Chapter 329

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Many things, if viewed with a bystander's perspective, you'll discover the matter becomes much simpler.

Chai Mi was originally baffled over the matter of the chicken meat lost at Song Qingshan's house.

That is being too close to see clearly.

But if you change your thinking, and look at the theft with the mindset of watching the excitement, it becomes simple.

This is the bystander sees clearly.

The core point of this problem lies in these two words: "intentional".

There is a fundamental difference between ordinary people stealing and intentionally stealing; ordinary thieves definitely need something simpler and easier to handle.

For instance, some old men, idle with nothing to do, go steal a widow's flowery underpants; no other reason, because the widow has no husband, she's alone and easy to bully, also easy to steal from, and the risk of getting caught is small.

But intentional stealing is deliberate.

No matter how difficult, they go.

Not afraid of thieves stealing, just afraid of thieves setting their sights on you.

Chai Mi's words made the room fall quiet. Su Wan held Little Third, gently patting him, but her brows still hadn't relaxed: "Then... then who could it be? Listening to that is scary."

"Sister, you say it's intentional, then it's definitely someone with a grudge against our family, or against the Song family." Chai Xiu shoveled the last mouthful of rice into her mouth, set down her chopsticks, "Our family doesn't have many enemies; the old house bunch are the main ones. Uncle Song... his family has enemies everywhere; being an accountant, offending people isn't abnormal? But whoever dares to do this, their gall is too fat."

Chai Youqing sat on the kang edge, head bowed, the cigarette in his hand nearly burning his fingers without him noticing. Chai Mi's words just now seemed to have enlightened him, yet also made him more muddled. His mind was a mess; one moment it was Chai Zhongxiao's gloomy face, the next Wang Huirong's withered hands, then Chai Zhongming's rogue rascal appearance. Anyone was possible, yet none seemed likely. Chai Zhongxiao cared about face, wouldn't do something like climbing a wall to steal chickens; Wang Huirong lacked the strength; Chai Zhongming... he had the guts, but no need to steal this many; he alone couldn't eat them all, and it'd be easy to slip up.

"Dad," Chai Mi saw his absent-minded look, her tone softened a bit, "Are the rabbit snares ready?"

Chai Youqing only then snapped back, hurriedly stubbing out the cigarette butt under the kang edge: "Ah... ready... ready. They're outside. What do you need such big ones for? Snaring wild boars?" He really couldn't figure out what rabbit snares had to do with catching a thief.

"Do what you're told, why ask so much." Chai Mi tidied the bowls and chopsticks, didn't explain further, "This afternoon you do whatever you need to do, don't overthink. I have a plan in mind."

Chai Youqing "mm"ed, didn't dare ask again. He was used to following Chai Mi's arrangements; though his heart was still blocked with worry, he knew fretting was useless. He listlessly got up, went to the courtyard to tidy the newly split firewood sticks, straightening the crooked ones neatly.

Chai Xiu sidled up to Chai Mi, voice low: "Sister, you really know who it is? Tell me? I promise I won't tell." Her eyes shone bright, full of curiosity.

Chai Mi glanced at her: "Knowing too much is no good for you. When it's time for you to know, you'll naturally know. Go, coax Little Third to sleep, stay home this afternoon, don't run around."

Chai Xiu pouted, knew she couldn't wheedle anything out of Chai Mi, so she could only pick up Little Third, humming an off-key lullaby, and went to the east room.

In the afternoon, Chai Mi was as usual, same as always; no one could tell anything was off.

When the time came, Boss Wang's white feather chickens were delivered as normal.

Still twenty.

Those chickens were delivered to Song Qiushui's house; even Song Qiushui was a bit dumbfounded. She asked Chai Mi: "What's this? Still putting them at my place?"

Chai Mi said calmly: "Then where else would they go?"

"What if they get stolen again?"

"They won't be stolen." Chai Mi leaned by Song Qiushui's ear and said: "You don't go out babbling; wait till evening, you do this and that..."

Chai Mi muttered a whole string of instructions, then added: "You just act like nothing's wrong, absolutely don't make a fuss. If anyone asks you how the stolen chicken thing went, you say you have money, you can bear the loss."

Song Qiushui gasped: "I bear the loss my ass... I'm not a capitalist."

"If lost, it counts on me."

"Counts on me and I don't have money either..."

Chai Mi then returned from Song Qiushui's place.

Song Qiushui thought she went home, didn't ask further.

Chai Mi had just left when those shameless onlookers pretended to drop by for a visit.

