Volume 1, Chapter 19: What Do You Mean, "W-wait a Moment"?

As soon as the word "leave" was uttered, Ye Ling clearly saw the village chief heave a long sigh of relief.

"Good, I won't make things difficult for you. Just pack up and leave here today!"

As long as they left, this house would belong to him, the village chief. The chief was in exceptionally high spirits, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably as he spoke.

*Heh...*

If he had known his wife was this effective, he should have let her handle it from the start. Still, although it took a bit of effort, the result was satisfactory.

"Alright, alright, disperse! People are leaving now, so there won't be any more 'evil spawn' around. Move along, move along!"

Auntie Ma kept winking at the village chief, who merely glanced back at her. There were still some villagers in the crowd who felt indignant, but since the chief had spoken, no one else had anything to say. After all, wasn't this jinx about to leave?

Both Ye Ling and Liu Qiaohui were filled with deep resentment. Perhaps... perhaps the county magistrate would arrive at Yushan Village after they were gone. If that happened, would all their persistence have been in vain?

The crowd dispersed quickly. The same people who had been crazed enough to tear Ye Ling and Liu Qiaohui apart moments ago were gone, leaving only Auntie Ma. Perhaps because she never considered Liu Qiaohui a threat, she could not hold back any longer the moment the crowd thinned.

"Village Chief! I’ve done as you asked. Now, about those ten bushels of grain you promised me...!"

*Cough, cough, cough...*

The village chief never imagined that Auntie Ma would say such a thing in front of Liu Qiaohui. Seeing the chief remain silent, Auntie Ma spoke even louder, still treating Liu Qiaohui as if she were invisible. "What is it, Chief? You can’t go back on your word! Your wife promised me this herself!"

*Cough, cough!*

*Cough, cough, cough!!*

The village chief’s excellent mood was shattered by these words.

"Now, Auntie Ma... let’s... let’s talk about this later!"

Auntie Ma was impatient, and to her, those ten bushels of grain were a matter of life and death for her family. In these times, nothing was more important than food.

"What do you mean 'talk about it later'? What are you trying to pull, Village Chief?"

Even if Ye Ling were a fool, she could have sensed the schemes at play. As for Liu Qiaohui, she was timid, not unintelligent. From the moment Auntie Ma spoke, her eyes had been fixed firmly on the village chief’s wrinkled face.

*Cough... cough, cough...*

Whether uncomfortable from Auntie Ma’s questioning or Liu Qiaohui’s stare, the chief coughed intentionally and tapped his pipe against his foot. "Look, Auntie Ma, let’s discuss this later. How about this? You go to my house and wait for me, alright? Don't worry, what my wife promised you, I promise as well!"

"Really? I knew it! How could the head of Yushan Village go back on his word?" Auntie Ma glanced back at Liu Qiaohui, continuing to treat her like a transparent object. "Fine, Chief, you go ahead and finish your business. I’ll head to your house and wait for you!"

After Auntie Ma left, the village chief puffed on his pipe a few more times, his expression darkening. He no longer felt the need to be polite to Liu Qiaohui.

"Listen, Widow Liu, take two bushels of grain from my house when you leave. Consider that my settlement as the village chief."

*Heh... hehe...*

Liu Qiaohui laughed, her eyes burning with rage. "You call that a settlement, Chief? Don't you feel any shame? You staged this whole show just to get your hands on my house. My husband died for you! Aren't you afraid of being struck down by heaven for forcing me like this?"

The usually timid Liu Qiaohui seemed, in this moment, unwilling to hold back any longer.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Your husband didn't die for me; he fell off the cliff on his own! Don't go throwing false accusations around. And when did I ever covet your house? Enough... enough, I don't want to waste any more breath on you. Get out of the village right now, or I’ll have someone bash your brat to death. Don't think I won't do it!"

"Heh... you would. You’re capable of anything. But I’ve already reached out to the county magistrate. I’m telling you, I’m not leaving. I’ll wait right here for him to come and deliver justice!"

If she hadn't mentioned that, it would have been fine, but the mention of it only made the village chief more arrogant.

"The magistrate! *Heh...* Widow Liu, did you really think I didn't know? I’ve known about your attempt to contact the magistrate for a long time. Do you know why he hasn't come after all this time? Because I have connections in the county government! Who do you think you are? You really think the magistrate is coming to deliver justice for you? I’m telling you to get out now, or don't blame me for killing your child!"

If Liu Qiaohui had persisted this long for the sake of a glimmer of hope, that hope was now completely extinguished by the chief's words.

Her body, already weak, collapsed entirely. Was her request unreasonable? She only wanted to protect her daughter. She only wanted to keep the house her late husband had risked his life to build. What had she done wrong? What had she done wrong?

But why? Why did heaven have to torment her so? She thought she had given her all, yet in the end, nothing had changed, and nothing could be changed.

*Pfft!*

A mouthful of blood sprayed from Liu Qiaohui’s mouth. Then... Ye Ling watched as Liu Qiaohui slumped over, completely unconscious, her eyes closing for good.

The village chief didn't even bother to look. He nudged the unresponsive Liu Qiaohui with his foot and called out, "Hey... hey... I’m telling you, pretending to be dead won't work. Even if you’re dead, you’re getting out of Yushan Village! Hey... hey!"

If Ye Ling had the strength, she would have torn the village chief to pieces. She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. But what was the use of her anxiety? She was just an infant, an infant who knew only how to nurse. After so many days without food and enduring such trauma, could anyone survive this?

Cry! She could only cry!

*Waaaaah... waaaaah...*

But her cries earned no pity from the village chief. Instead, he summoned a group of young men and ordered them emotionlessly, "You lot! Throw this woman out of the village!"

"Out of the village? Where should we throw her, Chief?"

*Smack!* A pipe struck the young man on the head. "Are you a fool or just brainless? Do you think there are few people dying of hunger in these times? Take her out, look for wherever they dump the dead, and throw her there!"

"And... and what about the brat?" The young man pointed at Ye Ling.

Ye Ling’s eyes were fixed intently on the village chief, her small eyes filled with the sight of his emotionless face—a face that treated human life as nothing at all.