Chapter 032

Chapter 032

Hearing Sun Dian kick the door, Xiao She and Sun Wei, who were blocking the back door of the main room, also broke in. The two pairs of brothers met in the middle of the main room.

The moonlight did not reach deep into the main room, and the two closed doors of the east room were pitch-black, as quiet as if no one lived inside.

Sun Dian and Xiao Yan, empty-handed, were about to rush in, but Sun Wei stopped them. His gaze swept around, and he picked up two small stools and handed them over.

Sun Dian called for everyone to step back, then kicked the door again with great force.

The two semi-old wooden doors flew open on either side.

Taking advantage of the brief moment before the doors could swing back, Sun Dian rushed in first.

A shadow attacked from the left rear, and Sun Dian swung the stool just in time to block it. The immense force knocked the attacker's cleaver out of their hand, and at the same moment, his right fist slammed into the shadow's head.

With a thud, the shadow was knocked against the wall and slid down like mud.

Sun Dian went to find another refugee, while Xiao Yan picked up the fallen cleaver, and Sun Wei went to subdue the attacker whose condition was unknown.

"It has nothing to do with me; it was all him. I didn't do anything!"

The second refugee, hiding behind a cabinet, knelt down upon seeing Sun Dian discover him and was lifted against the wall by Xiao She like a chicken.

Having captured the refugees, the four turned their attention to the kang bed.

Three neatly arranged quilts lay there, with Uncle Lu and his wife, along with their ten-year-old son, all lying on their pillows as if still asleep.

Sun Dian, standing closest to the bed, reached out to push Uncle Lu and finally saw the bloodstains that had soaked through the quilt.

All three family members had been killed in their sleep by an intruder who slit their throats with their own cleaver.

Sun Dian's hand hung in mid-air as he suddenly roared and turned to Xiao She, punching the conscious refugee repeatedly. "Why did you kill them when you could have just stolen food and money?"

This refugee had no chance to speak and was knocked unconscious after three punches.

Still not satisfied, Sun Dian punched the wall beside him.

These were villagers they had known for twenty or thirty years. Too many had already died in recent years, and now three more had fallen to the hands of these refugees, whom he despised!

"Brother, calm down," Sun Wei came over and held his brother's hands, urging him to regain composure.

Sun Dian glanced back at the bed, feeling both pain and regret: "These two beasts even pretended to be Uncle Lu when I called out!"

Xiao Yan and Xiao She felt the same hatred. Living on the same street, they knew the Lu family well, especially their young son who practiced martial arts every day.

Xiao Zhen had guessed the fate of the Lu family when he first smelled the blood. After the fighting inside ended, he walked in, his gaze sweeping over the family on the bed and the clothes scattered near the wardrobe. He said, "They were after money from the start."

Only when the owners couldn't make any noise that might alert the neighbors could they search the house without worry.

---

After a night of panic, the entire Lingshui Village woke up before dawn.

At the Xiao residence, Xiao Zhen and his brothers carried the living wild boar onto the mule cart in the backyard.

The Xiao family had eaten a deer a few days ago, so this wild boar was better suited for selling in the county town, where wealthy families enjoyed such meat. Additionally, the injured boar needed to be sold quickly, as dead meat wouldn't fetch a good price.

Xiao Shouyi and Xiao She were responsible for this trip.

Xiao Mu: "Go ahead, leave early and return early."

Father and son took some dry rations and left through the back door with the mule cart.

During breakfast, cries of grief came from the eastern part of the street, where relatives of the Lu family had arrived upon hearing the news.

Madam He sighed: "We thought peace would come once the war ended. Who would have thought that refugees could be so ruthless?"

The common folk hated soldiers and bandits, but despite their caution towards refugees, they still felt a bit of sympathy and wouldn't go to extremes when faced with petty theft.

Xiao Yuchan, sleeping with her son in the west room of the main house in the West Court, next to the side wall, was disturbed all night and muttered: "When Fifth Younger Brother returns, ask him to move into our room. The bed is big enough, and we're siblings, so there's no need for modesty."

She feared that thieves might also slit her and her son's throats, feeling safer with a strong brother guarding them.

Xiao Mu: "No, if you're really scared, you two can move to the east room, and your parents can sleep in the west room."

Xiao Yuchan: "What if they sleep deeply and don't hear the thieves breaking into our side?"

Madam He: "Don't worry. Your father woke up as soon as the thieves jumped in last night. His ears are sharp; he won't let anything happen to you."

Xiao Yuchan fell silent, still looking troubled.

Xiao Mu looked at the two tables and said, "Everyone should continue with their tasks and not let outside matters distract you."

After finishing breakfast, the sound of a gong echoed from the village pond, signaling the village chief calling a meeting.

Xiao Mu asked Xiao Yan and Xiao Ye to stay home while he prepared to take Xiao Zhen to the meeting.

Madam He: "Father, I want to listen to how the village will deal with those refugees."

Xiao Mu: "Sure, finish your current tasks first."

Grandfather and grandson left first.

Madam He looked at her daughter, who had moved closer, and tentatively said to Tong Sui: "We'll go to handle the serious matters. Could you and Liu'er help out this morning?"

Her tone was soft, and Tong Sui smiled slightly: "It's a bit inconvenient; my sister-in-law and I are also going."

Madam He, restraining her irritation, said: "You two young wives, why go to a crowded place?"