Four or five aunties passed the gate, then pretended to enter the yard and saw Song Qiushui's newly built warehouse.

"Aiya, Qiushui, you've made it big. This building, building such a big warehouse, must've cost a lot, right?"

"Qiushui was better than other kids since little. This greenhouse is built bright and spacious. It can hold a lot of stuff; even a donkey cart fits. When it rains or is overcast, it's really handy."

"Right, Qiushui, I heard this morning about your family... last night a thief got in? How'd it go? Who did it? How so lacking in virtue? What kind of people are these, still stealing your stuff."

Song Qiushui pursed her lips: "Nothing lost, they just made a fuss. If something was lost, could I still keep buying today..."

As she spoke, Song Qiushui pointed at the white feather chickens delivered not long ago: "Twenty chickens, just delivered. You're just spreading hearsay... Besides, the chickens aren't worth much; even if someone wanted to eat them, taking two I wouldn't care. I, Song Qiushui, am rich now; not to mention other things, I feel Liu Zhanggui should step back; even if I'm not the village's richest, I'm top three. I have money..."

Everyone laughed.

Privately they whispered.

"This girl's still like that, just knows how to brag. Still beating around the bush, saying her family lost nothing; she's afraid of losing face, won't even tell the truth."

"Exactly. Lost is lost, she still won't admit it. Afraid people'll laugh she lost things. Isn't that... fooling herself?"

"A person needs face like a tree needs bark; she's afraid people'll mock her for losing things, dares not speak..."

The crowd whispered; Song Qiushui also pretended not to see, bit down on: Anyway my family lost nothing, at most I remembered wrong, made a false alarm.

Everyone saw through it but didn't call it out; however, they all felt Song Qiushui really seemed to have money now, losing a bit of stuff was no big deal.

Meanwhile, Chai Mi took a detour, returned home, rode her bicycle to town.

Then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things.

The cooperative staff was chatting with someone; seeing Chai Mi enter, smiled and greeted: "Hello, what do you need?"

"Buy some salt." Chai Mi said, eyes scanning the shelves, "Also... get a few of the coarsest animal traps."

"Animal traps?" The boss was a bit surprised, "What for? Got weasels at home?"

"Mm, sturdy ones, the bigger the better." Chai Mi paid, took the salt and several rough animal traps, stuffed them into the inverted donkey's cart bed, covered them with a torn sack.

Back home, sky already dark. Chai Xiu was helping Su Wan tend the fire and cook; Chai Youqing squatted by the cowshed, half-heartedly adding fodder for the cow. Seeing Chai Mi return, he hurriedly stood up, rubbing his hands: "Back? Those animal traps... what for?"

Chai Mi ignored him, pushed the inverted donkey into the courtyard, and set it down. She walked to the back of the storage room — the narrow alley facing the Song family's back wall. Few people usually walked here; the ground held only livestock hoof prints and weeds. Chai Mi crouched, using the last bit of twilight to carefully examine the wall base and ground. Traces of climbing the wall were no longer very obvious, but on a small patch of mud near the wall base were several blurred footprints, one especially deep; the shoe's forefoot seemed severely worn, shape a bit strange. Chai Mi measured the size with her fingers, and her heart grew even more certain.

She stood and said to Chai Youqing following behind: "Dad, bring the rabbit snares you made. Also, go scrape some wood ash from the stove — fine ash, get plenty."

Though Chai Youqing was full of questions, he hurried to comply. He brought several large snares twisted from thick iron wire, and used a winnowing basket to carry a full basket of wood ash still carrying residual warmth.

Night fell completely.

Chai Mi quietly went to Song Qiushui's house, spoke with Song Qiushui, then quietly walked to the base of the Song family's back wall. First she carefully pried open the trigger mechanisms of those large animal traps, adjusted the spring tension to ensure it was tight enough, then scattered and buried them in the loose soil under the wall base, covering them with a thin layer of loose earth, leaving only a tiny inconspicuous ring opening aimed at the possible foothold positions on the wall. After this, she took that basket of wood ash and spread it evenly and thinly along the wall base, especially near those suspicious footprints, spreading it more carefully. The gray-white fine ash fell on the dark mud; unless one looked closely it was not obvious.

The countryside indeed has this habit — dumping leftover stove ash haphazardly.

Chai Mi putting ash here basically meant no one could see the animal traps underneath.

Then she set a few rabbit snares nearby as well.

Truly layer upon layer of mechanisms.

