Chapter 4 Mountain Home Hearth 4

Chapter 4: The Mountain Family's Hearth 4

These words truly intimidated the Wang family.

They were greedy and vicious, but being locals born and raised in the village, they were all bark and no bite—they wouldn't dare actually drive someone to death. If they did, wouldn't the whole village drown them in spit?

The Wang family retreated a step, putting on a tough front: "You, you... you brat! Since when do you have such a sharp tongue? Go ahead, try crashing into the coffin—I bet you don't dare!"

As soon as these words were spoken, even the onlookers couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up:

"Wang family! Have some decency!"

"Exactly! If you really drive them to death, aren't you afraid they'll haunt you at night?"

"Such heartlessness! An orphan and a widow—why must you push them over the edge?"

The neighbor Lin Xingniang was especially formidable. Hands on her hips, she roared, "Pah! Shameless! Just by flapping your lips, you claim they owe you fourteen taels? Then I say I'm your mother! Why don't you call me 'Mom' then?!"

"Ridiculous! We're all from the same village—we see each other all the time. Who doesn't know whose family is what? What's your family like? Useless and lazy, the lot of you! What savings do you even have? How could you lend out fourteen taels? Go on, lend me some too!"

It was quite a scene.

Liu Guyu stood to the side, muttering to himself, then his eyes darted around. The next moment, tears streamed down his cheeks.

He wiped his tears quickly and wailed loudly, "I don't want to live anymore! There's really no way out!"

As he spoke, he kicked his feet and made as if to dash toward the coffin, crying out loudly—as if afraid no one would notice him "attempting" to crash into it.

The crowd finally reacted. Those nearby rushed to pull him back, and Cui Lanfang, no longer coughing, grabbed her daughter and lunged forward.

But someone else moved even faster.

Liu Guyu naturally had no intention of actually crashing—if he managed to crash his way back to modern times, that would be a win. But if he really died on impact, who would he complain to?

That was a gamble not worth taking.

Liu Guyu estimated the distance, calculating that he would be stopped before actually hitting the coffin. But before those pulling him could exert much force, he bumped into a warm, firm chest.

The chest was slender, and the impact made its owner stagger backward.

Almost simultaneously, Liu Guyu heard a soft grunt.

He quickly looked up and saw Qin Rongshi standing in front of the coffin, staring at him with a solemn expression.

Liu Guyu: "..."

Before Liu Guyu could speak, Cui Lanfang rushed over and hugged him tightly.

The woman held him as they slumped to the ground, crying and wailing loudly between sobs.

"How are we supposed to go on living like this?!"

"What exactly does your Wang family want? Do you really want to drive us to our graves?!"

"If you dare split my son's coffin today, I'll hang myself at your doorstep tonight! I'll watch you day and night! Even as a ghost, I won't let you off!"

Liu Guyu was pretending to cry, but Cui Lanfang was genuinely weeping—sobbing until she was hoarse, coughing as if she couldn't catch her breath. Her chest heaved like a broken bellows, emitting pitiful, gasping sounds.

Her tearful pleas moved the surrounding villagers, who sighed in sympathy.

Just then, a man with his hands behind his back hurried over, followed by two strong young men.

It was the village head of Shanghe Village.

Shanghe Village was where Liu Guyu currently resided.

The commotion had grown so loud that someone had already informed the village head, Chen Qiaosheng, who now arrived on the scene.

"What's going on here? What's all this noise again?"

Chen Qiaosheng held a long tobacco pipe with a pouch attached. He entered the Qin family's yard, cast a stern glance around, and tapped his pipe against the bamboo fence.

Before Liu Guyu or the others could speak, Lin Xingniang burst out, "Village Head! You've come at the right time! You must judge this fairly!"

She then recounted everything that had happened in detail.

Chen Qiaosheng scowled and glared at the Wang family. "Is this true? The Qin family's eldest son hasn't even been laid to rest, and you're already causing trouble?"

Cui Lanfang, now standing with Liu Guyu, wiped her tears with her sleeve and cried out, "Village Head, you must stand up for us! Our family truly doesn't owe the Wang family that much money! Fourteen taels of silver? When I borrowed from left and right, I never managed to borrow that much!"

Chen Qiaosheng, as the village head, wasn't a bad person, but he liked to put on airs and enjoyed being flattered.

Liu Guyu, having read the original text, knew the village head's temperament.

He added, "Village Head, you're an educated man who understands what's right! My father always said you were one of the most esteemed figures in our village—always fair and just in all your decisions! You must help us! As you can see, my husband just passed, and my mother-in-law is in poor health. If the Wang family keeps causing trouble like this, our lives will become unbearable!"

As he spoke, he began to squeeze out tears—which came surprisingly easily. Soon, he was crying even more pitifully than Cui Lanfang, who was genuinely weeping.

Chen Qiaosheng, as the village head, was literate—but to say he was "well-read" was an exaggeration. He knew only a basic set of characters. In his youth, he had attempted the imperial exams several times but never succeeded!

However, Liu Guyu's father had been the only scholar in the village. Praise from Liu Guyu carried more weight than flattery from others. Hearing this, Chen Qiaosheng finally smiled, nodding with satisfaction before turning to glare fiercely at the Wang family.

As a man, he wouldn't confront Wang's wife directly. Instead, he struck the Wang sons on their heads with his tobacco pipe.

"Have you no shame?! The Qin family is left with only women and children—how can you grown men bully them like this?!"

"Didn't you say they owed money... ten... ten..."

He forgot the number, but someone nearby quickly chimed in, "Fourteen taels!"

Chen Qiaosheng: "Right! Fourteen taels! Didn't you say they owed you fourteen taels? Show us the IOU!"

