Chapter 181 180. Quarrel
The thief was caught, but the tomato field suffered considerable damage.
Li Chengcai brought a large sack with him to steal tomatoes. When he was discovered, the sack was half full. When he looked at the tomato field, he saw that half of it was green.
"It's fine if you steal a few, but why do you keep stealing?! You stole one and a half acres of tomatoes from three acres of land?!"
When Liu Xiaocao heard what the patrolman Niu Dashu said, he was so angry that he kicked Li Chengcai several times. It was Lei Li who pulled him away and stopped him from kicking again.
"How would I know that?"
Li Chengcai cried out in pain, curled up and hugged his head, but still said stubbornly, "It was dark and there was no moon. I didn't have a light, so how could I know how much I picked? Anyway, there are so many fruits in three acres of land, so it doesn't matter if I pick a little..."
"How dare you say that?!"
Liu Xiaocao was so angry that her eyes were blazing with anger. Without saying a word, she rushed forward and kicked Li Chengcai. Suddenly, there was a shrill sound of slaughtering a pig. Li Chengcai, who was lying on the ground, covered his crotch with his hands and his facial features distorted.
Liu Xiaocao didn't care where she kicked him, she got angry when she saw him howling.
"Pretend, huh? If you still have the energy to scream, it doesn't hurt that much. I'm just a guy and I don't have much strength. Do you believe me, I'll let my Ershu kick you a few more times?"
Although Liu Xiaocao is a boy, he often works in the fields and is quite strong. He kicks with his feet, which is quite lethal to Li Chengcai, who is often hungry and weak.
"Alright, alright, if you keep kicking me, I'll kill me."
Lei Li tried to comfort Liu Xiaocao, but he saw that all the tomatoes that were slightly redder and bigger than fingers in the half sack of tomatoes had been stolen, like a swarm of locusts passing through.
His temples were throbbing, and he really wanted to kick them a few more times.
He had seen how Zhou Yi and his father had worked hard over the past few months, going out early and coming back late, carefully tending to the tomato field. Now that Li Chengcai had done this, half of their efforts had gone to waste.
Fortunately, Li Chengcai was afraid of being discovered if he stepped on the tomato plants, so when he entered the tomato field, he did not damage the plants but only stole the tomatoes. Otherwise, the Lei family would have suffered even greater losses.
Zhou Yi looked regretful and a little worried.
These tomatoes won't be fully ripe until tomorrow or in a few days. If you pick them now, not only will they be sour and unpalatable, but the seeds will be too tender to keep. You won't be able to finish them at home, and it wouldn't be nice to give them away.
Who would give someone something half-cooked as a gift?
If you don’t want or want to eat it, just give it to someone else. They’re not your trash can.
That can only be eaten by chickens.
I’m afraid I’ll get tired of chicken and won’t want to eat it anymore.
Zhou Yi sighed and said, "Now that we've caught him, there's nothing else to do. I'll take Li Chengcai to see the authorities tomorrow. Everyone, go back to sleep."
"Ah...are you really meeting the official?"
"We've already beaten him, why don't we just forget about it? We're all from the same village. If we report the theft to the authorities, it won't look good on our village..."
"What are you talking about? Isn't it natural to bring a thief to justice?"
"But he's the only child in Li Chengcai's family. When his father was alive, he helped the Lei family a lot. But if he saw the officials, he would be beaten with a stick and imprisoned for many years. How can he marry a wife to continue the incense of the Li family?"
"That's true..."
The villagers who had originally gathered around the Lei family and shared the same hatred for the enemy hesitated when they heard that they were really going to be taken to see the officials. Seeing that Li Chengcai was kicked so badly and must have stolen food because he was too hungry, they felt a little sorry for him.
It is also because the clan concept is too strong nowadays.
If Li Chengcai was from another village and came to our village to steal something, no matter if it was an ear of grain or a bunch of vegetables, he would be taken to the authorities and put in jail without hesitation.
But if they are from the same village, even if they have different surnames, they are still related and are considered "family members". Many people think it is not moral to send "family members" to jail.
Besides, when Li Chengcai's father was alive, he was indeed a good man in the village. He had good relations with his eldest brother, that is, Li Chengcai's uncle's family, and many other families.
Therefore, many people spoke up for Li Chengcai, and even when Li Chengcai occasionally stole some vegetables from their own fields, they turned a blind eye.
Everyone started arguing again, but it was obvious that the majority of people wanted to let Li Chengcai go.
Zhou Yi was already unhappy about his tomatoes being stolen, and he frowned when he heard this. He looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice,
"So, you mean to just let it go? Let Li Chengcai go?"
The stolen tomatoes were indeed not worth much, and Li Chengcai did have his reasons, and it was a bit pitiful that he was beaten, but it was not them who had their things stolen.
Li Chengcai stole his things and violated the laws of the Dayou Dynasty, so he should be sent to prison, even if it was just for a few days.
As for whether Li Chengcai being kicked was illegal?
——If he hadn't stolen, he wouldn't have been caught and naturally wouldn't have been kicked. It's entirely his own fault.
And if you want to eat it, tell him. He won’t be so stingy as to not give you a few tomatoes. Why would you steal them?
But the villagers thought tomatoes were precious and were afraid of him, so no one came to him to ask, preferring to go around and ask Lei Dashan and Liu Ye'er.
The two elders knew that this thing was probably what Li Ge'er wanted to use for business, so they refused it.
