Free Web NovelChapter 91: Chapter 91
Chapter 91
"That’s really not necessary. I only did what I could. Besides, Xiao Long and Huan’er are well-behaved children," the village leader declined the gesture, but Yueqian pushed it back to him.
"Please accept this token of our gratitude. Otherwise, I would feel uneasy and might not ask you to look after the children next time. Since I would fear it might trouble you." she said straightforwardly.
People can show kindness to each other, but kindness shouldn’t go unreciprocated. In fact, helping out has its limits, despite how people say help as much as one could. She didn’t know if others believed this, but Yueqian did.
If someone was in trouble, they could be helped the first time, the second time, and even the third time. But what about the tenth or the fiftieth time? Would help still be available? Acts of kindness should be reciprocated; otherwise, over time, small conflicts might arise.
"Ah, in that case, I’ll accept it," the village leader took the eggs with a demeanor that displayed he was feeling sorry to take it. However, once he got home, his wife would be very pleased and would endlessly praise Yueqian that she was a generous person.
If you compare the situation, had Yueqian not given anything, the village leader wouldn’t have minded. But what about others?... Would they feel the same? This was something no one could predict, as people’s nature was different...
Seeing this display of mutual kindness, had Mu Tian been nearby, they would undoubtedly hear her criticism. But this time, Mu Tian wasn’t there to see it. Ji Chuang and Yi Fan, who had sent their children to learn from Yueqian, seemed to hold her in higher regard now. They showed her increased respect.
This was a good thing. Yueqian did this good deed without planning what she would get in return. She did it out of a genuine heart, believing that the children shouldn’t suffer because of adult conflicts. If they wanted to learn, she would let them learn. Ultimately, this caused the children’s parents to start having some goodwill.
It was truly a gain for Yueqian.
"In that case, I’ll go store the food now," Yueqian excused herself.
Seeing the village leader nod, she walked into her house immediately. She didn’t even ask or greet anyone from the Mu family, treating them as if they were invisible. This made the old man Mu feels as if he got slapped in the face, but he knew he had no right to demand anything. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Although the situation was significant, Mu Heng and Yueqian’s distant demeanor made the others hesitant to interfere. They allowed the two to bring their things inside and finish their preparations before they were ready to ask for help.
“So..., what brings so many of you to my house?” Mu Heng asked directly, noticing the Mu family members hesitating and looking unsure.
Mu Heng’s tone was distant, as if they were no longer family, which caused the Mu elders to furrow their brows, displeased with the other’s tone of voice.
After all, Grandfather Mu was still his grandfather, who had raised Mu Heng’s father from a young age. Even if there were conflicts, shouldn’t he show some respect to the old man?
However, their displeasure was only personal. Deep down, they knew that Mu Heng’s lack of respect stemmed from their own greed. If they hadn’t been blinded by their desire for money and tried to take the steamed bun money for their own children’s education, things might have been different.
But it wasn’t entirely their fault back then, was it?
A’Heng wasn’t lacking in money. He had accepted a bride for 100 silver taels but didn’t share it with them.
If he wanted to send Xiao Long to school, he likely had some money left. As parents, they also wanted their children to have the opportunity to study. The steamed bun money was enough for them to borrow.
It was just a loan. Once their children finished school and became nobles, they could easily give them those few taels. At that time, it was Mu Heng who was too hot-tempered and narrow-minded.
You’ve found a way to survive, marrying a rich wife into the family, but you never thought about helping the rest of us improve our lives, did you? Now that you’ve been fortunate enough to have a wealthy wife, why not support others to achieve better lives too?
That was why they didn’t think it was entirely their fault. At least Mu Heng shared some of the blame. If it weren’t for his father’s fear of losing the right to rent land or his wife not becoming a teacher for the children..., Mu Heng would have been confronted today for his demeanor.
This was the thought of a group of selfish people. They never looked at themselves and their lack of effort, only wanting to take shares from others. They claimed it was wrong for the person to have wealth and not share it.
Why didn’t they ask why Mu Heng should share his money with them when he and his younger siblings had struggled so much without receiving any act of kindness, even constantly being taken advantage of?!
If Mu Heng knew their vile thoughts, he probably wouldn’t even listen to their nonsense today. He asked only to hear them out before sending them away. Otherwise, these people would linger around the house endlessly. frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Husband, I’ll go prepare the food then,” Yueqian did not want to care.
