"The village chief is right!"
As everyone fell silent, Tiedan's mother stepped forward.
"Even if they were forced, they still indirectly gave money to that corrupt official."
She smirked smugly. None of their family members were among those who returned from mining, and after their return, the village chief, out of pity, had given them extra good things. She had been coveting them for a while and now couldn't wait to stir up trouble.
Her words immediately displeased some.
"Tiedan's mother, what nonsense are you spouting? This has nothing to do with you, don't be a troublemaker."
A middle-aged man with graying hair from the crowd stepped forward indignantly. "If you're going to say that, then your Tiedan would have to get whipped too."
"Pah!" Tiedan's mother spat on the ground. "My Tiedan is just a child, what business would he have with that corrupt official?"
"Tiedan may have nothing to do with Zhang Chu, but didn't your family give a lot of money to the county yamen for Tiedan's schooling? Didn't you give Zhang Chu benefits more directly than them?"
Tiedan's family was considered well-off in Yunshui Village. Tiedan's parents had always wanted their son to study and achieve something. Therefore, although Tiedan was still young, they had made preparations and planned to send Tiedan to a good private school in the county town. They had bribed the yamen with some silver in hopes that Zhang Chu would take care of him.
However, Zhang Chu was someone who took money but did no work. After a few perfunctory efforts, Tiedan's parents, seeing the money wasted, cursed him behind his back and let it go.
Now that it was brought up in public, Tiedan's mother suddenly felt like her weakness had been exposed.
She glanced back at the village chief. The village chief was looking at Tiedan, seemingly contemplating whether to make Tiedan go up as well.
Tiedan's mother immediately became agitated.
"He Zhuzi! Don't spout nonsense, or I'll rip your mouth apart!"
The middle-aged man said coldly, "If you want others to stop talking nonsense, then control your own mouth. It's not the time for you to make sarcastic remarks anymore."
"How can that be the same?"
"Tell me, how is it different?"
He Zhuzi had caught Tiedan's mother in a bind and naturally wouldn't let go easily.
"I..." Tiedan's mother was speechless and couldn't come up with a reply. Suddenly, she saw Lu Yuanxiu, her eyes lit up, and pointing at him, she shouted, "Lu Xiucai's family also gave money to Zhang Chu, more than I did. If anyone is to be punished, it should be Lu Xiucai first."
Seeing that she couldn't refute, Tiedan's mother decided to find someone to take the blame. When everyone was busy with Lu Yuanxiu's matter, she would quickly take Tiedan and run away, avoiding this mess.
A flicker of disgust flashed across Lu Yuanxiu's face. When he obtained his Xiucai degree, he had indeed exchanged pleasantries with Zhang Chu. However, at that time, Zhang Chu hadn't had an accident yet, and people in the village were still eager to curry favor with him, including Tiedan's mother.
He said in a displeased tone, "If you say that, does it mean everyone who gave benefits to Zhang Chu should be punished?"
"Then... of course, that's what the village chief said."
Tiedan's mother stuck out her neck. Even if there were punishments, Liu Hong and Gu Xinlan were first, and then those people from the mine. She would just run away quickly. What she had said was already out, and she couldn't take it back.
Lu Yuanxiu glanced at Gu Xinlan. Gu Xinlan was also looking at him. She blinked her eyes, as if hinting at something, and then looked at Tiedan's mother again.
Lu Yuanxiu guessed some of it. Was this plan to deal with Tiedan's mother?
Indeed, for the past two days, Tiedan had been leading a few children to cause trouble at Liu Hong's house, splashing water, throwing stones, and sometimes throwing cow dung into the yard. It was all instigated by Tiedan's mother, that gossipy woman.
With the hint, Lu Yuanxiu felt more confident. He said to Tiedan's mother, "According to you, everyone in the village should be whipped."
"What? Why?"
Lu Yuanxiu stepped out, facing the crowd, and said unhurriedly, "We are all from the same village, and most of us make a living by farming. A portion of the taxes you pay from farming is used to support Zhang Chu."
The crowd was surprised. They didn't expect this to count.
If this were the case, even people who had never met the county magistrate in their lives would have become his accomplices.
"If that's the case, not only our village, but everyone in other villages and the entire county should be punished and go to jail!"
Someone in the crowd said, their tone full of sarcasm.
"Village chief, what's gotten into you today? Why are you punishing these innocent people?"
Actually, the village chief's logic was the same as what Lu Yuanxiu had said. After hearing Lu Yuanxiu say it, the matter seemed much more absurd, and everyone felt that the village chief wouldn't do anything rash.
Yu Rong glanced at Tiedan's mother before saying to the crowd, "This is not my intention. I saw that some people in the village thought this way, so I went along with their idea."
"Who thinks that? Is that person sick?" someone in the crowd complained.
The rest of the people turned their gaze to Tiedan's mother.
She had been the one shouting the loudest earlier.
"Tiedan's mother, was it you who was spreading bad rumors about Liu Hong's family from the beginning?"
A middle-aged woman couldn't help but speak up, and then a few other women chimed in.
"It was Tiedan's mother who said it. She even incited our children to cause trouble at Liu Hong's house. If I hadn't found out in time, she would have led my child astray."
"I knew my child hadn't been home these past few days. So he was hanging out with Tiedan. Tiedan's mother, why are you gossiping so much outside?"
A few more people came forward to accuse her.
Tiedan's mother panicked. How did it come back to her? Weren't they supposed to punish Liu Hong's family?
