son's face and cursing, "You expect an unfilial little bastard like this to take care of you in your old age? I might as well beat him to death and save some food from now on!"
The family's shouting attracted more and more villagers to follow, and they were excited and interested as if they were watching a show, whispering to each other:
"Oh my, that's incredible!"
"Liu Laozhu and his wife are becoming more and more bold. They even dared to steal the Guo family's sheep?"
"Two nasty old bastards, they've been sarcastic and dishonest all their lives, and they've caused a fight with almost everyone in the village. They're a real nuisance."
"Hey, look, here comes their daughter!"
"Dad, Mom, wait a minute!" Liu Xiaoqiu panted and ran to catch up. He anxiously grabbed his brother's arm, not daring to face the outsiders' mocking expressions. He whispered, "Brother, calm down. If you have anything to say, go home and discuss it. Don't let the villagers laugh at you. It's so embarrassing."
Liu Dong replied in despair, "When our parents embarrassed themselves in the past, we were timid and always dared not to stop them. The quarrels and commotions made our whole family a laughing stock. I, I really don't want to tolerate this any longer. Today we must return the sheep to the Guo family! You are a grown woman now, don't follow us, go home quickly and save yourself some face."
"Oh, forget it, just accept your fate. You know your parents' temper very well." Liu Xiaoqiu was also desperate, and blurted out: "He is a habitual thief. It's an old habit that he can't change in this lifetime-" Before he finished speaking, Liu Laozhu slapped his daughter in the face!
There was a crisp "slap" sound, and Liu Xiaoqiu was caught off guard and fell to the ground with his cheeks red and swollen.
Liu Laozhu's face turned pale. He raised his broom and scolded his daughter, yelling, "You little bastard! Your brother rebelled, and you rebelled too? You're a money-loser. You've wasted food for over a decade and you still can't get married. Get out of this house right now!"
"Who made it so that I couldn't get married? Wasn't it you?"
Being slapped in public, Liu Xiaoqiu felt wronged, sad, and angry. She stood up, snatched the broom and complained, "My family has a bad reputation and not much financial resources, but you asked for sixteen taels of silver as a betrothal gift, which scared the matchmaker away. It's all your fault that I can't get married!" After that, she threw the broom away, covered her face in embarrassment, and ran home crying.
A moment later, a large group of people rushed to the gate of Guo's courtyard.
"Look, our sheep!" Xiao Tao raised her hand excitedly and pointed. "I look after them every day, so I can recognize them at a glance."
"So it was stolen by Liu Laozhu." Zhou Yan's wife was extremely disgusted. "He and his wife are so shameless. They either quarrel with people or steal petty things all day long. They are disgusting."
Jiang Yushu stood on the doorstep, expressionless, and calmly asked, "Everyone, what's the meaning of mobilizing so many people?"
A few nosy villagers hid in the crowd, gloating over the misfortune and answering in unison: "Liu Laozhu stole your sheep!"
"The father is greedy, but the son is timid. Dongzi insists on returning it, but Laozhu refuses to give it to him."
"Hehehe, my father and son are having a fight."
Liu Dong blushed, ashamed to face the person in his dream. He hesitantly returned the sheep he was holding to its original owner. His cheeks, neck, and the backs of his hands were covered with scars from the broom, swollen and purple. He was extremely ashamed, his eyes evasive, and he stammered, "I'll give the sheep back to you. I'm so sorry, my father—"
Suddenly, Lao Zhu's wife clapped her hands, rushed forward to block her son, and said in a shrill voice, "Oh, your sheep wasn't tied up properly, so it wandered off and ran into our house. We wanted to return it immediately, but you hid from the enemy and only came down the mountain now. Now that it's back to its rightful owner, tie it up tightly and don't let it run around anymore."
"Ah, right!" Liu Laozhu, holding a broom, rolled his eyes and his expression suddenly changed. He agreed with his wife and said angrily, "It's not good to not tie up the sheep properly. Let it run around and cause trouble for other families."
"You—" Liu Dong was stunned. He subconsciously wanted to retort, but a glimpse of the person in his dream showed him with a blank expression and indifferent eyes. In an instant, he felt ashamed. His throat felt like it was being strangled. He said nothing, shrinking back as if to escape.
"Humph, you guys better have some shame!"
"How dare you turn the tables?"
