Chapter 21 – Facing the court

While at the market, Aunt Sun suddenly felt uneasy. She clutched her chest and gasped. Aunt Liu looked over in concern. “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Sun frowned, struggling to breathe. “I don’t know. I suddenly feel anxious. I’m afraid something’s happened to Qing back home. His ankle still hasn’t healed.”

Aunt Liu didn’t take it seriously. “He’s not a child anymore. What kind of accident could he possibly have?”

But Aunt Sun shook her head and couldn’t bring herself to continue shopping. The market was more than a half-hour walk from their home. Her instincts had always been sharp. She told Aunt Liu that she was heading back and rushed home.

Worried that Chen Qing might walk on his injured foot, Aunt Sun hired a cart. She’d brought all their household savings with her today, planning to buy good meat to help Chen Qing regain his strength—he was still too thin. She also wanted to see if there was any nice fabric for making new clothes. The last time she sewed him anything new was two years ago.

The closer she got to the village, the more panicked she felt.

Meanwhile, Sun Kang and his gang had already bound and dragged Chen Qing out of the village. Since nearly everyone was at the market, however, no one saw it happen.

Sun Kang was determined this time. He had even paid for a carriage to wait for them on the main road. They were almost there. Once they reached it, the deal would be done.

Chen Qing saw the carriage and fell into despair. He had struggled the entire journey, trying to call out, but to no avail.

Just when he had lost all hope, a sudden force sent several men flying but caught Chen Qing steadily.

As the world spun around him, Chen Qing caught a familiar scent. Through his tears, he could barely make out Zhou Yuan’s figure.

Zhou Yuan gently set him down, then turned to face the group. He immediately recognized Sun Kang, the same man who had once tried to make him eat dirt.

Sun Kang hadn’t forgotten about Zhou Yuan, either. Terrified, he instinctively hid behind his husband, trying to sound brave. “What business does an outsider have meddling in our family affairs?!”

Emboldened by numbers, Sun Kang raised his voice. There were five or six of them—what could one man do?

Zhou Yuan wasn’t alone. He had left for the market earlier, but Meng Qi had called him back, saying there was news related to something Zhou Yuan had been investigating in town. Zhou Yuan turned back immediately.

Meanwhile, Meng Qi had returned to the village to gather some men who had once served in the military. They all respected Zhou Yuan’s accomplishments in the army. Since returning, Zhou Yuan had instilled discipline among the village workers—not even the village chief dared to take him lightly. To them, Zhou Yuan was a towering figure.

That day, Zhou Yuan simply mentioned a new idea he was exploring, and the others immediately supported him. Life in the village depended on the weather, but venturing out with Zhou Yuan might yield greater results.

Two of them went to the market while the rest stayed behind, waiting for his word.

On his way back, Zhou Yuan noticed a carriage parked at the village entrance. He asked Meng Qi, who was walking beside him, “Have you seen that carriage before?”

Meng Qi shook his head. “No, but then again, we only came back this year.”

Zhou Yuan nodded. In the army, they were taught to check out anything that seemed off. Better safe than sorry.

He asked Meng Qi to drive the oxcart home and alert the other men. Meanwhile, he waited in ambush near the road, ready for trouble.

He hadn’t expected the carriage to belong to the same middle-aged man. What infuriated him more was that they had dared to kidnap Chen Qing. If he hadn’t been cautious, who knows what could have happened?

Zhou Yuan first placed Chen Qing gently by the roadside. He ripped the ropes apart with sheer strength, without even using a knife. Chen Qing burst into tears as Zhou Yuan pulled the cloth from his mouth.

Chen Qing clung to Zhou Yuan’s arm as if he were a drowning man grasping at his last bit of hope, no longer caring about appearances.

Zhou Yuan wiped his tears away with his finger. “Just sit here for now. Don’t be scared.”

Chen Qing slowly let go. Sun Kang, witnessing the scene, cursed loudly. “No wonder you kept interfering! So you’re in bed with that little slut—”

Before he could finish, Zhou Yuan punched him straight in the face.

The rest of the Sun family rushed over. At that moment, Meng Qi and the others arrived by oxcart. Seeing Zhou Yuan in a scuffle, they immediately jumped off to help.

The Sun family had old men. Zhou Yuan’s side was full of young, strong men. In no time, the Sun family was beaten down and left groaning on the ground. Sun Kang’s husband was the only one still on his feet, unsure whether to protect his husband or his son.

After the fight, Meng Qi noticed Chen Qing sitting nearby and glanced at Zhou Yuan. “Brother Yuan, what happened? Who are these people?”

“Human traffickers or thieves,” Zhou Yuan replied. “They stole money from Aunt Sun’s house and tried to kidnap Chen Qing.”

“What?!” Meng Qi’s eyes widened. “Why would they kidnap Chen Qing?”

