Chapter 30: Compensation

Chapter 30: Compensation

But that youth actually dared to ignore him, treating him, Zhou Yujin, as if he were nothing. Couldn’t he deal with that sickly weakling? Couldn’t he handle a few commoners?

What Zhou Yujin didn’t know was that Wu Tao and his partner, realizing they had botched the job—hadn’t even started the intimidation, couldn’t even get a glimpse of the targets, and were being paraded like dogs all over town every day—had reported to Zhou Yujin that Lin Ji’s family held him in contempt, and even devised a malicious scheme.

Zhou Yujin calmed himself down. Once today was over, Lin Ji’s family would be thrown into prison, and he would arrange for that youth to fake his death and be delivered into his hands.

That way, even if he played the man to death, it wouldn’t matter, since he was supposed to be dead anyway.

At that thought, he licked his lips, unable to wait.

Footsteps sounded in the courtyard. The Zhou mansion’s steward entered with two yamen runners: “Second Young Master Zhou, the Lord Magistrate requests your presence.”

Lin Su and the others waited a long while before they saw a finely dressed young man walk in with a gloomy expression. He clasped his hands in a bow but did not kneel.

-

Because Zhou Yujin was a *xiucai* (scholar) this year, he was exempted from kneeling in the courtroom.

Seeing that they themselves had knelt for over an hour, Lin Su couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Besides, if others didn’t kneel while they did, they would appear inferior in presence.

This man immediately declared himself innocent. Wu Tao and his partner only kept insisting that Second Young Master Zhou had ordered them to do it, saying nothing else.

Without solid evidence, Qin Hu could only temporarily throw Wu Tao, his partner, and the old man into prison, pending further judgment.

As Wu Tao was dragged away, he didn’t resist. He only gave Zhou Yujin a meaningful glance.

Frowning, Zhou Yujin left without a word. As soon as he got home, he ordered someone to quietly make a trip to the gambling house.

Lin Su and his group had cleared their names; what happened next was no longer their concern. But before leaving, Lin Su argued with Qin Hu, to the effect that:

Lin Ji must be compensated with silver.

“Your Honor, our Lin Ji suffered this calamity for no reason. The food cart and all the ingredients are contaminated with deadly poison and cannot be used. That food cart was custom-made with our life savings—cost more than ten taels. And the various ingredients aren’t cheap either.”

Qin Hu stroked his beard. This did warrant compensation: “Pay them.”

“Without the cart, we need half a month to have a new one made. During those days we can’t set up our stall, which means losses of dozens of taels.” Lin Su put on a troubled expression.

Qin Hu’s hand on his beard paused. “Compensate that too.”

“After this ordeal, Lin Ji’s reputation has suffered. Even though everyone knows we are innocent, poisoning is a serious matter, and future business will certainly be affected.” Lin Su feigned a worried look.

This time Qin Hu yanked out a beard hair. “Hmm… fair enough.”

“Furthermore…” Lin Su paused. “Today, those two tall government officers acted roughly to frame Lin Ji. We are all commoners with no backing—we were truly terrified. And my poor sister and young nephew, a defenseless widow and orphan, will probably fall ill from the shock.”

Xu Xiaohu wisely squeezed out a few tears, cowering in Xu Ying’s arms and casting a glance at Qin Hu.

Qin Hu’s eye twitched. Before the kid could speak again, he quickly called over his adviser to discuss.

The adviser quickly outlined the criminals’ financial situation. Wu Tao and his partner were two bachelors who lived paycheck to paycheck, leaving no savings. As for the old man, he had a courtyard—though in the western part of town, a small two-entry compound, and with the cannibalism incident, it was now worth only about a hundred taels.

Qin Hu did a rough calculation. The compensation to Lin Ji was a bit much, but that sharp-tongued brat would probably invent more reasons to ask for money if not quickly settled. So, with a wave of his hand, he awarded the entire courtyard to Lin Su as compensation.

Since they were already at the yamen, the title transfer was quickly processed. Lin Su left with the deed and keys, along with the other four.

As for the unfortunate child who died—since he had no family—there was naturally no compensation. Qin Hu only ordered a proper burial.

Outside the yamen, Lin Su exchanged a few words with Xu Lei and the others. He looked around and, sure enough, saw a group of about a dozen little kids crowded at the street corner.

He waved them over.

The kid who was their “boss” ran up. Lin Su asked him, “What’s your name?”

“Boss.” After everything that happened, the child was wary, his face cold.

“?” Lin Su was puzzled. What the heck kind of name is that?

Fu Yun also looked at the child curiously. After a moment, he turned his gaze to the other children and frowned deeply.

The child felt uncomfortable under their stares and pursed his lips. “My name is Boss.”

He pointed to the other children. “He’s Number Two, this is Number Three, Four, Five…”

So that was it. Lin Su understood and didn’t ask further. He simply handed him the items: “This is the old man’s house. You all can live there from now on.”

Boss: “…For us to live in?”

The other kids' eyes went wide in disbelief, thinking it was another grownup's trick. One child said, “But… he killed Little Eleven.”

“What, scared?” Lin Su sneered. “He harmed your friend. Now you take his house and use his things. Wouldn’t that make him die from rage and get revenge for your buddy?”

“Take it. And live well.” With that, Lin Su turned away from them.

The case was wrapped up fast, but nearly six hours had passed. The sun was about to set. Xu Lei and the others could stay in the newly rented half of a small courtyard in town. He and Fu Yun still needed to head back.

The small boat left the dock. A light breeze rippled the river’s surface, and the setting sun scattered shards of gold.

Once out of sight of people, Lin Su simply let go of the tiller. The boat zipped along on its own like a joyful big fish, yet never deviated from its course.

-

Coming to this watery, misty land, Lin Su truly felt like a fish in water.

The cultivation technique he had practiced since childhood taught borrowing momentum—using the power of heaven and earth for one’s own purposes, often called “using the opponent’s force.” It was said that at the pinnacle, one could hit something without even touching it.

But before the apocalypse, Lin Su had practiced for over a decade without experiencing such miraculous effects. At most, he could slap someone with just his fist wind, which was not as satisfying as landing a real punch.

It wasn’t until after the apocalypse, when he awakened his Water Ability and combined it with the technique, that he truly managed to borrow the power of water. He turned a support skill into an attack skill.

Combining them used little energy and was super effective. Handling a little boat was a piece of cake.

The boat sailed smoothly. Lin Su set up a folding table and, together with Fu Yun, enjoyed the lamb soup they’d bought along the way, with the setting sun as their backdrop.

The restaurant’s takeout service was quite fancy—a two-layered dark red food box.

In bowls as big as two palms, the mutton soup was a creamy white. Fresh green cilantro and chopped green onions were sprinkled over generous slices of lamb. The flavor was not gamey, with a clean, meaty aroma.

Lin Su also secretly added a few drops of Ability-infused water. The creamy white soup instantly turned spicy and fragranty delicious—so tempting it made your mouth water.

Fu Yun slurped mouthfuls of soup and bit into sesame-layered flatbread, not lifting his head. This little pig was always ate with so much gusto. Watching him, Lin Su's appetite grew even bigger.

He ate while thinking: Winter Solstice is the day after tomorrow, right?