Chapter 376 Punishment for Ye Shengge
The members of Ji Changlu's family also rushed over. Seeing their third daughter being beaten on the ground, they would naturally intervene to protect their face, if not out of concern for their daughter.
Ji Changlu had only himself as a strong laborer. His two sons were only fifteen or sixteen years old, and the rest were his wife.
"Oh dear, someone's being beaten to death! The newcomers are going to kill someone from our brigade."
Ji Changlu's wife, Gong Aihua, was a shrew. She lunged forward to grab Chen Tangtang's hair. Ye Shengge quickly bumped into Gong Aihua's waist, actually just pressing an acupoint.
"Ouch."
"Oh my."
Both cried out in pain simultaneously, though Gong Aihua's was genuine, while Ye Shengge's was feigned, and she played it exceptionally well.
"Wuwuwu, Mom, she hurt me."
"Hmph, my daughter was standing here honestly. You have no eyes."
Ji Changlu and his two sons were also about to attack, but before they reached Chen Tangtang, they were blocked by people from the Bai and Zi families. A group of young men, all strong and robust, made Ji Changlu immediately back down. He could only yell at the village chief.
"Village chief, are you just going to watch us get bullied by newcomers?"
"What newcomers and old-timers? We're all in the same brigade. Everyone stop."
Chen Tangtang was the first to stand up again, positioning herself in front of Ye Shengge. Her eyes were fixed on the old woman who had injured Shengge, looking as if she was the next target.
Gong Aihua had no energy to look at Chen Tangtang. Her waist felt like it was broken. Although she could straighten up, the pain was piercing.
"Village chief, I'm really hurt. Find a doctor quickly."
Ye Shengge had already secretly taken out some powder from her space. It was a medicine that would cause bruising when applied to the skin. She smeared it all over half of her arm, which now appeared bruised and dark.
"Wuwuwu, Mom, it hurts. Look at my arm, is it broken?"
Ye Mama reluctantly played along with her daughter's act. Lifting the sleeve revealed a patch of dark bruises.
"My goodness, Shengge is so badly injured? Tell me, who did she offend?"
"Mom, she's the one who bumped into me. She did it on purpose."
Ye Mama's eyes narrowed, and she glared fiercely at Gong Aihua.
"You intentionally bumped into my daughter, didn't you? You think my daughter is easy to bully? Do you think we have no one in our family? Hit her! My daughter can't be bullied for nothing."
"I'll do it!"
Chen Tangtang had been ready for a while. This was her issue today, and she couldn't let the elders of her family get involved. She was enough.
Chen Tangtang pounced again, knocking Gong Aihua to the ground. Gong Aihua, who was already in pain from her waist, let out another scream. Xia Hong also joined in; she had to manage her daughter-in-law's fight.
The village chief had intended to stop them, but his wife held him back.
"Can't you see Shengge is so badly injured? A few hits won't kill anyone. Aren't we going to let them vent their anger?"
"Mmm, speak softly. I'll go make a show of it."
Chen Tangtang didn't fight for too long; she felt relieved enough.
"This matter isn't over. Wen Mei and Ji Yan, I'm putting it out there today. From now on, I'll be watching you every day. If any of you get close to my elder brother, I'll beat all of you. This is called collective punishment. Also, put away your little schemes. As long as I, Chen Tangtang, am here, my elder brother must marry someone I approve of. I don't like you two, so you can forget about it."
"Also, if anyone tries any underhanded tactics to slander my elder brother, I'll say it now: I'd rather personally send my elder brother to the police station than let him marry you. Of course, if you're a good girl, we'd be happy to get to know you, but it all depends on fate."
"This is also the intention of our Bai family."
"And the Zi family's intention."
"The Ye family, too."
At this moment, the villagers finally understood how united the newcomers were. They weren't looking down on the villagers; they were looking for good girls. As long as they didn't cause trouble and followed the rules, there was still hope.
"Alright, you girls deserved to be beaten today. Use your energy in the fields instead of staring at young men all day. You're all disgraceful. If I catch any of you doing this again, I'll personally send you to the police station."
The village chief then looked at the pitiful Ye family girl. This was a little ancestor. If he didn't handle this properly, his youngest son wouldn't let him off the hook.
"And Shengge girl is the most innocent today. She was standing still and got bumped like this. How about this: Gong Aihua will compensate Shengge girl three yuan and ten eggs. I don't know if three yuan is enough to treat such a serious injury."
Gong Aihua was unwilling. Her daughter, married two years ago, only received twenty-five yuan as a bride price. Today, she was beaten and had to pay three yuan and ten eggs. This was like digging into her heart.