"Hiss... Chai Mi, you're setting up this much; what if my dad or mom don't see it and step on it — wouldn't that cripple them?"

"Why don't you just not let them come out?" Chai Mi said. "Right, has your second grand-uncle left?"

"He left." Song Qiushui hehehe laughed: "That old codger I pissed off till he ran; said he's not coming this lifetime."

Chai Mi spread the ash firmly, then picked up a few crushed stones and loosely covered them over the animal traps, then patted the ash off her hands. Song Qiushui followed behind her, craning his neck to look at those inconspicuous traps, and whispered: "Will this work? What if it catches a wild cat or dog — how to handle?"

"Whatever gets caught counts." Chai Mi's tone was flat as dead water in a ditch. "Still better than losing twenty chickens for nothing. Right, keep your dog inside the house tonight, don't let it out; if it catches the dog, I can't afford to pay."

Afterward Chai Mi also rigged a rope with several small bells tied on; once someone touched an animal trap and fell, the bells would ring.

Chai Mi patted the ash off her hands: "Tell your dad not to sleep tonight, wait inside the house. If there's noise don't show your face, wait for the bells to ring."

Song Qiushui nodded: "Okay! My dad's holding a bellyful of fire, definitely alert!"

"Dog secured, no noise." Chai Mi admonished once more, turned, and walked home.

Pitch black.

Moon hidden by clouds, courtyard terrifyingly dark.

Lamps inside the house long extinguished.

Song Qingshan hid under the kang head, silently smoking; the cigarette tip flickered in the darkness. "When's the thief coming? What if he doesn't come tonight — aren't we squatting a whole night for nothing?"

Meng Shi clutched her lapel, asked softly: "Qiushui, you say that thief's so shameless, will he still come tonight?"

Song Qiushui also lay by the window, nervously staring at the pitch-black back courtyard: "Mom, Chai Mi said, if the thief's set his sights on it, he'll definitely come again. Our newly built storage room is conspicuous; he's tasted the sweetness, how could he not think about it? Besides, Chai Mi said 'definitely coming' — she definitely has a plan. We'll do as she said: lights out, dog secured, dad hiding here, just waiting for the bells to ring."

Song Qingshan fiercely ground the cigarette butt into the brick seam under the kang edge with a sizzle: "Hmph, a plan? I say it's blind fussing! Those animal traps are a joke? Clamp a person's legs and they're crippled!" Though he spoke so, his body leaned forward, ears pricked higher, eyes dead fixed on the window outside.

Night, dead silent.

Only occasional dog barks from afar, making the courtyard's silence all the more terrifying.

Time crawled bit by bit, every minute like a stretched rubber band.

Song Qingshan listened to his own heavy breathing, felt the thief probably wouldn't come tonight.

He just wanted to move his numb legs...

"Awooo!!!" A distorted, inhuman shriek instantly tore the silence! The sound brimmed with agony and shock, sharp enough to pierce eardrums, carrying far in the silent night.

"Caught!" Song Qiushui sprang up from the kang.

"Oh my mother!" Meng Shi's legs went soft, nearly sat on the ground. "Why does it feel more painful than if my own leg were clamped..."

This shriek instantly roused the whole Song family.

Song Qingshan cursing, grabbed a stick in hand, then took a flashlight, and with a scrape rushed out.

Song Qiushui also hurried to run out.

But was grabbed by Meng Shi: "Qiushui, don't go; we don't know who the thief is; if he's clamped and turns vicious, what if he hurts you?"

Meng Shi worried that if Song Qiushui got hurt by the thief, the loss would outweigh the gain.

After all, though Song Qiushui's body was a bit better than the sickly Chai Min, she was also thin and weak, the bony type.

Not much flesh on her body, couldn't do heavy work.

A typical "delicate young lady"; catching thieves — her body too weak; if the cornered beast fights back, struggle is inevitable.

Who knows if the thief has weapons...

"Aiya, Mom, it's fine. With this much commotion, Chai Mi and them will come soon. Besides, our family has trouble, my second uncle and our family's people can all come. It's fine..."

Song Qiushui spoke and went out.

Meng Shi saw she couldn't stop Song Qiushui, so she followed out too.

Song family courtyard large, also quite spacious.

Behind the house actually quite large too, and since the family members don't do much work, not much firewood stacked.

Empty and vast.

Song Qingshan ran out, flashlight in hand, straight to the back courtyard.

Sure enough, a person hunched over, hands desperately prying at that animal trap.

Shrieks of pain, unceasing.

Even Song Qingshan listening felt it pierce to the bone.