Last night, Zhao Er Gou and Zhao San Niu had wanted to go to Cheng village to demand repayment of a debt. After she objected, she thought the two lads had given up the idea, but she didn't expect them to sneak off anyway.
All the villagers in Cheng village were surnamed Cheng, having lived together for generations. How could they possibly allow two lads surnamed Zhao to go there and throw their weight around?
Cheng Loan Loan and Zhao Da Shan didn't even eat, rushing to Cheng village under the midday sun.
In the original owner's memory, Cheng village wasn't far at all; the original owner would occasionally visit her maternal home. But Cheng Loan Loan felt it was very far. Her legs were giving out, and she still couldn't see any sign of Cheng village.
Ancient people really had it too hard, relying on their two legs to get around, walking to the point of doubting life itself.
Once she had money, she definitely had to buy a carriage.
Thinking of this, Cheng Loan Loan couldn't help but smile bitterly. One moment she wanted to buy a big quilt, the next a pot, then to build a house, and now she even wanted a carriage. Her thoughts were truly beautiful, but reality was so cruel...
After walking for who knew how long, they finally saw a cluster of villages.
Cheng village had more residents than Da He village and looked a bit wealthier. The only similarity was that this village also lacked water, and the rice paddies were all dry.
Cheng Loan Loan, familiar with the way, went straight to the Cheng family's gate.
Before she even stepped inside, she saw a sight that made her eyes nearly pop out.
Zhao Er Gou and Zhao San Niu were tied with ropes to a locust tree in the courtyard. The sun beat down directly on their heads. They hadn't had water; the two children's lips were cracked and bleeding, and their small faces were extremely pale, as if they would faint any second.
"Er Gou!"
"San Niu!"
Zhao Da Shan charged in furiously.
The two saw their elder brother coming and thought he was there to rescue them, but as soon as they looked up, they saw Cheng Loan Loan entering with a grim face. The two were so scared their faces turned even paler.
A long time ago, their mother had suffered anger at the Cheng family, and they had come here to get justice for her. But in the end, their mother gave them a severe beating.
In short, no matter how bad the Cheng family was, their mother never allowed them to come cause trouble for them.
But they were truly too angry, which was why they snuck here. It wouldn't matter if they couldn't get the twenty taels of silver back, but they had to make the Cheng family suffer some loss...
But it seemed they had messed things up. Would their mother side with the Cheng family even more now?
Zhao Er Gou and Zhao San Niu leaned weakly against the locust tree. Their lips were cracked, and moving them even slightly caused excruciating pain.
"Da Shan's mother, you've come at just the right time!" Old Mrs. Cheng emerged from the room, her face full of anger. "These two Zhao family brats are truly outrageous! They actually dared to come to our Cheng family and steal a chicken! The Cheng family's last hen had its neck twisted by these two good-for-nothings! This chicken laid one egg a day, thirty eggs a month, which could be exchanged for dozens of copper coins, and now it's dead..."
Cheng Loan Loan looked at the two tied-up lads. They didn't dare to look at her, which meant Old Mrs. Cheng's words were true.
Old Mrs. Cheng spoke with righteous indignation: "This chicken was a great benefactor to our entire Cheng family! Whether your eldest grandson can study or not depends on the eggs this chicken lays! I don't need much, just two taels of silver. Hand it over right now!"
Hearing this, Cheng Loan Loan burst out laughing.
This Trinh family member is truly something else. Yesterday, they beat the original owner until their head split open and bled, causing them to die from excessive blood loss. Today, they've tied up the original owner's two sons, and now they even have the nerve to demand money!
Even with food being scarce right now, a hen wouldn't sell for that much on the market. Two taels of silver could buy dozens of chickens!
What's more, Trinh Chieu was able to study all this time because his aunt subsidized him. What does that have to do with that hen?
If they want to settle accounts, then every single item must be accounted for clearly!