"I disagree. My family has no money, and besides, I'm injured too. My waist is worse than hers."
Ye Shengge felt that the farce today would deter the villagers for some time, at least preventing her family from being falsely accused. As for the money, it was not her concern; someone else would handle it.
"Mom, I feel really uncomfortable. Let's go back first."
"Okay, we'll leave first. You need to see a doctor immediately."
Chen Tangtang also left with them, acting particularly arrogant. Chen Tonghua and Bai Chufan were left to resolve the remaining matters.
"You two, you didn't even call us when you were fighting. What if Tangtang couldn't handle it?"
"Exactly. It would have been more reassuring to have us watching from the side."
Xia Hong and Ye Mama began to scold the two girls, fearing their daughters wouldn't be capable fighters.
"Ye Mama, Aunt Xia, we didn't intend to fight today. But seeing Wen Mei about to grab my elder brother, it would have been unavoidable if someone saw it. Besides, Shengge and I coordinated our efforts, so there was no way we couldn't win."
"Mmm mmm."
Ye Shengge might not have much experience fighting, but she was perfectly capable of pressing acupoints, administering medicine, and tripping people. She also felt an incredibly默契 coordination with Tangtang.
"Fortunately, Qi Xuan isn't home today. Otherwise, the three of you would have caused a huge scene in the village. But those girls with ill intentions are indeed troublesome."
Xia Hong had never even argued with anyone before. Today, accompanying her daughter-in-law in a fight felt like it had opened up the Ren and Du meridians within her.
"It's going to be chaotic from now on. When the children reach a certain age, they'll naturally attract attention."
"Actually, if you can't go back for a while, finding someone in the countryside is also fine. There are good girls here too. As long as they don't have too many ulterior motives."
Ye Mama didn't reply. She only had one son, Ye Mu'en, and he was very opinionated. She couldn't control him, nor did she want to. Even if he remained single his whole life, it wouldn't matter. In the end, Shengge would have children, and they could all live together in old age.
Even the Bai family was beyond her influence. After all, the Bai family had deep-seated notions of wealth and status, and they had to find someone from a similar background. Even now, in the countryside, they wouldn't look for a girl who couldn't read or write and only knew how to throw a tantrum.
Especially the eldest son of the Bai family, who would eventually take over the family business. He needed a helper, but at least someone who could hold her own and not be a burden.
Zi Yisheng and Ouyang learned about the big commotion caused by the two little girls when they came down the mountain that evening.
"Heh heh, they seem to be getting more and more arrogant when they're together."
"Can't help it, we spoil them. Tangtang wasn't this arrogant before."
Zi Yisheng shook his head helplessly, blaming it on the lack of things to do in the village, which gave them too much free time to come up with such ideas.
"Forget it, let them fight. As long as no one gets hurt."
"It's not their fault either. It's only right to stand up for family."
Before anything was said, they were already defending them.
Zi Yisheng shot Ouyang an exasperated look. How could he possibly vent his anger on Chen Tangtang!
"Hurry up and go back home."
"Yes, I'm leaving right away."
As soon as Zi Yisheng entered the house, the little girl rushed into his arms. Ye Dad and Ye Mu'en, standing nearby, were filled with a pang of jealousy.
"I fought today."
"Yes, I heard. Are you hurt?"
"No, I just tripped someone and gave them a shoe."
"Mmm, the main thing is to vent your anger. If you can't win, be sure to call for help."
Well, this one was also spoiling her without any principles.
"You rest for a while first. I still need to take you out tonight."
Ye Shengge suddenly remembered their previous agreement and quickly nodded, sealing her lips to prevent her father and elder brother from hearing and disagreeing.
Zi Yisheng smiled wickedly. Some things were good to try once, but getting addicted was not good.
Qi Xuan was still in high spirits, feeling completely unfatigued. She wanted to utilize her greatest value and abilities to prove herself.
Ye Shengge slept soundly and was woken up by Zi Yisheng at ten o'clock that night.
Ye Mu'en, uncharacteristically, did not come out to stop them tonight. This was because Zi Yisheng had explained the entire situation on the mountain. Therefore, he was cooperative. It would be good to teach his sister a lesson tonight.
Ye Shengge was still excited. Her hair was tied into a bun, and she wore a hat and gloves, fully equipped.
Zi Yisheng did not rush her, patiently waiting for the little girl to get herself ready.
"Let's go, let's go!"
The two went to a place Zi Yisheng had chosen. It was a bully in the county, a real bully, not someone whose family had power, but someone inherently wicked. He had quickly accumulated a lot of blood-stained wealth during this tumultuous era.
