The old woman was so frightened that she trembled all over, and her urine uncontrollably soaked the chair.
"No...no...there's a jar buried under the jujube tree in the yard..."
A hint of excitement flashed in the eldest brother's eyes as he strode out of the house.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying a clay pot covered in mud, inside which was another five hundred yuan.
"One thousand and five."
The eldest brother stuffed the money into his pocket, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.
“Aunt, because of you, my four brothers and I have been forced to leave our hometown. People are worthless away from home, and 1,500 is far too little. You must give us at least 2,000! We're still short 500. What do you suggest we do?”
The old woman huddled in the chair, her voice weak.
"It's really...really gone...please have mercy..."
The eldest son suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down the old woman's spine.
That's it?
He stood up and looked down at her.
"Then your old life is of no use."
Just as the leader raised his knife, a series of light footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the clear voice of a young girl.
"Auntie? Is Auntie home? I've brought you dumplings!"
The atmosphere inside the room froze instantly.
The old woman's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up, and she twisted her body anxiously.
"It's Xiaoyan! She's my cousin's youngest daughter!"
Her voice suddenly lowered, carrying a strange excitement.
"That girl's already twenty and still not married. She's really pretty, and she's been on so many blind dates, but my brother hasn't agreed to any of them. He's thinking of marrying her off to someone in the city. Here's the deal: you can bring her along. She can do the laundry, cook, and warm the bed... consider it payment for the five hundred yuan..."
Upon hearing this, the leader narrowed his eyes instantly, and lightly tapped the tip of his knife against his palm.
"Auntie, your idea..."
He licked his lips.
"Not bad."
The courtyard gate creaked open, and footsteps grew closer.
"Auntie? Why aren't you opening the door? My mom made your favorite chive and egg dumplings..."
The eldest brother turned and walked towards the door, a glint of excitement in his eyes.
Zhao Xiaoyan was the most beautiful girl in their village. Every young man in the village had his eye on her.
Unfortunately, Zhao Xiaoyan's father had too high standards and was also a good-for-nothing, which is why no one dared to mess with him.
But now that he's about to run away, he can't care about any of that.
The old woman slumped in her chair, a twisted smile appearing on her lips, muttering to herself.
"Girls are all a money pit...they'll never get married anyway...perfect..."
The room door made a soft creaking sound when it was pushed open.
Zhao Xiaoyan paid no attention to what was happening inside the house. Carrying a full basin of freshly cooked dumplings, she gently closed the door with her foot and walked into the house as if she knew the way well.
"Auntie! I've brought you dumplings!"
Zhao Xiaoyan's clear voice echoed in the room.
"Freshly wrapped chive filling, while it's still hot..."
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
Before she could even turn her head completely, a thick wooden stick slammed into the back of her head with a whoosh.
"Bang!"
The dull thud was particularly jarring in the room.
Zhao Xiaoyan's vision went black, and the enamel basin in her hand crashed to the ground with a loud bang, scattering the dumplings all over the floor.
This blow knocked Zhao Xiaoyan unconscious, and her body slowly fell forward.
The leader, who had been hiding behind the door, quickly rushed out and caught her as she collapsed.
He nimbly hoisted Zhao Xiaoyan onto his shoulder, as easily as carrying a sack of flour.
In the corner of the room.
Grandma Zhang watched all of this quietly, without offering any resistance.
The eldest brother carried the unconscious Zhao Xiaoyan toward the door, but suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
He turned and stared at the old woman, threatening her fiercely.
"Aunt, you'd better remember, you're the one who asked us to do this. If even a whisper of it gets out..."
Grandma Zhang trembled upon hearing this.
If the four Zhang brothers are the murderers, then she, who paid for the killing, must be the mastermind behind it.
The old lady understood this simple principle.
Mrs. Zhang replied immediately.
"Don't worry, I don't know anything... Zhao Xiaoyan didn't come today either..."
The eldest brother grinned with satisfaction.
He bent down to pick up a few dumplings scattered on the ground, casually stuffed them into his mouth, and said as he chewed.
"That's right. You should stay home and wait for things to calm down. Then the four of us brothers will come back to take care of you."
After saying that, he carried Zhao Xiaoyan and strode out of the courtyard gate.
The courtyard gate creaked shut again.
Only Old Mrs. Zhang remained in the courtyard, slumped amidst the mess.
After a long while, Grandma Zhang finally bent down shakily to pick up her cane.
She first found a clean cloth and bandaged the wound on her thigh, then, leaning on her crutches, she tidied up the house.
Zhao Xiaoyan has gone missing, and her cousin's family will definitely come looking for her soon. She needs to get ready in advance so that no one can tell that Zhao Xiaoyan was here.
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