Tong Sui: "In the village, there aren't as many rules and conventions as in the city. When I was in Taohuagou, every time the headman struck the gong, I would go to see what it was about, so as not to miss anything important."

It wasn't that she deliberately wanted to defy the Hes; rather, Tong Sui truly intended to go out this time. It was both to gather information and to get familiar with the villagers of Lingshui Village. If she ever encountered trouble in the future, the villagers might help her because they knew she was part of the Xiao family. Staying cooped up in the Xiao residence all day meant no one would even know who she was.

Tong Sui just spoke little but understood human relations well.

After saying this, Tong Sui looked at Lin Ningfang: "Will Third Younger Sister come along?"

Lin Ningfang knew that her noble birth would inevitably draw attention and discussion from the villagers, so she politely declined: "I'll go to the study to practice painting."

Tong Sui had guessed as much and instructed A Fu to watch over Mianmian, who was off from school today, before heading out with Liu Chu.

"Eldest Sister-in-law, do you know how to get to the pond?"

"I know. Go this way; it's closer."

The twenty or so households on the front street were lined up in a row, but there was an alley left between every four or five houses.

Liu Chu led the way according to her memory. The sisters-in-law had just turned into the first alley heading south when they saw Xiao Mu and his grandson standing at a street corner, talking to a middle-aged couple.

Xiao Zhen spotted them first.

Liu Chu looked nervously at Tong Sui, who gave her a reassuring look, indicating that they were just going to the pond to see what was happening, not running away from home.

In the next moment, Xiao Zhen waved at them. As the sisters-in-law approached, he introduced them to the couple.

After some brief pleasantries, the two families headed towards the pond together, with the men walking ahead and the sisters-in-law alongside "Aunt Wang" following behind.

With last night's events as a starting point, Tong Sui and Aunt Wang had plenty to talk about.

Aunt Wang: "I've seen you go to the river to weed. You're so beautiful and hardworking; many people praise you."

Tong Sui: "My sister-in-law doesn't go out much, and I just got married, so I didn't know everyone yet. I didn't feel comfortable greeting you before."

Aunt Wang: "No problem, no problem. Just go out more often, and now we know each other."

Arriving at the pond, the sisters-in-law stood directly among a group of wives and aunties, not moving towards Xiao Zhen and his grandfather.

Xiao Zhen glanced over several times, seeing that she was handling herself well, so he didn't worry further.

The Sun family father and son stood beside a large grinding stone, with eight bound vagrants kneeling on the ground, all in their twenties and thirties.

Two bodies lay flat nearby; these were the two who had killed the Lu family of three. Beaten by Sun Dian, they had not survived.

Most of the villagers had gathered, and Sun Xinghai stepped onto the grinding stone to announce three matters.

First: Selecting "masters" for the captured vagrants. Any household willing to provide food for the vagrants during their stay would have them work like slaves in their fields.

To take care of the elderly, women, and children in the village, households with able-bodied men should not compete for this opportunity.

The villagers discussed for a while and quickly settled the matter. Forty households would take turns providing meals, and the eight vagrants would also take turns working their land.

As for the two caught by the Xiao family, they would handle them themselves.

Second: How to deal with the corpses of the two dead vagrants.

The villagers were indignant and ultimately decided to behead the two, burn their bodies, and hang their heads on poles at the southern and northern ends of the village to deter other vagrants.

Third: Revisiting the issue of night patrols.

Sun Xinghai looked at the crowd and sighed deeply, touching his beard: "I regret it. If only I had listened to Xiao Qianhu's suggestion to arrange patrols last time and helped persuade everyone, perhaps the Lu family of three wouldn't have died. It's all my fault. I failed as the headman. I'm sorry to them!"

His eyes filled with tears, full of sorrow and remorse.

Mentioning the Lu family of three, the villagers all sighed. Someone stood up and said: "It's not your fault, Headman. We were all careless last time and underestimated the viciousness of these vagrants. It's not too late to mend our ways. Let's all work harder and set up night patrols!"

"Yes, I support it!"

"Let's do it. Having someone watch will benefit everyone."

Last time, the villagers were reluctant, thinking they were safe with men around. But then, Uncle Lu, in his forties, was still considered strong, yet he died silently.

Dying from a slit throat, such a method scared not only women and children but also men.

The Sun family brought ink, brush, and paper. Sun Xinghai called Xiao Zhen over to help Sun Wei register and schedule the patrols.

Standing in the crowd, Tong Sui heard the details of last night's events for the first time and realized that if not for Xiao Zhen's meticulous observation, the four vagrants hiding in North Street might have escaped unscathed after everyone fell asleep again.

"Aman, your Xiao Er is handsome and capable. You don't know how many girls envy you for marrying him."

"Yes, yes, I even tried to matchmake him, but he didn't fancy anyone."

"No wonder Xiao Er is so capable. He chose carefully and indeed found a charming bride from Taohuagou."

A flurry of enthusiastic compliments suddenly came her way, and Tong Sui struggled to handle them, quickly pulling Liu Chu away.

Xiao Zhen returned home close to noon, having been busy outside.

Tong Sui came out of the study and, perhaps influenced by those compliments, noticed for the first time that her husband was actually quite handsome.

Before this, she had only four impressions of him: tall, quiet, strong, and... decisive.