Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands

Chapter 436 - 0417: A Slightly Higher Rank Must Be Obeyed! (3)

Li Xing’an laughed, "Does that mean he will be kneeling from now until New Year’s?"

It’s not even October yet, and there’s still three months until New Year’s.

Mu Yuanxiu said, "In the village, Tian Sanbao either steals chickens from this house or duck eggs from that one. He’s stolen the old iron pot used by an old lady for cooking, swapped a young wife’s floral clothes for money, and even taken students’ paper and pens to write promissory notes."

"... ..."

"In this village, seven or eight out of ten households have been visited by him. The villagers all loathe him, and upon hearing that what he will do will be advertised, they wouldn’t even need to punish him. They wouldn’t listen to him anyway."

"... ..."

"In this case, he will continue to kneel! Let alone kneeling until this New Year’s, he might still be kneeling by next New Year’s!"

Li Yuzhu smilingly said, "If he slacks off and doesn’t seriously advertise his misdeeds, well, then he kneels. That’s his own doing; he can’t blame others. Mu Yuanxiu, your method seems good for Tian Sanbao, but in fact, it’s a harsher punishment."

Li Xing’an rubbed his chin, "Although this method keeps Tian Sanbao kneeling, can’t the innocence of Song Jinxiu be told to the villagers?"

Mu Yuanxiu continued, "Rest assured, Third Brother, though he’s kneeling and the villagers won’t speak to him, it doesn’t mean they aren’t curious about why he’s kneeling. They will certainly inquire, and didn’t some villagers you asked Yu Zhu to invite witness the Pavilion Chief interrogating him firsthand?"

"... ..."

"Moreover, Tian Sanbao is holding a sign, and it lists his crimes. In a few days, the news will spread throughout the village, but the villagers despise him. Even if they know about Song Jinxiu’s grievances and the wrongs he’s done, they won’t speak on his behalf."

Hearing Mu Yuanxiu’s explanation, Li Xing’an slapped his leg and laughed heartily, "I must say, Mu Yuanxiu, you have a dark heart. Tian Sanbao will be tortured to death by you! Hahaha!"

Mu Yuanxiu sneered, "He brought this upon himself, deservedly so! When he behaved unethically, and now in his downfall, the villagers won’t let him off!"

.

Within a few miles, the mule cart and carriage soon reached the Li Family.

Uncle Gui was wielding a big broom, sweeping the fallen leaves blown in front of the door by the wind.

Seeing many carriages approaching, he immediately stopped sweeping and leaned on the broom to watch.

Mu Yuanxiu stopped the mule cart and shouted to Uncle Gui, "Uncle Gui, we’re back."

Uncle Gui walked over with a smile, "Did you stay up all night? Must be tired, come in quickly, come in, I’ll go ask Nanny Jiang to make you something hot to eat."

Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an also got off the carriage.

They walked together to the other carriage and invited the Pavilion Chief to get out.

Uncle Gui, an old servant of the Chai Family, often saw the Pavilion Chief at the Chai Family and recognized him immediately, exclaiming in surprise, "So early in the morning, why has the Pavilion Chief come?"

"Uncle Gui, how have you been?" said the Pavilion Chief with a smile and a nod.

"Quite well, quite well," Uncle Gui replied with a smile and a nod.

Li Yuzhu said, "Uncle Gui, the Pavilion Chief has come to pay respects to my father. Please go and invite my father; I’ll first take the Pavilion Chief inside for some rest."

"Alright then." Uncle Gui set down the broom and headed towards the school next door.

Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an escorted the Pavilion Chief and a few of his followers into the house together.

Mu Yuanxiu parked the mule cart and followed them inside.

Li Xing’an, Mu Yuanxiu, and the Pavilion Chief’s group went to the North Courtyard Main House, while Li Yuzhu went to the kitchen to find Nanny Jiang.

Upon learning that everyone had returned at this hour, Nanny Jiang immediately started a fire to prepare a hot soup with shredded salted pork and noodles.

Li Yuzhu yawned as she sat by the stove, warming herself, "Nanny Jiang, please add a poached egg for everyone."

"Sure, we have plenty of eggs at home; you can eat till you’re full," Nanny Jiang replied with a smile.

After warming up by the fire for a while, Li Yuzhu washed up, changed her clothes, and went back into the house.

In the school, upon learning that his son and Mu Yuanxiu had brought the Pavilion Chief, Prince Luling immediately assigned two older children to maintain discipline in the classroom. Then, with hands clasped behind his back, he entered the house and headed towards the North Courtyard Main Hall.

The Pavilion Chief was sipping on the tea brewed by Mu Yuanxiu. When he saw Prince Luling enter the main house, he quickly put down his teacup and stood up to greet him, "Greetings, Landlord Li—oh no, Mr. Li, I am the Pavilion Chief of this locality."

Prince Luling loved being addressed as Mr. Li. He returned the greeting with a hearty laugh, "I heard from my son and daughter that the Pavilion Chief rushed to Qingshui River Village overnight to handle matters concerning Mr. Song’s house and to stand up for Mr. Song’s granddaughter. The Pavilion Chief has worked hard."

The Pavilion Chief was delighted to receive Prince Luling’s affirmation and responded humbly, "I’m the Pavilion Chief of this region; resolving villagers’ disputes is part of my duty."

Prince Luling remarked that it was the first time he had seen a Pavilion Chief personally handling village disputes, which demonstrated the Pavilion Chief’s dedication.

His words made the Pavilion Chief feel elated and even more in high spirits.

