RUHIP Chapter 005

Yun Yushan was stunned by just a few of Lin Ye’s words, his pale face turning extremely unsightly.

Only now did the village chief realize the severity of the situation, and so he had someone bring Liu Laizi over.

If things were really as Lin Ye said, then wouldn’t Yunjia Village be finished? If anyone could casually sentence someone to death, wouldn’t even the smallest conflict in the future be a life-and-death matter?

In front of everyone, Lin Ye questioned Liu Laizi: “You’d better tell the truth. The villagers may not know the law, but I’ve read plenty of books. If you dare collude to harm someone’s life, you’ll be sent to the yamen and thrown in prison. And that prison is no place for people—the ones locked in there are all vicious criminals guilty of heinous crimes. I’ve heard the constables there punish people by stabbing red-hot iron rods into their bodies…”

Before Lin Ye even finished speaking, Liu Laizi was already terrified. He immediately spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube.

“I—I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Just don’t send me to the yamen! It—it was Yun Dali. He gave me ten copper coins and told me to meet Yun Jiu in the woods today, and then frame him for having an affair with me.”

Looking at Liu Laizi, who had fallen to his knees in fear, Lin Ye thought: people in ancient times really are easy to scare—especially these uneducated farmers who’ve spent their whole lives in the fields. He’d only casually threatened him a little, and the man confessed everything.

But what Lin Ye didn’t know was that, in the hearts of these farming folk, the word yamen was a terrifying concept.

Just then, Yun Xu-shi reacted and rushed angrily at Lin Ye. Lin Ye took two steps back and dodged Yun Xu-shi’s lunge.

Yun Xiaohua immediately stood protectively in front of Lin Ye, like a mother hen shielding her chick.

At this point, everyone had figured out what was going on and couldn’t help but point and whisper about Yun Dali’s family. Yun Yushan glared furiously at Lin Ye. If it weren’t for Lin Ye suddenly stepping in, he could’ve fooled everyone. Yun Jiu might already be dead by now.

But Lin Ye didn’t care about Yun Yushan’s glare. “Come over here and help me get him down.”

A few strong young men quickly went over to assist. With everyone’s efforts, Yun Jiu was finally taken down. At this point, Yun Jiu was already deeply unconscious. As Yun Jiu was lowered, it seemed like the wind passed through the big tree above again. Lin Ye glanced up at the tree above his head and sighed inwardly: They say plants are emotionless—but sometimes, people are colder than those heartless plants.

Lin Ye removed the rag from Yun Jiu’s mouth and frowned as he said to the village chief, “We’ll take him to the old doctor first. The rest of this matter is up to you.”

The village chief nodded seriously and waved them off quickly.

When Yun Xiaohua saw that Lin Ye was about to carry Yun Jiu on his back, he rushed to his own brother’s side. “Why are you standing there? Go carry Yun Jiu!”

Yun Xiaohua’s brother, Yun Mengyang, looked at him in confusion. “W-why should I carry Yun Jiu?”

Yun Xiaohua, furious, kicked Yun Mengyang. “Are you going or not? Going or not?”

Yun Mengyang quickly pulled his leg back, afraid that if he was a second too slow, his younger brother would torment him. “Alright, alright! But look, Lin Ye already picked him up and left—so stop bothering me.”

As it turned out, while the two were speaking, Lin Ye had already carried Yun Jiu off.

Seeing Lin Ye leave, Yun Xiaohua immediately ran to catch up.

Meanwhile, the village chief and the others didn’t leave. Everyone was looking at Yun Dali’s family with unfriendly eyes. If things were really as Lin Ye said, could their village ever know peace again? Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs—but this family really was something else.

An elderly man stepped out and pointed at Yun Dali’s nose. “Dali, you’re in the wrong here. No matter what that child is like—he’s still your own flesh and blood. What you did… it’s truly chilling.”

This old man was the previous village chief of Yunjia Village, nearly seventy years old now.

Yun Jiu had always been disliked in the village for being ugly, but Yun Dali’s family went even further.

Yun Yushan was already furious, his face flushed red from everyone pointing at him. He was supposed to take the imperial exams in the future. If this matter got out of hand, it would be extremely bad for his prospects.

Yun Yushan glanced at Yun Xu-shi, and Yun Xu-shi immediately understood her son’s meaning. He fell to his knees before the village chief with a loud thump.

“This was all my doing. I hate that money-losing thing! That ugly freak finally got married, and then he jinxed his husband to death! I was afraid that ugly freak would bring misfortune to our family, so I… I came up with this plan. I was possessed—I was truly possessed!”

The village chief was startled by his sudden action, but upon hearing his reasoning, he couldn’t help but frown.

“Even so, how could you go so far as to try to take your own child’s life? That’s your own flesh and blood—how could you be so heartless?”

