Chapter 347

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

Chai Mi suddenly remembered an event from her previous life.

Back then, a large-scale mass fraud incident indeed occurred around this time; it caused quite a sensation, with police arresting people across the entire county — apparently they caught over a dozen Southern Barbarians.

It was said that quite a lot of people were defrauded, at least a hundred or so.

However, at that time Chai Mi was exhausted in body and mind, right in an especially miserable phase; she simply had no heart for other people's affairs, and no mood to listen to those village loudspeaker broadcasts. So, Chai Mi truly didn't know why exactly they got swindled.

Plus, back then Chai Mi also had no money.

This point was quite good……

When you're penniless, at a time when you can't even afford to eat, even swindlers will consider it before trying to cheat you.

Those relatives who wanted to borrow money were even more non-existent; not avoiding you by walking away was already the utmost benevolence and righteousness.

So, in her previous life no one came to tell her about this matter.

Thinking about it now, it should be this "Ming Dynasty Ancient Tomb" affair.

The swindlers' routine is similar to this: they say someplace or other has some ancient tomb or the like. Because this Zhu San Taizi Tomb topic actually didn't just come out today; it existed back when Chai Mi was in school.

Back then people said that in the big mountains inside Baitaizi Town and Yangjiaogou Town, there was a large tomb. Later someone herding sheep fell in and picked up some kind of treasure.

After that a crowd of people took pickaxes and iron shovels and went to dig.

Result: they dug the mountains three feet deep, and didn't find a single thing.

Instead it benefited the mountain's owner — no need to hire excavators or diggers; several thousand mu of land were turned over.

Even Chai Mi's middle school Chinese teacher mentioned this. He spoke with convincing detail, saying someone picked up a whole crate of copper coins in the mountains and such.

Chai Mi later also heard that it was because her own second maternal cousin's family suddenly had a hard time, and on top of that a pile of famine, owing the village a lot of money; her man — that is, Sun Guoyou — later started drinking heavily, and before forty he had a stroke and couldn't do anything; anyway their days were quite miserable, not much better than Chai Mi's.

Thinking of this, Chai Mi sighed: "Where in this world is there a possibility of getting rich overnight? If there is, it's definitely a trap."

Afterwards Chai Mi told Su Wan: "Mom, whether Liu San comes, or later my eldest aunt comes, if they mention this matter, you definitely must not lend them money. They've definitely been swindled."

Su Wan now understood some things too, knowing her own sister and nephew had been taken in; her mood was quite worried: "Then…… Chai Mi, should we remind them?"

Chai Mi sighed: "When a person's head gets hot, they can't listen to anyone's words. It's just like they've entered a demonic state."

Su Wan also sighed: "Ai……"

While they were still talking, the village suddenly transmitted the sound of police sirens.

Chai Mi frowned, went out to take a look.

But the village was too big, and the police car didn't come up to Chai Mi's side, so she didn't know whose family had an incident.

The siren sound sharply tore through Sanjiacun's tranquility, from far to near, finally seeming to stop at the village's west side.

"The commotion's not small, heading for the west side?" Song Qiushui also came out; she loved watching excitement the most, so she ran out extremely fast.

"Where else could it be? It's definitely Liu Xiaochun or Chai Zhongming's business." Chai Mi had no heart for this matter, merely said flatly: "Listening to the sound, it seems to have stopped at Liu Xiaochun's doorway."

Chai Youqing shrank his neck, muttered quietly: "Knife…… knife was used, police would definitely come……"

Su Wan sighed, face full of worry: "What a sin…… don't know how Chai Zhongming is; Liu Zhanggui and them sent him to the hospital, but no news has come back. This Liu Xiaochun…… ai!"

Just as they spoke, Chai Xiu finished watching the excitement and ran home, like a little whirlwind she rushed in from outside the main gate, little face flushed red from running, gasping for breath: "Sister! Sister! Caught! Taken away! Police car…… wailing chaotically, handcuffed Liu Xiaochun and took him away! Head still wrapped in gauze, drooping his head, like a dead dog!"

"Really caught?" Song Qiushui's eyes brightened, then immediately she seemed a bit scared, smacked her lips: "Tsk, serves him right! Let him be arrogant! Let him beat people and rob money! Retribution! But…… weren't his hand tendons severed? How can he still beat people?"

"Heard Wang Daniang say," Chai Xiu caught her breath, imitating the village loudspeaker's tone, "Police questioned for half a day; it was Liu Xiaochun who first broke into Chai Zhongming's house demanding money, and struck first, Chai Zhongming went red-eyed only then did he grab the kitchen knife! Result: didn't chop Liu Xiaochun's vitals, instead Liu Xiaochun snatched the knife away, gave him one whack on the head! This is called…… what's it called? Oh right, 'excessive self-defense' plus 'robbery'! Multiple crimes punished together! Enough for him to drink a pot!"

