Chapter 59 - Compensation

◎ This is outrageous! ◇

After capturing the culprits, the group went to knock on Hua's family door late at night. Hua Zhan, being skilled in martial arts, had sharp senses and quickly opened the door upon hearing the commotion. Hua Dameng and the others held the few thieves, saying, "Where's Miss Lian'er? The village head's second son, Tongluo, led people to steal green bricks, and we caught them. Should we go to the village head's house now?"

Hua Zhan considered for a moment. "Tie them up in my courtyard and bring them to the village head's house tomorrow morning."

Hua Dameng and the others were taken aback. Although it wasn't cold in the summer, leaving them bound in the yard to endure dew, night winds, and mosquitoes seemed rather pitiful.

They showed sympathetic expressions and asked again, "Are you really going to do this?"

Wouldn't the village head be furious and potentially enraged enough to attack when he found out that his beloved second son had been tied up outside all night to be bitten by mosquitoes?

Hua Zhan nodded.

He glanced at Hua Tongluo and the others, then went to fetch a thick hemp rope that was previously used on the construction site for binding wood. It looked like a snake, and this kind of heavy-duty rope was so sturdy that even someone as strong as an ox wouldn't be able to break free.

Ma Dafen wasn't from the village, but when Hua Zhan threw the rope over, he immediately crouched down to start tying them up. His dexterity left Hua Dameng and the others with their mouths agape. The young men, led by Hua Tongluo, started shouting and threatening retribution as they were being bound.

Upon seeing this, Hua Dameng decided to join in and bind the other one as well.

Yu Lian, hearing the commotion, opened her window for a glance. She had a good idea of what was happening and, after rubbing her eyes, returned to her room to sleep.

As Father-in-Law had suggested, they tied them up for the night as a lesson. If someone dared to be a thief, they should also be ready to face the consequences. A single night was a light punishment.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, the village chief came knocking on their door.

It was only early in the morning that he realized his second son hadn't come home all night. After asking his eldest son, he learned that this foolish son had brought trouble upon himself.

Hua Zhan was practicing his swordsmanship when he heard the knocking and went to open the door, still holding his sword. His demeanor, fresh from training, exuded an intimidating aura that seemed to carry the sharpness of his blade. The village chief, who had been ready with a barrage of questions and demands, swallowed his words.

He opened his mouth, taking a moment before speaking, "Is my son Tongluo at your place? I heard Dameng say you bound him here all night?

"Where is he now? Even if my son was ignorant and made a mistake, you could have come to me. Whatever damage he caused to your tiles, I'll compensate you. Why did you have to tie him up all night and humiliate him?"

Hua Zhan halted in his steps. The village chief was not tall, while Hua Zhan was naturally towering. Standing close, with Hua Zhan looking down at him, he asked coldly, "Humiliation? If being caught stealing and bound by the homeowner counts as humiliation, then his act of stealing is a far greater disgrace to himself."

The village chief's expression turned awkward, and he took an uncomfortable step back. He didn't particularly like this family, and Hua Zhan, the head of the household, even less so.

In the countryside yet still so arrogant, does he think he's still that East Yuan Marquis from years ago?

A fallen phoenix, no matter how proud, is but a mere chicken! Can he really turn the world upside down?

These days, he had been observing them quietly. This family was clearly up to something major, expanding their farmlands and hiring workers with grandeur to build houses and clear new land. The sight of so many green bricks alone indicated a considerable expenditure. Wouldn't such extravagance draw attention?

In his opinion, after fleeing to the countryside, they should have kept a low profile and behaved honestly. Their constant showiness would sooner or later lead to trouble.

Hua Zhan pointed to the corner where a few individuals were sleeping curled up. "They're over there."

Upon seeing this, the village chief's expression darkened even further.

He had made quite a commotion, talking and pounding on the door, but his son was still asleep. The position he was in looked uncomfortable and pitiful; he must have been up all night, worn out from the previous evening's turmoil.

He demanded, "We're all villagers, sharing the same ancestors. Why must you make life so difficult for a younger generation? If he has done wrong, speak to me, his father, and I will discipline him accordingly. Why bother a child?"

In reality, Hua Tongluo was not young anymore, already at an age when he could marry and take on adult responsibilities. In the countryside, one was expected to shoulder the burden of supporting the family by this age. Yet, in the village chief's eyes, he was still just a child.

Hua Zhan replied, "My eldest son, at this age, was already in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, overseeing all agricultural and financial matters of the kingdom, serving as the emperor's right-hand man."

The village chief was indeed surprised. Was the one whose head was said to have been chopped off truly that outstanding? But no matter how remarkable he had been, he still ended up on the Yellow Springs Road, ultimately amounting to nothing. What was the point of it all?

Despite his inner disdain, he kept it well hidden. Rushing over, he roused his son and untied the ropes binding them. There were five in total, and among them were four other young men from the village who were close friends with Hua Tongluo.

Upon waking up, Hua Tongluo looked at his father with a distressed face, angrily recounting the situation, "Father, it was he who had me bound! It's utterly outrageous. I couldn't sleep all night, the mosquitoes were draining me of my blood. My body is covered in bites, it's unbearable. I kept calling for help, but nobody attended to me."

