Chapter 191: Disposal (2)
Editor: Atlas Studios
In this era, one relied not only on the influence of their parents, but also their clan.
The Mu family was the only family bearing the Mu surname here. Even if Mu Shi became the platoon commander or even the assistant commander in the army, the locals wouldn’t take him seriously if the Mu family had no other backing here.
As the saying went, ‘One log cannot prop up a tottering building’.
Back then, the reason why the Mu family could hunt and sell their prey in Nearhill Village without any worries was because they had the protection of the Liu clan. They did not have to worry about being ostracized by the villagers nor did they have to fret about being blackmailed by the Junior Officer and the government office.
Now that the Mu family had left Nearhill Village, they were separated from the Liu clan to be placed alone in Chenggu Garrison. Although they no longer faced any restrictions imposed by the Liu clan, it was also a lot more troublesome now.
These days, anyone would dare to inquire about the Mu family. In the past back in Nearhill Village, should anyone dare to peek outside the Mu Residence, Eldest Great-uncle would be the first to slap them.
Although Mu Yangling had asked Bowen to call her uncles over, she didn’t want to rely on the Liu clan to scare them away. She knew that it was better to rely on oneself than on others, and that the Liu clan could only stand behind them and serve as a deterrent to a certain extent. The Mu family would still have to provide the real strength.
Mu Yangling hoped that the Mu family could instill fear and respect in those people.
Maybe the part about respecting them could be shelved for the time being. For now, she had to make them fear the Mu family!
Therefore, as soon as Bowen left, Mu Yangling carried a chair and sat down at the door. She said, “I think we ought to send them to the government and let the officials judge it. The law is always fair, right?”
Thief A wailed loudly. His wife boldly glanced at Mu Yangling and said, “Miss Mu, if this case is sent to the officials, our family head won’t be able to come out. How about this? We’ll compensate the Mu family for their losses. How about that?”
Blinking, Mu Yangling asked, “What losses has our Mu family suffered? Does suffering a fright count? How should we calculate this loss? No, no. If we ask for too much, you’ll think we’re scamming you. On the other hand, if we ask for too little, I’ll feel uncomfortable.”
Thief A finally spat out the cloth in his mouth and alongside with a mouthful of saliva. He asked in a rough voice, “Then what do you want?”
Tilting her head, Mu Yangling thought for a moment. “It’s said that thieves won’t be thieves anymore after their hands are cut off. I want to test the effect.”
With a pale face, Thief A straightened his neck and said, “Mu Yangling, don’t go overboard. Even though I did go to your shed last night, I ultimately didn’t do anything. Instead, I was startled by you. How are we going to settle this score?”
Mu Yangling’s face darkened. “Are you denying the fact that you attempted to steal last night?”
Thief A felt a sense of pressure under Mu Yangling’s cold gaze. In the end, he did not dare to deny it and only said, “In any case, you can’t cut off our hands. Without our hands, how can we make a living?” Seeing that everyone was looking at his hands with bright eyes, he could not help but shout, “I’m not talking about making a living as a thief! Doesn’t one have to use their hands to work in the fields?”
Only then did everyone look away.
Some of the surrounding villagers began to plead for leniency on their behalf. “Miss Ah Ling, I think we should be lenient. Anyway, they know their mistake. If you really cut off their hands, how are they going to support their family in the future?”
Someone even whispered to Mu Yangling, “These five people are from the neighboring village and have a lot of relatives. If we provoke them, we’ll be in endless trouble in the future. I think it’s best not to go overboard. Otherwise, there won’t be peace in the two villages in the future.”
Mu Yangling lowered her head and thought for a while. Looking around at the surrounding villagers, she saw many strangers. Knowing that they were from the neighboring village, she said, “I can choose not to cut off your hands. How about letting me pat each of your shoulders? That can be considered your punishment.”
Thief A asked in a daze, “You’re just going to pat me on the shoulder? You’re not going to chop off my hand or send me to the officials?”
Mu Yangling nodded with a smile.
Thief A stood up with difficulty and said, “Alright, let me be the first.”
Xiuhong took a kitchen knife from the house and cut their ropes. Thief A loosened his shoulders before stepping forward to say casually, “You can start from me.”
“How decisive!” Mu Yangling stood up and slapped his shoulder. Everyone only heard a cracking sound, followed by Thief A’s scream before he fell to the ground in cold sweat.
“Hubby, what’s wrong?” Thief A’s wife quickly went forward to hold him.
Sneering, Mu Yangling said, “Don’t use too much strength. Otherwise, the bones in his arm will shatter completely and he won’t be able to reattach them.”
Thief A looked at Mu Yangling with bloodshot eyes. He was in so much pain that he could not speak.
Mu Yangling walked to the side and touched a rock in front of the door. “Actually, I didn’t use much strength. With just a light pat, it shattered. It shattered—” Mu Yangling gently smacked the stone with her palm. Everyone clearly saw how the rock, which was the size of two adult heads, became filled with cracks. Then—it shattered!
Thief A’s wife let out a miserable cry and hugged her husband helplessly. She asked, “What should we do about your broken arm? What should we do? Mu Yangling, you’re so ruthless!”
Mu Yangling looked at her with a smile as she said, “Who said that I’m ruthless? I’m very kind. Instead of chopping off both his hands, I merely gave him a pat. He agreed just now.”
Mu Yangling looked at the remaining four people and said, “How is it? Whose turn is it now?”
The four of them shook their heads in unison and involuntarily knelt on the ground. “Miss Mu, Great-aunt Mu, we know our mistake! We won’t dare to do it again! In the future, when we see you and the Mu family, we’ll take a detour. Please spare us!”
Among the villagers, a man in his fifties stood out from the crowd and checked on Thief A’s condition. After temporarily stabilizing it with wood, he stood up and looked at Mu Yangling solemnly. “Miss Mu, don’t go too far. Although the five of them made a mistake, they’re still from our Horse Head Village.”
Seeing that someone with authority finally spoke up, Mu Yangling didn’t have to beat around the bush. She asked, “Why? Is your Horse Head Village invincible? Your villager came to steal something, but you came to find trouble with the victims?”
The person held it in for a while and cupped his hands. “They were in the wrong, but you guys aren’t that clean either. They were caught the moment they got to the door. Weren’t you plotting a scheme? You guys didn’t suffer any losses at all, but you broke his arm and cut off their family’s livelihood. Your Mu family is too domineering.”
Mu Yangling was so angry that she laughed. “So after our Mu family realized that someone might be coming to steal something, we should have opened the door wide and waited for the thief to enter and take everything before closing the door? Only then would we be considered not domineering and not vicious? What kind of logic is that from your Horse Head Village? Or have you always been thieves like this? If the victim doesn’t follow that warped logic, the entire village comes knocking on the victim’s door?”
“Nonsense. The villagers of Horse Head Village are decent farmers. Since when did we become thieves?”
Mu Yangling kicked Thief A in front of him and asked coldly, “Then which village is he from?”
The person was at a loss for words. In the end, he said, “I refuse to talk to a child like you. Get your father to come out? How dare a little girl talk to an elder like this? Your Mu family sure teaches their children well!”