Chapter 101 Imprisonment in the Cave
Lin Yao did not immediately answer the village head's question, but instead gestured for everyone to look in the direction she was pointing: "Grandpa Village Head, fellow villagers, why don't we go to a place together and then discuss the matter of handling it?"
Despite their doubts, the group followed her deeper into the valley. The further they went, the denser the trees became, until they stopped at the foot of a steep mountain.
Everyone looked up and saw a distinct recess in the middle of the mountain, a natural cave, about three meters above the ground. The entrance was not small, enough to accommodate several people, but the surrounding area was bare, with no vines or protruding rocks to climb.
"Ah Yao, why did you bring us here?" a villager couldn't help but ask.
Lin Yao pointed to the hollow, "I want Lin Demao and Ye Dong to live there."
Before anyone could ask any further questions, Lin Cheng, Liu Dazhuang, Azhu, and Afu emerged from the nearby dense forest, carrying a long wooden ladder.
The ladder was made of sturdy logs, with solid steps and a length just right to reach the opening, clearly prepared in advance.
“This ladder was made by craftsmen before and has been hidden in a nearby cave,” Lin Yao explained. “When we chose this valley as a shelter, I thought that if someone had any bad intentions and harmed everyone’s interests, there would have to be a place to restrain them. This cave is located on high ground, and the only way to get up there is by using a ladder. Once people are sent in, the ladder can be removed, and they can only stay inside, unable to come out or escape.”
She paused, then added, "As for their daily meals, their own families are responsible for delivering them. How much or how little is up to each family."
Upon hearing this, Lin Demao's face instantly turned ashen. His previous panic was replaced by rage. He abruptly broke free from Lin Yougong's hand, pointed at Lin Yao, and began to act arrogantly: "I'm not going! Nobody is going to leave me there to fend for myself! Lin Yao, you heartless bastard! I'm your grandfather, and you actually want to lock me up in a place like that? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
He shouted and tried to rush towards Lin Yao, but Liu Dazhuang stopped him. Liu Dazhuang frowned and said in a serious tone, "Uncle Lin, don't be ungrateful. A Yao has already shown mercy. If it were a case of stealing grain, it wouldn't be unreasonable to kick you out of the valley."
Ye Dong stood to the side, staring at the high-hanging hole, his face extremely grim.
Lin Yao looked at Lin Demao, who was throwing a tantrum, without any change in her eyes: "If you don't want to, you can choose to leave the valley. However, there are bandits running rampant outside. Whether you can survive if you go out depends on your own luck."
These words struck at Lin Demao's weak spot, and his momentum immediately weakened by more than half.
He had heard about the terrible conditions outside from Liu Dazhuang and the others; if they really left the valley, they probably wouldn't survive more than three days.
But letting him stay in that hollow felt both stifling and frightening.
The village head looked at the scene before him and nodded: "A-Yao's method is good. It doesn't harm anyone's life, it can serve as a punishment, and it can also make their families supervise. Let's do it this way."
The villagers echoed this sentiment.
This method is both satisfying and safe. There's no need to worry about the two stealing grain again, nor to bear the psychological burden of harming others. It couldn't be better.
Seeing that everyone was on Lin Yao's side, Lin Demao knew that resisting was useless, so no matter how dissatisfied he was, he dared not say anything more. Although he was still cursing under his breath, he had lost all his previous arrogance.
Without further hesitation, Lin Cheng and A Zhu helped Lin Demao and Ye Dong up, set up a ladder, and lowered the two into the hollow. Once they were in place, Liu Dazhuang removed the ladder and carried it on his shoulder.
Standing at the cave entrance, Lin Demao looked at the people on the ground, then at the empty surroundings, and finally couldn't help but reveal his fear: "Put me down! I know I was wrong! Lin Yao, put me down, I will never steal your food again!"
The only response he received was the rustling of leaves in the valley.
Lin Yao turned around and said to everyone, "Let's go back. From now on, everyone should take turns watching this place to prevent anyone from secretly bringing the ladder up."
The crowd responded and followed Lin Yao back, ignoring the desperate cries from the cave entrance.
No one would risk ruining the hard-won peace for the sake of two grain thieves.
The crowd retraced their steps, gradually moving away from the steep mountain.
Zhu followed at the very back of the crowd, like a silent shadow. From the moment Lin Demao was brought back, to his outburst at the foot of the mountain, and finally to being carried down the ladder into the cave, she never uttered a word.
Everyone was walking forward, and no one noticed that she had quietly slowed her pace, and finally stopped in her tracks. She turned around and looked into the distance at the high-hanging cave.
Lin Demao's figure could be vaguely seen at the cave entrance. His desperate cries had weakened, leaving only intermittent curses, which were almost inaudible due to the wind blowing through the valley.
Zhu stood there, watching for a long time. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on her, warm and comforting. The heavy feeling of oppression she had felt earlier slowly dissipated at that moment.
She recalled how, over the years, Lin Demao had always been lazy, mistreated his second son's family, and loved to take advantage of others. After the family split up, she had to shoulder most of the household chores by herself, and he always kept all the good things for himself.
