Chapter 330: Rebirth in the '90s: The Tyrannical Flower, Chapter 331: Leg Basically Crippled

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

"My leg..."

In the dark.

That person kept screaming.

Animal traps have since become clearly prohibited items, mainly because they are relatively cruel. Once stepped on, the more one struggles, the tighter they get.

If too much time passes, basically any animal caught in a trap will have a ruined leg, and will later die from excessive blood loss.

When Song Qingshan's flashlight shone on that person's face.

He was rather bewildered.

"Chai You Fu?!" Song Qingshan sucked in a cold breath, his flashlight beam shaking three times, his voice suddenly rising, filled with disbelief.

"You worthless wretch! Was it really you?! How... how is it you?!"

No matter how he thought about it, he never expected that the thief curled up on the ground, howling with a trap on his leg, would actually be Chai You Fu—his nephew Song Qingshu's son-in-law, and Chai Mi's sickly cousin Chai Min's biological father!

Song Qingshan just couldn't understand: whoever stole from his family, it shouldn't have been Chai You Fu...

Chai You Fu lacked neither food nor clothing, and his wages were decent; he definitely wasn't the kind of person so poor he couldn't afford food and had to come steal things.

Take Song Qiushui's maternal great-uncle Meng Tieshan, for example—he was already so poor he couldn't afford a meal, begging everywhere. So if it were someone like Meng Tieshan, or like Wang Huirong stealing things now, it would be understandable.

At least there'd be an excuse of stealing out of necessity.

If you don't steal food to eat, you'll starve to death.

But Chai You Fu clearly didn't belong to that kind.

Also, Song Qingshan and Chai You Fu had almost no personal grudges between them.

Although Song Qingshan, because of Song Qiuping's issue, had as a half-in-law given Chai You Fu a few big slaps.

But that was all because of his niece. He himself had nothing against Chai You Fu.

Besides, back when Chai You Fu married Song Qiuping, Song Qingshan had actually been relatively supportive. One could say he had shown Chai You Fu kindness.

So Song Qingshan's feeling now was especially strange.

This is ungrateful betrayal?

His niece's husband comes to steal from his own family, disgusting him?

Chai You Fu curled up on the ground, both hands desperately prying at the large trap clamped on his calf, iron teeth biting into flesh, a bloody mess. He was in so much pain his face distorted, snot and tears smeared across his face; hearing Song Qingshan's roar, he trembled all over, looked up and met that piercing light, and was utterly terrified.

"It... it hurts so much! Lo... loosen it! Uncle Qingshan... quick... quick save me! My leg... my leg is going to break!" Chai You Fu howled out of tune, his voice full of fear and pain.

Chai You Fu was truly in pain; although he wore pants, the trap's power was still considerable.

Now he was in so much pain he couldn't pry it open at all.

Song Qiushui ran over, and seeing it was actually Chai You Fu, she immediately rolled her eyes, almost spat a mouthful of saliva on his face, her eyes wide: "Save you? Save your fart! Deserved it! Let you steal! Twenty chickens! Chai You Fu, you damn weasel spirit? Even the basin? Why don't you carry off our house too? You... you are my Second Uncle's son-in-law! Does your daughter Chai Min know her father does this?"

She deliberately pointed out Chai You Fu's embarrassing identity.

"It's not what you think? You're still a teacher, and there's a student at home; later you're my brother-in-law, you damn steal things, steal to your uncle-father-in-law's house? You damn want to eat meat, just say so, I'll send some over, I'll even feed it to you to death."

The Meng clan woman followed over, took one look at Chai You Fu, and was so shocked she could hardly speak, slapping her thigh: "Heavens... how... how is it you?! Chai You Fu?! You... how could you do this?! You... this makes your father-in-law and his wife lose face where? How is Chai Min's child supposed to live afterwards?!"

"No... no! Auntie... misunderstanding! Real misunderstanding!" Chai You Fu winced in pain, still being stubborn, trying to bluff his way through: "I... I drank too much... took the wrong path... I thought it was my own home... ow my leg!"

"Cut your damn nonsense!" Song Qingshan's stick "thudded" into the ground, mud splattering onto Chai You Fu's face, burning with rage: "Your home is to the west! You damn climb over my back wall? And step on a trap? Even lying needs to be plausible! Chai You Fu, you are our Old Song family's relative!"

Actually it was indeed so; Chai You Fu's home and Song Qingshan's home were far apart, and people who had lived thirty or forty years—there was no possibility of taking the wrong path or finding the wrong house.

Song Qingshan was very angry.

And he didn't quite know what to say or do.

The thief was caught.

Damn it, it was his own uncle-father-in-law...

Song Qingshan wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into; this scene was indeed too damn awkward.

The commotion here was too great, and neighbors' lights came on one after another.

Many people came to watch the excitement, each holding a flashlight, to see what was actually happening.