Yun Xu-shi quickly nodded, “Yes, yes, it’s my fault—my fault entirely. I won’t ever dare do such a thing again. Please, village chief, forgive me this once.”

The old village chief snorted coldly. “Now that Yun Jiu’s ended up like this, I truly can’t rest easy letting him return to your household. What if I go to bed tonight and find out he’s dead by morning?”

The current village chief had originally wanted to handle the matter quietly. After all, Yun Yushan was supposed to be a future scholar. Though he pitied Yun Jiu, he hadn’t planned to ruin Yun Yushan’s future over him. But after hearing the old chief speak, he realized things wouldn’t end so easily.

“How about this,” the old village chief said, “Yun Jiu is already married out. Since he’s married, it wouldn’t be proper for him to continue living with his maiden family. There are two thatched huts up in the north of the village, aren’t there? Let him stay there for now. But since he was injured by your family, the medical expenses must be covered by you.”

The old chief spoke all in one breath, leaving Yun Dali’s family no room to argue.

The current chief immediately echoed, “That’s a good solution. We’ll do it like that. The old chief is already being kind enough. After what you’ve done today, the fact you weren’t punished severely is already saving your face. Remember this well—there must not be a next time. If it happens again, you’ll be kicked out of Yunjia Village.”

When Yun Dali heard this, he was instantly furious. They hadn’t even wanted to spend money on medicine for that jinx in the first place, and now not only had they failed to settle the matter, they’d have to pay even more.

Yun Xiaoshu immediately objected, saying angrily, “Why should we? He’s already married out, and not only has he never helped the family, now we even have to pay for his medicine?”

Yun Yushan glared at Yun Xiaoshu. “Shut up. What do you know?”

The village chief was already helping their family — how could this Yun Xiaoshu be so stupid?

Yun Xiaoshu was cowed by Yun Yushan’s scolding and didn’t dare say another word.

But everyone could clearly see that Yun Dali’s family still hadn’t realized their mistake.

The old village chief saw this and pointed at Yun Xiaoshu. “You child — so young, yet already so cold and heartless. He’s still your blood brother, after all.”

Yun Xiaoshu had been spoiled by Yun Xu-shi since young and had never been scolded like this with someone pointing at his nose. Just as he was about to open his mouth to retort, Yun Dali grabbed him.

“Enough, you disgraceful thing. Shut up already!”

Scared by his own father’s outburst, Yun Xiaoshu shook off Yun Dali and ran off crying. Yun Xiaoxiang, seeing this, immediately chased after him.

“I see you still don’t understand your wrongs. Since you don’t think you’ve done anything wrong, then go kneel properly at the ancestral hall of Yunjia Village for two days. Only when you know your mistake can you get up again,” the old village chief huffed and left, supported by his eldest grandson, Yun Ye.

No matter how dissatisfied Yun Dali’s family was in their hearts, they didn’t dare say anything more.

Meanwhile, after Lin Ye sent Yun Jiu to the old doctor of Yunjia Village, a group of people waited outside the doctor’s door.

Yun Xiaohua glanced at Lin Ye, who was leaning blankly against the wall, and wanted to go talk to him — but because there were so many men standing around Lin Ye, he could only look at him longingly from a distance.

Lin Ye looked dazed, but in fact he was sensing Yun Jiu’s life force. Yun Jiu’s condition was very bad — he seemed to have been sick for several days already. Today, when he was hung on the tree, he was only wearing a thin single layer of clothing, and had so many wounds on his body. With the backward medical conditions here, this person probably couldn’t be saved.

When the old doctor came out, sure enough, Lin Ye saw him shake his head.

Although the old doctor didn’t say much, everyone understood what that shake of the head meant. Two kind-hearted men immediately punched the wall in frustration. They both felt that it was because they hadn’t uncovered Yun Jiu’s injustice in time that things had gotten to this point.

Afterward, Lin Ye and the others brought Yun Jiu to the thatched hut in the north of the village. Looking at the drafty hut, a kindhearted elder ge’er suddenly said, “Why don’t we let Yun Jiu stay at my house for now? This place isn’t fit for a sick person to stay in.”

In fact, everyone wanted to say something like that — but Yun Jiu was already close to dying. The thought of bringing a dying person home made them feel… a bit uncomfortable.

That elder ge’er’s house was also a thatched hut — just slightly quieter than this one, with fewer holes in the walls and roof. He was also one of the poor households in Yunjia Village, the kind who couldn’t even get enough to eat himself. How could anyone send Yun Jiu to his place?

In the end, someone looked toward Lin Ye, who had the best family background and the most houses.

Lin Ye touched his nose and could only say, “Alright, send him to my place for now.”

Yun Xiaohua had been squatting outside. When he saw the group carrying Yun Jiu out again, he couldn’t help but grab someone and ask, “What now?”

“We’re sending him to Lin Ye’s place. This place really isn’t livable.”

Yun Xiaohua’s eyes widened instantly. What?