While cooking today, she had a vague idea that the grain had been stolen by him, but she dared not ask or say anything, for fear of incurring his beatings and scoldings again.
Now, he was locked in that crater. Although he looked pitiful, Zhu felt inexplicably relieved, as if a stone that had been pressing on her chest had finally been lifted.
She no longer had to worry about him getting into trouble again, no longer had to watch him being lazy and indifferent to family matters, and no longer had to suffer because of his selfishness and arrogance.
A gentle breeze blows, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees.
Zhu raised her hand and wiped her eyes, not from crying, but from the joy of being relieved of a heavy burden.
She took one last look at the hollow, then turned and quickly caught up with the crowd ahead, her steps much lighter than when she came.
Unlike Zhu's relaxed demeanor, Ye Dong's wife was glaring at Lin Yao and her group with hatred in her eyes.
Kang walked at the edge of the crowd, and no one noticed the murky look in her eyes. Only Zhu, who caught up with the crowd later, noticed her unusual behavior.
However, when Zhu tried to step forward to ask, Kang Shi suddenly became calm again, showing no trace of the resentment she had just displayed.
Zhu thought it was because she was old and her eyes were playing tricks on her, so she didn't think much of it.
In her opinion, Ye Dong wasn't a good person either; he was always shirking his duties and would often beat and scold his wife and children. Now that Ye Dong was locked up, the rest of their days would be peaceful, and Kang Shi should be as happy as she was.
Having resolved this major concern, Lin Yao lay comfortably on the straw mat for quite a while.
When Lin Song walked in, he saw his elder sister sprawled on the bed, fast asleep.
He took off his shoes, climbed onto the bed, poked Lin Yao's face, and then tickled her waist.
Seeing that his older sister had no reaction, Lin Song felt bored and decided to get out of bed to go play with Xiaoman and Gou Dan.
No sooner had she moved a little away than Lin Yao, who was pretending to be asleep, grabbed her and gave her a good beating.
"Do you still dare to mess with me?" Lin Yao pinched Lin Song's cheeks, squeezing his little face until it was all scrunched up.
Lin Song giggled as he was being rubbed, struggling with his hands and feet: "No, no! Sister, let me go!"
He chuckled as he leaned close to Lin Yao's ear and whispered, "Sister, are Grandpa and Uncle Ye really going to stay in the cave for a long time? I saw Aunt Kang standing over there just now, and she seemed unhappy."
Lin Yao's heart stirred. "Don't ask too many questions about adult matters. Just focus on learning to read."
Lin Song nodded and then chattered on about playing with the village children earlier, temporarily putting Kang Shi's strange behavior out of his mind.
Meanwhile, Kang had already returned to her own room.
She closed the door, and the calm on her face vanished instantly, replaced by intense resentment.
"Mother, where is Father?"
A childish voice came from the inner room. Kang Shi came back to her senses and turned her head to see her six-year-old daughter, Ya Ya, struggling to hold her two-year-old brother, Xiao Shi Tou, standing at the door.
Ya Ya's big eyes were full of questions, and Little Stone tilted his head and also called out in a childish voice, "Mommy, I want Daddy to hold me."
Kang Shi, who was already suppressing her anger, was struck on a sore spot by Xiao Shitou's words. She suddenly stood up straight, her voice rising abruptly, filled with an unprecedented ferocity: "What are you shouting for! Your father is gone!"
Ya Ya was startled by her sudden fierceness, and the little stone in her arms burst into tears.
Ya Ya's eyes reddened, and she asked softly, "Mom, how could Dad be gone? I saw him this afternoon."
"So what if we saw it?" Madam Kang stepped forward, her eyes glaring fiercely at the two children, as if she wanted to vent all the resentment in her heart. "Your father was captured while trying to find food for you! Captured by that heartless Lin Yao! Now he's left to suffer in that godforsaken place on the mountain, freezing and starving, all because of you! If it weren't for finding food for you, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"
She recalled the way Ye Dong was taken away, and the thought of having to fetch water and chop firewood alone, take care of two children, and climb ladders every day to deliver food to Ye Dong. Her anger flared up. She knew Ye Dong was wrong for stealing grain, but she felt that Lin Yao was deliberately targeting them, that Lin Yao had cut off their family's livelihood.
She became more and more agitated as she spoke, and Ya Ya was stunned by what she said. Tears streamed down her face, but she dared not say anything more. She just hugged her younger brother tightly, protecting him in her arms, trembling.
Seeing the two children's frightened expressions, Kang's anger subsided slightly, but the thought of Ye Dong brought back her hatred.
She took a deep breath, stopped looking at the children, turned around and walked to the stove, forcefully slamming the spatula into the pot, which startled the two children again.
"Stop crying! If you cry again, you won't get any dinner tonight!" Madam Kang scolded without turning her head, her movements becoming exceptionally rough as she lit the fire, added water, and poured rice, each action carrying the meaning of venting her anger.
Madam Kang gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with malice; she would never let Lin Yao's family off easily.
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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, please add this to your favorites! [crying emoji]
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