Chapter 24 :- “Wasn’t That Pouch Meant for My Brother?”

 

As the New Year approached, the whole village bustled with festive preparations. Yet, for three days straight, Xu Laoda had been eating cold leftovers alone. Watching the lively scenes in other households, he finally couldn’t bear it anymore and made a trip to his mother-in-law’s home.

But despite his humble attitude and attempts to placate her, Madam Chen coldly shut him out, holding their son in her arms.

She made herself clear—”Sort out your mess first. Once it’s resolved, my son and I will return. Otherwise, you can live alone!”

With that, she slammed the door in his face.

No matter how much he yelled outside, no one paid him any attention. Left with no other choice, Xu Laoda slunk back to Fengtong Village in dejection.

As soon as he stepped through his own doorway, he was greeted by Wang Laizi, the bane of his existence, lounging in the courtyard—waiting for money.

Xu Laoda was already in a foul mood from Madam Chen’s scolding, and when Wang Laizi immediately opened his mouth to demand silver, it pushed him over the edge.

“Ten taels?! That’s too much! Even if you try to blackmail me by threatening to report me, I still won’t be able to afford it!”

Wang Laizi was growing impatient. At the same time, he was also wary—someone had already beaten him twice in the past few days. Whoever it was knew how to fight, and every time he tried to run, they easily caught him. The beatings were brutal, leaving him bruised and limping.

Having learned his lesson, Wang Laizi decided to focus solely on squeezing money out of Xu Laoda.

Smirking, he pointedly avoided touching the fresh wound on his lip as he sneered, “Then go get it from your niece!”

Wang Laizi truly could not understand how Xu Laoda could be so spineless.

Meanwhile, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his recent misfortunes weren’t just a coincidence. He felt like someone was watching him, targeting him on purpose—but he had no proof.

That made him even more desperate.

Clenching his teeth, he gave Xu Laoda a direct plan.

“Listen to me! That Xu Shuyue is living a good life in the Qi family! Word around the village is that they made a fortune selling some kind of sweet soup in town! Even rich folks are buying it! You just need to get her to cozy up to that old hag Wei, and—boom! Money in hand.”

Hearing this, Xu Laoda’s already sour expression twisted with anger.

If it weren’t for Wang Laizi’s interference last time, he would have already abducted Xu Shuyue and used her as leverage!

The more he thought about it, the darker his face became. He stared coldly at Wang Laizi for a long moment, his gaze so intense it sent chills down the latter’s spine.

Finally, Xu Laoda let out a slow, deliberate “Just you wait.”

He turned on his heel and walked out.

Wang Laizi blinked, dumbfounded. “Wait—what are we waiting for?!”

Xu Laoda didn’t answer. Wang Laizi was confused and followed him for a while, and found that he was at the old Qi family, so he felt assured.

Over the past few days, Eldest Brother Liang had been keeping an eye on Wang Laizi, just as Qi Qingfeng had instructed.

Sure enough, Wang Laizi went straight to Xu Laoda, and Eldest Brother Liang—crouched outside the courtyard wall—heard every single word of their conversation.

Then he saw Xu Laoda heading toward the Qi household.

Realizing what was about to happen, Eldest Brother Liang immediately sprinted ahead, rushing to warn Qi Qingfeng.

When Xu Shuyue heard Eldest Brother Liang breathlessly relay the news, she didn’t even need Qi Qingfeng to repeat it—she already knew.

“Wang Laizi took the bait.”

She smiled, unhurriedly stuffing a tael of silver and a few copper coins into her sleeve. Then, she casually told Madam Wei she was going to borrow some embroidery patterns from Aunt Hua, using it as an excuse to leave alone.

The past few days had been sunny, and the snow on the roads had melted, leaving the ground damp and muddy. Every step left deep imprints in the slush.

Xu Shuyue didn’t care.

She kept her senses sharp, listening intently to the surroundings while scanning her path.

Then—just as she reached a narrow alleyway—

A strong arm suddenly shot out, blocking her way.

Xu Shuyue didn’t even flinch. Instead, she curled her lips into a smirk before lifting her gaze to put on a performance.

Feigning fear, she gasped in exaggerated shock.

“You again?! What do you want from me this time?!”

Xu Laoda was under enormous pressure from his wife and Wang Laizi. He was desperate, but he knew he couldn’t afford to be too aggressive this time.

He forced a stiff, unnatural smile and attempted a gentle tone.

“Shuyue, listen to me. This time, I came to talk to you about something important…”

His voice was overly sweet, as if he were trying to sound affectionate.

“It’s about rebuilding your parents’ graves.”

