Chapter 352: Ye Mu

As the group walked over, they saw that in the dark of night, the villagers were gathered three layers deep in front of the Xu family's door, watching the commotion.

The faint orange light from the households nearby spilled through doors and windows, dispelling the darkness at the entrance. Before they even got close, they could see the expressions on everyone's faces clearly; the light in their eyes, flickering with the flames of gossip, showed they were clearly watching with great excitement.

Once they were close, they jogged the rest of the way. The crowd was packed tight, and before they could even squeeze in, Ye Yao could hear his mother's loud, scolding voice.

"You damn degenerate, you've lost your conscience! Stealing everything—your hands should be chopped off! Oh, my ancestors, why didn't you take this whole family with you? Why leave them in the village to plague people~"

"My ambergris! Hand it over right now, or I'll smash your house to pieces and tear down your broken shack!"

"Oh, Heavens, why haven't you opened your eyes? Why didn't a bolt of lightning strike down and kill their whole family? It would save everyone from this plague."

"None of you are human! Pay me back immediately! My longan, my eggs, my ambergris! Oh, this hurts more than having my heart dug out! You bunch of ghosts..."

"Don't be polite! Big Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Eighth Brother, nephews—dig hard! Help me find it! That dog-begotten piece of trash, stealing all the way to my house! Where's the knife? Where is it? I'm going to chop his hands off..."

Ye Mu pointed at the Xu family, cursing wildly and making a scene.

The Xu family, both old and young, were not to be outdone. Every woman stood with her hands on her hips, blocking them from searching.

"You're blind and deaf, listening to the wind and calling it rain! Who said our family stole your ambergris? Whoever is wagging their tongue like that will be dragged to the 18th level of hell to have their tongue pulled out and be thrown into a sea of fire..."

"Exactly! It's just a piece of rotten wood, and you treat it like a treasure. My son just picked it up; who knows what kind of nonsense the village is spreading? You'll all have your tongues pulled out..."

"We picked up a piece of wood. If you want it, take it! What kind of damn ambergris? We haven't even seen a hair of it! Get lost..."

"What are you doing? What are you doing? You men, stay away, or I'll report you for hooliganism!"

Ye Mu fought the crowd alone. "Hooliganism? What hooliganism? You bunch of shameless, slutty shrews! You stole someone's things and won't even admit it. The villagers all heard it and were kind enough to tell us. You bunch of liars are the ones who should be thrown into the 18th level of hell!"

"You bunch of old hags, old demons! You're so old and still don't know how to lie down and die, always out here making people sick! Oh, look at this mess—if you sold your whole family, you couldn't afford to pay me back~"

Ye Mu cursed while mimicking them, immediately causing the villagers to burst into loud laughter.

It was truly because yesterday, this family had looked down on everyone with such self-importance, and their disdainful words had made it seem as if the money was already in their hands, as if everyone else were lowly peasants, and that letting anyone take a look would "contaminate" their treasure.

Thinking back on it, it was enough to make one laugh their teeth out.

"You damn bitch, spewing dung from your mouth! Get out of here!"

"You slutty old hag, hand over the ambergris you stole from my house first, or this won't end well today! Search! What are you afraid of? We're in the right!"

Ye Mu's siblings and nephews immediately moved again. The Xu family blocked and shoved them while the old woman of the Xu family simply sat on the ground, wailing and making a scene.

"Oh, I can't go on living! I'm old and worthless, being bullied at my own door! My old bones are useless... Beat me to death! Beat me to death to pay for that piece of wood... If I die, it'll be over and done with."

Xu Mu followed suit, crying and shouting: "Kill me first! To be bullied by a bunch of robbers at our own door! It's just a piece of rotten wood, and you insist on framing our family! There's no justice! Everyone thinks our family is easy to bully! Take my life to pay for it!"

Ye Mu looked down at them with disdain, watching their dramatic performance. "Louder! Did you not eat? When Goddess Mazu's birthday came around, the opera at the temple wasn't enough for you? Keep singing!"

As she spoke, she bypassed them to search the corners, but was blocked by the Xu family men, who even shoved her.

Ye Mu quickly shook off their arms. "What do you want? Being a hooligan? Everyone, look! There's an old man acting like a hooligan! Everyone, help me be a witness! Grab him and take him to be executed!"

"When was I acting like a hooligan?" The Xu family man was suddenly flustered and unable to defend himself. The crime of hooliganism was very serious now.

"Then what are you doing? Trying to hit someone! Hit me! Hit me! Nephews, this shameless old man is trying to hit someone! Come and pull him away~"

"You old hag, be reasonable! I told you, Laifu just picked up a piece of wood. Yesterday, everyone didn't see it clearly and just spread rumors."

"Ah... you still dare to glare at people? Are you trying to eat someone? You steal things and still think you're in the right? Everyone heard it, and you're still trying to quibble! Hand over the ambergris, or I'll smash your house!"

Wicked people are dealt with by other wicked people!

Ye Mu was not to be outdone and sprayed back, pushing him aside in the process. He didn't move, but instead pushed her back, causing her lower back to slam directly into the stove.

