CFJWF : Chapter 34

With the truth out in the open, Liuzi the village head immediately ordered two tall, burly men to tie up Wan Hai.  

Wan Hai struggled and shouted, “I’m innocent! I didn’t do it!”  

Xiao Wanshi ran forward, crying hysterically, “Don’t take my son! This must be a misunderstanding!”  

Meanwhile, Liangzi’s mother, who had been stunned into silence, finally snapped. She had trusted Wan Hai when he approached her, never suspecting he could be the murderer. Now, she was consumed with rage. If not for her elder son insisting on the coroner’s examination, Wan Hai would have gone free, and He Zifeng would have taken the blame. How could she face her son in the afterlife if that had happened?  

Fueled by fury, Liangzi’s mother pounced on Wan Hai like a wild beast, scratching his face with her nails and biting him. Wan Hai, though strong, was defenseless while bound. Deep gashes immediately appeared on his face.  

Xiao Wanshi, seeing her son injured, joined the fight. But having lived a pampered life, she was no match for the ferocious Liangzi’s mother. Within moments, Xiao Wanshi’s arm was scratched and bleeding.  

“Enough!” Liuzi shouted. “If you keep this up, both of you will end up in the county jail!” With the town chief and the other village heads present, this kind of brawling was disgraceful.  

Chastened, Xiao Wanshi stopped, though her face was pale with fear.  

The town chief ordered Wan Hai to be taken to the county jail immediately. Dian Gongzi, having thoroughly enjoyed the drama, decided to accompany them to the county office instead of continuing his travels.  

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone. No one had suspected Wan Hai.  

Even now, Wan Hai continued to proclaim his innocence, but the villagers had no patience left for his excuses. Someone stuffed a dirty rag in his mouth, reducing his protests to muffled groans.  

Xu Li, overwhelmed by the revelation, fainted on the spot and had to be carried home by his parents.  

He Donglai, the so-called father of the household, was besieged by villagers shouting:  

“Was this your idea? You’ve never been a decent father!”  

“He Zifeng is your real son! How could you do something so cruel to him?”  

“Look at me, He Donglai!”  

One of his old neighbors spat directly in his face. Humiliated and enraged, He Donglai pulled his shirt over his head to shield himself and stormed home, leaving Xiao Wanshi behind to be pummeled by Liangzi’s mother, who was still shrieking with rage.  

Amidst the chaos, no one stepped in to stop the fight.  

Weak and thin, He Fan could only shout, “Stop it! Someone’s going to get killed if this continues!” He forced his way through the crowd, taking several punches in the process, and finally dragged his mother away.  

The villagers murmured among themselves:  

“Who would’ve thought Wan Hai could be capable of such a thing?”  

“We’ve treated him so well all these years!”  

“How ruthless must he be to kill Liangzi like that?”

“Did you hear Liangzi’s mother? Wan Hai even tried to frame He Zifeng for the murder. He’s worse than an animal!”  

“And Xiao Wanshi, all proper and dignified on the surface—how did she raise such a son?”  

“The worst of all is He Donglai, marrying a woman with a heart of stone and raising a heartless wolf! They brought all this upon themselves!”  

“See? Heaven has eyes, and retribution comes swiftly!”  

Meanwhile, He Zifeng and Qiu Yu, having endured the day’s drama after their morning at the stall, quietly slipped home. Exhausted, they finally felt at ease, knowing the matter no longer concerned them. They fell into a deep sleep.  

When they woke up, an hour and a half had passed. Refreshed, He Zifeng quickly invited the three village women over to help clean the pork offal. He joined them, burning off the hair from pig trotters to eliminate any gamey odor.  

Sister Xia Hua remarked, “It’s a good thing Liuzi called the town chief. Otherwise, Wan Hai would’ve gotten away with it.”  

Sister Xu added, “I passed by earlier and heard people still cursing them.”  

“What was Wan Hai thinking?” Sister Liu wondered aloud.  

For years, the village had compared its young men to Wan Hai, praising his politeness, ambition, and good fortune in marrying the village head’s youngest son. His life had been smooth sailing, and He Donglai had treated him well, entrusting him with the family business. His two sons had the privilege of attending school in the county. If he had simply lived his life properly, he would have had everything.  

“Why would he risk all that to commit murder and arson?”  

As they worked, He Fan arrived, looking ashamed. “Second Brother,” he said, “I truly didn’t know this would happen. Our family has wronged you. Father said the soy sauce shop is yours now.”

The news of He Fan offering the soy sauce shop to He Zifeng caught the attention of the three women helping in the kitchen. That shop was worth a considerable amount of money.  