Liu Zhanggui shuffled in wearing shoes and a robe, the first to rush into the back courtyard; his flashlight beam flickered, and seeing the person on the ground, his eyes popped wide as he blurted: "Chai You Fu?! How is it you?! You... you stole Song Huiji's chickens?! You... this is like a flood drowning the Dragon King Temple!"

As Village Chief, he immediately thought of the relationship that Chai You Fu was Song Qingshu's son-in-law, making this matter even more complicated.

Of course, Liu Zhanggui appearing now was rather abrupt.

His home was farther away, but he came the earliest.

One could only say Liu Zhanggui came prepared.

And actually, it was indeed so; he had been invited by Chai Mi to drink tea tonight.

Drinking straight until midnight.

Liu Zhanggui asked Chai Mi why, and Chai Mi said to wait for him to catch thieves...

And now the thief was caught...

"Get up, get up, what on earth is this misunderstanding?"

Seeing the Village Chief had come, Chai You Fu completely panicked, struggling to climb up, but the trap on his leg wouldn't budge, instead making him scream like a slaughtered pig: "Village Chief! Village Chief save me! Song Qingshan's family... they set traps to harm people! I... I really didn't do it on purpose!"

Song Qiushui stomped in anger: "Pah! Not set traps and wait for you to steal the twenty new chickens bought today? You still have the face to cry harm? Thief shouting stop thief! Chai You Fu, aren't you ashamed! Chai Min's face is completely lost because of you!"

Liu Zhanggui's face was dark as iron; he squatted down and poked at the cold trap, then looked at Chai You Fu's deep wound where bone was visible, his brow furrowed into a knot: "Old Song! Hurry, find something, first get this thing off him! Clamp any longer and this leg is really ruined! What... what is this all about!"

His tone carried helplessness and anger; Chai You Fu's identity made this matter thorny.

This is pure family, there's no way to handle it.

Actually Liu Zhanggui had thought Chai Youde was the thief, that would be easier to deal with.

But this was done by Chai You Fu, so it's really awkward.

Song Qingshan was still angry, pointing at Chai You Fu and cursing: "You deserved to be crippled! When you were stealing, didn't you think about the consequences? Didn't you think about your daughter Chai Min?!"

"Being crippled is even more troublesome!" Liu Zhanggui roared, also angered by the situation, "If he's crippled, do you support him in his old age and see him off? Or let his father-in-law Song Qingshu support him? Hurry up! First get the trap open!"

"After all, he's your niece's husband, his leg is broken, how will your niece face her niece?"

Song Qingshan then cursed as he went back into the house to find tools. Meng Shi looked at that bloody leg, both angry and afraid, turned her head away, muttering: "What a sin… why is him… the face of Qingshu's family, where can it be placed…"

The neighbors gathered around, pointing and discussing, their voices full of disbelief.

"Tsk tsk, is it really Chai You Fu? Isn't he Song Qingshu's son-in-law? Usually looking listless, but his guts are this fat? He stole from his in-laws' elder brother?"

"Gone crazy from poverty? Twenty chickens, he really dared to do it! Isn't Chai Min's school fees enough?"

"This trap… looks scary just looking at it, Song Huiji's family really hardened their hearts this time… but this thief is Chai You Fu… sigh, what will Qingshu's family do when they find out?"

"Who says it isn't, what kind of thing is this? A son-in-law stealing his uncle's in-laws' chickens? The Song family's face…"

Chai You Fu listened to the talk, especially hearing the words "Song Qingshu's son-in-law" and "Chai Min", feeling both pain and shame, wishing he could bury his head in the dirt, his groans carrying a crying tone.

Song Qingshan brought back a large vise and a crowbar, and he and Liu Zhanggui spent a lot of effort, clanging and banging, finally prying open that deadly trap. Chai You Fu's lower leg was a bloody mess, whether the bone was exposed couldn't be seen clearly, but he was definitely badly injured, this leg wouldn't heal in the short term.

"Get a few people!" Liu Zhanggui shouted to the crowd outside, "Go! Hitch the cart! Send to the township health center! Hurry!"

A few young men squeezed in, took one look at Chai You Fu's miserable state, and were startled, quickly responding to hitch the cart.

Chai You Fu collapsed on the ground like a dead dog, still humming and hawing in his mouth, with a crying tone: "It hurts… it hurts me to death… Uncle Song… Village Chief… I was wrong… really wrong… I was just muddle-headed for a moment… possessed by a ghost… for Chai Min's sake… don't tell others… I really took the wrong path, just muddle-headedly came in………"

"Muddle-headed?" A cold voice came from behind the crowd.

The crowd automatically parted a gap, Chai Mi walked in unhurriedly.

