Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The next morning, Lu Yao woke the children up, saying he was taking them to Lujia Village to visit relatives.

The two children were still unaware of the burglary attempt at home. After breakfast, they happily put on their cotton hats and gloves and set off in the mule cart.

Lu Yao also brought along the cloth he had bought yesterday. He originally planned to return to his maternal home after the New Year, but now it was convenient to deliver it together.

Before leaving, he said goodbye to Lin Daman and locked the front gate of the courtyard. To catch the thief, they needed to play their roles convincingly.

As soon as the mule cart left the courtyard, they ran into Tian Er's wife from next door.

"Where are you going?"

"We're visiting relatives at my maternal home; we'll be back tonight," Lu Yao said loudly on purpose.

"Drive carefully; the mountain roads are covered in snow."

"Mm-hmm."

On the way, Lu Yao felt uneasy, fearing that the thief might not take the bait today, leading to constant worry in the future.

Zhao Beichuan was also anxious and drove the cart quickly, reaching Lujia Village in less than half an hour.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Zhao Beichuan called out to Lu Lin for help, "Second Brother, park the mule cart; I need to go home for a bit."

"Huh? Why are you leaving so soon?"

Lu Yao got off the cart and pulled Lu Lin aside, "We didn't extinguish the fire in the stove when we left. He's worried it might start a fire in the kitchen."

Zhao Xiaonian scratched her head, "I didn't see any fire under the pot when I cleaned up."

Lu Yao didn't respond and went inside with the cloth first, his eyelid twitching incessantly, feeling very uneasy.

Old Lady Lu, who had been out visiting neighbors, was called back by Lu Miao. Upon entering the house, she was surprised by the fine cloth.

"Did you bring this? Why did you buy another piece of fine cloth?"

Lu Yao: "Besides me, who would have such filial piety? Do you like this color?"

"The money you earn isn't enough for your extravagance. Take it back!"

"You can't return something once you've bought it." Lu Yao pulled her to sit down, "Feel the texture of this fabric and look at this color. Wearing clothes made from this will make others envious."

Old Lady Lu touched the cloth and sighed softly, "I'm too old to deserve such fine material."

"You deserve it because you're my mother."

Tears welled up in Old Lady Lu's eyes, and she gently slapped Lu Yao, "Don't spend money so recklessly in the future. Earning money is hard; save it for when you have children. There will be many expenses then!"

"Oh, I saw the mule cart parked in the yard, but where's Da Chuan?"

Lu Yao glanced at the children playing nearby and lowered his voice, "He went home."

Old Lady Lu sensed something was wrong and quickly asked Lu Miao to take the children to play in the west room, "What happened?"

"There might have been a burglary at home."

"What? Did anything get stolen?"

"Not yet, but it seems the thief has been eyeing our place. Yesterday, Da Chuan and I went to the town market and noticed marks on the door latch when we returned. It looked like someone tried to pry it open to steal things." Lu Yao paused and continued, "Last night, we decided to pretend to visit here today while he sneaks back home alone to catch the thief."

"Heavens! Why didn't you tell us earlier? Get your father and Second Lin to help!"

Lu Yao waved his hand, "Too many people might scare the thief away."

Old Lady Lu sighed, "It's because the Zhao family is too small. If Da Chuan's parents were alive, there would be someone watching the house, and no thief would dare enter."

There was nothing they could do about it. When Lu Guangsheng chose Zhao Beichuan, it was partly because there were no in-laws, allowing the couple more freedom.

"Are we just going to wait here? How long?"

Lu Yao: "At most, we'll leave by noon."

While they anxiously waited, Zhao Beichuan had already sneaked back home alone, bypassing the front door and climbing over the back fence.

The brick he placed at the door hadn't moved, so he quickly entered the house and hid, waiting for the thief.

Time passed slowly. After more than an hour, voices came from the front gate.

"Is anyone home at the Zhao residence today?"

"Da Chuan took his husband to his maternal home; they won't be back until tonight."

"Oh, did they take the children too?"

"Yes, why are you looking for them?"

"No reason, just wanted to buy some tofu..."

Zhao Beichuan peeked through the window and saw two people at the gate: one was Tian Er's wife, and the other man, obscured by the gate, sounded familiar.

Soon, both left. After waiting another half hour, no one came.

Zhao Beichuan thought the thief wouldn't come today. Just as he was about to leave for Lujia Village to pick up the others, a suspicious figure appeared at his doorstep!

The person walked back and forth outside, checking if the street was clear before attempting to break the lock.

Ancient locks were easy to pick, and the intruder quickly pushed the door open and slipped inside.