She had no obligations to the Mu family, and she trusted that Mu Heng’s stance was firm enough. She had many tasks to attend to, so she excused herself first.
They must quickly prepare for their move, building a storage shed, and transcribing and selling novels to save money for settling down. Those tasks needed time to complete. They had already wasted time with the Qin family today and didn’t want to waste more time on selfish people’s nonsense.
“Uh, Granddaughter-in-law Qin, we need to trouble you as well,” Grandfather Mu interjected quickly, fearing Yueqian would disappear into the house.
The young woman raised an eyebrow, her cold demeanor making Grandfather Mu pause.
“W... Well, if it weren’t a matter of life and death, we wouldn’t dare to come and ask for help. Here’s the situation...” Grandfather quickly made an excuse. He tried to explain his situation, but Yueqian raised her clean, white hand to stop him.
“If you’re here to talk about Mu Tian, I believe everyone already knows about it. Even the villagers gathered here are aware. Let me be clear: Brother Heng and I don’t have the capacity to fight the army’s people. Surely, you’re not asking us to risk our lives for someone who took money to poison villagers and soldiers, right?”
Yueqian’s words preempted any argument the Mu family might have.
The surrounding villagers took a deep breath. Yueqian’s accusation was severe. The idea that the Mu family would ask her and Mu Heng to risk their lives for Mu Tian, who accepted money from bandits, was indeed frightening.
“You see Mu Tian as your descendant whom you need to help. Why don’t you help her yourself? Why come to us, your grandchild and granddaughter-in-law?”
“Moreover, we’ve separated from your family. What we do should be unrelated. Are you here to push the poison onto us? To make the soldiers think we’re involved? This matter is dangerous, with people deaths, and you still want us to speak up for you?”
“I’ll ask straightforwardly, is Mu Heng... really your grandson? Why do you always push him towards danger?”
Yueqian spoke harshly, her voice and eyes filled with intensity and hatred. No one could deny that her gaze was terrifying.
Since her days in the capital, her loud words were one thing, but what made people see her as an evil woman was her way of looking at people. Her eyes never held any softness. Even those not directly addressed felt afraid of them.
"And another thing... poisoning soldiers who protect the kingdom—do you think that’s a joke? Even if the perpetrator were a prince, they would face execution!" Yueqian snapped her fingers loudly as she finished speaking.
Grandfather Mu Xian collapsed in disbelief, while Mu Tian’s mother, Grandmother Zhu, fainted.
Their only hope was Yueqian. She was the only one literate, so everyone hoped she might have a solution, at least to prevent Mu Tian from dying. But when they heard her words, it felt like a death sentence for Mu Tian, with no way out.
"Is there... no way out?" Grandfather Mu muttered.
Ji Chuang and Yi Fan, each took care of the elder. Yi Fan attended to Grandmother Zhu while Ji Chuang supported Grandfather Mu. She was just as shocked. Even though Mu Tian had made a mistake, the thought of a family member dying scared her somewhat.
"For whom? Mu Tian? You shouldn’t be thinking about how to save Mu Tian. What you should be thinking about is how to avoid the entire family being executed," Yueqian wasn’t kind; she spoke harsh truths.
For the life of an ordinary villager, once accused of a crime, it was hard for their family to remain unaffected.
If a noble had committed such an act, they might have had the opportunity to fight back and use their connections. There were some nobles with insufficient connections, their entire family faced downfall.
For an ordinary villager’s crime, there might be a way to talk things out. At least, they should argue that Mu Tian was a foolish woman driven by greed, making her a victim of the evil bandits. At least, this could potentially limit the death sentence to her alone, making up for the soldiers’ death.
But if the Mu family wanted to be involved, the situation would not end easily.
This time, even if it could be proven that Mu Tian wasn’t responsible for the previous illnesses, her guilt in this incident was clear, wasn’t it? What was the difference in punishment between someone who successfully committed a crime and someone who intended to but didn’t succeed? She had the intention, expecting a result.
"E... Execution of the entire family," Yi Fan, upon listening, couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
Her voice was filled with worry. She had come to find a solution for Mu Tian but hadn’t considered that helping Mu Tian might put her own life and her children’s lives at risk.
If considered the truth, she sensed that Yueqian’s words were not just a threat!
The surrounding villagers were also shocked. They had initially come to watch the fun, never expecting it to escalate to the point of executions.