She had little expression on her face, her gaze first swept over Chai You Fu's bloody lower leg, then looked at the trap on the ground and the scattered grass and wood ash beside it, finally landing on Chai You Fu's pale, tear-streaked face.

"Second Uncle, when you climbed over the wall last night, did you step on the grass and wood ash I deliberately sprinkled to check footprints? Your rubber shoes with the soles worn bald, stepping on them, the prints are very clear, just like the footprints from losing the chickens yesterday." Chai Mi's voice wasn't loud, but it made the evidence clear.

Chai You Fu stared wide-eyed in terror, but said nothing, anyway he wouldn't admit it.

After all, today they didn't catch him in the act of stealing chickens, he could just say he took the wrong path.

Whether others believed it or not didn't matter, anyway others couldn't possibly believe it.

But Chai You Fu could only say that.

Chai Mi looked at Liu Zhanggui, her tone calm: "Village Chief, person and goods both obtained, he can't deny it anymore? The footprints match, and the person was caught red-handed at the scene."

Liu Zhanggui sighed heavily, looking at the disheveled Chai You Fu, both angry and helpless: "Deny my ass! It's ironclad!"

"I really took the wrong path, I just saw a white-bearded old man leading me…"

Liu Zhanggui sighed heavily again, looking at the disheveled Chai You Fu, both angry and helpless: "Still denying? Deny my ass! Such an ironclad matter and you're still lying!" He glared at Chai You Fu, "Speak! Where are the stolen chickens? Where did you hide them? Confess quickly!"

Chai You Fu's eyes darted around, stammering: "Ate… ate them…"

"Bullshit!" Song Qiushui rushed over, "Twenty chickens! Are you Zhu Bajie? Finished them all in one night? Where are the bones? Where are the feathers? Chai You Fu, you're trying to fool ghosts!"

"Buried… buried by the He Tao forest edge…" Chai You Fu couldn't withstand the pressure, muttered softly, gasping in pain, completely giving in.

"Buried?!" Song Qingshan flared up again, pointing at Chai You Fu, "You good-for-nothing thing! Stole them and didn't eat them, you buried them?! You… you really are…" He was so angry he couldn't speak, thinking of his younger brother Song Qingshu made him even more furious.

Chai Mi coldly laughed: "Buried? Afraid of being exposed, right. Twenty cleaned chickens suddenly appearing at your house, even an idiot knows what's going on. Buried, no evidence left. Too bad, still not satisfied with greed, wanted to come again tonight." She paused, her gaze sweeping over Chai You Fu, "Second Uncle, this leg, you've completely ruined yourself."

Everyone drove the donkey cart to the back courtyard gate. Liu Zhanggui directed a few young men: "Lend a hand! Lift him onto the cart! Be gentle! Qiushui, you also go to the health center! The medical expenses…"

He fiercely glared at the mud-like Chai You Fu, the second half of the sentence left unsaid—this mess, Chai You Fu and his father-in-law's family would both have to cover.

Song Qiushui unwillingly: "Why should I go? It dirtied my eyes! Looking at him makes me angry!"

"You go and watch him! What should be padded… first remember it on the account! Settle it later!" Liu Zhanggui said in a bad mood, then turned to Chai Mi and Song Qingshan, his tone carrying inquiry and a touch of trouble, "Lao Song, Chai Mi, this matter… how do you think we should handle it? Send to the police station, or… after all, he's Qingshu's son-in-law…"

He hinted at the relationship of Song Qingshu, hoping to hear their attitude.

The crowd's gazes instantly focused on Chai Mi, waiting for her decision.

Chai You Fu, hearing "police station", was scared out of his wits, no longer caring about the pain, struggling to explain: "I this… sigh…"

Chai You Fu had nothing to say.

Chai Mi curled her lips: "Report to what police station, go to the hospital. Maybe my Second Uncle really bumped into something evil, didn't you see my Second Uncle's mouth is crooked, eyes are askew, foaming at the mouth…"

Chai You Fu was indeed now foaming at the mouth, mouth crooked, eyes askew.

But it was obviously from the pain.

This pain was real pain.

Seeing Chai Mi say this, the crowd no longer bothered, pulling Chai You Fu on the donkey cart to the township health center.

Afterwards the big fellows slowly left.

Song Qiushui hehehe laughed, lowering her head walking to Chai Mi's side: "Hehehe, Chai Mi is awesome."

"No, your Second Uncle is going to suffer this time. That donkey cart is damn slow, walking to the health center, discovering the health center isn't open at midnight. Then damn go to the hospital, no cart anymore… this requires the donkey cart to walk to the County Hospital, at least fast until dawn. Not saying anything else, this leg even if not completely crippled, needs to rest for two or three months."

"Hehe, that's what he gets for his own actions. I've already been very merciful." Chai Mi said discontentedly: "I damn didn't bother with him stealing chickens, that's already not bad. What he's like, that's all his own doing."