At this moment, he realized his concern for Su Yu had long surpassed the instinct for self-preservation; that profound affection was etched deeply in his heart.
His emotions steadied slightly, and Jiang Ziling asked in a deep voice, "What should we do now?"
Su Yu, unflustered by the crisis, quickly found a rope and skillfully tied Jiang Youfu up before calmly suggesting, "You'd better go find the village chief and tell him we've caught a thief. As for whether to report to the authorities or settle it privately, let him decide. Remember to shout 'Thief!' as you walk, the louder the better, to attract everyone's attention."
"Alright, I'll go now!"
Jiang Ziling agreed without hesitation, silently swearing deep inside that he would never allow Su Yu to be in any danger again.
He threw down the wooden stick in anger, ready to rush out the door!
"Hey, Ziling, don't rush!"
Su Yu quickly called out to stop him upon seeing this.
Jiang Ziling halted at the sound and looked at her, puzzled.
Su Yu smiled faintly and continued instructing, "It's best to start shouting after you've moved a bit away from our yard, so as not to alarm the people in our own house with your cries. Especially that old granny from the Zhou family; if she knows, who knows what kind of rumors she'll spread!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziling understood the reasoning and nodded slightly in agreement before limping out the threshold.
Jiang Youfu, trapped inside the sack, listened to their strategizing, and fear invaded him like ice, causing his trembling to intensify as he could only let out inarticulate pleas.
Su Yu, expressionless, kicked him ruthlessly and sharply commanded, "Shut up and stay still!"
Her gaze shifted slightly as she suddenly remembered something and purposefully leaned close to Jiang Youfu's ear, whispering in a low and chilly voice, "I've heard, in this place, there's a rule: if you break into someone's house at night, it's either theft or robbery, and if caught, your life is forfeit. Now, what do you think the village chief will do with you when he arrives?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Youfu was terrified out of his wits, babbling pleas for mercy, yet all that responded to him were Su Yu's cold eyes and the gradually fading footsteps.
Under the cover of night, dogs barked incessantly throughout the village, and the light from torches twinkled and darted like stars, as a group of villagers headed straight for the Jiang Family home.
In those times, a thief in the village was a major event.
In the past, the village had been plundered by a band of thieves, resulting in fatalities.
Once a thief entered the village, would they only steal from one household? Hence, the villagers were exceptionally vigilant, with almost every able-bodied person running out upon hearing the news.
It was only when the noise inside the yard finally disturbed Lady Zhao next door that she reluctantly allowed Jiang Xunzhong to go see what had happened outside.
When she heard that Su Yu's house had been burglarized, a glint of schadenfreude flashed in her eyes, and she immediately got up, ready to witness this rare "spectacle."
"Ziling, where is the thief?"
The village chief entered the yard with a stern expression and questioned assertively.
Jiang Ziling stood straight and answered solemnly, "In my room; he's been subdued. How we deal with him, I leave to your discretion."
The village chief nodded slightly, a look of approval in his eyes, then led the group towards Jiang Ziling's room, and so the deliberations on the punishment of the thief began…
The village chief, with a blazing torch in hand, led a group of strong villagers as they burst into the house.
In the flickering light of the fire, a sharp knife that had fallen to the ground caught their eyes, alongside the figure of someone with their head tightly covered by a coarse sackcloth bag and limbs fiercely struggling—it was indeed Jiang Youfu.
Su Yu stepped forward first, explaining to everyone with a firm tone, "Luckily, I got up to drink water in the middle of the night and noticed this man acting suspiciously, so I subdued him while he was off guard. Look, he's still clutching the weapon in his hand. If I hadn't discovered him in time, who knows how many innocent people might have fallen victim to his violence!"
Lady Zhao, hidden in the crowd, witnessed this scene with endless disappointment and resentment welling up inside her, silently cursing, "What a useless idiot of a thief, why couldn't he have taken care of that girl as well!"
Jiang Youfu, bound inside the sack, tried his best to struggle, his hoarse voice piercing through the fabric, intermittently shouting, "I'm not a thief, I'm not a thief!"
However, his feeble protest was drowned out by the noisy crowd, and nobody could make out his words clearly.
Several strong men moved at the sound and effortlessly lifted Jiang Youfu, tossing him into the courtyard center like a piece of discarded rag.
Someone suggested, "Should we report this matter to the authorities?"
"Report to the authorities, what for, it's completely unnecessary!" another villager retorted sharply, "Just cripple his hands and feet and throw him out of the village, see if he can still cause trouble then!"
As soon as these words were released, the crowd immediately exploded with noise, with diverse opinions on how to deal with Jiang Youfu, each sticking to their own argument.
Seeing the moment ripe, Lady Zhao's shrill voice pierced through the tumult, "Such a vicious criminal, if we let the tiger return to the mountain, he will surely come back to take revenge on us sooner or later. Better to execute him now and be done with it once and for all!"
Hearing these ruthless words, Su Yu couldn't help but silently admire, "This old witch is indeed ruthless! I just hope you won't live to regret this!"
Most of the villagers present were persuaded by Lady Zhao's speech and expressed their agreement, "Executing him is trouble-free!"
"Execute him cleanly to avoid any future revenge!"
"Don't let him show his face again; that way, if anyone comes looking for him in the future, we can pretend to know nothing."
Jiang Youfu lay on the cold ground, twisting in pain, struggling to break free, mumbling through the sack, "Mother, it's Youfu, it's your Youfu!"
The onlookers assumed this to be nothing but his ramblings in extreme fear; some even speculated that he might have been born with a speech impediment, unable to speak clearly.
Amid the commotion, everyone's eyes eventually focused on the village chief, expecting him to make a decision.
Someone asked, "Village chief, what do you think should be done with him? Please, sir, make a decision."
The village chief pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly, "Xunzhong's wife makes a valid point, let's dispose of it her way."
Upon the village chief's order, those fiery young men began to brandish the sticks in their hands, kicking and punching, and in no time, Jiang Youfu lay motionless, only able to lie quietly in a pool of blood.
The village chief spoke again, sounding slightly weary, "Some of you, take him up to the hill behind. The rest, bring your hoes; we'll dig a hole there and bury him."
Jiang Ziling glanced at Su Yu and saw her nod slightly, signaling that everything was going according to plan.
For the end of this menace, both seemed to feel a kind of relieved calm.
The villagers all busied themselves with their tasks, and Jiang Xunzhong also picked up a hoe to follow.