"Deserved!" Song Qiushui waved her hand venting: "Let him be poor and unreasonable! This time thoroughly honest! Chai Zhongming too, stealing chickens and touching dogs all his life, in the end almost sent away by his nephew."

Su Wan listened shaking her head: "Ai, neither is a fuel-efficient lamp. Then…… what about Liu Xiaochun's wife? Che Lianying didn't make trouble?"

"Make trouble? How could she not!" Chai Xiu described vividly: "The moment the police car came, she rushed out from inside the house like a firecracker, hair disheveled, pounced up and grabbed the policeman's arm, wailing 'Why arrest my man! It was that old undying one who used the knife first! Are you blind!' That voice, sharp enough to lift the roof!"

Chai Mi poured a bowl of water for Chai Xiu: "Then what?"

"Then?" Chai Xiu gulped a mouthful of water, "What else could happen! Could the police indulge her? A female police officer forcefully pried her open, face stern saying: 'Obstructing official duties, same arrest! Try making trouble again!' Hey, Che Lianying instantly wilted, like frost-bitten eggplant, plopped down on the ground slapping her thighs dry-howling, 'Can't live anymore ah…… heaven-killing Chai Zhongming harmed my man ah……' Cried so miserably, snot and tears smeared all over her face. Police didn't care, directly stuffed the dejected Liu Xiaochun into the car, 'wailing' drove away. Che Lianying just sat on the ground howling, howled until the police car had no shadow before neighbors helped her back; that door 'bang' shut, then no more movement."

"Hmph, howling for who to see?" Song Qiushui curled her lip: "What was she doing earlier? When Liu Xiaochun stole corn, beat people, robbed money, she didn't stop him ah? Now she's acting pitiful? Too late!"

Su Wan listened with a bad taste in her heart: "Words are like this…… but the man's arrested, the family's pillar gone, she a woman bringing a child, future days…… ai, also hard."

"Mom, you pity her?" Chai Xiu widened her eyes: "When her man stole our corn, she didn't pity us! Liu Xiaochun beat Chai Zhongming and robbed money, she might've been at home counting money happy! This is called retribution! Deserved!"

Chai Mi didn't participate in their discussion, just listened. Che Lianying's shrewish howling was within expectations; this woman had a few parts cleverness, but also shrewish; man arrested, sky-falling feeling was real, but in that howling, how much was performed for others to see, to beg sympathy, was hard to say. She cared more about another person's reaction.

"Chai Youde's side, any movement?" Chai Mi asked Chai Xiu.

Chai Xiu blinked: "Chai Youde? Didn't see his shadow ah. When the police car came, probably hiding in the house playing dead? Afraid Che Lianying would come find trouble again?"

Evening.

Chai Youde's home.

Atmosphere at the dining table was oppressive. A small basin of sorghum rice porridge, a plate of salted radish strips, a plate of soybean paste, a few green onions.

Xiao Doubao slammed bowls and chopsticks making clattering sounds, triangular eyes full of schadenfreude.

"Deserved! Damn well deserved!" She spat, voice sharp: "Liu Xiaochun that worthless wretch plaything, should've gone in long ago! Lawless! Even dared beat his second uncle to death, and rob money? Pah! Shooting him wouldn't be unjust! This is good, peaceful now! Saves that slutty hoof coming to wail mourning every three days!"

Chai Youde bowed his head raking rice grains in his bowl, didn't make a sound.

Hearing Liu Xiaochun really was arrested, his heart first "thumped" once, then surged an indescribable taste.

A bit satisfying — that mixed ball finally suffered retribution; a bit guilty — after all he'd had that kind of affair with his little sister-in-law, now brother-in-law went in; more was a kind of irrelevant relief — luckily last night he stubbornly held out and didn't lend money, otherwise this money would definitely be water thrown away!

"Ai, you deaf?" Che Lianyun used chopsticks to heavily knock on Chai Youde's bowl edge: "What I said, did you hear? That slutty hoof's man went in, you uncomfortable in your heart? Huh?"

Chai Youde startled, hurriedly raised head, squeezed out a smile uglier than crying: "How…… how could I! What uncomfortable! I'm so happy it's too late! Liu Xiaochun is exactly a scourge, arrested good! Arrested the village is peaceful!" He paused, then carefully added: "Just…… Che Lianying orphan and widow, future days afraid hard to pass……"

"Hard to pass?" Che Lianyun's volume suddenly rose, like a cat with its tail stepped on: "What's it to you! Chai Youde I'm telling you! If you dare secretly stuff her a single coin, or let her enter this door, I'm done with you! Her man is a robber! She's no good bird either! Touch her and you're covered in filth! Bad luck!"

"Look at you... I didn't say give money..." Chai Youde shrank his neck, muttering, "I just... just said that..."

