Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In an instant, a glimmer of clever amusement flashed in her eyes as she beckoned the family closer with a finger. Once everyone gathered around, she whispered a few words.
After her murmurs, she asked Xia Jihua to describe Liu Dazhuang's appearance. Finally, she instructed one of them, Ming Peng, to keep watch at the village entrance and report back if anyone matching that description entered the village.
An hour passed.
The winter sun was warm. Aunt Xia sat in the sunlight, working on her needlework while wearing a gray coat full of patches that had faded from washing. Her face was waxy and yellow, suggesting malnutrition, and she looked listless as she stitched with little enthusiasm.
Summer Forest was busy moving firewood alongside Xia Tieshu. Their clothing was even worse than Aunt Xia's; their winter clothes were patched together with various pieces of fabric in mismatched colors, creating a disjointed appearance. Their faces were no better than Aunt Xia's. Meanwhile, Xia Muxin and Ermiao were working in the kitchen, while Xia Xiaosong helped by tending the fire.
The most uncomfortable was Ming Yi, who had been assigned to play the villain this time because the eldest wasn't participating in this game—this was what Miss Muxin had said, intending to play along with her.
After hearing Miss Muxin's rules for the game, the eldest took Golden Python up the mountain. However, many "furnishings" had been moved into Golden Python's small house; clutter was spilling out everywhere. Xia Muxin had set up several bedding areas inside and moved everything that had survived the fire from the thatched cottage into this new space. Clearly, it was becoming a "home."
A short while ago, Ming Peng had sent word that Liu Dazhuang had entered the village—and he wasn't alone; there were four of them.
At this moment, Xia Tieshu was stacking firewood outside the courtyard but kept glancing toward the front. Upon seeing four figures of varying heights approaching, he signaled to Xia Muxin.
Understanding his cue, Xia Muxin picked up a broom and began sweeping the courtyard. The yard was open-air; after the rain stopped that day, they had put away the oil paper.
In the center of the courtyard sat Ming Yi, wearing a brightly colored polka-dotted long cotton robe. His hair appeared slicked down with something oily, and he sported a mustache at his mouth's corners. He lounged on Aunt Xia's usual chair, which was covered with a thick blanket, looking lazy as he hummed a tune absentmindedly.
Beside the chair stood a small table laden with delicious pastries and snacks like peanuts and sunflower seeds. Ermiao was attentively serving tea and water nearby.
Ming Yi felt wronged and glanced awkwardly at the well-dressed Xia Muxin. After a moment of silent lamentation, he was relieved that the boss had gone out. Otherwise, if he saw her like this and made Xia Muxin do this and that, even if it was just for the sake of acting, he could guess that there would still be a punishment afterward.
"Wow, Brother Dazhuang, your wife’s family must be wealthy! Look at this house, tsk tsk tsk, it's hundreds of times better than the big mansion of the village head."
"No wonder she called us brothers over; we’re going to have a good drink tonight."
"This damn woman, no wonder she doesn’t want to go back. Turns out life is good here; no one at home even cooks."
"Hahaha, your skills in raising slaves are quite impressive."
"......"
Faintly, conversations like these drifted in from outside. Liu Dazhuang's voice boomed like thunder, harsh and grating. Xia Muxin gripped the broom tightly, her chest burning with anger, wishing she could strike those men with it right then and there.
"Uh... Uncle, you’re here! Please come inside."
Xia Tieshu had been outside the courtyard. Since he was the one who went to invite Xia Jihua back last time, he recognized Liu Dazhuang at a glance. Now seeing him, a hint of awkwardness crossed his face as he hurriedly rubbed his dusty hands and politely spoke.
"Iron Tree, is Dazhuang here? Quickly bring him inside."
Aunt Xia also slowly stood up from the hard bench with some effort. The sunlight was a bit blinding, so she shielded her eyes with her hand and called out warmly.
At that moment, Xia Xiaosong rushed out with a face full of wood ash and stood beside Xia Muxin. Upon seeing Liu Dazhuang, they both shouted in unison, "Uncle!"
Liu Dazhuang and the others were initially smiling, but upon seeing the attire of the Xia family, their expressions darkened. They walked over to Aunt Xia, expecting her to lead them through the grand entrance of the mansion. Instead, she entered a nondescript bungalow at the corner of the yard.
