CHAPTER 413: CHAPTER 413: THE SILVER NOTE IS LOST

Fifty taels of silver was the lifetime savings of a peasant household, but not a single one of the He Family People present envied it.

Compared to fifty taels of silver, everyone desired the reliance on their clan more.

Without the support of a clan, anyone would dare to bully you. And if you were bullied without the help of clan relatives, and if you yourself had no capabilities, that could be very miserable.

After Village Chief He gave the silver note to He Minzi, he turned and glared at the He Family People, raising his voice to warn, "Listen well, all of you. If anyone dares to harbor ill intentions again, He Dashu’s family will be your fate!"

He sneered coldly, "No, your end will be even worse than He Dashu’s family. I will not spend any more money to buy your fields and houses. If you are expelled from the clan, any property passed down by our He family ancestors will be reclaimed by the clan! Whether you live or die then will be your own fate!!"

He was willing to spend money to buy He Dashu’s family’s land and house this time because he didn’t want to cause a death, but if anyone in the clan still did not learn their lesson, he had no more money to help them.

The last sentence from Village Chief He was almost roared out, frightening all the He Family People present, who nodded in agreement.

Village Chief He’s gaze fell on He Daqian and Fourth Son He, scaring them so much they shivered and quickly assured, "Chief, rest assured, we absolutely dare not covet those few families."

Village Chief He scoffed coldly, "It’s up to you. In the end, it will be you who die, you who are expelled and driven out of the village. Feel free to cause trouble."

Upon hearing these words, He Daqian and Fourth Son He were genuinely scared. When they looked at He Dashu who had been beaten black and blue, and who had passed out, they shuddered.

"Dayuan, escort them to pack their things and drive them out of the village," said Village Chief He, exhausted but not going home to rest. Supported by He Jinseng, a group went to He Dashu’s family, had people in the village help them pack, and then drove them out of the village.

After He Dashu’s family was driven out of the village, they were untied and knelt at the entrance of the village begging Village Chief He to let them return.

Village Chief He, determined to make an example of them, did not agree.

He Liangzi, an impatient man, saw that Village Chief He disagreed and immediately stood up, dusting off his knees, and spat, "Pah, if we can’t return, then we won’t. Do you think our family is longing for this shabby village?"

With fifty taels of silver, their family could move to live in town.

Mrs. He Liu gently helped He Cui’er’s mother, softly saying, "Mother-in-law, the Mo Family’s dilapidated straw shack is uninhabitable. My maternal home is in Gui Liu Village, not far from here, just a half an hour walk. Let’s first settle at my maternal home tonight, and tomorrow let Liangzi report to my grandfather’s home. Afterward, we will bring generous gifts to my grandfather’s home to register our residence."

Mrs. He Liu’s words struck a chord with He Cui’er’s mother, who was thinking of moving to her own maternal home, and returning with fifty taels of silver notes would be considered quite prestigious.

"We’ll first settle at your maternal home, then tomorrow we will return with me to your grandfather’s house," He Cui’er’s mother immediately ordered He Minzi and his brothers to carry He Dashu, and the whole family took their valuable farming tools, iron pots, vegetable knives, woodcutting knives, and a change of clothes, as well as the children, and left for Mrs. He Liu’s maternal home.

Half an hour later, He Cui’er’s family arrived at Mrs. He Liu’s maternal home.

Mrs. Huang was Mrs. He Liu’s mother, who, upon seeing Mrs. He Liu bringing back a large group of people to her maternal home, initially wanted to turn them away. But after a few words from Mrs. He Liu, Mrs. Huang immediately warmed up and made a late-night chicken meal for He Cui’er’s family.

There wasn’t enough room in the house, so Mrs. Huang had Old Man Liu take his four sons and grandsons to stay with other families in the village, freeing up their house for He Cui’er’s family.

He Cui’er’s mother saw that her in-laws treated her family so well, she was very happy, and even happier that all the men of the Liu Family had left.

