Chapter 360 Goodwill
Han Cui glanced at her torn clothes and a mocking smile appeared on her lips: "When have you ever been polite to me?"
Qi Dashun remembered the idea Zhou had taught him earlier, and chuckled insincerely, "Sanya, Mother is now paralyzed and mentally challenged. Apart from me and your sister-in-law, no one is willing to take care of her. But we don't have that much free time either. If we don't have enough money, we'll just have to leave Mother outside and let her fend for herself."
Han Cui noticed that Qi's mother had bruises in several places, and her clothes and blankets smelled bad. She could easily guess how her brother and sister-in-law usually treated their mother.
She gave money these past few days, but her mother's life has become even more difficult. If she were to hand over all the money again, she feared her mother wouldn't have many days left to live.
“If you, elder brother, are willing to part with those four hundred taels of silver and give them to the other brothers, they will definitely be willing to support Mother.”
Qi Dashun and Zhou were very angry when they saw that Han Cui was unyielding.
"You brat, you really need to be taught a lesson. Your father is dead, and your mother is confused. Your eldest brother is your father, and your eldest sister-in-law is your mother. Today, your brother and I will teach you a good lesson..."
Zhou prepared to tie Han Cui up and whip her. Young women are most afraid of pain; a good beating would surely make her complain.
Just as she was about to make her move, she heard hurried and rapid footsteps outside, and then the door was kicked open, and a group of soldiers rushed in.
Master Zhang walked at the front and immediately spotted Han Cui.
"You really are here."
He then looked at Qi Dashun and Zhou Shi and said, "How dare you! Harboring criminals is a crime punishable by death! Do you two know you have committed a grave offense?"
Qi Dashun and Zhou Shi turned pale with fright and knelt down, crying out, "We're innocent! Your Honor! This wretched girl just came in, and we were just about to report her to the authorities when you walked in..."
"Yes, sir, we are all honest and law-abiding citizens. We wouldn't dare harbor criminals even if we had the guts! Please, sir, see the truth..."
Han Cui glanced at them, her expression calm.
“Brother and sister-in-law didn’t say that before. Brother, you still have the silver notes I gave you. The officials searched them and found a total of four hundred taels of silver, which was the reward I gave them after they took me in.”
Qi Dashun was so frightened that he quickly threw the hundred taels in his hand to the ground.
“You brat, stop talking nonsense. Sir, this is the money I earned. This brat stole my food, so she has to pay me back…”
Master Zhang snatched the silver notes from the ground, his eyes sharp. "What did the prisoner steal from you that he has to pay so much? Even private lenders don't extort as much as you do."
Qi Dashun kowtowed and said, "Your Honor, this brat ate a lot, she ate for three whole days. She should be compensated several times the amount for what she stole; this is what I deserve, not extortion..."
"You audacious scoundrel!" Master Zhang shouted sternly, "Didn't you just say you discovered the criminal? It turns out you've been harboring him for three days! Not only did you fail to report it, but you're also full of lies! Guards, search him!"
The three hundred taels of silver notes that Zhou had hidden on her body were quickly found. She still clung to them desperately, but a guard held a knife to her throat before she finally calmed down.
When Qi Dashun and Zhou were taken away by the soldiers, they continued to curse Han Cui.
Han Cui knew she couldn't escape, and she didn't want to escape anymore.
Having committed such a heinous crime, every time I close my eyes, I see bloody images in my mind.
She hadn't had a good night's sleep for days. Being brought to justice soon and paying for her sins would be a relief for her.
“I will go with you. But my mother is paralyzed from the waist down and is not in a good mental state. If no one takes care of her, she will starve to death. Besides my brother and sister-in-law, I have several other brothers and sisters. I would appreciate it if you could find someone to inform them and discuss the issue of caring for the elderly woman.”
Master Zhang had just arrested Guan Yi'an that morning, and now he had caught Han Cui. Seeing that the case of Princess Qiongxiao's mansion was about to be solved, he was in a good mood and happy to do some good deeds, so he readily agreed.
The officers quickly found Han Cui's three remaining siblings. Upon hearing that their sister, who had committed a serious crime, had returned, and that their eldest brother and sister-in-law had been convicted for taking her in, leaving their elderly mother without anyone to care for her, they wanted the officers to take over.
The second brother and fourth sister waved their hands repeatedly, each complaining that they were unwilling to take on this hot potato.
Only the fifth brother looked at Han Cui with a hint of reluctance, and remained silent with his head down.
Han Cui had the best relationship with her fifth brother when she was at home, and seeing this scene, she had already made up her mind.
"Since Second Brother and Fourth Sister both have their reasons, then let's leave this matter to Fifth Brother. But this house belongs to our parents, so naturally it belongs to whoever is responsible for their care. Do you have any objections?"
The second brother and fourth sister, seeing that their eldest brother and sister-in-law were in prison, originally wanted to fight for the house again. But now, hearing what she said, they both felt that the house was already old and dilapidated, and it was not a worthwhile deal to take care of a paralyzed person for the sake of the house.
The two quickly said they had no objections.
The fifth brother echoed, "I agree."
He is not yet married, but his sister-in-law disliked him and kicked him out two years ago. He has been living in a thatched hut ever since. Now that the house is being given to him, he is confident that he can support himself and his mother.
Han Cui was still not entirely reassured after hearing this, so she asked Master Zhang to find the village head, who wrote a document and had the three of them sign and affix their fingerprints. The document stated that everything in the house belonged to her fifth brother.
After everything was done, Han Cui was taken away by the soldiers. When she got to the courtyard, her fifth brother chased after her to see her off. When Han Cui's eyes met her fifth brother's, she glanced hurriedly at the hole where the firewood was.
She believed that her fifth brother understood, and that as long as he went in to investigate out of curiosity, he would be able to find her luggage.
She returned home, taught her elder brother and sister-in-law a lesson, and got her mother and fifth brother her silver notes, which would allow them to live a wealthy and worry-free life for the rest of their lives. She was satisfied.
Seeing that Han Cui was sensible, Master Zhang did not have her bound, but simply let her walk among the soldiers.
Seeing that there were no other people around, Zhang the clerk said to her, "Miss Hancui, whatever you want to do, I will grant your wish. I hope you can also tell me the truth about what I want to know. You are just a maid, neither the mastermind nor the perpetrator, at most an accomplice. If you can provide important information to help me find the mastermind, admit your mistakes and correct them, then you can be released after a few years in prison. At that time, you can still support your mother and marry a good husband."
After hearing this, Han Cui bit her lip and remained silent.
This official was a good man. He could have easily made her tell the truth before helping her deal with her mother's matter, or even used that as leverage to threaten her into telling the truth before refusing her request. But he didn't. Instead, he helped her resolve the matter and then patiently and gently asked her about it.
Han Cui fears malice, but she fears even more the sudden kindness of strangers.
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