Chapter 32
Lu Jiao Shares Silver
Xie Fugui was angry. The Xie Village was rather peaceful but there had been these few rats who infuriated others.
Xie Fugui stared at Widow Li coldly and said in a low voice, “If you don’t pay up, then you need to get out of the Xie Village. This village refuses to house families like you. You might lead the village children astray.”
The color drained from Widow Li’s face right away. She wanted to argue more but Xie Fugui’s heavy expression stopped her. The Village Leader was determined to go through with his threat. Just where would the Shen family go if they’re shunned out?
The Xie Village was the home of the Xie bloodline. They may have accepted others with different surnames, but these people will never root in the same way as the Xie’s.
Xie Fugui ignored Widow Li and asked Lu Jiao, “Yunjin’s wife, how much do you want?”
Lu Jiao narrowed her eyes at Widow Li and faked a smile, “One tael of silver is enough. Leader, as you know, Yunjin’s medicine is around one and a half taels of silver per portion. The good quality one costs as much as five taels of silver. This one tael of silver from her cannot even buy us medicine.”
“I don’t even really want her silver. I want her to learn a lesson and stop taking advantage of my family.”
Everyone originally thought she was being greedy by asking for one tael of silver. However, once they heard that it wasn’t even enough to get medicine, they suddenly thought of her as kind.
Many people spoke up on her behalf, “Yunjin did get hurt today. He vomited blood. One tael of silver isn’t enough. It’s really not.”
“She didn’t ask for too much. With Widow Li hurting Yunjin like this, Yunjin’s family will need to spend so much more money.”
Widow Li refused to give out any money and frowned, “We don’t have money. We don’t.”
Just then, she saw Xie Lan on the side and grabbed her hand, “Xie Lan, go beg your third sister-in-law and ask her to stop asking us for money. You know what my situation is like at home.”
Xie Lan heard Widow Li’s words and thought that given she was friends with Shen Xiu, she needed to take a side and act now in order to make herself look like a kind soul.
Xie Lan turned her head. However, before she could speak, Lu Jiao had snapped, “Shut your mouth. The sight of you annoys me.”
Then, she grabbed Shen Xiaoshan’s hand and started to drag him out, “Since your family refuses to give us money, I’ll take your mother and daughter to the judge. I will tell them you attempted to scam our money. Logically speaking, you will have to sit behind bars for a while.”
“Ah, right. I remember now that you have a long history of bad habits. Since we are going to a judge, I will tell him all about it. It’s better for society if he sends his investigators around and digs into everything. That way, you can stay behind bars for two more years.”
Shen Xiaoshan’s face was now pale with fright. Coupled with his physical pain, his whole existence felt like a burden.
He shrieked with his face blank, “Mother, give it to her. Go get money and give it to her. I don’t want to go to jail.”
Widow Li didn’t dare to argue now that her son had spoken, “Don’t take my son away. I will go get your money.”
She then walked away in a hurry. Lu Jiao wasn’t afraid of her running away and so she reasonably put away the blade in her hand.
Everyone in the yard sighed in relief. Yunjin’s wife with a blade was a rather scary picture.
Widow Li quickly delivered that one tael of silver. She felt like her heart had been carved out when she gave up that money.
Lu Jiao didn’t even take over the money. She gestured for Xie Xiaobao to take it. Then, she glanced at her quadruplets.
“First Born, who helped you out today?”
The First Born quickly pointed out the Second Grandma’s family, the Village Leader’s family, as well as this hunter family with the last name Xu.
Lu Jiao nodded and said to the Village Leader, “I don’t want this one tael of silver. You three family take it and share it.”
Her words stunned everyone in the yard. Everyone there started to discuss this.
“Oh my god, for real?”
“How come I didn’t think to help her children before?”
“One tael of silver split three ways is more than 300 copper tokens. That’s enough for a couple of pounds of pork. Oh my goodness.”
Xie Fugui stared at Lu Jiao, “Yunjin’s wife, there’s no need to be like this. Yunjin is in need of money.”
Lu Jiao shook her head, “I will figure out a way to get money for his medicine. Village Leader, as you saw, I know how to hunt, and I also know how to identify herbs. I don’t have to worry about Yunjin’s medicine. Please split the money. I’m giving it to you to thank your lot for helping my children today.”
She didn’t want to expand on what she already said, and she shoved away Shen Xiaoshan, “Get out of here.”
Widow Li helped her son stand up and they didn’t dare to stay.
Behind everyone, Shen Xiu’s gaze threw daggers at Lu Jiao before she walked away. Xie Lan remembered Lu Jiao’s words and angrily glared at her before she left.
Everyone left the yard while the three families who helped the quadruplets came over to convince Lu Jiao to take the money back.
Lu Jiao didn’t let them give the money back to her. She had to threaten someone in order to get the money. If she took it, the village would view her poorly but if she didn’t take the money, their opinions of her would be positive. Lu Jiao asked the Village Leader to handle the matter of splitting the money. She honestly didn’t care for that one tael of silver.
Village Leader Xie Fugui took on the task and left with everyone.
His daughter, Xie Xiaoju however, didn’t leave. She stayed and said to Lu Jiao, “Third sister, third brother, and the children are all hurt. I will stay and help you cook dinner while you tend to them.”
It was rather late now, and it was time to cook dinner. However, Xie Yunjin and the four little ones got hurt and needed tending.
In the end, she thanked Xie Xiaoju and brought the four little ones into the living room.
“Wait for me. I will take out some rice for sister Xiaoju. Then, I will come back to clean your wounds.”
The four little ones were anxious as they stayed in the living room. The moment Lu Jiao left, they ran to the east bedroom.
They knew that their father just vomited blood. As they stood by his bedside and watched him lie there unconscious, they felt terrified and tears started to roll down their cheeks.
Lu Jiao hid and took out half a bowl of rice from her space and handed it to Xie Xiaoju, “Xiaoju, thank you for this.”
“No problem. You go and be busy.”
Lu Jiao nodded. She first got a bucket of water before she headed to the east bedroom.
Before she could enter, she heard the four little ones cry, “Daddy, wake up.”
“Don’t sleep. We won’t fight anymore.”
“We won’t ever fight anyone in the future. Don’t get mad.”
Lu Jiao entered and found the four of them in a line as they wiped tears off their faces.
Lu Jiao called them, “Come here and wash up first. Look at how dirty you all are.”
The quadruplets turned their heads towards her. They remembered how she protected them before and felt close to her.
The First Born walked over in a hurry, “You feed daddy medicine first.”
Lu Jiao took the only small seat in the house and sat down. She said to the First Born, “I already checked him out. He’s fine. You guys stop worrying.”
The Four Little ones were in disbelief, “Then how come he’s not waking up?”
“He was already injured, and he got too angry, so he cannot wake up right at this moment. Don’t worry though, he will be fine.”