"No way!" Che Lianyun glared at him viciously, "Remember this for me! Stay away from that jinx's family! Heard me? If I catch you flirting with her again, I'll tear you apart!"

"Got it, got it..." Chai Youde quickly lowered his head to shovel rice, cursing silently: Damn it, shrew! I'm just thinking... just thinking isn't allowed? Anyway, Liu Xiaochun going in is good too, that "old account" is now completely rotted in his stomach.

But... Che Lianying's woman, without a man...

Hehehe...

Under the big willow tree at the east side of the village.

The police car's taillights disappeared at the village entrance, but the discussion left behind boiled like hot water. Under the old locust tree, villagers cooling off and waiting for meals gathered in a crowd.

"See that? Handcuffed tight! Head down, where's the daytime arrogance?" Wang Daniang slapped her thigh, wearing an "I told you so" expression.

"Serves him right! Let him be wild! Even laid hands on his own second great-uncle, worse than a beast!" Lao Liutou held a dry tobacco pipe in his mouth, saliva flying, "What's this called? The net of heaven is wide! Though sparse, it misses nothing!"

"Chai Zhongming has a long life, his head split open and he could still breathe... but heard several ribs were broken, enough to scorch." Someone sighed.

"Scorch what? Better dead! Two calamities, one less is one!" The person beside interjected.

"Just pity that child..." Some soft-hearted women sighed, "Stuck with such a father..."

"Pity what?" Someone immediately retorted, "Che Lianying is no easy lamp! Liu Xiaochun stole corn and robbed money, could she not know? Maybe she instigated it! Who is she crying for now? Crocodile tears!"

"Hey, you say, Chai Youde that accountant, with his xiaojie..." Someone lowered his voice, raising eyebrows and wagging eyes, the words unfinished but the meaning understood.

"Shh! Keep it down! Let 'Xiao Doubao' hear, she'll rip your mouth!" The person beside hurriedly poked him.

"Afraid of what? Can she block the whole village's mouths?" Though hard-mouthed, that person's voice lowered, "Chai Youde is probably secretly happy at home now, this xiaojie has no man at home, isn't she his..."

At this moment, a figure wearing an ill-fitting suit with hair slicked oily and smooth swayed over, it was Sun Guoyou. He still held a green-rust-speckled copper lump in his hand, as if just "excavated."

"Yo, all the villagers are here? Chatting about what so lively?" Sun Guoyou smiled, as if not hearing the earlier discussion, "Have you all heard the good news that our village is about to unearth a great treasure?"

Seeing him, everyone's topic suddenly shifted.

"Captain Sun, you this... Liu Xiaochun just got into trouble, you this..."

Sun Guoyou waved his hand carelessly, holding the copper lump higher, mysteriously lowering his voice: "Village Chief, fellow villagers! This is heaven's will! Why did trouble happen just now? Blocking the way! Blocked our path to wealth!"

"What do you mean?" Everyone was stunned by what he said.

"Think about it!" Sun Guoyou wore a serious expression of "insight into heavenly secrets," "Zhu San Taizi's treasure, what a great fortune? What a great qi luck? Can just anyone touch it? What kind of person is Liu Xiaochun? Stealing chickens and touching dogs, defying superiors, full of bad luck! People like him, staying in the village, are a rat dropping spoiling a pot of soup! Scattering our village's fortune! Now that he's gone in, good! That's heaven helping us clear obstacles! Sweeping away bad luck!"

He looked around, seeing some people's half-believing expressions, and struck while the iron was hot: "Haven't you noticed? Since he was taken away, isn't the sky above our village brighter? Isn't the air fresher? This is a good omen! A sign that the great tomb is about to emerge! I and Chunyan have already discussed it, tomorrow we'll go to the county to finish the last procedures! Excavator! Must be in place as soon as possible! Dig one day earlier, divide treasures one day earlier! Spots are limited, join early! Once this village passes, there's no such shop!"

In the crowd, Liu San and Zhang Hailan couple were also there, Zhang Hailan's eyes lit up, she tugged hard on Liu San's sleeve. Liu San looked at the "green and oily" "antique" in Sun Guoyou's hand, and thought of the "lesson" of Liu Xiaochun being caught, feeling even more that Sun Guoyou made sense—bad luck gone, fortune should come!

Some believed, some just left...

By dusk, the official version of Liu Xiaochun being caught by the police arrived.

Liu Xiaochun beat Chai Zhongming, his Make Trouble dai had a big cut, nose bridge bone broken. Two front teeth fell out, seven or eight ribs broken. Of course, Liu Xiaochun didn't fare well either, his belly was slashed by Chai Zhongming with a knife, his wrist slashed with a knife, hand tendons severed...

But because Liu Xiaochun had beaten Chai Zhongming a meal the night before, and robbed money. So Chai Zhongming was prepared, today morning when Liu Xiaochun went again, this happened.