Ye Shengge observed the surroundings from near the courtyard. The wall blocked her view, so she couldn't see much.
"What are we going to do?"
"You think about it."
"I will! Okay, I'll think of a way."
Zi Yisheng wanted to let this girl experience how difficult it was to be a chivalrous thief today.
"Either climb over the wall or pick the lock."
"Good. Those are the only two options. How do you plan to proceed?"
Even if Ye Shengge was foolish, she understood that Zi Yisheng was different today.
"You're doing this on purpose! You know I can't climb over or pick locks. You sent my partner away because you want me to back down."
"Clever, but it's too late. Today, you can only rely on yourself."
Ye Shengge was not discouraged; she wouldn't give up without a fight.
"You sent my partner away, which violates the normal rules. Otherwise, the first hurdle would have been solved by my partner. Everything requires cooperation. You have to act as my partner now and solve the first hurdle."
Zi Yisheng couldn't help himself and chuckled, resting his fist against his mouth.
"You're quite good at twisting logic. Fine, I'll cooperate with you then."
Zi Yisheng suddenly put his arm around Ye Shengge's waist and whispered,
"Hold on tight."
Ye Shengge tightly clasped Zi Yisheng's neck, and then saw Zi Yisheng kick off the wall, climb over the courtyard wall, and land lightly, all in one fluid motion.
Ye Shengge released him and stepped onto the ground, giving him a thumbs-up.
Then, Ye Shengge tiptoed around the courtyard and pointed at a closed room door.
Zi Yisheng pulled out a dagger and fiddled with the bolt for a few moments, and the door opened.
Ye Shengge entered first and saw a snoring figure on the bed. She sprinkled some sleeping powder, then retreated.
This way, Zi Yisheng opened one room, and she sprinkled powder in another. There were a total of three rooms with people in them, and it was done in just a few minutes.
Ye Shengge took a flashlight from her bag and looked at the people on the bed. Seeing that they were indeed unconscious, she boldly took out a match and lit the oil lamp in the room.
The entire house lit up. Ye Shengge looked around and began a thorough search, leaving no stone unturned.
Zi Yisheng leaned against the doorway and watched, suppressing a smile, but not daring to laugh.
"How rich is the person you're investigating?"
"Tens of thousands, at least. And more gold and jewelry, considering all the bad things he's done."
"Alright, let's clean him out then."
Zi Yisheng also gave her a thumbs-up, waiting patiently.
Soon, Ye Shengge found something. She handed over what she found to Zi Yisheng, and a room was quickly searched.
As they were about to leave, Zi Yisheng pointed behind the cabinet. Ye Shengge nodded in understanding, and they moved the cabinet together. At the base of the wall behind the cabinet, two bricks were loose. They pulled out the bricks and found two oil-paper packages. Without even looking, she threw them to the "tool man."
After Ye Shengge had swept through all the rooms, she examined her findings and realized they were much less than what was investigated.
"Does this person have other houses?"
"No."
"Then where else could he hide it?"
Zi Yisheng pointed to the courtyard and the kitchen, the only two remaining places.
Ye Shengge toiled for half an hour before finding a box in a stove in the kitchen. It wasn't large but was quite heavy.
"Is this person sick? Why would he put a box in the stove?"
"This must be a disused stove, otherwise he wouldn't bear to burn it every day."
"Is that about it?"
Zi Yisheng teased with a smile.
"This doesn't align with the principles of being a chivalrous thief. How can you leave even a tiny bit for the bad guys?"
Ye Shengge was genuinely tired. She had no talent for treasure hunting; she lacked any insight, so finding things could only be done in the most cumbersome way, by searching every inch.
"Just tell me. You want me to back down, right? If it weren't for losing my partner Qi Xuan, tonight would have been much smoother. Fine, I won't be a chivalrous thief anymore if that's the case."
"You promised. I didn't want you to come because I was afraid of danger."
"Alright, you take care of the rest. I'll rest for a while."
The roles were reversed. Ye Shengge sat in the courtyard and waited, watching Zi Yisheng dig in the courtyard with a shovel. Soon, he discovered something amiss.
"Impressive. It seems Young Master Zi is very experienced."
"Not bad. A little better than Qi Xuan, but not as good as Qi Luquan."
"Uncle Qi is that amazing?"
"Mmm, I'll tell you when we get back."
The two quickly left with their findings. However, before leaving, Zi Yisheng cleaned up their footprints.
Ye Shengge sat on the bicycle, showing no signs of excitement.
"You deal with these things. See if you can exchange them for food or what. I won't participate."
"Alright, I'll handle everything."