The same goes for the chili peppers. In fact, Lei Li and Zhou Yi did not forbid the villagers from using chili peppers to cook, as long as they did not spread it outside or sell it privately. However, none of them used it, and simply assumed that the Lei family did not allow it.
"this……"
The villagers were all a little frightened by Zhou Yi's look. Sanliuzi's mother was so bold that she said,
"Zhou boy, how can you say that Li Chengcai is from our village? It's really not good to see the officials. How about this, let the village chief lock him up for a few days and make Li Chengcai swear not to steal again!"
"Yeah yeah!"
"Just make him swear!"
"After all, I still need to get married and have children. If I see the officials and end up in jail, it will be hard to find a wife!"
"Fuck off!"
Lei Li was watching with a smile. Liu Xiaocao was about to speak, but Gui Fulang jumped out and spat, then stood with his hands on his hips and argued with the scholars.
"Li Chengcai is a lazy guy who's almost starving to death. His family has no money or land. How can he marry a wife?!"
"He really got married by sheer luck, but why does he make her work like a slave to support him? And even if he has a baby, he still has her raise it?"
"Mother of Sanliuzi, you're the one who talks the most. Will your sixth sister marry Li Chengcai?"
"That won't work!"
Sanliuzi's mother was unhappy. "Why should my sixth sister marry Li Chengcai? My sixth sister is pretty and smart. The teacher at the school said that she can read quickly and can marry a scholar!"
"Oh!"
Gui Fulang sneered, "Is it your turn to be unhappy again? Your sixth sister doesn't want to marry Li Chengcai, so what's your say, old man?! What business is it of yours whether Li Chengcai has children or gets married?"
"Li Chengcai stole the Lei family's fruit. It's none of your business whether the Lei family wants to bring him to justice or not."
"We're all from the same village, so what if I say a few words?"
Sanliuzi's mother said with a guilty conscience, "These fruits are planted in the ground and no one is guarding them. They are not valuable things. Is it necessary to see an official?"
"As for whether it's really you who has the final say? The Lei family hasn't said a word yet, what are you talking about?"
Gui Fulang was sharp-tongued and unyielding, "Li Chengcai was captured by Sanliuzi. Are you Sanliuzi's mother or Li Chengcai's mother? You're speaking up for Li Chengcai like this and slapping Sanliuzi in the face."
"this……"
Sanliuzi's mother didn't expect this and immediately didn't dare to speak. Gui Fulang was furious and the others also kept silent.
"so……"
Lei Li looked at everyone with a smile and said slowly, "You also want to speak up for the thief? Stop me from arresting him and putting him in jail?"
"this……"
The villagers looked at each other and then at the village chief.
“…”
The village chief remained silent because he didn't want to get involved. According to him, it was only natural to see the authorities if one stole something, but it was also okay not to see the authorities, after all, they were from the same village.
The main focus is on smoothing things over.
But now he is asked to take charge of the situation, so he should say a few words.
The village chief pondered for a moment and said, "Since Li Chengcai stole things from the Lei family, then naturally he should follow the Lei family's wishes and pay the silver if he should, and report him to the authorities if he should."
"No silver."
Lei Li continued, still smiling, and said in a very pleasant manner, "We need Li Chengcai to see the official. If anyone is unhappy and wants to stand up for Li Chengcai, they can also pay compensation for Li Chengcai."
"He's compensated for my losses. Since we're from the same village, I won't drag him to court. What do you think, Sanliuzi's mother?"
"Well……"
Sanliuzi's mother looked around and saw that everyone she saw had their eyes wandering elsewhere. She was a little at a loss for a moment.
But after thinking about it, Li Ge'er's words made sense and he should be compensated, so he nodded and said,
"When Li Chengcai's parents were alive, they helped our family's Sanliuzi. How much compensation does he need to pay Li Ge'er? Our families can pool their money. Li Chengcai's uncle, second aunt, Li San..."
"How many of us...?"
"That's fine, my father is his uncle, and a few fruits probably aren't expensive, so we can split them among our families."
"What? How come my family is included in this? A daughter who is married off is like spilled water. I won't compensate her with money. A few eggs is the most I can give her."
Several families were arguing.
Lei Li lost his patience and said without a smile, "No matter how you compensate me, you either pay me in silver or face the authorities. These are the two options. Let me be frank, these tomatoes are from the West, and it cost fifty taels just to buy four of them—"
"What?!"
"Fifty taels?!"
"Damn it! Whoever wants this nephew can have him! I won't pay for it anyway!"
When Gui Fulang heard that tomatoes were so expensive, his first reaction was that he had made a fortune. His second thought was that if he could steal a dozen tomatoes, wouldn’t that be hundreds of taels of silver?
His mind raced, he pushed everyone aside and went up to Lei Li, smiling and saying,
"Brother Li, are you planning to start a business selling eggplants in the future? I have plenty of land, several acres! Can you plant some for me?"
He then said, "Those families who spoke to Li Chengcai against your will, don't let them grow the fruit! What if they steal the fruit and sell it like Li Chengcai did? There are so many restaurants in the county, any one of them will..."
“You want to grow tomatoes?”
Lei Li looked at Gui Fulang and said, "It's just like peppers. I give you the seeds and you plant them. When they grow, I buy them, right?"
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Gui Fulang smiled and said, "I see your family has only planted three acres, so the amount you need shouldn't be much. I happen to have three acres of dry land, so it's just right for planting next year!"
"You don't have to teach other families one by one, just teach me. I learn quickly and can farm well!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
