"I just went to check on him. Xie Guang's nose is completely crushed, and most of his teeth are gone. He's still barely conscious," Chen Liu said. "You know what the county prison is like? Even a healthy man would be skinned alive in there. Someone in his condition wouldn't last three days. If the village chief really cares about him, he'd be better off giving him a quick end now."
"Hmph, he brought this on himself!" Zhang Liang spat on the ground near Xie Guang, his voice filled with disdain.
Suddenly, Xie Guang, who had been semi-conscious, began coughing violently, thrashing against his bonds.
"What's going on?" the village chief asked, turning to his son, who was standing nearby.
"I don't know. He was fine just a moment ago, and then he started struggling like this," Liu Tie replied, looking bewildered.
"Old Tan! Get over here!" the village chief shouted into the crowd.
Old Tan, the village's self-taught herbalist, usually treated minor ailments for the villagers. But for Xie Guang's severe injuries, he was completely out of his depth.
"Husband, what's wrong with him?" Guan Xiaorou asked, her voice trembling as she watched Xie Guang's limbs twist unnaturally. "Is he possessed by a ghost?"
"There's no such thing as ghosts," Jin Feng explained calmly. "He's choking on his own blood."
Xie Guang had taken a stool to the face, and his nose and mouth were filled with blood. While lying on the ground, the blood had mostly drained out, but now that he was tied up, the blood was flowing down his throat and into his windpipe. If Jin Feng had intervened, Xie Guang might have had a chance to survive. But Jin Feng stood still, unmoving.
Having been educated in modern civilization, Jin Feng had always valued human life. Even though Xie Guang had tried to extort him and stolen from him, Jin Feng had only seen him as an annoyance. He had never considered killing him—until tonight.
Because while hiding behind the door, Jin Feng had overheard Xie Guang and the bald man's conversation.
Before tonight, Jin Feng had treated this world with a somewhat detached, game-like attitude. But Xie Guang had shown him the brutal reality of this era—a time when human life was cheap. For a few copper coins, or even half a steamed bun, people would risk their lives. If it hadn't been for Tang Dongdong spinning thread late into the night, Jin Feng's body might already be cold.
This realization began to change Jin Feng's mindset. Despite his discomfort, he watched coldly as Xie Guang struggled.
Xie Guang didn't last long. Soon, he suffocated and died.
Also watching Xie Guang's final moments was Runiang, who had been hiding in a corner. When she saw her nominal husband take his last breath, she couldn't hold back her tears. Her face showed a mix of sorrow, relief, and, most of all, confusion.
No matter how terrible Xie Guang had been, as long as he was alive, she at least had an identity. Now that he was dead, she was a widow. In these times, a widow's fate was tragic. Even unmarried women struggled to find husbands, let alone widows. She couldn't return to her family either. Alive, she would have no one to rely on; dead, she would be a wandering ghost.
Runiang felt as if she were floating in a cold, dark ocean. Surrounded by water, with nothing to hold onto and no light in sight, she drifted helplessly into deeper darkness.
At first, Runiang had been hiding in the corner, unnoticed. But her crying drew everyone's attention.
"Why is she here?"
"She's Xie Guang's wife. She must have been here to keep watch for him!"
"Shut up, you thief's wife! Stop wailing, or we'll beat you to death!"
"We should've killed her last time. Jin Feng was too soft-hearted, and look what happened!"
"Get the rope! Tie her up! We can't let her get away this time!"
The young men, assuming Runiang had been in cahoots with Xie Guang, clamored to kill her. Runiang, however, didn't beg for mercy or try to explain herself. She just kept crying, as if she had already accepted her fate. Perhaps she no longer wanted to live.
Seeing someone approaching with a rope, Jin Feng quickly stepped in front of Runiang. "She's not with Xie Guang. If it weren't for her, my family might be dead tonight."
"That's right. Runiang saved me. She's not a bad person," Tang Dongdong added, rushing to defend her.
"If she's not with Xie Guang, what was she doing here in the middle of the night?" the hunter asked.
"That's…" Jin Feng hesitated. Truthfully, he was also curious about why Runiang had been here.
"Runiang, don't be afraid. Tell me, why were you here?" Tang Dongdong crouched down and gently hugged Runiang.
Runiang, also from Guanjiawan, knew both Guan Xiaorou and Tang Dongdong. Seeing familiar faces, she gradually calmed down and sobbed, "After Brother Jin Feng let me go last time, I went back to my family. But my brother said I was already married and sent me back. Xie Guang's house is right next to the old graves. I was scared, and I was afraid Xie Guang would come back… Sister Dongdong spins thread every night… Only by leaning against your wall and listening to the spinning wheel could I feel less afraid…"
"If you were scared, why didn't you come inside?" Tang Dongdong asked, her eyes welling up with tears.
"I didn't dare…"
"What have you been eating these days?" Jin Feng asked. Xie Guang, that scoundrel, had even sold her outer clothes for gambling money. It was clear he hadn't left her any food.
"Wild vegetables," Runiang whispered.
Jin Feng felt genuine gratitude toward Runiang. In fact, she could be considered his savior. After a moment's thought, he said, "If you're willing, you can come and help Xiaorou with spinning. If you're scared at night, you can share a bed with Xiao'e and Dongdong."
"I'm willing! I'm willing!" Runiang agreed without hesitation, bursting into tears again—this time, tears of joy. It was as if a drowning person had suddenly felt solid ground beneath their feet, and her heart finally found some peace.
But the village chief frowned. "Jin Feng, this isn't appropriate."
No one had batted an eye at Tang Dongdong staying with Jin Feng, as everyone assumed she would eventually marry him. The villagers often teased the two when passing by. But Runiang was different. Even though Xie Guang had never consummated their marriage and she was still a virgin, she was, in everyone's eyes, a widow. Keeping a widow in his home would invite scorn.
"There's nothing inappropriate about it," Jin Feng insisted. "Tomorrow, I'll build a shed in the yard and make a few more spinning wheels. If any of the women have time, they can come and help Xiaorou with spinning. I'll pay them for their work."
The women's attention immediately shifted, and they began chattering about how much they'd be paid and whether meals would be provided.
The village chief sighed and instructed the young men to carry away the bodies. As Liu Tie lifted the bald man's corpse, Zhang Liang noticed a circular brand on the man's wrist. His heart skipped a beat, and sweat broke out on his forehead.