Hearing Xu Laoda’s words, Xu Shuyue paused for a moment, seemingly surprised.

She acted as if she had just realized that this time, Xu Laoda wasn’t being outright hostile.

However, her tone remained cold and distant.

“My parents’ graves are my responsibility. There’s no need for you to concern yourself with them.”

Then, she brought up the past incident without hesitation, directly confronting him—

“But what I don’t understand is how you even have the nerve to come looking for me! You deliberately tried to harm your own niece—aren’t you afraid I’ll report you and have you thrown in jail?”

Her words didn’t faze Xu Laoda one bit.

He had anticipated Xu Shuyue’s resistance from the very beginning.

Internally, he cursed Madam Chen for coming up with such a terrible idea. But on the surface, he put on a look of genuine confusion.

“Harming my niece?” He furrowed his brows in apparent concern.

“Shuyue, have you been having nightmares again?”

With an aggrieved expression, he suddenly turned the blame onto the Qi family.

“That Qi family, I tell you! I entrusted my niece to them, and they can’t even be bothered to find a proper doctor to treat her hysteria. And yet, people in the village always say they’re ‘honest and kind-hearted’—huh!”

Xu Shuyue remained silent, simply watching him act.

Today, she had finally realized something—Xu Laoda had an exceptional talent for twisting the truth.

Thick-skinned and sharp-tongued, he could shamelessly rewrite reality right in front of her.

“Hysteria?”

She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Ever since I left your family, I haven’t been sick a single day.”

Xu Laoda sighed dramatically, as if deeply troubled.

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Your condition has gotten even worse.”

Then, in a serious and solemn tone, he declared, “But don’t worry. Since the Qi family won’t get you treatment, I will!”

Xu Shuyue’s brows knitted together.

What was he trying to pull now?

She knew that “Xu Shuyue” in the past often had nightmares, but she had never suffered from any so-called “hysteria.”

And yet, Xu Laoda went on, his words flowing effortlessly, as if he truly believed them.

“I found a miracle doctor who specializes in treating hysteria!”

“All you have to do, Shuyue, is hand over all the silver you have—ten taels, maybe even eight. With that, I can bring the doctor here, and I guarantee he’ll cure your illness completely!”

Then, as if fearing she wouldn’t comply, his expression suddenly turned cold.

His voice lowered dangerously as he revealed his true intentions—

“Otherwise, I’ll make sure the entire village knows you’re sick in the head. And when the Qi family gets tired of you and sends you back. You won’t have anywhere left to go.”

Before Xu Shuyue could react, Xu Laoda abruptly yanked the silver hairpin from her hair.

A few strands of her hair were ripped from her scalp, floating in the air before falling to the muddy ground.

Pain shot through her, and her body instinctively trembled.

Xu Laoda weighed the silver hairpin in his hand, his greedy eyes gleaming with excitement.

This thing had to be at least two taels of silver.

The Qi family sure was generous.

A sinister grin spread across his face.

“You know what, Shuyue?” he mused, rubbing the hairpin between his fingers.

“Ten taels is too little. Considering how much your parents did for me when they were alive, I’ll be kind and have the doctor stay a few extra days. Let’s make it twenty taels.”

“What do you say?”

Twenty taels?!

Why didn’t he just go rob someone directly?

Xu Shuyue almost rolled her eyes right then and there.

Her expression darkened, and she coldly asked, “Are you blackmailing me?”

Xu Laoda shamelessly spread his hands in feigned helplessness.

“Good niece, I have no other choice.”

“My wife is waiting for me to bring silver home so we can have a proper New Year’s feast! Besides, you eat and drink for free at the Qi family—what do you need money for? Wouldn’t it be better to help out your dear uncle instead?”

Xu Laoda’s confidence was unwavering.

Xu Shuyue clenched her fists, glaring at him for a long moment.

Finally, as if she had no other choice, she let out a sigh.

Lowering her head in apparent defeat, she muttered, “I don’t have that much silver on hand. Aunt Wei keeps a close eye on the money—I’d have to find out where she hides it.”

Hearing her reluctant compromise, Xu Laoda’s eyes lit up with joy. The heavy weight in his heart instantly vanished.

He grinned ear to ear.

“Good, good!”

“That’s my good niece! I’ll be waiting for the good news.”

“But remember—this miracle doctor won’t stay in town forever, so you’d better hurry!”

Xu Shuyue shoved a single tael of silver and a few copper coins into his hand.

Pretending to be frustrated, she muttered, “I know.”

Xu Laoda left in high spirits, clutching the silver and hairpin tightly.

Meanwhile, Xu Shuyue watched his retreating figure, her lips curving into a slow, meaningful smile.