Looking inside from the outside, it was a mess. In such a large room, there were four makeshift beds on the floor, surrounded by old and mismatched furniture, none of which was intact. A table with a missing leg held several chipped bowls, and atop them were a few discolored remnants of food.
Despite it being mid-winter, a faint odor of spoiled cabbage lingered in the air.
Xia Muxin winked at Xia Xiaosong, who quickly ran to Aunt Xia's side and timidly said, "Mom, while you serve tea to Uncle and the others, I'll take these vegetables down to the river to wash. We still have some rice bran at home; it would be nice to cook it all together."
As Xia Xiaosong spoke, he found a half-broken wooden basin and began to fill it with firewood. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly heard Xia Muxin say, "Songzi, did you pee in this wooden basin again? It looks damp. I told you that you're not a child anymore. This basin used to hold your waste when you were little, but now it's cleaned up and is the only wooden basin we have. If you keep doing this, aren't you making everyone drink your urine?"
With that remark...
Xia Muxin's words made Ming Yi burst into laughter uncontrollably, while Ermiao blushed at the astonished look on Xia Tieshu's face.
This girl truly thrived on chaos.
"Where is Xia Jihua? Where is she?"
Liu Dazhuang and his companions were completely bewildered. Looking at the yellowing and rotting vegetable leaves made their stomachs churn. They were poor too, but not to this extent. Besides, Xia Jihua was capable; she managed their household well and never let them run short of vegetables.
Suddenly, her true nature was revealed as she shouted loudly at Aunt Xia.
"I... I... I... am here."
At that moment, Xia Jihua was holding a large flower vase, her face and hair covered in dust. Aside from her eyes, it was almost impossible to recognize her. In her hand, she clutched a very clean cloth, clearly having been cleaning.
Liu Dazhuang was known for his addiction to alcohol, gambling, and smoking. His teeth were black and yellow, and he spoke with a strong odor. His skin was dark, and he had a tall and rough physique. Xia Muxin couldn't fathom how Xia Jihua had endured Liu Dazhuang's torment in the past.
Now, seeing the vase in Xia Jihua's arms, Liu Dazhuang's eyes lit up completely. Without even glancing at Xia Jihua, he reached out with his large hand to snatch the vase.
"Brother, this is high-end merchandise! I saw one like it at a wealthy family's house; it must be worth at least several hundred taels."
Upon seeing this, one of the men nearby had a greedy glint in his eyes as he moved closer to the vase and gave Liu Dazhuang a thumbs up.
"Husband, we can't do this. This belongs to Master Ming's family. If we break it, we wouldn't be able to pay with our lives."
Xia Jihua understood Liu Dazhuang's nature well; he could be described as insatiable. He would think of every possible way to get his hands on anything that could be sold or stolen from their home and then resell it. He would take the money from those sales to drink and gamble. When he got drunk and lost, he would vent his frustrations on her. The rest of the family turned a blind eye as long as she wasn't killed; they wouldn't intervene.
After beating her, she still had to serve him by helping him bathe and endure various humiliations in bed.
The next day, regardless of whether she felt unwell or not, as long as she had breath in her body, she would be dragged up to work. Several times she thought about ending it all, believing she might not see another sunrise. But over time, she became numb; she no longer dared to retort or harbor resentment. Like a puppet, she did whatever they said. Whatever they asked her to do, she complied. She was truly terrified of being beaten, which explained why she was so timid when she first arrived.
Today, however, she was determined to take a stand. Even if living in Daimiao Village meant never being able to hold her head high again, she refused to return to the Liu family.
"Master Liu?"
At this moment, Liu Dazhuang finally noticed Ming Yi, who was enjoying tea and snacks in the courtyard.
"Weren't you supposed to come for the wedding feast? How did you end up here, working for someone else? Tell me, how much are you getting paid for this day? How many days have you worked? Have you been paid yet?"
The Liu family had many brothers, and their reputation was not good. The villagers were afraid to provoke them; even if something was stolen, they would let the village chief handle it, but the outcome was always inconclusive because the Liu family would threaten anyone with a knife if they felt wronged. They were notorious for their bullying behavior.
Moreover, there were very few families left in Dabai Village now; most had relocated. The area was prone to landslides and mudslides whenever it rained. The more industrious villagers had moved to other mountains to clear land for farming, eventually building wooden houses or thatched cottages, leaving behind their fears.
Those who were older and lacked support at home, or those like the Liu family who were unwilling to work and lacked ambition, remained behind. Gradually, outsiders began to refer to the place as a den of thugs.