Jiang Yushu endured it, took a small step forward, and quickly restrained her angry family. She stood firmly on the steps, looking down from above, and said, "Our sheep pen is very strong, and the sheep are tied very tightly. But no matter how tight the tying is, the rope cannot withstand the knife. Everyone can see that the sheep rope was deliberately cut with a knife." She smiled slightly and slowly said:
"Also, the man accidentally dropped a hat."
Liu Laozhu's face suddenly changed, and he froze. He raised his hand, then dropped it again, and almost touched his head on the spot. Last night, when he was stealing sheep, it was a stormy day, and he was struggling to drive two sheep. He was busy with joy at first, then argued with his son... Unconsciously, in the hustle and bustle, he realized that his hat was missing.
Jiang Yushu remained calm and asked seriously, "Also, my family actually lost two sheep. Where is the other one?"
"What?" Liu Dong suddenly looked up, stunned and bewildered. "Two? But I only found one." He turned his head and asked blankly, "Mom, where's the other one?"
The other one? It was slaughtered last night at midnight, and the meat is hidden in the cellar.
Lao Zhu's wife was immediately furious. Her face was long and she slapped her only son in the face, denying everything. "What 'another'? Where did 'another' come from? She just made it up. Dong'er, don't forget your name!"
"You little bastard! I've raised you in vain. You're always so ungrateful." Liu Laozhu kept pushing his son and scolding him in his whisper, "Go home right now and stop accusing your parents!"
At this time, Zhou Yan and Zou Gui, after filing their complaint, returned with the village head and his wife and several respected elders. They searched the sheepfold and hurried to the gate of the courtyard. Zou Gui raised his hat and shouted:
"Look, everyone! This is the hat that the thief dropped!"
"Please look again," Zhou Yan shook a few pieces of rope and handed them to the villagers present, "Look, this cut is clearly caused by a sharp weapon."
The village head, his hands gathered in his sleeves, frowned and squinted, examining the most difficult man in the village. He warned, "Uncle Lao Zhu, the owner clearly stated that if you return the sheep promptly, no further action will be taken. If the sheep has already been slaughtered, we will report it to the authorities and they will handle the matter. Fellow villagers, I urge you to return the sheep and admit your mistake. It's almost New Year's Day, so please stay quiet for a few days, okay?"
"Oh, this is so unfair! This is so unfair!" Liu Laozhu threw down his broom, slumped to the ground, and cried out with a sad face, "This is so unfair! My family kindly took in the Guo family's sheep, fed them grass and water, and voluntarily returned them. And yet, the Guo family didn't even say a word of thanks, and instead they wrongly accused me of stealing the sheep."
"The Guo family is taking advantage of their power to bully others. This is too much!"
Seeing this, Lao Zhu's wife didn't hesitate. She imitated her husband and fell down, beating her chest and thighs, crying and shouting, "That's right! It's unfair. How can you just make up such nonsense? Who saw him stealing sheep? Who saw it? You have no evidence and you are accusing the innocent!"
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Suddenly, Lao Zhu and his wife pretended to cry and howl, rolled on the ground and acted like scoundrels. The villagers pointed at them, looked down on them and ridiculed them. The whole place was in chaos, noisy and extremely noisy.
The village head and the others smiled bitterly at the Guo family, then simultaneously took a few steps back, their brows drooping as they said, "They're used to being scoundrels. I can't persuade them, so you guys can do whatever you want."
Jiang Yushu nodded, her eyes fixed on him. She hadn't slept or eaten well during her refuge, and she was exhausted from the trek down the mountain. The scoundrel provoked her, and her anger gradually spread from her heart to her face. She raised her head, made a quick decision, and shouted:
“That’s enough!”
"If you guys make a scene somewhere else, I can't control you. But if you're making a scene right here, making so much noise that it hurts my ears, then I can control you! Listen, the sheep belong to the government, and one of them is missing for no apparent reason. We must report it. Who says there's no evidence? The hat and the rope are the evidence! After spring, the government will still send people to supervise farming. When the time comes, we'll hand the evidence over to the officials. The county will decide how to judge us." @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Liu Laozhu and his wife felt guilty and wronged, afraid to look each other in the face, but they were stubborn and arrogant by nature. They began to roll on the ground, shouting at the top of their lungs, pouring out complaints and crying angrily:
"Guo family, you are so cruel!"
"You are bullying us. We are poor, powerless and have no way to make a living." Lao Zhu's wife cried loudly and rolled around until she was covered in snow from head to toe.