He Fan, covered in dirt and sporting fresh bruises, clearly looked like he had been beaten. As the youngest in the family, he had been sheltered when his two older brothers were around. But now that the family was in turmoil, he was fair game, and even stepping outside made him anxious.  

He Zifeng replied coldly, “I don’t want anything from him. We’ve already divided the family assets, and I want nothing to do with them. I’ll earn my own money. He’s like a dung beetle, always thinking others are after his dung ball.”  

He Fan paled but nodded. “I understand.”  

“Why not take it?” Sister Xu asked. “They owe you that much.” By now, the entire village sided with He Zifeng and wanted to see him compensated.  

Qiu Yu interjected, “If they were truly sincere, they wouldn’t send a naïve boy as their messenger. Besides, we don’t need their money!”  

Sister Liu, after some thought, agreed. “The He family’s been hit so hard recently, I bet they’ve got nothing left. The third and fourth sons aren’t even married yet—it’s an empty shell of a household. They’re probably using this to lure back some strong workers.”  

Sister Xu spat, “That crafty old fox! Next time I see anyone from the He family, I’ll spit on them for you.”  

The group continued talking while cleaning the offal and kneading the dough. After finishing their work, the three women finally left.  

Back home, Qiu Yu and He Zifeng tallied up the day’s earnings. Their cash box was so full it nearly burst. It was their first day selling braised meat, and they had earned a staggering 7,000 wen.  

They strung together six bundles of wen for safekeeping, leaving 1,000 wen for supplies.  

Qiu Yu, thrilled at the sight of so much money, said, “Once we save enough, let’s buy a shop.” He knew He Zifeng had always dreamed of owning one. Shops were lucrative investments, even when rented out, and could be passed down to their children.  

At this rate, saving for a shop seemed entirely possible, and the thought of it made their work feel even more rewarding.  

While He Zifeng was energized by his success, the He family was sinking deeper into despair.  

Liangzi’s mother dragged her son’s corpse to their doorstep, demanding 50 taels of silver. He Donglai, furious, slapped Xiao Wanshi hard. Beaten badly, she threatened to take her own life. The household was in shambles: He Tong was a gloomy, useless figure; Wan Hai was in custody; and He Zifeng was estranged. Only the young He Fan remained, but he was too inexperienced to manage the family’s affairs.  

By the end of the afternoon, the family elders intervened, negotiating Liangzi’s mother down to 20 taels. However, Xiao Wanshi could only scrape together 18 taels, so she handed over her hairpins, jewelry, and fine clothes to make up the difference. Only then was Liangzi buried.  

One of the elders, glaring at He Donglai, remarked, “A man should marry a virtuous wife.”  

The scornful comment publicly humiliated Xiao Wanshi.  

The family was now completely broke, a situation they had never faced before. Xiao Wanshi wept bitterly, but He Donglai, fed up with her, cursed her as a bringer of misfortune and even threatened her with violence.  

Eventually, Xiao Wanshi, enraged, fought back. Their household was in chaos well into the night.  

Just as the villagers had predicted, the He family had squandered their wealth and lost their reputation. No one dared to buy their soy sauce anymore, and while they still had 10 acres of land, it was useless without money.  

Late that night, when the entire village was asleep, Xiao Wanshi sneaked into He Fan’s room and shook him awake. “How much money do you have? Give it to me. I need to go to the county and find out what’s happened to your brother.”  

“I don’t have any money,” He Fan muttered.  

“What do you mean you don’t have money? I gave you a tael of silver just last month!”  

“I spent it,” He Fan admitted. “All I have left is 50 wen.” Growing up in a wealthy household, He Fan had never learned to save.  

Despite her frustration, Xiao Wanshi relented. “Hand it over.” She now understood the misery of being broke.  

He Fan gave her the money, and she warned, “If anyone asks, say you don’t know where I went.” Then, under the cover of darkness, she hurriedly left.  

The road to the county was rough, and Xiao Wanshi had to walk without a carriage. Every rustling bush and chirping insect made her more anxious. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Liangzi’s vengeful spirit was following her.  

By morning, He Donglai was furious. Grabbing He Fan by the collar, he demanded, “Where’s that worthless mother of yours? She ran off with my stash of silver!”  

He Fan’s jaw dropped in disbelief.  

Within minutes, the entire village knew: Xiao Wanshi had taken the money and fled, abandoning her two sons and their father.  

He Donglai was left stunned. The woman he had once pampered had not only run away but left her children behind as well. Reflecting on how he had mistreated his own son, He Zifeng, to please her, he felt like the biggest fool in the world.  

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