Liu Guyu had already challenged them earlier, and now the village head was doing the same. The Wang family stammered, unable to respond.

Though Wang's wife dared to bully Cui Lanfang, she didn't dare defy Chen Qiaosheng. After stalling for a moment, she admitted she had "misremembered" and tried to leave with her sons.

But Liu Guyu wasn't about to let them off so easily. He praised Chen Qiaosheng again, calling him fair, righteous, and kind-hearted—flattering him until the village head beamed.

Then Liu Guyu declared, "Do you think our family is so easy to push around? You cause trouble and then just leave? If you go, return the IOU! The debt is paid—why are you still holding onto it?!"

Wang's wife was reluctant to hand it over. She glanced at the village head and stammered, "Who... who said it's paid? There's still a balance."

Liu Guyu spat back, "You said yourself earlier that the principal was paid—only the interest remains! Everyone here heard you! All these aunties and uncles can testify!"

Hearing Liu Guyu's words, Lin Xingniang was the first to shout, "That's right! We all heard it!"

"Exactly!"

"We all heard it!"

Liu Guyu continued, "As for the interest you mentioned, Auntie... you said we still owe three to five taels in interest on the debt. Since the village head's here, and he’s well-informed, let’s ask him: Is it reasonable to demand five taels back on a four-tael loan? What kind of rule is that? Unless Dayong's laws were set by you!"

This young man certainly has guts. Chen Qiaosheng was puffing on his long tobacco pipe when he suddenly heard the phrase "Dayong's laws," which startled him. He hurriedly exclaimed, "Oh, you young man! You can’t just say things like that!"

But Chen Qiaosheng had already grasped the whole situation. He immediately demanded that Wang’s family bring out the IOU.

Wang’s wife was reluctant and tried to weasel her way out of it, but the village head held great authority in the village, and she didn’t dare offend him. Seeing the village head glare at her coldly, she shrunk back timidly and told her youngest son to go home and fetch the IOU.

Once the IOU was in hand, Liu Guyu handed it to Cui Lanfang and said in front of the village head and the villagers, "Mother, tear it up."

Hearing Liu Guyu’s words, Cui Lanfang took a deep breath, held back her tears, and tore the thin piece of paper into shreds.

Wang’s wife, having gained nothing from the confrontation, had arrived full of bluster but ended up slinking away with her sons, not daring to speak up again.

With the show over, the crowd gradually dispersed, each returning to their own homes.

The village head puffed on his pipe, squinting with a smile. Finally, he gave Liu Guyu a meaningful look and sighed, "Liu Ge'er seems different from before."

He scrutinized Liu Guyu with a probing gaze, though he kept a smile on his face.

Liu Guyu pretended not to notice and simply smiled. "My husband is gone, and with the elderly and the children in the family, if I don’t step up, how will we manage? You’re a kind man, Village Head. Today, we relied entirely on you, and we’ll likely have to trouble you again in the future!"

Chen Qiaosheng said nothing more, only chuckled twice. Then, pointing his pipe at the messy yard caused by the Wang family, he said, "Alright, clean up this mess yourselves."

With that, the village head also left, leaving only the four family members in the yard.

Liu Guyu let out a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and looked around. Then he noticed Qin Rongshi frowning at him while rubbing his sore chest where he had been bumped.

Liu Guyu: "..."

Qin Banban sidled up to him, her bright eyes fixed on him, and said slowly, word by word, "Brother-in-law, you’re amazing! And that law stuff—you know so much!"

Qin Banban was referring to the "Dayong Code."

Ordinary folks were afraid of officials and the law. Hearing Liu Guyu mention it scared them, and the threat of reporting to the authorities made them even more timid.

But...

Liu Guyu coughed twice and whispered, "I made it up."

Qin Banban tilted her head in confusion: "?"

Cui Lanfang’s sobs were stifled: "..."

Only Qin Rongshi suddenly laughed.

He chuckled a couple of times, then looked up at Liu Guyu and said, "There’s no such law called the 'Dayong Code.'"

However, he left a few things unsaid. Although Liu Guyu’s "Dayong Code" was made up, there were indeed similar laws, and the penalties were even harsher.

Liu Guyu’s eyes were dark and bright, shaped like willow leaves—soft, slender, and arching toward his temples.

He applauded Qin Rongshi and praised, "Impressive! Did you study this in your readings?"

Qin Rongshi didn’t respond further and picked up a broom to clean the yard.

Cui Lanfang then hugged Liu Guyu again, her eyes red, and said, "Gu Yu, you mustn't do this again! You scared me to death! Da Lang is gone, and I know you’re grieving, but you can’t do something so reckless!"

The most grief-stricken mother now comforted Liu Guyu, seemingly genuinely frightened by his earlier act of hitting the coffin.

But it seemed she was the only naive one in the family. Even Qin Banban belatedly realized that her brother-in-law had done it on purpose.

Sure enough.

Liu Guyu coughed twice again and whispered, "I was pretending."

Cui Lanfang: "..."

Liu Guyu rubbed his head and let out an awkward laugh. Then, feeling it was inappropriate to laugh next to Qin Dalang’s coffin, he quickly stifled it and explained, "I—I was just trying to scare them. Reasoning with scoundrels like that is useless; you have to outsmart them!"

He stopped laughing, but Cui Lanfang let out a dry chuckle, holding back tears. She stood up awkwardly and said stiffly, "I—I’ll go check on Da Lang and pick out a couple of clothes to put in the coffin."

Cui Lanfang awkwardly stood up and walked away, leaving Liu Guyu alone, feeling awkward where he stood.

Setting aside the awkwardness, the matter was finally resolved satisfactorily.