This moment was like poking a hornet's nest. "Oh, this is terrible! The Xu family man hit someone! He's trying to kill someone..."

Ye Mu's siblings and nephews immediately started cursing and waving their fists as they charged in.

The men and women of the Xu family also stepped forward to pull and shove, and the room descended into a chaotic mess.

Ye Yaodong and the others listened to the spectacular drama while squeezing through the crowd. They grabbed the Li Laoer family, who had been hiding in the corner trying to stay invisible and looking for a chance to escape, and had the helpful villagers at the door keep a close eye on them so they wouldn't run.

Then he shouted a few times toward the people shoving in the middle of the field. Seeing no reaction, he simply stopped caring; his mother wasn't losing out anyway.

As a result, he saw the Xu family's old woman, despite her age, trying to step forward to break up the fight. He and Xiao Xiao reacted quickly, stepping forward to pull her into a corner and hold her there so she couldn't cause trouble.

Old people were worthless; if she got squeezed into the crowd and beaten, she wouldn't be able to take many punches. If she died, they would have to pay compensation, which would be depressing.

He handed her over to his brother-in-law to watch, then went to pat his mother on the shoulder as she searched everywhere.

"Acting like a hooligan..." Ye Mu didn't even turn her head and started shouting blindly again.

Ye Yaodong helplessly reminded her: "Mom, it's me..."

"Ah?" Ye Mu turned her head to look. "It's you? You're back? Did your father and the others come over? Oh, you spendthrift! You picked up ambergris and didn't even recognize it, throwing it everywhere! Hurry up and look for it..."

"Mom..."

"... Did they hide it in some corner? Those thousand-knife-cuts! Look in the firewood pile too..."

"Mom..."

"... Don't let any corner go unsearched! That's ambergris..."

Ye Yaodong couldn't help but rub his forehead. His mother's energy was too high; she wouldn't even let him speak. "Mom, stop looking for the ambergris..."

"What nonsense are you talking about? That's ambergris! Why stop looking..."

"It's not ambergris! What I picked up was just a piece of wood!"

Ye Mu's hand, which was searching in the firewood pile, suddenly stopped. "What did you say?"

"What I picked up was just a piece of wood!"

Ye Mu's eyes widened in disbelief. "You picked up a piece of wood, not ambergris?"

"Right! I might not recognize ambergris, but can't I recognize wood? It was because I recognized it as a piece of wood that I threw it away."

"Ah!

It really is wood?" Ye Mu was stunned for a moment. "Then that really was a farce?"

The main room was only so big, and there were so many people standing inside. Ye Mu's voice was loud, and the word "farce" immediately made Ye Mu's brothers and nephews, who were in the middle of beating people, stop their hands and feet, looking at each other in dismay.

"Did we get it wrong?"

Everyone didn't know what to do now.

The Xu family's old woman immediately slapped her thighs again, crying and shouting dramatically: "What a sin! A bunch of robbers came to our door and hit people over a piece of rotten wood! Heavens, open your eyes and take them away... My son, don't get beaten to death! Hurry up and pay for my son's medical expenses..."

Forced into the corner, she still wouldn't stop.

The neighbors at the door were also shocked and disbelieving, shouting at Ye Yaodong: "Is it fake? What Xu Laifu stole from you is fake?"

"Didn't he admit himself that it was real?"

"Right, he admitted it himself earlier..."

Xu Laifu, beaten and lying on the ground, could only raise his hand and lift his head, saying with tears and snot: "I just spoke too fast and got it wrong! What I stole really was just a piece of wood! It was my great-uncle who told me to steal it, not me! Wuwuwu... it hurts so much..."

After discovering it was fake yesterday, he had been beaten by his whole family and was still limping. Today he was beaten by others again. Why was his life so bitter? Wuwuwu~

The villagers at the door who were helping to watch the Li Laoer family were also furious.

"An outsider actually dared to direct someone to steal things in our village! Looking for death..."

"Exactly, this outsider's hand is stretched too far! Beat him to death..."

"Beat him! He's the one from Haiqing Village who came to cause trouble a few days ago..."

"Ah? No wonder he's so arrogant! Beat them! They actually dared to come back?"

"Drag them out and beat them..."

Cries of pain came from the door, and things weren't over inside the house either. After clarifying it was a farce, the Xu family started jumping around performing again.

Xu Mu sat on the ground, slapping her thighs, and said mournfully: "I said it was wood, but you wouldn't believe me! That damn shopkeeper Wang spread rumors; he should be dragged to the 18th level of Avici Hell to have his tongue pulled out..."

The Xu old woman added: "You Ye family are not human! Beating people randomly! Hurry up and pay money..."

"Right, right, you beat people randomly, pay money..." Other Xu family members, whether sitting, lying, or standing, shouted for them to pay money.

"Pay my ass! Stealing things from my house and still have the nerve to ask us to pay? You deserve to be beaten to death!" Ye Yaodong said, kicking Xu Laifu again. "Confess honestly, what else did you steal?"

"No... nothing, didn't steal anything, just that one piece of wood..." ===== CHAPTER 353 =====