Zhao Beichuan recognized him: it was Fang Laosan, who had recently lost heavily gambling!

Fang Laosan was reportedly in deep debt, which explained why he targeted their house.

Zhao Beichuan grabbed the wooden club he had prepared and hid near the west room entrance, waiting for the intruder.

Unaware of the trap, Fang Laosan was celebrating his good timing.

In recent days, he had lost a lot of money gambling and borrowed two strings of coins with interest. The debt ballooned to seven strings in just two months!

The gambling den owner threatened to break his legs if he didn't repay by year-end!

Terrified, Fang Laosan, unable to flee or pay, sought loans everywhere. Most villagers were poor, and even after borrowing from everyone, he still couldn't cover the debt.

Just when he was at a loss, Song Changshun approached him, offering to treat him to drinks.

Fang Laosan and Song Changshun had little interaction; they barely spoke. Fang Laosan wondered why Song Changshun wanted to treat him to drinks.

However, following the principle of "if it's free, why not," he still went to their house.

As soon as he entered, Song Changshun startled him. The man sat on a bench in the kitchen with a gloomy face, staring straight at him like a wild ghost.

Fang Laosan cursed silently in his heart, "Where's your Changshun?"

Song Changshun pointed to the adjacent room, and Fang Laosan walked over directly.

Inside, there was a small table with a bowl of peanuts, a bowl of stewed cabbage, and a small jar of yellow wine.

Song Changshun sat on the kang and waved him over, "Brother Fang, come in quickly."

"Brother Song, why did you have time to invite me for dinner today?"

"Aren't you having some trouble lately? I thought I'd help you think of a solution."

Fang Laosan climbed onto the kang half-believing, half-doubting. He didn’t believe Song Changshun had such a kind heart. If he could afford seven strings of cash, he wouldn’t be unable to afford meat.

Song Changshun poured wine for both of them and smiled, "I can't come up with the money, but I know who can."

"Who?"

Song Changshun lowered his voice, "The Zhao family at the village head has made a fortune this year. They sell tofu in town and earn more than ten strings of cash a month!"

Fang Laosan’s eyes widened, "Making tofu is so profitable?"

"Of course. That’s why Lin Daman would rather be a junior partner and follow them."

Fang Laosan swallowed hard, an idea popped into his head—steal from the Zhao family! But he quickly dismissed it, "No, no, I can't mess with Zhao Beichuan. He’s ruthless."

Song Changshun’s eyes darkened, remembering the beating he received in autumn, losing two molars from just two punches.

"How do you know until you try? Besides, they go to town every day. Can two kids stop you?"

"Once you get the silver, even if they report it, there’s no evidence it was you. With that much silver, you can pay off your debts and even marry a wife."

Fang Laosan grew more tempted, finishing his wine in one gulp.

*

The east room was where Lu Yao usually stayed, filled with many things. Fang Laosan tiptoed in, making sure no one was home before ransacking the place.

Clothes from the chests were strewn all over the kang, and quilts were thrown on the floor, yet he found no money.

Undeterred, he ran to the kitchen and searched again. Seeing a leftover bun in the cabinet, he took it and started eating.

While eating, he cursed, "The Zhao family is truly rich; they even have leftover meat buns!"

Finding no money in the kitchen, he turned his attention to the passage room and the west room, thinking they might hide the money there.

He gently pushed open the door, planning to search when he suddenly heard someone behind him, "What are you doing?"

"Aah!" Fang Laosan nearly fainted from fright. He tried to run, but Zhao Beichuan hit him on the head with a club, knocking him out.

*

When Lu Lin drove the mule cart back with Lu Yao, a crowd had already gathered in the Zhao family courtyard. These people were called by Zhao Beichuan.

Seeing this, Lu Yao jumped off the cart and ran over, "Zhao Beichuan!"

"Ah, you’re back."

Lu Yao looked him over, relieved to see no injuries, "Did you catch the thief?"

Zhao Beichuan pointed to a man tied up beside him, gagged and making muffled sounds.

"I knew something was up with Fang Laosan asking about tofu all the time. Turns out he had this plan!" said Aunt Tian Er.

Old Lady Zhao spat, "Good thing Da Chuan caught him, or who knows how many houses he’d rob!"

Soon, the Village Headman arrived, along with Fang Laosan’s parents.

Upon seeing him, Old Man Fang picked up a club and started beating him, cursing, "You shameless beast! You’ve disgraced our family!"

In a fit of rage, he broke the thick club. Old Man Fang had worked hard his whole life without borrowing a grain of rice from anyone, only to have a son who stole from others!

Fang Laosan screamed in pain, unable to dodge due to being bound, rolling on the ground in agony.