He Cui’er’s mother patted the silver note in her inner pocket, feeling much more at ease. With the Liu Family’s men gone, her family could live in peace, without worrying about anything happening in the middle of the night.

But God did not bless them; at daybreak the next morning, He Cui’er’s mother let out a shriek: "Ah! The silver note, the fifty taels silver note is gone!"

He Cui’er’s mother was calling out like a madwoman, waking up He Liangzi and the others. Upon hearing that the fifty taels silver note was missing, they immediately ran over and asked, "Mother, what are you saying? The silver note is gone? Wasn’t that note always carried close to your body? How could it disappear?"

He Cui’er and Mrs. He Liu didn’t get along. Ever since Mrs. He Liu said she wanted to come to the Liu Family, she felt something was not right, and immediately grabbed Mrs. He Liu’s collar and accused, "Mrs. He Liu, speak, was it your parents’ family who stole the silver note?"

He Cui’er’s mother, hearing this, also felt it must have been people from the Liu Family who took the silver note, and immediately grabbed Mrs. He Liu’s hair, slapping her twice, "You heartless wretch, only looking out for your poisonous woman of a mother’s family, daring to collude with your mother’s family to steal our silver note, I will tear you apart!"

Mrs. He Liu was hit and immediately cried out for help, "Somebody, help me, oh help, murder!"

Mrs. Huang, hearing this, immediately led her four daughters-in-law over, and saw Mrs. He Liu being hit. Without a second word, she started hitting He Cui’er and her daughter.

The Liu Family women outnumbered and overpowered them, and before long, He Cui’er and her mother were beaten black and blue.

Upon seeing this, He Minzi and He Liangzi stepped in to help, but Mrs. Huang immediately tore her throat shouting, "Someone help, it’s a loss of all decency, the young men from the He family have come to our Liu family to abuse women!"

Mrs. He Liu’s mother’s voice was unusually loud, and since they lived in the middle of the village, surrounded by neighbors, hearing this, the Liu family people came running with hoes, shovels, and sticks, and before long, they had captured the He Minzi brothers.

The four grandchildren of the He family were so scared they trembled, hiding in the corner and crying.

He Liangzi was smart; seeing his own family members captured, he quickly said, "It’s a misunderstanding, I am a son-in-law to the Liu family, how could I do anything to the Liu women? It is the fifty taels silver note from our home that’s missing in the Liu family, we’re seeking the silver note here."

Mrs. Huang retorted, hands on hips, "Pah, fifty taels silver note? What state has your family fallen to, to have fifty taels silver note?"

He Minzi hurriedly explained, "How could we not have it? That’s the money we got from selling the fields and houses in Da Feng Village that the village chief personally gave to our He family in front of everyone. If you don’t believe it, go ask in Da Feng Village."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Huang quickly changed her tune, "Then you can’t look for the silver note in our home, you came to our place last night, from Da Feng Village to Gui Liu Village, it’s more than half an hour’s journey, your silver note must have dropped on the way, you better go back and search for it."

He Cui’er, furious, eyes red with anger, roared, "You’re talking nonsense, my mother checked the silver note last night before going to sleep, it was lost in your home, return the silver note to us immediately!"

Mrs. Huang wasn’t scared one bit, her own daughter had told her that He Dashu’s family had already been expelled from their own clan. No matter how they bullied them, the He family people would not come to help.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Huang immediately cried out, "You ungrateful wretches, our family kindly took you in, but you turn around and accuse us of theft, do you have no conscience?"

The Liu Family’s eldest daughter-in-law cried beside, "Fellow villagers and elders, the reason He Dashu’s family came to our house at midnight is because they were cast out of the village for slandering others. They have not changed their ways; just arrived at our house and they are accusing us of stealing their silver note. What sin have we committed to be bound to such in-laws?"

The people of Gui Liu Village were protective of their own, hearing this, they beat He Dashu’s family severely and even drove them out of Gui Liu Village.