Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Pei Mu paused mid-step, then took a few more steps forward before frowning and picking up a branch to push aside the nearby water plants and peer at the river.

This section of the river downstream from Liushan Village was narrow, with fast-looking but not deep currents. In summer, daring kids often came to float around and mess about, letting the current carry them all the way to the next village—a good long ride.

But if you can’t swim, even shallow water can kill you.

The person in the water was barely flailing anymore, clearly having swallowed a lot of water. Pei Mu cursed under his breath, dropped his stuff, and dove in.

Pei Mu was a strong swimmer with great strength, so hauling the person ashore was no big deal.

He’d already recognized him as the strange young man he’d seen by the shallow bank moments earlier. He thought to himself, a little puzzled, “Not knowing how to do laundry is one thing, but falling into the river from a bank that wide… is the guy an idiot?”

He pulled the person onto Liushan Village’s side of the bank. His catch was still on the other side. Having saved someone, Pei Mu didn’t have anything to say and didn’t want to court trouble, so he turned around and waded back across.

Zhong Yizhu got yanked out of the water all of a sudden, his mouth and nose hit fresh air, and he gasped to breathe but ended up coughing like crazy. His lungs, throat, and nose burned like fire, making his eyes sting and turn red.

He flopped onto the ground, sucking in air, and when he finally got his bearings and looked up, he just caught a glimpse of Pei Mu’s retreating back.

Zhong Yizhu rasped, his voice breaking: “Thank you for saving me, sir. Could you… leave your name, so I can… come thank you properly another time?”

Pei Mu stopped, surprised. So the guy wasn’t dumb after all.

Without looking back, his answer was just as harsh.

“No need. Leave me alone.”

Zhong Yizhu stared numbly as Pei Mu vanished into the reeds across the river. A gust of wind made him shiver, like the cold had sunk straight into his heart.

Grabbing his soaked clothes, Zhong Yizhu slowly curled into a ball, pressing his head hard against his knees. His quiet sobs sounded like an animal whimpering in pain.

He hadn’t done anything wrong, but everyone steered clear of him like he was poison. People’s words cut like knives. Could he really make it here with his mother?

A little earlier, Zhong Yizhu had just finished washing clothes and was about to head home when he ran into Wu Cuijuan and another woman coming to do laundry.

Yesterday, Wu Cuijuan had tried to spread rumors and slander him but got shot down. Today, the moment she saw him, she glared at him and let loose a stream of dirty words. Her friend joined in, accusing him, acting like he was some kind of monster.

Zhong Yizhu didn’t want any part of it and turned to go, but Wu Cuijuan grabbed his laundry basin.

In the struggle, Zhong Yizhu tripped on a rock, lost his balance, and tumbled sideways into the river.

He couldn’t swim. As soon as he hit the water, he gulped down a mouthful and panicked. He struggled, but it was no use—the current just swept him downstream. For a second, he thought he was going to die right there.

“Young Master Zhong—”

Voices called out nearby, some loud, some faint. Zhong Yizhu looked up but trees blocked his view. Still, he could just make out the sound of people running.

Zhong Yizhu wiped his tears and forced himself to calm down.

He didn’t know who was coming, but in a rescue situation like this, there were bound to be lots of strange men. The river beside him showed his dripping-wet reflection. He looked around, then grabbed some mud from the bank and slathered it all over himself.

He rolled in the muck, covered his neck and any bare skin with mud, even smearing it on his face, making him look totally filthy in no time.

“Over here!” someone in the search party spotted Zhong Yizhu trying to claw his way up the bank. The crowd immediately swarmed over his way.

After Zhong Yizhu fell in, Wu Cuijuan panicked. But the more scared she got, the more she wanted to dodge the blame. When she saw Li hurrying to get help, she grabbed her to stop her.

“Don’t tell anyone! This creek’s not deep; he’ll probably be fine.”

Little Li was timid and scared of a death leading to legal trouble. Ignoring Wu’s attempts to stop her, she ran to find the village head, just saying she saw the Zhong young master accidentally fall in.

The village head quickly summoned people to search along the riverbank, making a big commotion. Wu Cuijuan had been uneasy, but seeing Zhong Yizhu safe, she instantly regained her bravado and shot a resentful glance at Little Li.

Over here, Zhou Shaofen and another husbandman worked together to pull Zhong Yizhu out of the muddy lowland by the river. Zhong Yizhu, covered in mud like a clay figure, awkwardly thanked them: “I’m sorry for dirtying your clothes.”

“It’s nothing. The important thing is that you’re safe.”

Zhou Shaofen was cheerful. The husbandman, whom Zhong Yizhu had never met, showed no sign of aversion either. Despite Zhong Yizhu being so dirty that nothing could be seen clearly, the two stayed close to him, shielding him from a group of unfamiliar men.

Even in such a special situation, if a young man inadvertently exposed himself, his reputation would suffer.

Seeing this, Liu Youzong waved his hand: “Alright, the person is found. Everyone disperse and go back to work.”

“Wait.” Zhong Yizhu spoke up at this moment. “Thank you all for coming to find me. I’ll remember this kindness.”

