Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 32 - 31 The Failed Attempt to Steal a Chicken

Chapter 32: Chapter 31: The Failed Attempt to Steal a Chicken

Chapter 32 -31: The Failed Attempt to Steal a Chicken

“Then where’s the rabbit?” Jinghao grumbled.

“The rabbit?

Zhi’er took it to play with.

He’ll bring it back in a bit.” After saying this, he shouted into the house, “Zhi’er, bring back the rabbit for your cousin.

What’s a big boy like you doing playing with rabbits?

Wait till I get my hands on you!” pretended to get angry, Shen Chengzong.

“But just now when I asked my aunt, she said the pheasant and rabbit were caught on the mountain by cousin this morning,” continued Xiao’er, relentlessly.

“I didn’t clarify when I gave the pheasant to your aunt.

Coincidentally, Hua’er went to play on the mountain this morning, so she misunderstood,” responded Shen Chengzong quickly.

“Why do you always hold onto things, girl?

Your parents didn’t say anything, a yet-to-be-married young lady should stay in the house, instead of meddling in adult matters.

One would think you’re the head of the household.

Running all over the place, who would dare to have you when you grow up?” Mrs.

Li saw things had been smoothed over and began to act arrogantly again.

Both Shen Chengyao and Mrs.

Liu were protective of their offspring.

Hearing that, neither was pleased.

Shen Chengyao felt he deserved the anger from his child earlier, considering the type of person he had just defended, “So what if Xiao’er is the head of our household?

Our kids climb the mountains to pick herbs, catch wild pheasants and rabbits to sell even at such young age.

They already know how to contribute to the family.

Why can’t they be the head?”

Mrs.

Liu still harbored grudges from the past incident, “Aunt, don’t you feel sorry for my Xiao’er?

You planned to exploit her last time, and now you’re reviling her again.

How can your heart be so cruel?”

Xiao’er felt satisfied.

It felt great to be protected by mom and dad.

“When did I?” Mrs.

Li’s face darkened upon hearing this, but in the end, she dared not say anything else.

Just then, Shen Jingzhi brought the rabbit out from the kitchen.

Jinghao tried to take the rabbit, but Shen Jingzhi suddenly jolted the rabbit hard onto the ground, “You want the rabbit, huh?

Go pick it up!”

The rabbit was smashed to the ground, with its head broken and bleeding, twitched a few times on the ground, and died.

Gasps echoed as Jinghao broke into loud crying, both frightened and heartbroken.

Everyone was stunned by this scene, the more timid women even let out a scream.

The little sister in Mrs.

Liu’s arms was also frightened into tears by these screams.

Shen Chengyao was furious.

He quickly stomped over, carried Jinghao in his arms and comforted, “Don’t be afraid, Daddy’s here.” Jinghao clung to him, sobbing.

Shen Chengyao gently tapped on his back to soothe him.

No matter how precocious and mature Jinghao was, he was still only a five-year-old child.

The scene just now must have scared him badly.

Xiao’er and Jingrui also went to comfort him.

“Zhi’er, what are you doing!

This is simply brutal!” Old Mr.

Shen was outraged.

How could Zhi’er from the second family be so brutal at such a young age?

He must have been spoiled by Mrs Li.

He couldn’t help but feel glad that the families had already split.

Otherwise, this could tarnish his oldest grandson’s reputation and even cause him trouble in the future.

Shen Chengzong chuckled, “Zhi’er, why didn’t you hold the rabbit steady and let it fall?”

Upon hearing this, many people in the crowd shook their heads.

With a father like this, it would be a miracle if the child were to turn out well.

They decided they should not let their own children play with Shen Chengzong’s kids anymore, to avoid them learning bad behavior or getting hurt.

A look of triumph was clear on Shen Jingzhi’s face, without a trace of remorse.

“Third Brother, this rabbit was going to be killed sooner or later, and now that it’s dead, it saves us trouble.

Hehe, right?”

“The kids just decided to raise this rabbit and the pheasant last night.

Second Brother, you need to discipline Zhi’er properly.

He’s too ruthless for such a young age.”

“The kids didn’t know better, it slipped out of his hands.

After all, boys need to be fierce.” Hearing this, everyone else was speechless.

As the saying goes, if the beam is not straight, the post will be crooked.

Shen Chengyao was about to say something, but Mrs.

Liu tugged at his clothes.

He turned his head to look at her, and she subtly shook her head.

Shen Chengyao sighed softly beside her.

Even the parents can’t see what’s wrong, how can they teach the children anything?

“Uncle, the pheasant was cooked for soup, and the rabbit was killed by Zhi’er.