“Bah!” Sun Lao Er clutched his waist. “He was bought by my sister. What’s wrong with selling him again now?”

Zhou Yuan stomped hard on his foot. “Who the hell are you to meddle in my aunt’s household? Even if she wanted to sell him, that’s her choice, not yours!”

“He’s a widower now. Everything about her should be decided by our family!” Sun Kang shouted.

“Brother Yuan, should we report this to the authorities?” a man named Meng Shuanzi asked. “We beat them up pretty badly. Will we be okay?”

Zhou Yuan shook his head. “We caught thieves red-handed. Meng Qi is injured. If anything, we’ll be praised.”

Meng Qi looked down at the scratches on his hand. “Then we’d better go soon. If we wait too long, the injury will heal.”

“We’ll wait here for Aunt to come back and decide.”

Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi tied the group up with ropes. Now, they were all squatting by the roadside, looking like dumplings.

They didn’t expect Aunt Sun to return so soon, but she arrived quickly in a cart. When she saw the chaotic scene ahead, she was stunned.

Then she saw Chen Qing sitting on a large rock. His hair was messy, and there were tears on his face. The Sun family was tied up like prisoners.

Aunt Sun rushed to Chen Qing, brushing back his hair and checking him for injuries. “Qing, are you all right?”

Chen Qing had been holding it in for a long time. When he saw Aunt Sun, he broke down completely. “Mom…”

She comforted him for a long while before turning to confront the men tied up.

There were three older brothers, two younger brothers, and a brother-in-law from the Sun family.

“Let us go already!” Sun Kang acted like the elder brother, as if he hadn’t done anything wrong.

Aunt Sun spotted Chen Qing’s coin pouch on the ground, which had been dropped during the fight. She fell silent for a long moment.

Then she turned to Zhou Yuan. “Zhou Yuan, can you help me report this? Robbery and kidnapping should be severely punished, shouldn’t they?”

“Of course, Aunt. I’ll go with you.”

The Sun family started shouting and scolding Aunt Sun for being ungrateful. Zhou Yuan had had enough, so he told Meng Qi and the others to stuff their mouths with weeds.

“I’m taking Aunt to the officials. You guys guard the house and don’t let anyone mess it up.”

“Got it.”

“Sun Cui! Don’t forget your family name!” Sun Kang shouted before his mouth was gagged.

“My last name is Meng! Didn’t your family say that a married daughter is like spilled water? I haven’t been a Sun for a long time.”

Chen Qing held Aunt Sun’s hand tightly.

It wasn’t easy bringing six uncooperative men to the county office, but with Zhou Yuan by her side, it wasn’t a problem. Still, Aunt Sun looked a little dazed when they arrived at the magistrate’s hall.

But when she saw Chen Qing sitting in the ox cart with a huge bump on his head and messy hair, her resolve returned.

Her legs, once unsteady, grew strong again, each step carrying years of silent hardship.

The county hall doors opened. The magistrate sat upright. “Who are you? What case are you reporting?”

Aunt Sun took a deep breath. “I’m Sun Cui, a commoner. I’m here to report Sun Kang and the other members of the Sun family in Nanzhuang Village for breaking into my home and attempting to abduct my ger.

The magistrate looked at the kneeling crowd and quickly spotted Zhou Yuan standing tall outside the group.

“You say they tried to rob and abduct your ger? Do you have any witnesses?”

“Yes, we’re witnesses,” said Zhou Yuan, bowing to the magistrate. He pulled Meng Qi forward. “We saw them break in and try to take him. I stopped them and rescued the ger.”

The magistrate glanced at Chen Qing, then back at Zhou Yuan. He recognized Zhou Yuan. When officials came to process household registrations, he had heard about Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan was a man who had once saved the supreme commander on the battlefield from over twenty enemies.

After the war, the commander had tried to bring Zhou Yuan to the capital, but he said he had been away too long and just wanted to go home.

When he returned, his family was gone. He brought his grandmother’s tablet and settled in Luohe Village.

The magistrate thought a great figure had entered his district but never expected him to remain so low-key. Now, Zhou Yuan was standing in the magistrate’s hall.

The magistrate believed him without question.

“According to our laws, robbery is punishable by twenty lashes. Attempting to abduct a Ger earns thirty. Together, they will each be sentenced to fifty lashes. The ger will receive a lighter punishment of thirty lashes.”

Sun Kang’s eyes widened. “Your Honor, you’re only listening to their side! Sun Cui is my sister! She bought that ger to marry my nephew. He’s a slave—how can it be robbery?!”

“He’s not a slave anymore!” Aunt Sun shouted. “Since I bought him, he has been the husband of my Meng family, and he is registered as such. How is he still a slave?”

Sun Kang argued, “We have the original contract! It proves he was bought!”