Zhong Yizhu looked at the person among the crowd who was preparing to leave with them. “But Madam Wu, please stay. You pushed me into the water. Leaving without a word now—that’s not right, is it?”

“Whoa—” Hearing this new development, everyone stopped and looked at Wu Cuijuan.

Wu Cuijuan had already thought of an excuse when she saw Zhong Yizhu was fine. Her face flushed red with indignation.

“I saw you fall and kindly tried to pull you up, but you slander me by saying I pushed you? You can’t just lie through your teeth like that!” She grabbed Little Li’s arm. “Sister Li saw everything. She can testify for me.”

Little Li had been badly frightened before. Now seeing Zhong Yizhu safe, she only hoped not to be implicated.

She lowered her head, ignoring Wu Cuijuan’s hard pinch on her arm, and said quietly: “At that time, I dropped my purse and was looking for it. When I looked up, I saw Young Master Zhong struggling in the river. I didn’t see how he fell in. I had no choice but to quickly go find the village head to rescue him.”

“You!” Wu Cuijuan was furious. She quickly turned to Liu Youzong. “Sister Li didn’t see clearly, but the truth is exactly what I said. Village head, you must do justice for me. Aren’t the villagers all honest and simple? Not like outsiders with all their tricky schemes. You know this well, village head.”

Wu Cuijuan’s tactic of belittling one and praising the other not only highlighted Zhong Yizhu’s “past offenses” but also flattered the villagers, instantly tipping the scales in her favor.

Liu Youzong frowned: “If you are in the right, I will naturally stand by you. There’s no need for such talk.”

He then looked at Zhong Yizhu: “Young Master Zhong says that Wu Cuijuan pushed you into the river. Do you have any evidence?”

Zhong Yizhu glanced at Little Li and shook his head: “No.”

“Well…” Liu Youzong was troubled. He turned and said loudly to the crowd: “Did anyone see anything by the riverbank earlier? No holding back.”

No one in the crowd answered. Wu Cuijuan felt triumphant, a venomous look in her eyes.

“The folk customs of our Liushan Village have always been the best among the surrounding villages. Young Master Zhong is completely corrupting our village’s morals. I think the village head should drive him out.”

Liu Youzong said sternly: “The village rules are not set by you, and it’s not your place to decide who to expel.” He turned his gaze to Zhong Yizhu, but before he could speak, Zhong Yizhu started.

“Village head, no need to be troubled. Since Wu Cuijuan refuses to admit it, I will report it to the authorities and ask the constables to investigate.”

As soon as Zhong Yizhu said this, not only were the villagers shocked, even Zhou Shaofen couldn’t help asking in surprise: “This… why go to the authorities?”

The villagers were all farmers. The officials they saw most often were tax collectors. In years of poor harvests or conscription, those officials were like death warrants to the villagers.

The villagers would hurry their steps even when passing the county yamen, let alone actively go to the authorities. No one wanted any connection with the yamen.

Therefore, Zhong Yizhu’s seemingly light words caused an uproar. Wu Cuijuan panicked immediately and stammered: “Yo-you’re perfectly fine, nothing happened! Be careful that the magistrate doesn’t arrest you first.”

“I stand upright and honest. But Wu Cuijuan has repeatedly provoked and slandered me. She destroyed my reputation first, then pushed me into the water. If I hadn’t fortunately grabbed hold of the water plants by the bank, whether I’d still be alive now is debatable. Moreover, the clothes I was washing are worth quite a bit of silver. How do we know Wu Cuijuan didn’t push me in to rob and kill me?”

Zhong Yizhu didn’t look at Wu Cuijuan; instead, he stared meaningfully at Little Li, watching as her face grew paler and paler with his words.

"I believe the magistrate has a keen eye and is fair; he will surely clear my name."

As Zhong Yizhu finished speaking, before the villagers could react, Xiao Li burst out, pointing at Wu Cuijuan hysterically: "It was all her doing! I had nothing to do with it! If you want someone to blame, go after her—don't arrest me!"

Dizzy and reeling, Wu Cuijuan steadied herself against a nearby tree. Not bothering to scold Xiao Li, and seeing the serious murder-for-profit charge hanging over her, she quickly fired back:

"Who took your clothes? How was I supposed to know what they were worth? I only grabbed the edge of your basin—you lost your balance and fell in. How can that count as me pushing you?"

She grabbed someone nearby by the arm, desperate to explain: "I didn't push him! I really didn't push him!"

At this point, the truth no longer needed elaboration from Zhong Yizhu. Liu Youzong barked, "Wu Shi, you caused Young Master Zhong to fall into the water, yet you lied and claimed you were saving him. Do you admit your mistake?"

Only now did Wu Cuijuan truly feel fear. She collapsed to the ground, wailing, "I didn't mean to! Village head, save me! I never meant to harm him; I didn't try to murder him for money! You can't let them take me away, waaah..."

Liu Youzong turned to Zhong Yizhu. "Young Master Zhong, what do you think..."

Author's note:

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Another chapter at 7 PM.