Why don’t you pay us 100 coins, and we’ll take it as a sale.”

“100 coins, are you robbing us?

Robber!” Mrs.

Li screamed.

“The pheasant and rabbit were both alive and kicking, this is the price of dead game in the town.

I’m still discounting it.”

“Xiao’er is correct.

A good rabbit like this is priced around 100 coins in the town, the young ladies in the wealthy families in town love keeping them as pets,” said Lin Dashu, a man from the village who had a good relationship with Shen Chengyao.

Dashu and his brother Lin Dashi didn’t own any fields and made their living through hunting.

Chengyao learned archery from Dashu.

The village chief also spoke up.

“Mrs.

Li, you should compensate the third son’s family with 100 coins.

You’ve gone too far.

Also, in the future, you must discipline your children properly.

It’s not good for such young kids to lack compassion!” He wanted to call it ‘cruel’, but remembering that they’re still children, he changed his words.

“And you also have to compensate for my one tael of silver.” Mrs.

Shen quickly added.

“Mother, we didn’t take your silver!” The couple said in unison.

“Anyway, I’m missing a tael of silver.

Apart from you, this spendthrift, nobody else in our home has a third hand.

Everyone in our family is upright.

If not you, then who took it?

Quickly compensate me and stop the nonsense.”

Shen Chengzong realized that he was being unfairly accused by his mom, feeling like he was thrown under the bus.

‘Even a tigress doesn’t devour her cubs.’

Mrs.

Li was truly wronged, she complained like it was a snowstorm in the middle of the summer.

“Mother, don’t you know me?

I have been married to the Shen family for so many years, am I really like that?”

“I know you very well.

You are that kind of a person,” Mrs.

Shen said earnestly.

Mrs.

Li:…

A few people in the crowd couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“What nonsense is this!” Mr.

Shen gave Mrs.

Shen a hard stare.

it was unheard of for a mother-in-law to belittle her daughter-in-law in public.

In some respects, Shen Chengzong was quite like Mrs.

Shen.

Xiao’er was indeed relieved that Shen Chengyao didn’t inherit a single bit of this ‘beneficial’ gene.

“What’s crazy about it?

Quickly compensate my one tael of silver.” Mrs.

Shen insisted.

Recently, she had lost several tens of taels for no reason and was losing sleep over it.

She needed to recover some interest.

How could Mrs.

Li compensate for one tael of silver?

She hadn’t even taken it.

Normally, even if she took something, she would behave as if she hadn’t.

Now that she hadn’t taken anything, she was more firm and resolute.

Thus, she utilized the Mrs.

Li style epic temper tantrum and sat directly on the ground, beating the earth with her hands.

“Heaven and earth, this is absolutely incomprehensible and inhuman!

There’s no law and order, the corruption is outrageous, the bullying is too harsh!

I’ve been toiling away since I married into the family, and now I am wrongly accused; do they want to drive me to my death?”

Xiao’er was amused by Mrs.

Li’s misuse of idioms and wanted to laugh.

Shen Chengyao muttered under his breath and looked at the sky.

Thank goodness, Mrs.

Liu would never do such a thing.

The villagers: Ah, we’ve seen shameless people, but we’ve never seen someone so brazen.

“Shut up! frёeωebɳovel.com

You’re humiliating yourself!” Mr.

Shen’s face turned sour.

The village chief couldn’t bear to look any longer.

“Mrs.

Li, pay your mother one tael of silver, and the third son’s family 100 coins, and let’s call it a day.”

The village chief also guessed that Mrs.

Li hadn’t taken the one tael of silver, but Mrs.

Li’s character clearly begged for discipline.

A fine was necessary to jog her memory and keep her in line.

“Village chief, we really didn’t take the silver!” Shen Chengzong couldn’t help but defend himself.

“Alright, this matter is settled.

Maybe your child took the one tael of silver and forgot to tell you, or perhaps you forgot about it yourselves.

It’s fine.

Firstly, compensate your mother, when you remember, it will be fine.”

“Pfft…

hahaha.” Laughter once again erupted from the crowd.

“Alright, what’s there to laugh about?

Go home, everyone.

Have you prepared the grain for taxes?

It has to be handed in within a few days.

Also, remember to store your grain properly.

It looks like it’s going to rain soon.

If the grain gets moldy and there’s no food to eat, don’t come crying to me.” The village chief waved his hand, dispersing the villagers, and then he told Shen Chengzong, “Hurry up and get the silver.”

Shen Chengzong reluctantly took out one tael and 100 coins as compensation, seeing the matter was finally settled, the village chief left as he had an honored guest waiting at home.