At this moment, hearing Liu Dazhuang's barrage of questions, Xia Jihua turned pale with fear. After a long pause, she weakly stammered, "Yes, yes, we came for the wedding feast. That’s Iron Tree’s wife; her family has moved too. It’s that house over there. Their thatched cottage collapsed under the weight of snow before. Master Ming kindly offered some of his belongings to help them out, but... but this money is counted as part of our wages."
Xia Jihua swallowed hard several times as she spoke, panting from the effort. Fortunately, she had rehearsed her words multiple times and managed not to falter.
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang furrowed his brow tightly and grabbed Xia Jihua's hand, gritting his teeth as he said:
"You damned woman! Even after getting married, you're still sending money back to your family? Do you want to die?"
Xia Jihua trembled at his grip and burst into tears on the spot.
Summer Forest and Summer Old Man tried several times to speak up but were stopped by Xia Muxin. With someone as unreasonable as Liu Dazhuang, they knew he wouldn't give up until he got what he wanted.
At that moment, there was a loud crash, as if something had been shattered inside the house. After a moment, two Black-Clad Guards dragged out a trembling figure resembling a girl, followed by a butler-like person holding a dustpan filled with fragments of something.
The butler bowed respectfully to Ming Yi and said, "Master, this reckless servant has broken your most cherished Glass Coral."
Ming Yi lazily glanced at the contents of the dustpan, then straightened up, took a sip of tea, and replied, "This Glass Coral was originally bought for a hundred taels of gold. Although it has been placed here for several years, it is still quite valuable. Since you have shown kindness, how about compensating with eighty taels of gold?"
His tone was languid and his demeanor haughty, speaking in a rather cold manner. The maid was so frightened that she fell to the ground and hurriedly bowed her head to him, saying, "Master, please spare me. I didn't do it on purpose; I came to work here because my family is poor. I didn't know, I didn't know..."
The maid's words trailed off as she struggled to continue.
"Fine!"
Seeing the maid repeatedly bowing her head, Ming Yi let out a loud shout, stood up, brushed off his robe, and said, "As per the usual rules, the ten great punishments will be applied. If you survive this matter, I will not pursue it further; if you die, then it is simply fate."
The maid wanted to plead for mercy again but was directly pinned down by two fierce Black-Clad Guards. Then another Black-Clad Guard brought over a long bench. They lifted the maid onto the bench and bound her limbs with hemp ropes, placing a noose around her neck before pulling in four directions until her arms and legs were stretched to their maximum extent before stopping.
The maid cried uncontrollably, her face drained of color, nearly torn apart.
Then, several Black-Clad Guards brought out tools and a brazier, where iron blocks were sizzling away, along with saltwater and a whip.
Ming Yi saw that everything was prepared, so he sat back down in the lounge chair. This time, he took a pear and began to slice it with a small knife, but he did not eat it. Once the pear was nearly peeled, he lifted his gaze to the maid and said with interest:
"Let's begin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the long snake-like black whip struck the maid's back. She let out a terrible scream as a blood mark appeared through her thick Cotton Jacket. Today, she was wearing a light-colored Cotton Jacket, making the bloodstain particularly noticeable.
The Black-Clad Guards continued whipping without pausing for her screams, increasing their speed as they struck her again and again. After more than ten lashes, the maid's head drooped, her eyes closed, and she fainted completely.
Her thick Cotton Jacket was already stained red with blood, which flowed down onto the floor.
"Pour saltwater on her."
Seeing her fainted, another Black-Clad Guard picked up a wooden bucket and was about to pour it on her when he was stopped by another Black-Clad Guard. The latter held a red-hot iron piece with tongs and said:
"Better to use the iron to burn her."
With that, he moved the iron piece toward the unconscious maid. In that critical moment, Xia Jihua cried out:
"Master Ming, please spare her! She's just an innocent young girl; she'll die like this."
As soon as the word "death" was mentioned, Ming Yi's eyes lit up, and he signaled to the Black-Clad Guards. They stepped forward to check the maid's breathing and then calmly leaned down to say:
"Master, she has already passed away."
Upon hearing this, Ming Yi was completely thrilled. He forcefully stabbed the knife he held into the table beside him and laughed:
"Good, I heard she was still a virgin. It has been a long time since I've had such fresh roasted meat. You lot, keep her for now, clean her up properly, and throw away the internal organs. In half an hour, I want to eat this tender and fragrant roasted meat."
