Chapter 358 Family
A family in the countryside.
When Qi Dashun and his wife Zhou returned from outside, they saw another hundred-tael silver note under the white porcelain bowl on the table in the hall.
Two of the flatbreads that were freshly made that morning were missing from the stove.
Zhou stuffed the silver notes into her bosom, pointed at the pot, and cursed, "Who on earth is this heartless bastard who stole from my house! There are so many rich people outside, why did you have to steal from me, a poor person who doesn't even know where the next meal is coming from?"
Knowing no one would respond, she pointed at Qi Dashun and shouted, "Qi Dashun, I made twelve pancakes in this batch, enough for the family to eat for two days. Now there are two missing. That old geezer in the house shouldn't eat them. He's useless at home. He won't even know if a thief comes. It's a waste for him to eat them!"
Qi Dashun quickly tugged at her and put his finger to his lips, signaling Zhou to speak softly.
“Mother hasn’t eaten for two days. If she continues to starve, something bad might happen to her. One hundred taels of silver can buy thousands of flatbreads. If you keep making a fuss and the second son and the others find out, they’ll definitely come and ask for a share of the silver. If she hears us, this good thing won’t be ours.”
Their eyes met, filled with calculation and greed.
She didn't say the last name, but the couple both knew who she was referring to.
Since their ancestors came down from the old house, their family had always made a living by farming, living in poverty. The Qi family had a total of seven children, two of whom starved to death. Apart from Sanya, who was sent to the palace, the remaining four either married nearby or separated from their families and lived not far from this old house.
The old house was left to Qi Dashun after his father's death, with the only condition being that Qi Dashun would be responsible for supporting his paralyzed mother.
Some time ago, government officials came to search the brothers' house. They searched the entire house and only found out from the soldiers that Sanya, who had been missing for many years, had committed a serious crime and become a wanted criminal.
The authorities found no one and warned them before leaving that if they had any news about Sanya, they must report it, or they would be treated as accomplices.
The person who secretly came to their house while they were working in the fields, left a silver note, and took some dry food, was someone they knew without thinking that it must be their long-lost third sister, Han Cui, who was on the government's wanted list.
They searched the house inside and out, but couldn't find him. When they asked Qi's paralyzed mother, she couldn't explain it either.
After Qi's mother became paralyzed, the couple did not take good care of her. They would starve her for two days if they were even slightly unhappy. Every time Zhou changed Qi's mother's soiled clothes and blankets, she would beat and scold her. Over time, Qi's mother suffered both physically and mentally, and she became somewhat senile.
Zhou wanted the money but was also afraid of being implicated by Han Cui, so she pretended that a thief had broken into the house. Every time, she would pretend to scold him and also let Qi's mother go hungry.
Now that Qi Dashun had advised her, she immediately fell silent. The couple had worked hard all their lives and still couldn't save a hundred taels of silver. If she ruined such a good thing herself, she would slap herself twice when she woke up.
Since receiving the silver from Han Cui, the couple had been indulging in lavish meals every day and had no interest in working in the fields.
However, the case of Princess Qiongxiao's residence has not yet been solved, and the government is still searching for Han Cui. The two are afraid of being discovered by the soldiers, so they dare not spend a single penny of the money.
Zhou glanced cautiously outside the door, then closed it and said in a low voice.
"This can't go on forever. That brat throws out a hundred taels at a time, and who knows how much more she's hiding on her. If we let her pay us off slowly every day, how long will it take? And what if she suddenly decides not to pay us anymore? Wouldn't we be missing out on a chance to make a fortune?"
If you encounter a content person, they would be grateful to receive several hundred taels of silver for nothing.
However, Qi Dashun and his wife were clearly greedy and insatiable. They were content with just a few taels of silver, and once they got a few hundred taels, they wanted several thousand. They wanted as much as they could, and were never satisfied.
Qi Dashun agreed wholeheartedly, his eyes darting around.
“You’re right, we need to take the initiative. We need to find her, get all the money, and then send her far away. It’s none of our business if she gets arrested or imprisoned.”
He had little affection for his younger siblings who he had grown up with, let alone his third sister who had been sent to the palace when she was young.
"Are you stupid!" Zhou poked his forehead. "If she escapes, the case of Princess Qiongxiao's mansion won't be closed. No matter how much silver we get, we won't dare to spend it. What's the use of holding onto it? If the authorities find out she's back, we might end up in jail for what we've been hiding. Listen to me, once you get the silver, report it to the authorities immediately and have them arrest her. She committed a serious crime of murder. Doing this is like ridding the people of a scourge."
Once the case is closed, and after a year or two when the controversy has died down, they can use the money openly and legitimately.
By then, Han Cui would definitely have been executed long ago, and even if her other siblings suspected her, they would have no way to prove it.
Qi Dashun, however, was a little uneasy.
"What if she confesses to the authorities that she gave us a lot of money? The authorities will definitely take the money and confiscate it. Wouldn't we have worked for nothing?"
"You don't know anything!" Zhou scolded him softly, glancing at the direction of Qi's mother's room, her voice even lower, "This brat was being hunted down throughout the city, but instead of fleeing for her life, she risked so much to come back. She must be worried about this old geezer. You just need to threaten her with this old geezer, and she will definitely not dare to say anything."
According to Qi's mother, Sanya was the most filial child before, but in poor families, the more filial a child is, the more they suffer. So Sanya was the only one who was sold into the palace.
Similarly, these kinds of children are the softest-hearted and the easiest to forgive. The fact that Sanya would take such a big risk to come back at this time clearly shows that she still cares about family ties.
It's incredibly easy to manipulate this kind of person.
Qi Dashun considered it for a while, but in the end he couldn't resist the temptation of the money and nodded in agreement.
"But we've already searched the house inside and out, and we can't find her at all. How are we going to find her?"
Zhou tiptoed and whispered in Qi Dashun's ear, "Every time we go to work in the fields, she comes in to drink water and eat, and then hides before we come back. This time, we'll pretend to go out and come back from behind the house; we're sure to catch her red-handed."
Qi Dashun slapped his forehead. "Why didn't I think of that? That's a great idea. Let's eat the pancakes quickly, and then we can get out to work. Just don't make too much noise before we get the money, in case the second brother and the others find out..."
Zhou picked up a pancake and stuffed it into Qi Dashun's mouth.
"I know, I know. Just mind your own business. I'm not stupid, why would I let others share our money?"
After the couple reached an agreement, their eyes gleamed with excitement, and they were secretly delighted.
Han Cui, nestled in the firewood pile in the yard, was completely unaware of this.
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