“Those old monks always say that turning back is the right way, but we can’t force others to turn back. You can only let go of this kind of thing yourself,” Huang Shi sighed. “If you really can’t go on living like this, then don’t go on living like this.”
He thought of his daughter-in-law, who was also a bit dim-witted.
Now that their elders are keeping them in check, they only dare to do small things secretly. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause once they pass away?
Huang Shi believes that Huang Laisheng's present is his son's future.
While advising Huang Laisheng, he was also advising himself.
“That makes sense,” Huang Laisheng said through gritted teeth. “I really should have turned back long ago.”
If he had turned back sooner, his children would definitely be living better now, and his family wouldn't have given up so many benefits.
The conversation between the two terrified Tie Shi, who turned pale. She tugged at Huang Laisheng's sleeve and said softly, "Husband, you can't do this."
"Brother-in-law, I won't interfere in your family matters," Tie Lao Er said, seeing that things were not going well. He dared not stay any longer. "I'm leaving now. No need to see me off. Please stay."
He finished speaking in a hurry and ran away as if a dog was chasing him.
Seeing this, Mr. Tie breathed a slight sigh of relief.
My second brother is gone; this matter should be over now.
Tie was heartbroken. After outliving her parents-in-law, she thought her life would get better and better, but little did she know that the opposite was true.
I hadn't even had a few days of peace and quiet before this happened, and the more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt.
Before I knew it, my eyes were already brimming with tears.
Seeing this, Huang Shi felt it was inconvenient for him to stay any longer. "You two can talk slowly. I'll go and make some arrangements."
“Okay,” Huang Laisheng forced a smile, “I’ll see you off.”
"No need, no need. We're all family here, don't stand on ceremony."
After saying that, Huang Shi quickly left.
He had a feeling that the couple was going to cause quite a stir today.
Although he was happy to see this happen, he couldn't just watch the spectacle like a woman, and besides, now was not the time to watch the spectacle.
Not long after Huang Shi left, Huang Laisheng's family indeed started making a scene, but Huang Laisheng, who was already living in the Huang family, was unaware of this.
"It's all arranged. We'll spend fourteen taels of silver to bribe the second son of the Tie family to keep us informed. We've already given him four taels."
"Thank you for your hard work, brother," Jiang Nuan said, pushing a cup of tea towards him. "Have some water and take a rest."
"Uncle, Mother, will this work?" Huang Xiaosan asked hesitantly. "Last time we only caught three, but actually four people came. I went to check. There were four different kinds of shoe prints in the corner. The other one, I don't need to think, is the second son of the Tie family."
The second son of the Tie family stole things, and although his family didn't do anything to him, they broke the hands of his three brothers. How could this man not hold a grudge?
Would they really be so kind as to tip someone off?
What's the point of such betrayal?
“We definitely can’t count on him alone,” Huang Shi shook his head. “This guy abandoned his own brothers and ran away last time, without even calling for help. What can he possibly accomplish? The key is still to rely on ourselves.”
Huang Shi saw it clearly: Tie Lao Er was a natural opportunist; he could agree to Huang Shi's request for ten taels of silver today, but he could betray Huang Shi's family for twenty taels of silver tomorrow.
If we really rely on him, we won't even know how we'll die.
However, casting more nets will always catch some fish that slip through, and setting a trap is better than doing nothing at all.
“Your uncle is right. The second son of the Tie family is indeed unreliable.”
"Mother, we know he's unreliable, so why waste money?" Huang Lao Er was very unhappy. "Isn't this like throwing good money after bad?"
It wasn't that he was heartbroken about spending ten taels of silver, but rather that he felt it wasn't worth giving it to someone like that.
Giving money to a thief is less worthwhile than buying steamed buns for a beggar; at least you'll be happy.
“It’s somewhat useful,” Huang Xiaosan said hesitantly. “Why would my uncle give me money if it were useless?”
Normally he's very frugal when it comes to spending a penny, but suddenly he's throwing away four ounces. Huang Xiaosan guessed that his uncle was already feeling the pinch.
“Whether it will be useful or not is unknown for now,” Jiang Nuan explained, “but this money must be given out. Bribing this person will only cost some money and plant a pawn. If it is useless, it is just a waste of money. But if it is useful, the return will be hundreds of times.”
“That’s right, that’s the point. Whether it works or not, we have to be prepared for both possibilities,” Huang Shi said with a sigh. “But in the end, it depends on us. I’ll organize the young men from the village to come over later. We’ll keep watch at Huangjiakou for the next few days.”
“That’s not appropriate,” Jiang Nuan shook her head. “Spring plowing is still in progress, and everyone is busy with farm work during the day. Who has the energy to keep watch at night?”
"Then what should we do?" Huang Lao Er asked in a low voice. "Should we brothers guard it?"
“Let’s hire someone,” Jiang Nuan said after thinking for a moment. “It’s busy farming season now. Anyone willing to keep watch at night can get 30 coins a day. If no one in the village is willing, we can find someone from another village.”
“Thirty coins is too high,” Huang Shi shook his head. “It costs thirty coins to keep watch for one night. If something happens and we need the help of the villagers, we can’t do it without half a tael of silver. It’s not worth it.”
A strong laborer can earn a wage of at most twelve coins.
“Let’s leave it at that for now,” Jiang Nuan explained softly. “Everyone has a hard time making a living. Normally, even if we have money at home, we can’t just give it away for fear of spoiling people. Now that we have a reason, we don’t have to worry about that.”
In fact, Jiang Nuan didn't really expect these people to do anything.
Xiao Liu and his dogs are more reliable than the villagers; the last time was a prime example.
“Alright then,” Huang Shi, as the clan chief, had no reason to refuse something that was good for the village. “You all wait for news at home, I’ll go and ask.”
After Huang Shi told everyone about it, everyone in the village became restless.
“Third Brother,” Fourth Brother Huang raised his arm and said, “How about I come with you? My four sons will come with me.”
“No way,” Huang Youquan said irritably. “You’re dreaming. You need ten people in total, and your family takes up half of them. What are we supposed to do? That’s not fair at all.”
“That’s right,” Huang Sheng added. “If anyone’s going, it’ll be my three sons. Your kids are as skinny as sticks, not as strong as mine.”
"Bullshit!" This remark enraged Brother Huang. "Your son is strong, but he's as short as a winter melon. If someone comes, can his short legs outrun the bad guys?"
These words made everyone laugh.
“The village chief is right,” Huang Youquan said with a smile. “Huang Sheng, your family should stay out of this. Otherwise, you might end up losing and getting yourself caught up in the mess.”
"Bullshit!" Huang Sheng's face turned red with anger at these words. He snorted coldly and said, "So what if I'm short? You can't save on fabric if you want to, unless you cut your own heads off."
Upon hearing this, Huang Youquan immediately retorted, "We don't lack money for this little bit of fabric at home, so there's no need to skimp on it. If you really need it, I'll give you a few feet without any problem."
The two argued more and more fiercely, and Huang Shi coughed lightly and stepped in to smooth things over.
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