Chapter 88: Caught

Shen San and his wife were forcefully dragged out of the geese's beaks by the villagers. Shen San, bitten all over, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon escaping death. Turning to see the geese inside the bamboo fence, he picked up a thick stick from the ground, intent on retaliating against the geese.

But he was immediately restrained by the shout of Zhou Village Head, who had him grabbed.

Shi Erlang, seeing Shen San still acting aggressively and recalling the ladder by the wall, guessed the couple's intentions and declared: "Zhou Village Head, sneaking over the wall at night is either for theft or assault. It's a sneaky act of chicken theft or dog snatching. Our village has never had such incidents. Shouldn't they be tied up?"

As a younger member of the community, Sang Luo couldn’t initiate this suggestion, and Shi Er had no close relation with Shen San.

Upon hearing the word "bind," Shen San was stunned, as were the other men in the village, unable to react immediately.

If it had been an outsider or a stranger, binding them would have been a given. But this was Shen San, an uncle scaling his nephew's wall. Although the villagers found it outrageous, they instinctively categorized it as a family matter.

Li Shi suddenly erupted, "What's wrong with entering our own nephew's house? We haven't even entered yet. What law did we break?"

Her bold and aggressive stance amused and exasperated Sang Luo.

"The families are already separated. Your house is yours, and mine is mine. How can you shamelessly claim you're visiting your nephew’s house, avoiding the door in broad daylight and sneaking over the wall at midnight?"

"As for breaking the law, according to Da Qian’s legal statutes regarding property violation, there are theft, robbery, and custodial theft. Theft specifically refers to stealthily taking someone else’s property in secret①." Sang Luo turned to Zhou Village Head, "May I ask, does their action of scaling the wall at midnight count as stealth and concealment?"

Zhou, the Village Head, familiar with the law as part of his role, was surprised to hear a young woman like Sang Luo cite the relevant legal statutes…

He nodded, "It does count."

Shen San, now less concerned about retaliating against the geese, hastily defended himself, "But we didn’t steal anything. We didn’t even fully scale the wall!"

This time, Zhou Village Head spoke without needing Sang Luo's input, "That's still attempted theft."

He instructed the accompanying villagers, "Take them down the hill and tie them up. We’ll report and deal with this through the proper channels tomorrow."

As a village head, he didn’t possess the authority to handle this independently.

Shen San and Li Shi were dumbfounded and then exploded, "Sang Luo, you are heartless! A cold-blooded creature with no regard for others, not even recognizing your own elders!"

Watching Sang Luo's expression remain unchanged, Li Shi screamed, "Shen An! Shen Ning! Where are you dead? Just watching your sister-in-law have us tied up?! Where is your conscience?"

The group of villagers who came to help looked at each other, unsure whether to intervene on Shen San's behalf, and for a moment, no one moved.

Chen Youtian and others, having fewer scruples, felt that climbing over the wall was hardly an act of good intent.

They naturally sided with Sang Luo. Seeing the villagers' hesitation, Chen Youtian, Shi Erlang, Lu Dalang, and Lu Sanlang stepped forward to apprehend the intruders.

Sang Luo bowed to Zhou Village Head and the villagers, expressing her gratitude, "Thank you for your help in the middle of the night. It's not that I am unforgiving, but as a weak woman living here with two young children, if intruders go unpunished, it emboldens others and makes our lives untenable."

She bowed again after speaking.

Initially, the villagers felt Sang Luo was being too harsh; after all, the intruders were her relatives. Sending them to the village head seemed extreme since it was a step away from legal authorities who could make substantial decisions.

But Sang Luo’s explanation made them understand her stance.

Indeed, she was just a young woman with two children in a remote mountainous area. Today’s incident with Shen San and Li Shi, alarming due to their loud cries, could have gone unnoticed if not for nearby households hearing them. What if something more serious had happened?

If Shen San and Li Shi could enter without consequences today, who knows what miscreants might try tomorrow? The thought alone was chilling for Sang Luo.

Feeling ashamed of their earlier judgment, they reassured her, "We’re neighbors and should help each other. Such behavior can't be tolerated in our village. Don't worry, go back inside. It's cold at night in the mountains. We'll take care of them and discuss further tomorrow."

Zhou Village Head and other villagers expressed their opinions, suggesting, "Go back inside and comfort the kids. They must be frightened. Tomorrow morning, I’ll invite the local official to address this. You’ll have a proper resolution."

After thanking everyone, Sang Luo watched as Shen San and Li Shi, still cursing, were escorted down by the village men. Once they were out of sight, she returned to checking on her three geese.

The geese, still unaccustomed to recognizing Sang Luo as their owner, were exhibiting their victorious demeanor after the recent scuffle, proudly extending their necks.

Delighted, Sang Luo praised them, "Well done! I'll give you extra treats tomorrow!"

The geese responded with honks, strutting confidently.

Sang Luo, after ensuring everything was in order with the geese and the bamboo fence, turned back to secure her home.

Shen An and Shen Ning had already woken up but had stayed inside at Sang Luo's behest. Now that things had calmed down outside, they were waiting for her in the courtyard.

The three of them returned to the house together. Shen Ning, unaffected by Li Shi's scolding, was brimming with excitement: "Are the geese really that formidable?"

They really gave her a breath of relief!

Sang Luo laughed, "Yes, in the future, feed them well. Once they get used to us and recognize us, we can let them roam outside. They'll be our guardians."