"Village chief, what does this have to do with me? At that time, Liu Hong and the others protected Zhang Yajing, and everyone was angry. I just followed suit and said a couple of words. How did it become my fault? Everyone, tell me, didn't you also dislike Liu the hunter's family?"
She pointed at the crowd, paying special attention to a few women she usually got along with, hoping they would say a few words for her.
But at this crucial moment, they all became mute and avoided her gaze.
"Yes... we were a little unhappy at the time." The middle-aged man who spoke first said again.
"But we only complained a little, we didn't intend to do anything. Who knew you would take it seriously and even instigated your son to harass them every day? We're not as idle as you are."
"It wasn't just me doing it alone. Didn't Ji Dong also hit Wu Guixiang? Why aren't you talking about him?"
Tiedan's mother said while searching for Ji Dong in the crowd, but she couldn't find him no matter how hard she looked.
Just then, a mournful cry came from outside the crowd, and Rong Zhi appeared with Ji Dong's ear in her hand.
Everyone was startled to see Ji Dong. Why was half of his face so swollen, like a pig's head? He had already been injured after returning from Ling Shui County, and he hadn't recovered yet. How did he get injured again?
When they saw the person holding him, they understood.
It was likely that the doctor Lin's suggestion for Ji Dong to go to Ling Shui County had made Ji Dong resentful, leading to a conflict between them.
Under everyone's gaze, Rong Zhi walked up and said loudly to the crowd, "Fellow villagers, Ji Dong inexplicably burned down the house where I live. Do any of you know who ordered him to do it, who his accomplices are, and why he did it?"
Some people looked confused. Their houses were burned down? They didn't know about it. Looking towards the direction of the haunted house, they saw only darkness.
Some who lived closer had heard something but didn't know the details, so no one spoke.
Rong Zhi patted Ji Dong's shoulder and said, "Tell me, why did you burn down my house?"
Ji Dong trembled as he was patted. Remembering what Rong Zhi had told him earlier, he shouted, "You treated Zhang Yajing's illness, and everyone hates Zhang Yajing. I just don't like you, so what?"
This was what most people thought in their hearts, but no one would say it in front of so many people, especially since Rong Zhi had cured their illnesses and saved so many people from the mine.
"If I violated the law, you could report me to the yamen. Arson like this is punishable by imprisonment."
"You didn't break the law, so how can I report you?"
Ji Dong seemed very dissatisfied and raised his voice, "If I could report you, I would have done it long ago. It's precisely because you did nothing wrong and I couldn't report you that I resorted to these underhanded tactics."
After saying that, he looked meaningfully at Tiedan's mother.
Now everyone understood. Tiedan's mother's actions were due to her jealousy of Liu Hong's family, and since she had no grounds, she stirred up trouble in the village.
Ji Dong continued, "If you want to hit me, then hit me. If I'm arrested, I'll admit my bad luck. But you can't just punish me alone. She also bullied Liu Hong's family. If you punish, punish us together."
Ji Dong pointed at Tiedan's mother, acting like a scoundrel trying to drag others down with him.
Tiedan's mother was shocked. "What does this have to do with me?" Then she shrank back into the crowd and grabbed her son, preparing to leave.
Just then, the middle-aged man grabbed her.
"You were so lively just now, why are you running?"
He then threw her out, exposing Tiedan to the public eye.
Tiedan was young and didn't understand much of what was being said, but seeing everyone's expressions, he knew something bad was about to happen. He pouted and burst into tears.
Tiedan's mother quickly comforted her child, and as she did, she cursed at everyone.
"A bunch of damned souls! Why are you scaring a child for no reason? You have too much time on your hands."
"You come up here!" Ji Dong grabbed Tiedan and pulled him forward. He grinned and pointed at someone next to the village chief. "See that big tree branch? It'll be hitting you one by one, leaving bloody marks."
Tiedan was stunned and cried even harder.
"What are you doing? Let go of my son." Tiedan's mother put her hands on her hips, her imposing demeanor ready to argue, but found Ji Dong had scooped Tiedan up and tossed him in the air.
"Auntie, don't talk nonsense, or I can't guarantee Tiedan's safety."
This was a threat, a blatant threat!
Tiedan's mother was furious.
She turned and looked into the crowd, trying to find her husband. To her dismay, Tiedan's father had slipped away at some point when he saw trouble.
Tiedan's mother stomped her feet in anger. What a useless man.
With no other choice, she had to ask the onlookers for help.
"Everyone, look quickly! He snatched my son! Isn't this robbery? I'm going to report him to the authorities!"
However, no one paid her any attention. Many people had already guessed that this was probably planned by the village chief, targeting Tiedan's mother. Some women were even pulling their children aside, warning them to stay away from Tiedan in the future.
Tiedan's mother, feeling isolated and helpless, ran to the village chief. "Village chief, weren't we talking about Liu Hong's matter today? It has nothing to do with us. Please tell Ji Dong to release my child. If he gets hurt, how will our child study in the future?"
Seeing her anxiety but no sign of remorse, Yu Rong didn't intervene. He glanced at Ji Dong and said, merely for show, "Dongzi, put Tiedan down quickly."
"No!" Ji Dong flatly refused.
The village chief shrugged. "See, I can't do anything about it."
"You..."
"Auntie, this is the consequence of seeking revenge privately," Rong Zhi said at this point. "If you can seek revenge on Liu Hong's family, others will do the same to you."