When the County Magistrate’s kin praises him, won’t the County Magistrate praise him too in the future?

Li Yuzhu, having changed her clothes, returned to the kitchen where Nanny Jiang had finished cooking the hot noodle soup. Together with Nanny Jiang, she brought several bowls to the North Courtyard Main House.

Prince Luling invited the Pavilion Chief to join them for breakfast.

Having stayed up all night, they were cold and hungry. After a few polite exchanges, they all began to eat together.

Prince Luling also had a small bowl.

After breakfast, the Pavilion Chief took his leave.

Prince Luling sent Li Xing’an to escort them.

Before leaving, the Pavilion Chief invited Prince Luling to visit his home. Prince Luling, being someone who seldom went out, politely agreed and said he would visit when he had time.

The Pavilion Chief left satisfied.

After the Pavilion Chief left, Prince Luling inquired again about the outcome of Li Yuzhu and their handling of Song Jinxiu’s situation.

Li Yuzhu explained it all over again.

Prince Luling said, "Although you punished the villain this time and he may stay honest for a while, the Song Family is just an old grandfather and his weak young granddaughter. I’m afraid other villains will come to bully them in the future."

Li Xing’an frowned, "Then what should we do? Send someone to look after them?"

"Find a powerful family for Song Jinxiu to marry into," Li Yuzhu suggested after some thought.

Prince Luling nodded, "That’s indeed a good idea. Yuzhu, when you meet Miss Song, advise her this way."

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Got it. I’ve already spoken to mother about her situation, and she said she would keep an eye out."

Just then, as they were talking about the Song Family, the gatekeeper Uncle Gui came and said Mr. Song and Song Jinxiu had come to express their gratitude for the rescue.

Prince Luling smiled and said, "Why is Mr. Song being so polite? He’s old, why did he come personally? I’ll go greet them."

He walked to the front yard, where Mr. Song and Song Jinxiu were resting in a side room by the house entrance.

Upon seeing Prince Luling, Mr. Song expressed his thanks repeatedly.

Which made Prince Luling feel a bit embarrassed from the praise.

.

Tian Sanbao’s issue ultimately alarmed his mother, Mrs. Tian Song.

Mrs. Tian Song immediately went to find Tian Sanbao, forbidding him to kneel and telling him to return.

But no matter what, Tian Sanbao refused to get up, insisting, "Mother, the Pavilion Chief said that unless the whole village knows that Song Jinxiu was falsely accused, I can’t get up, otherwise, he will punish me more severely."

Mrs. Tian Song angrily said, "I will find your uncle."

She angrily rushed to the Song Lizheng’s house, entered, and started cursing, blaming Song Lizheng for not helping her son, and for not helping his nephew.

In the past, when Song Lizheng refused to help, Mrs. Tian Song’s scolding made both Song Lizheng and his wife fearful and guilty.

But today, the matter was handled by the Pavilion Chief, what could Song Lizheng do?

A lesser official must obey even unwillingly!

Mrs. Song Lizheng had always disliked this sister-in-law, as the mother and son had frequently caused trouble for their family.

This time she seized the opportunity to vent her anger and said, "Aunt, if it were a different matter, you blame us for not helping Sanbao, we wouldn’t say anything. But for today’s matter, we can’t help, that’s the Pavilion Chief! We cannot afford to provoke! A lesser official must obey even unwillingly! Do you want Sanbao’s uncle to defy the Pavilion Chief and go to jail? Defying a superior will lead to punishment!"

Whether there would be a criminal charge, no one knew, as no village chief had ever defied a Pavilion Chief.

Mrs. Song Lizheng disliked her sister-in-law Mrs. Tian Song and intentionally said it to scare her.

Song Lizheng, who hadn’t spoken all this while, looked at his wife with satisfaction.

Mrs. Tian Song came with fury but was left seething with anger and unable to say another word, stomped her foot, and left.

Unable to vent her anger, she went to find trouble with Song Jinxiu, but this time, Song Jinxiu wasn’t afraid of her. Song Jinxiu remembered Li Yuzhu’s words, "The Pavilion Chief said if anyone dares to come and scold, tell me to find him."

She changed from her usual timid behavior and fiercely shouted back.

Mrs. Tian Song was taken aback by her attitude, and thinking of her son’s situation, she didn’t dare to scold any further, suppressed her anger, and left dejectedly.

Even Tian Sanbao didn’t dare to provoke Song Jinxiu.

Song Jinxiu lived a quiet life.

But her dislike for seeing Tian Sanbao led her to always keep the Song family’s main door closed, using the back door for her and Mr. Song’s activities.

.

Things happened just as Mu Yuanxiu had said.

Though no one paid attention to Tian Sanbao, everyone knew that Tian Sanbao had harassed Song Jinxiu and falsely accused her with his mother’s help.

This mother and son were generally disliked in the village, and this served as an opportunity to punish Tian Sanbao.

After Tian Sanbao finished his month-long kneeling penalty, during the rest time when the sun set, he sought out Mu Yuanxiu, asking him to check if the villagers were aware.

Mu Yuanxiu was waiting for him to make a request. At Qingshui River Village, he casually pulled aside a passerby and asked, but the passerby waved him off, saying they didn’t know.

He asked a few more people, but they also claimed not to know.

Some of these people pretended to be deaf, and others to be mute.

Mu Yuanxiu said, "Tian Sanbao, there are still a lot of people who don’t know, so continue kneeling."

Tian Sanbao was left dumbfounded.