"You relied on the government's trust and only allowed my family to grow one acre of potatoes. It's not enough to eat. We will starve to death next year."
"Other families have two acres, or even three or four, but my family only has one? It's so unfair and so unfair!"
Liu Dong's forehead was covered with sweat. He tried his best to persuade his parents, but he couldn't do anything.
"Shut up, stop yelling!" Liu Sanping scolded him irritably, then bluntly explained, "Your family once stole grain seeds. That's outrageous. The village didn't want to give you any share of next spring's crop. But because you two cried and begged day and night, we couldn't handle it anymore, so we had no choice but to give you one acre."
This is intolerable, what else can’t be tolerated?
Jiang Yushu was unreasonably accused, her face darkened, her anger blazing. She said coldly, "I understand. It turns out they think the amount is too little. With disdain and resentment in their hearts, I'm afraid they won't be willing to take good care of the crops, and the grain seeds will be wasted." She made up her mind, looked decisively at the head of the village, and instructed:
"In that case, take that copy back immediately and give it to someone who is diligent and down-to-earth!"
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
"Okay! Don't worry, I'll definitely get this done today!" Liu Sanping patted his chest and tried his best to suppress his laughter. He was concerned about his fellow villagers and never dared to offend them completely. He was eager for Jiang Yushu to punish the old scoundrel.
The villagers' eyes lit up when they heard this. They swarmed over, surrounded the village head, and smiled apologetically, vying with each other to ask, "There's an extra portion of grain seeds? Give it to me?"
"It's just one acre of land. Give it to me, my family can grow crops!"
"Brother Ping, my family has many able-bodied men, so we have enough manpower."
…
Liu Laozhu and his wife were stunned, and then they went crazy, grabbing the villagers around them and cursing.
How could the villagers tolerate this? They immediately united in their hatred for the enemy and approached him step by step, frightening the old scoundrel so much that he stopped playing tricks.
Jiang Yushu had a splitting headache. She sighed, turned around and ordered, "Close the door. You can't win an argument with that kind of person, and we have no right to search his house. Let's report the truth to the authorities."
"yes."
"Alas, you shameless scoundrel! Close the door!" Zhou Yan waved his hand, and Zou Gui and Hu Gang pushed the gate to the left and right, closing it quickly.
Liu Dong was in a state of dismay. He stared at the closed courtyard gate, squatted down dejectedly, and sobbed with his head in his hands.
A few days later
Jiang Yushu was concentrating on studying the vines; Guo Hongzhe was helping Fang Sheng as they prepared medicine for wounds.
"We've tried it on rabbits and sheep, and the results are excellent. No toxicity has been found yet. Now the only thing left is humans." Fang Sheng was full of energy.
Guo Hongzhe said, "My second brother and the others brought some with them. I wonder if they were of any use."
Jiang Yushu said, "I was always worried, so I warned them beforehand: Don't use new drugs rashly unless absolutely necessary. So, they probably didn't try it."
"The day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve, brother probably won't have time to come back." Guo Hongzhe coughed from time to time.
Jiang Yushu sighed, "Military affairs are so busy that the soldiers have no choice."
At this time, Nanny Pan walked into the main hall, held up a few letters, and said with a smile, "Young Madam, these are letters from home! The postman from town asked someone in the village to bring them."
Jiang Yushu smiled brightly and took it, saying cheerfully, "I've waited almost two months for a reply from the capital. It's really too slow—huh?" She was startled, pulled out one of the letters, and said in surprise, "Mammy, this is from the old lady."
"Ah?" Madam Pan was startled. She took the letter hesitantly and asked in confusion, "That's strange. I can't read, but the old lady knows about it. Could it be a mistake?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "Impossible. It clearly says on the envelope that you should open it yourself."
"But, but I can't read and I can't understand it at all." Nanny Pan was very embarrassed.
As is natural, Jiang Yushu was eager to open and read her father's letter, so she said, "Third brother, please help Madam Pan and read the letter to her."
"Yes." Guo Hongzhe agreed happily, took the letter from his stepmother and opened it curiously.
"What's written?" Fang Sheng was also curious and leaned closer.
Guo Hongzhe cleared his throat and prepared to read the letter, but after a quick glance, he was stunned and looked at his sister-in-law awkwardly.
The author has something to say:
Guo Hongzhe: Sorry, I'm really embarrassed to read this letter out loud...? (? ???ω??? ?)?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