Not only did Hua Tongluo lodge a complaint, but the others also eagerly pointed at Hua Zhan, crying out to the village chief, "Chief, this outsider is utterly disrespectful. You must discipline him and make it clear that he can't just get away with anything in our village!"

Indeed, I've never seen someone so unyielding. We merely came for a stroll, and his people treated us as thieves. Just because he has silver, does that give him the right to bind people at will?

A few young men rambled on angrily, but Hua Zhan didn't bother to pay them any attention.

The village chief, hands behind his back, said, "You've heard it too. They had no intention of stealing bricks; they just went to take a look out of curiosity. It was all a misunderstanding. Considering we're all from the same clan, let's just drop the matter. I won't hold it against you for tying them up overnight."

With that, he moved to lead the group away.

Hua Zhan turned his head, his expression indifferent. "Hold on."

He still held the long sword in his hand, maintaining that composed yet intimidating demeanor that somewhat resembled the high-ranking officials and nobles described in operas. The rural youths were frightened and dared not utter another word.

Hua Zhan peered outside. "You're the village chief, responsible for all matters here. It's said that even the most upright official finds it difficult to meddle in family affairs. I've already sent someone to invite Second Uncle over for him to arbitrate."

The village chief's expression instantly soured. Second Uncle was highly respected and the only scholar in the village. His words carried great weight, and he often intervened in others' affairs, placing pressure on the village chief. Yet, his own father was Second Uncle's student, making him both a junior and a filial son. This hierarchy made him effectively afraid of Second Uncle. Whenever there was an issue, he would always yield to the old man.

Upon this thought, he said, "There's no need. We can handle such a trivial matter ourselves. There's no need to trouble Second Uncle; he's quite advanced in age..."

"Who's advanced in age? Even if I'm a hundred years old, as long as I'm alive, I can still discipline you!"

The village chief's face froze as he looked outside. Second Uncle entered with a group of people, mostly villagers who had heard the commotion and came to watch. The village chief felt deeply embarrassed, his face turning ashen.

Second Uncle led his group into the courtyard and became infuriated by the group of timid young men standing there.

"Well, speak up! What were you doing on Mu's property last night? Tell me everything honestly, from beginning to end. If you utter a single lie, be prepared to face the consequences."

The boys like Tongluo stuck to their story, insisting they merely went up out of curiosity and to take a look.

"Are we not allowed to see with our own eyes or walk with our own legs?"

Just then, Ma Dafen, who had been on duty the previous night, entered the courtyard with the others. Being an outsider, he didn't hold back in addressing the village chief's son. He raised his voice and declared, "Nonsense! You had baskets and poles, picking up the green bricks one by one to carry away. How is that not stealing?"

Another voice chimed in, "And you even set fire to steal bricks! How could you be so wicked? What did Uncle Wood do to deserve this? So greedy that you'd steal the bricks for someone else's house? You've disgraced the village chief!"

This person was bold enough to speak out. The village chief glanced over, but he turned away, ignoring him altogether. Just because he was the village chief, did that mean he could break the law and let his son get away with stealing?

This was utterly unacceptable.

With this person voicing their opinion, other villagers began echoing their disapproval, blaming the village chief for failing to discipline his son and mainly criticizing Hua Tongluo for his shameless act.

"Miss Lian'er is so kind, paying us generously without withholding a single coin. Yet, you do such a despicable thing. How terrible."

The village chief's temples throbbed with veins as he struggled to keep his temper in check. He pulled his son forward irritably and bellowed in a low voice, "Tell me, what were you doing last night? In front of your uncle, in front of everyone, explain yourself!"

Initially reluctant, Hua Tongluo gritted his teeth and said it was just curiosity, not a crime. But then, an unknown villager mentioned how their family had only used a few green bricks when they built their house, nothing compared to Miss Lian'er's. They must have been envious.

This comment ignited Hua Tongluo.

He blushed furiously, "So what if we used more bricks? What's wrong with that? You all act as if your houses are something to be proud of. She comes from a noble household, they have plenty of silver. It's none of your damn business!"

"If it weren't for your incessant comparisons, insisting on matching my family with theirs, I wouldn't have been so angry that I wanted to steal their bricks!"

Hua Tongluo's words left the entire scene in stunned silence.

All the villagers looked at him in disbelief. Was it really because someone had casually mentioned that the bricks used in his house were inferior that he had brought people to steal them?

That was utterly absurd!

The village chief clenched his teeth in anger, feeling utterly humiliated. Regardless of whether his son had truly acted out of frustration or was using this as an excuse to steal, he immediately pulled him back home, intent on giving him a thorough scolding behind closed doors.

Second Uncle spoke up, "Dog Egg, don't rush off just yet. It's your business if you want to teach your son a lesson, but since your son has made such a mistake, you must give Woodhead an explanation. Whether it's going to court, compensating with silver, or apologizing, you must choose one. You can't just let it slide; otherwise, there will be no rules or order in our village. If anyone can commit offenses without consequences, how can we ever have peace? As village chief, you should set an example and uphold justice, even if it means punishing your own kin."

The village chief gritted his teeth and managed to say, "How many bricks were damaged, and what's the cost? We'll pay double the compensation, no—three times the value."

Ma Dafen replied, "Not many were damaged, but the shed where we rested was burnt down. Only three or two bricks were actually broken."