His mother pulled her husband’s arm, crying, "Stop, stop, you’ll kill him!"

"Let him die! As if I ever had such a beastly son!"

"If you want to kill him, kill me too! Oh, my son, it’s all my fault, I’ll go with you!" She hugged Fang Laosan, and they wept together.

Old Man Fang pointed at them, too angry to speak.

Lu Yao couldn’t bear it anymore and stepped forward, "If you want to teach your son, do it at home. What business is it to cause a scene here?"

Old Man Fang panted heavily, then threw down the club and knelt down.

"I failed to raise my son well. I apologize to everyone!"

Lu Yao was shocked and quickly dodged.

The neighbors watching nearby rushed to help, "Brother Fang, what’s the point? You’re putting the younger generation in a difficult position!"

Zhao Beichuan pulled him up with one hand, "Uncle, I didn’t call you here to embarrass you. Your son attempted to steal from our house. Though he didn’t take anything, he did break the lock. I should have sent him to the authorities, but considering we live in the same village, I didn’t want to be too harsh."

The authorities severely punished theft. If the fine wasn’t paid, the offender would be exiled to Ying Prefecture as a war slave.

Once a war slave, they would never return unless they earned military merit, which was almost impossible for an unarmed person.

Fang Laosan’s eyes widened in fear, shaking his head desperately, begging him not to report it.

The Village Headman cleared his throat and said, "This incident is the Fang family's fault. Your son entered their yard without permission and attempted to steal, which is wrong. Considering he didn't succeed, the Fang family will compensate the Zhao family with five hundred coins. This matter will be settled. Da Chuan, what do you think?"

Since the Village Headman had spoken, Zhao Beichuan naturally had to give face, "I'll follow your advice, Uncle."

The old man from the Fang family couldn't help kicking his son again, "Hurry up and get back home!" Then he fumbled in his pocket for a long time and shakily pulled out two strings of coins.

"This is all the money we have left at home. Give me a few days to sell our chickens and I'll pay the rest."

Lu Yao wasn't after the compensation; it was about principle. Seeing the elderly man in this state, he felt uneasy.

"Keep the money. Just make sure you watch your son closely. If this happens again, we'll definitely report it to the authorities!"

Fang Laosan was taken back home, and everyone returned to their own houses. Lu Yao, still clutching his chest and shaken, asked, "How did you catch him?"

"I hid in the west room. When I heard him enter and start rummaging through things, I hit him over the head with a stick and knocked him out."

Lu Yao: "Thankfully we caught this thief. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had a peaceful New Year."

Entering the room, he found it in utter disarray, with even the bedding on the kang bed torn open. Unfortunately, no silver was found, as Lu Yao had hidden the money jar in the chicken coop the day before.

*

"Cough, cough, cough... Cough, cough..." Song Changshun clutched his chest, coughing painfully. His coughing had worsened over the past few days. He could barely hold it back in front of others, and now he couldn't control it at all, coughing violently for long stretches before finding any relief.

"Pff!" A mouthful of blood spurted out.

Song's mother screamed in fright, "Oh my! Why are you spitting blood!"

Song Changshun's face turned pale, and he quickly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe himself clean. "No, nothing, it's probably just that I've coughed too much."

Song's mother scrutinized his face, suddenly remembering what she had heard about Cao Qing having tuberculosis not long ago.

At the time, she hadn't paid much attention and had forgotten about it, but now the thought frightened her, making her shiver with goosebumps.

Song Changshun held his stomach and squatted down to continue tending the fire, knowing his days were numbered...

At lunchtime, Song's mother wouldn't let him sit at the table, fearing that if it was tuberculosis, it would be contagious.

Song Changshun could only squat by the stove to eat. During this time, he overheard the others whispering inside.

"Could he really have tuberculosis?"

"Even if it's not tuberculosis, it's not a good illness. He's been coughing all winter without getting better."

Song Changshun suddenly spoke up, "Why don't we send him back to the nunnery? If he dies at home, we'll have to arrange his funeral."

Song's mother couldn't bear the thought of losing the child in his belly. "Let's wait a bit longer. After the baby is born, we can send him away."

Song Ping continued eating his meal as if the conversation didn't concern him, still picking at the dishes. "Grandma, can you give me another bowl of rice?"

"My dear grandson, you sure can eat."

Song Changshun, holding his clay bowl, trembled all over. No, he couldn't go back to that place again. He couldn't go there, even if it meant dying at home!

He stiffly turned his head, reached under the basket of odds and ends, and pulled out a paper-wrapped package, suddenly breaking into a grin. In a voice only he could hear, he said, "You all can die."