Yan Ci looked at Bai Xiaoyue with a complicated expression:
“He tried to steal from your house, but you didn’t hate him and even gave him food.”
Bai Xiaoyue vividly recounted the despicable behavior of Yan Ci's eldest brother and sister-in-law, finally sighing:
"The main problem lies with the adults in his family. His mother is too weak, and his brother and sister-in-law are lazy and good-for-nothing."
That child was kind and filial, so I wanted to help him out. He was hardworking, and things would get better after the autumn harvest and the distribution of grain.
If there is no food to eat, he might really go astray for his mother's sake.
The grain isn't given away for free; make him write an IOU so he can pay it back later.
Then, she gave Yan Ci 10 jin of sorghum rice and 10 jin of cornmeal.
Two days later, Bai Xiaoyue went to collect Chang Le's subsidy and bought a lot of things.
When she came back, she made a point of passing by the big locust tree. Several aunties were chatting under the tree, including the particularly gossipy Aunt Li.
Bai Xiaoyue went over and gave each of the aunties two fruit candies, then showed them off what good things she had bought that day. After that, she leisurely went home.
Once she got home, she immediately found Yan Ci and asked him to keep watch for her for the next two nights.
If a thief comes to the door, don't let him get away. Yan Ci thought she was still scared and readily agreed.
Gossip never lingers overnight among the aunties; they're all incredibly enthusiastic.
"You know what? The Bai family's daughter bought a lot of grain and meat today."
"She has a little girl with her, how can she possibly eat so much good food?"
"Meat, oh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water." The word spread like wildfire, and soon the whole village knew.
Of course, even the lazy and gluttonous Sister-in-law Yan found out.
That night, she urged Brother Yan to steal grain and meat from Bai Xiaoyue's house.
Brother Yan was too timid to go, so Sister-in-law Yan coaxed him, "Go and get it back, and I'll make you braised pork."
There has been no food these days, and the Yan family has been eating nothing but bland vegetable porridge every day, which has made them feel bloated and dizzy.
Now, when his wife said he could have braised pork, Brother Yan was somewhat tempted, but he was naturally timid and still very scared.
Later, Sister-in-law Yan said that the two of them should go together, and she would keep watch for him, so Brother Yan agreed.
Late that night, the two sneaked out and peered around the Bai family's courtyard for a long time before Brother Yan climbed over the wall and quietly crept to the gate.
He gently pushed the door and found it wasn't bolted. He was secretly delighted, thinking that even God was on his side.
Pushing open the door, I saw a bag on a small table in the outer room, with a piece of pork belly next to it, and I was overjoyed.
He went up, picked up the bag and the meat, and then tiptoed out of the house.
By this time, Yan Ci had already knocked out Sister-in-law Yan, who was secretly peeking out from outside the courtyard gate. When Brother Yan arrived at the gate, he went up and gave him a good beating.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Xiaoyue rushed out and saw that the two people she had grabbed were Brother Yan and Sister-in-law Yan.
He immediately shouted, "A thief is stealing! Catch the thief! Help!"
She didn't sleep all night, not even taking off her coat, waiting for the fish to bite.
She thought she would have to wait several nights, but these two idiots were so impatient that they couldn't even wait one night, which saved her a lot of trouble.
Soon, many villagers poured into the courtyard from outside.
The Bai family arrived first, and when they saw Yan Ci grabbing someone, they immediately started punching and kicking him.
After I finished beating him, I noticed there was another person lying on the ground. Oh, it was a gang crime. I went over and kicked him a few times.
The two men were beaten and kept howling in pain.
The voices sounded familiar, and upon closer inspection, everyone recognized Sister-in-law Yan and Brother Yan, causing an uproar.
"I never would have guessed that this couple were thieves!"
"He's always been lazy and good-for-nothing, and when there's no food, he steals. Pah!"
Even rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows, so why don't you go steal some from outside?
"He's disgraced our village, beat him to death."
...
Everyone punched and kicked, beating Brother Yan until his face was bruised and swollen, without Yan Ci even having to lift a finger.
Uncle Bai always appears at just the right time, seeing the grain sacks and meat on the ground – a perfect case of catching the culprit red-handed!
Seeing everyone's righteous indignation, and my niece's frightened expression...
Uncle Bai immediately had the two men tied up, and at dawn he reported it to the police station, taking away even their grain and meat.
After the thief was tied up, Bai Xiaoyue took out sorghum rice and gave one pound to each of the people who had helped catch the thief.
She faced her fellow villagers with tears streaming down her face:
"Thank you for your help, uncles and aunts. The thieves failed. If it weren't for you, we definitely wouldn't have been able to catch these two thieves today."
You are my and my daughter's great benefactors. I should have brought you something nice to thank you.
What a pity! All the things I bought during the day were used as evidence, and unfortunately, all I have left at home are these coarse grains. Please don't mind them, uncles and aunts.
"From now on, I hope my uncles and aunts will take good care of me. When Changle grows up and becomes successful, I will definitely thank you properly."
After she finished speaking, she bowed to the villagers.
Everyone was very happy to hear Bai Xiaoyue's words of thanks, and instantly felt that they were very important.
If it weren't for me today, we probably wouldn't have caught the thief. I hadn't even considered that the thief had already been caught when they arrived.
The sight of people enjoying the spectacle and receiving free food was a wonderful thing. Everyone was overjoyed and happily took the food home.
This time, Bai's mother didn't dare go home and stayed here to sleep with her daughter.
Bai Xiaoyue had dealt with the bad guys and felt relieved, so she slept soundly.
Seeing her daughter's carefree attitude, Bai's mother sighed repeatedly.
The next day, after finishing his meal, Yan Ci asked Bai Xiaoyue, "Why did you cheat that couple?"
She looked around; neither her parents were there.
Immediately, he said to Yan Ci with a straight face:
“Yan Ci, I didn’t cheat them. They came to steal things on their own. I didn’t kidnap them.”
They wanted to get something for nothing and resorted to theft; they can't blame me.
Wasn't it their greed that ruined them?
Yan Ci's expression was inscrutable, and Bai Xiaoyue couldn't tell whether he was praising or opposing him.
Who cares? Anyway, this is a warning to others, and things should calm down for a while.
Not long after, Brother Yan's verdict came down, and he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Sister-in-law Bai was an accomplice and was sentenced to one year in prison.
Yan Xiaosong even delivered clothes to his older brother and sister-in-law; he's such a kind-hearted child.
Seeing Brother Yan's fate temporarily deterred some people with malicious intentions.
Bai Xiaoyue thought that after dealing with the bad guys, life should be more peaceful, but little did she know that her troubles would only get worse.
Every day after that, Bai's mother kept nagging her to find a man.
She said she was already 22 years old, and if she didn't find someone soon, she wouldn't find a good one. She said if there was a man around, no one would dare to come and steal from her.
The thieves have come to her door twice already, just because they think she's an easy target since she's a widow with a little girl.
The eldest aunt became even more enthusiastic, coming to Bai's house every day to brainwash her mother, saying how good her nephew was.
Even Grandma Bai called her over and scolded her for a long time.
Bai's mother even went around asking people to keep an eye out for suitable men for Bai Xiaoyue.
She's like a sluggish cabbage that needs a big clearance sale.
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