After saying this, Ming Yi sat back down. The Black-Clad Guards did not dare to delay for even a moment; they quickly untied the maid and dragged her outside the courtyard.
At this moment, Liu Dazhuang was completely stunned, his legs trembling uncontrollably. The three people he brought along were no exception; all they could see were the bloodstains on the back and the segments where the ropes had pulled at her eyes until they turned white. Suddenly, one of them couldn't hold it in any longer and squatted down to vomit.
This vomiting caused quite a stir. Ming Yi became furious, his cold gaze fixating on several people as he coldly ordered:
"I do not eat male roasted meat; you all will whip those men’s corpses for me."
Bang...
As soon as Ming Yi finished speaking, the men who had just vomited trembled and collapsed onto the ground. One of them fell directly onto Liu Dazhuang, who was already feeling weak as a rag doll. When that person bumped into him, the vase in his arms fell to the ground, and there happened to be two small bricks right under his feet. The vase shattered upon hitting those bricks.
Seeing this, Ming Yi lazily remarked:
"This vase isn't expensive; it only costs fifty taels of silver, not gold. Who will pay for it?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Xia family, seven members in total excluding Xia Jihua who was outside, pointed at Liu Dazhuang.
“He’s the one.”
Liu Dazhuang trembled and fell to his knees, shaking his head repeatedly.
“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me.” Suddenly, he looked at Xia Jihua, whose face was streaked with tears, and a vicious glint flashed in his eyes as he pointed at her.
“It’s her! She’s the one!”
Ming Yi, seeing their attempts to shift blame, grew impatient. He stepped forward, towering over Liu Dazhuang and Xia Jihua. After a moment's pause, he said,
“She... is too old; the meat isn’t good. You two are married, right?”
Liu Dazhuang nodded vigorously at this.
“Indeed, out of fairness and reason, you are not a servant of this household, so you cannot be held responsible. However, since you are married, there’s nothing to separate you. I happen to need a human pig for entertainment, and you seem just right for the role.”
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang completely collapsed. Suddenly, an idea struck him; he sat up and knelt before Ming Yi, repeatedly bowing his head.
“Lord, we—we are not married! She is merely a slave I purchased with my money! I can write a divorce letter right now and dismiss her. Whatever you wish to do with her has nothing to do with me—nothing at all!”
Ming Yi pretended to ponder for a moment before continuing.
"You do have a point. After all, you are not from this village. If I were to deal with you, it would be hard to justify. Fine, go ahead and write the divorce letter for now. I'll think of a new way to handle this."
Upon hearing this, Liu Dazhuang and the others nodded repeatedly. The butler took over and wrote the divorce letter, stating that Xia Jihua's life and death would no longer concern Liu Dazhuang. They then forced Liu Dazhuang to place his handprint on the document. Xia Jihua refused to comply, but several people held him down and pressed his hand onto the paper. The witnesses who had come with him also placed their handprints beside his. Overwhelmed, Xia Jihua fainted from the pressure and was eventually dragged away.
Seeing that the handprint had been made, Liu Dazhuang didn't care about Xia Jihua's current state and hurriedly ran outside.
Once Liu Dazhuang left, Xia Muxin and the others began to tidy up the courtyard and change their clothes.
"Ming Yi, you stop right there! Just now you were tying me up and whipping me! And what’s that blood on the whip? It stinks! I've washed it three times, and it still smells."
Just as they finished their tasks, a tall man wielding a sword chased after Ming Yi, trying to strike him.
This man was Ming Qi, the seventh among a group of ten. With his fair complexion and somewhat delicate features, combined with the limited number of women in his family, Xia Muxin had assigned him to play the role of a maid.
Ming Yi looked aggrieved; he was forced into this situation. After all, Xia Muxin had said he had a face suited for seduction, making him perfect for playing the villain. The eldest brother was a complete slave to his wife, and as soon as Muxin spoke up, she had sentenced him to this fate. Was it easy for a strong young man like him to sacrifice his dignity?
Ming Yi dodged back and forth as he was chased, while the others watched the playful scuffle with amusement. Eventually cornered with no way out, Ming Yi hid behind Xia Muxin.
"Master's master, you started this fire; you need to help put it out!"
- End of Chapter -
Comment 0 Comment Count