Now, all the doors are locked, and since the kitchen is spacious, you can't see anything sensitive from just standing at the window. The children are welcome to play in the front yard.

Shen Ning nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, I'll take good care of them!"

……

Down in the village, Shen San and Li Shi were indeed bound and locked up in a dilapidated house.

Indeed, there's no large ancestral hall in the Ten Li Village for such purposes; gatherings are usually held in the open. Therefore, the only option was to confine them in an abandoned house.

The men who had come out to help returned home, and naturally, the incident became the talk of the village.

Upon returning home, Zhou Village Head was met by his wife and daughters-in-law, all of whom had dressed hastily to inquire about the incident.

The two daughters-in-law naturally had Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang to explain to them. Zhou Village Head returned to his room and told his wife, "Shen San and Li Shi are probably eyeing Sang Luo's tofu recipe."

He detailed the incident on the mountain, saying, "Fortunately, Sang Luo is quite capable. I don't know if she had foreseen this, but she quietly brought a few big ganders to keep outside the courtyard. Shen San and Li Shi really suffered today, their clothes are soaked with blood."

Zhou Village Head's wife scoffed, "Well, they deserved it!"

Wealth indeed tempts the heart, but those two really are no good.

She then asked, "What happens now? Surely we can't just let this slide, right? Just a few bites from a goose can't be the end of it. If we let them off too easily, Sang Luo won't have a peaceful life up there in the mountains."

Zhou Village Head chuckled, "Don't worry, the Chen, Shi, and Lu families are all backing her. She won't be at a loss. Besides, Sang Luo herself is quite formidable. She can recite the relevant laws of Da Qian without missing a word. She's tough when she needs to be, but also knows how to be tactful. Initially, I thought she was just tough and cold, but now I see she’s not having an easy time either."

"Shen San and Li Shi are currently tied up, and tomorrow we'll bring in the local magistrate. We need to give these people in the village a good shake-up."

Recently, there have been some restless hearts in the village. Right now, everyone still has enough to eat and drink, and most families aren’t in dire straits. But it might be a different story after the New Year. If we don't handle this properly now, we'll face even bigger troubles later."

"However, Shen San’s case is tricky – attempted theft without even managing to get over the wall. Actually, there's a lot of room for interpretation in this case."

"If they had offended a powerful family or clan, being sentenced to three years of hard labor wouldn’t be surprising. But for commoners, such incidents are often quickly glossed over."

"It all depends on the attitude of the local magistrate and the capabilities and stance of Sang Luo."

……

Early the next morning, before the villagers had their breakfast, the sound of a gong suddenly echoed through the village.

The villagers felt a shiver run down their spines when they heard the familiar sound of three gong strikes from the drying field. It was almost an instinctive reaction, as over the past couple of years, the sound of the gong had never heralded good news.

However, recalling the incident caused by Shen San and his wife the day before, they relaxed a bit, guessing it must be about handling the matter of Shen San's couple breaking into a house. After all, the village head Zhou had said the day before that the local magistrate would be invited over today.

Sang Luo on the mountain also heard some noises and thought the same. She locked up her house and, along with Shen An and Shen Ning, descended the mountain.

At the Shen family home, Shen Jin and Shen Yin, along with their brothers, had slept soundly the previous night and hadn't heard the commotion on the mountain. They were still unaware of the significant trouble their parents had caused and that they had been tied up.

The brothers were puzzled not to find their parents at home in the morning, assuming they had gone to the fields or were busy with some other chores.

Hearing the gong from the drying field, they took their unsteady-walking little sister Tian Ya to join the crowd.

Along the way, as people pointed and whispered, Shen Jin felt baffled until someone joked, "Little Jin, don't you know what your parents did? They tried to break into your eldest brother's wife's house last night and got tied up for attempted theft. They are now locked in the deserted house north of the village. Haven't you brothers gone to see?"

Shen Jin and Shen Yin were dumbfounded.

"What are you talking about??"

Immediately changing direction, they headed towards the north of the village, but the person added with a laugh, "No need to hurry, didn't you hear the gong? They might be brought to the drying field soon."

Shen Jin, not caring to hear more, handed his little sister Tian Ya to Shen Tie and ran towards the north of the village with Shen Yin.

The villagers, excitedly talking, headed towards the drying field. Both men and women, old and young, prepared to watch the spectacle, naturally accompanied by buzzing gossip.

Some, who had heard Sang Luo's words the previous night, felt her sternness was somewhat justifiable, while others thought she was too harsh and cold-hearted. Regardless, no one felt that the village's gong had anything to do with them personally; they all treated it as a form of entertainment.

Only the Zhou family looked grave, knowing very well that their father had only just sent their youngest brother to summon people, and he had barely left. How could the local magistrate and headman have arrived so quickly?

Therefore, the gong had nothing to do with the Shen family's matter.

Zhou Dalang looked at his father and said, "Father, it's not another tax increase, is it?"

The Zhou family, having frequently visited the county town recently, had heard rumors about tax increases in various places.

Zhou Village Head shook his head: “Shouldn't be another tax increase, otherwise come next spring, we'll all be eating grass.”

Zhou Erlang clenched his fist, saying, "Now that the busy farming season has just ended, it can’t be a conscription for labor service, can it?"

But they had already fulfilled their labor service three times this year, with a total of over eighty days. Surely, there couldn't be a fourth call-up?