"Robbed?" Guan Xiaorou panicked and rushed into the courtyard.
Of the thirty-some strings of cash from selling the tiger, Jin Feng had spent eight, exchanged twenty for silver ingots, and carried the rest on him. Only a few strings of loose change and some worthless items were left at home, so losing them wasn't a big deal. But Jin Feng, thinking quickly, decided to play along and act frantic. He handed Guan Xiao'e to Lin Yunfang and followed Guan Xiaorou inside.
The lock on the main room's door had been smashed and hung limply from the latch. The small room was in complete disarray.
When they entered the inner room, they found Guan Xiaorou holding an empty box, crying bitterly.
"Husband, all the money under the bed is gone..."
"Dammit!" Jin Feng feigned anger, slamming his fist against the door.
Wealth stirs greed, especially in times when people struggle to fill their stomachs. Those willing to take risks are everywhere. Today, it was a thief; tomorrow, it could be someone with a knife, ready to rob. That's why the ancients warned against flaunting wealth—it was sound advice.
But the whole village knew Jin Feng had killed the tiger and received a reward. There was no hiding it. So, he decided to use this opportunity to solve the problem once and for all.
"Sister-in-law, did anyone see who the thief was?" Jin Feng asked.
Not many people knew he and Guan Xiaorou would be away today, so the burglar was likely someone familiar.
"Who else could it be but that scoundrel Xie Guang!" Lin Yunfang quickly explained what had happened.
It was the best time to dig for wild vegetables, but the women were afraid there might still be tigers in the back mountain. So, Xiaoyu and Auntie San had brought them to Jin Feng's house for courage. But as soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Xie Guang and an unfamiliar bald man running out of the main room with a cloth bag. Seeing the broken lock, Auntie San and the others immediately started shouting, "Thief!"
By the time Zhang Liang heard the commotion and rushed over, Xie Guang and the bald man were long gone.
"Jin Feng, don't worry. Your brother Liang will definitely catch Xie Guang," Lin Yunfang said.
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Liang and the village chief returned, carrying sticks.
"Did you catch him?" the women crowded around.
"No, that bastard Xie Guang runs faster than a rabbit. We chased him to the back mountain, but he disappeared into the woods," the village chief said, trembling with anger. "Stealing from his own village... I should've let him starve to death years ago."
Years ago, during the war, the patrol team from Xihewan had been ambushed, and Xie Guang's father had died in battle. After retiring, the village chief and others had occasionally helped Xie Guang out of respect for their fallen comrade. But instead of gratitude, Xie Guang had grown lazy and become a troublemaker everyone avoided.
"Everyone has their own fate. Xie Guang brought this on himself," Zhang Liang said, showing no sympathy for Xie Guang. He turned to Jin Feng. "What did you lose?"
"Besides the string of coins I had on me, all the money from selling the tiger was stolen by that scoundrel!"
Knowing the thief was Xie Guang, Jin Feng had no qualms about pinning the blame on him. Even if Xie Guang were caught later, everyone would believe Jin Feng, the tiger-slaying hero, over a known troublemaker. They'd assume Xie Guang had gambled the money away.
"Jin Feng, wait here. I'm going to the back mountain. Even if I have to chase him to the ends of the earth, I'll bring that bastard back!" Zhang Liang, hearing that Jin Feng's entire fortune had been stolen, grabbed a machete and was about to head to the back mountain.
"Brother Liang, don't be rash," Jin Feng stopped him. "There might still be tigers in the woods. It's not worth risking your life for a bit of money."
"This isn't just a bit of money. How will you live without it?"
"Money can be earned again. Don't forget, I can still hunt. We won't starve," Jin Feng said confidently.
It was only twenty-some taels of silver. Even if it were truly lost, he wouldn't have been too concerned.
"Sigh!" Seeing Jin Feng's calm demeanor, Zhang Liang could only sigh heavily.
"Village Chief, we've caught Xie Guang's wife. What should we do with her?"
Several young men pushed a woman into the courtyard. It was the girl Xie Guang had chosen from the bridal procession just a few days ago. But she looked even worse now—her left eye was bruised, her face swollen. The patched outer garment she had worn before was gone, replaced by simple undergarments. Her feet were bare, and she knelt on the ground, trembling with fear.
"Village Chief, what's this about?" Jin Feng frowned.
He despised Xie Guang, but this woman had nothing to do with it.
"Since ancient times, debts have been paid by children or wives. Xie Guang ran away, so his wife should pay the debt," the village chief said. "What do you want to do? Send her to the authorities or something else?"
"Please, sirs, let me go. I don't know anything," the woman pleaded, her face pale at the mention of being sent to the authorities.
For common folk like her, being sent to the authorities meant either starving to death in prison or being sold to a brothel.
"I really don't know anything. On our wedding day, Xie Guang beat me and took the six coins I brought from my family to gamble. The next day, he took my clothes and never came back..." The woman sobbed. "Please, sirs, let me go. I really don't know anything."
She was just another victim. Jin Feng sighed and turned to the village chief. "The debt belongs to Xie Guang. What does she have to do with it? Village Chief, let her go."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Jin Feng had no intention of punishing an innocent woman.
"Thank you, Village Chief! Thank you, sir!" The woman, afraid Jin Feng might change his mind, kowtowed and then scrambled to her feet, running away as fast as she could.
"Alright, everyone, disperse. Go back to your work. Xiaoyu, don't go to the back mountain these days. Dig for wild vegetables by the river instead," the village chief said, shooing away the onlookers.
"Xiao Feng, go comfort Xiaorou. Don't let her cry herself sick," Lin Yunfang said, pointing to the inner room before leaving with Zhang Liang.
Guan Xiaorou, unaware that Jin Feng had taken the silver ingots with him, truly believed all their money was gone. She cried as if her heart would break, and Xiao'e, seeing her sister cry, joined in.
Jin Feng glanced outside to make sure everyone had left, then pulled the silver ingots from his pocket and placed them on the table.
The sight of the silver worked like magic. Guan Xiaorou immediately stopped crying and began questioning Jin Feng about what had happened.
...
A dozen miles away, Xie Guang and the bald man emerged from the woods. Looking back to confirm no one was following them, they collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.
"What a shame. I didn't even get to sleep with the wife I just married," Xie Guang muttered, opening the cloth bag and dumping out a pile of copper coins.
With so many witnesses to his theft, returning to Xihewan was out of the question.
"With money, finding women to sleep with is easy. Zhoulan Valley is full of them," the bald man said, sifting through the coins. "Too bad we didn't find that kid's silver. Otherwise, we'd be rich."
"Third Boss, that kid must've carried the silver on him," Xie Guang said, a glint of malice in his eyes. "Why don't you go back and bring a few brothers? We'll make another trip tonight."
"Let's not rush. We'll spend these coins first," the bald man said. "With a bit of luck, maybe I won't need to trouble that kid."
"Right, right," Xie Guang nodded obsequiously as they walked into the valley.