She knew Xu Laoda too well.

Once money entered his hands, there was no way he would part with it.

But Wang Laizi wasn’t someone so easily brushed off.

Without silver to buy his silence, that man—who had already been beaten to a pulp—wouldn’t just sit quietly.

Sooner or later…

The two of them would turn on each other.

And when that happened, it would be a dogfight worth watching.

For the next few days, Xu Shuyue didn’t step foot outside the Qi household.

Instead, she focused all her energy on helping Madam Wei prepare food for the upcoming New Year.

Meanwhile, Xu Laoda, unable to get ahold of her, grew increasingly irritable.

At the same time, Wang Laizi—who had yet to receive his payment—was growing impatient.

Finally, he snapped.

He threw all pretense aside and snarled, “I never should have wasted my time demanding money from a broke bastard like you!”

“Well, that’s fine. I’ll just go straight to that girl myself. I heard you and your wife treated her like dirt. I bet she’d be delighted to see you get what you deserve.”

“If she gives me silver, I’ll even report you to the officials myself! You’re finished, you hear me?! I’m done playing your games!”

With his face still covered in bruises, Wang Laizi turned and stormed toward the courtyard gates.

For a split second, Xu Laoda’s mind went completely blank.

Then—pure terror crashed down on him like a tidal wave.

His only thought was, I can’t let Wang Laizi leave.

Grabbing a chopping knife, he lunged forward.

The blade glinted under the sun as a neighbor stared in horror.

And then—

“AAAAHHH! MURDER!”

A piercing scream shattered the peace of Fengtong Village.

When the village chief arrived with his men, Xu Laoda had already been tied up with ropes, struggling in vain.

Eldest Brother Liang, who had caught him trying to flee after realizing he had just committed murder, had swiftly subdued him.

With both witnesses and evidence at hand, Xu Laoda was convicted on the spot.

There was no room for argument, and he was immediately taken away by the county officials to face his punishment.

As for Wang Laizi’s lifeless body, since he had neither family nor spouse, the village chief simply ordered some men to dig a hole in the eastern mountains and bury him.

Qi Qingfeng relayed all of this information to Xu Shuyue, his tone calm yet complicated.

He couldn’t help but be shocked. All she had done was arrange for Wang Laizi to be beaten a few times and bait Xu Laoda with false promises—and that alone had been enough to get both men eliminated?

Qi Qingfeng lowered his gaze, pretending to read, but his mind was in turmoil. Meanwhile, Xu Shuyue sat across from him, carefully practicing her embroidery.

Noticing his troubled expression, she spoke without looking up.

“Do you think I was too ruthless?”

Qi Ansheng, who had been silently splitting bamboo strips nearby, didn’t understand the cryptic exchange between the two.

The rhythmic snap of bamboo against the ground and the soft clucking of chickens pecking at the dirt were the only sounds filling the quiet courtyard.

Amidst this backdrop, Qi Qingfeng murmured hesitantly,

“I don’t know.”

After all, Xu Laoda had threatened and extorted his own niece, was greedy and insatiable. Wang Laizi had been a village menace, and his death had brought relief to everyone. And yet, from beginning to end—Xu Shuyue had hardly done anything.

The two men had destroyed each other all on their own.

Hearing his response, Xu Shuyue immediately understood.

She chuckled lightly. “Then what you’re really afraid of…”

“Is that one day, I might use these same methods against someone in your family.”

Qi Qingfeng didn’t deny it. He simply sat there, the embroidery pouch in his hand, feeling an unsettling sense of unease.

Xu Shuyue, however, merely smiled and said, “I know exactly who treats me well and who doesn’t.”

“Besides, I still plan to open a shop in town with Father and Mother—I don’t have time to waste on playing dumb games.” Her voice was calm and composed, as if she had never been affected by any of this in the first place.

With that, she finished her embroidery, carefully cutting off the last thread. She held up the small, clumsy-looking embroidered pouch and handed it to Qi Qingfeng.

“Here.”

“Do you like it?”

Qi Qingfeng accepted the pouch, staring at its crooked stitches and uneven pattern.

For a moment, he was stunned.

Then, as if suddenly seeing everything in a new light, he found himself letting go of the doubts in his heart.

After all, he had been the one to beat up Wang Laizi first—wasn’t that for his sister-in-law’s sake? And now that she had finally gotten her revenge, why was he the one overthinking things? As he adjusted his mindset, he met Xu Shuyue’s expectant gaze.

Just then, a thought struck him. His expression shifted slightly. He looked at her, puzzled. “Wasn’t this pouch originally meant for my brother?”