Officer Zhu had a decent relationship with Officer Ge and Officer Peng. When there was nothing to do, the three of them would often get together for a drink, chatting about the gossip in the county yamen.
They were the type of friends who bonded over food and drink.
At this moment, seeing Ge and Peng sitting here drinking tea, Officer Zhu, who had nothing else to do, joined them.
He poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then put it down, feeling somewhat disdainful of the taste. It wasn’t as good as the tea Wen Niang brewed for him.
This was a roadside teahouse, a small establishment where a pot of tea cost three wen and could be refilled as many times as one liked.
The usual patrons here were elderly men from the nearby area. They enjoyed sitting here, drinking tea, and chatting with each other. It was a place for idle talk and killing time, where the quality of the tea didn’t matter much.
Officer Zhu asked, “Did you just come back from patrolling the dock area?”
Before Steward Cui’s accident, these two had cozied up to him, sticking to him closely. Since Steward Cui had influence, the dock area was assigned to their supervision. Normally, they would patrol there when they had nothing else to do.
The docks were a lucrative place. Just the offerings alone were enough to fill their pockets.
Officer Zhu couldn’t help but feel a little envious of them.
Now that Steward Cui had become a cripple and was lying at home, it didn’t seem to affect the two much. After all, their positions as yamen officers were inherited from their fathers and had nothing to do with Steward Cui. At most, they couldn’t enjoy the perks of eating and drinking with him anymore, and their tributes had slightly decreased.
Officer Ge and Officer Peng lowered their heads, sipping their tea and responding vaguely.
They had just returned from there and were still shaken. They needed to calm their nerves and really weren’t in the mood to talk.
The three of them chatted sporadically until Officer Zhu suggested that they do him the honor of letting him treat them to a meal.
Hearing the words “treat to a meal,” Ge and Peng immediately knew there was work to be done.
In the past, they would have agreed without hesitation, no matter the task. Most of the time, it was just about using their status as yamen officers to intimidate some common folk, a tactic that never failed.
But ever since Steward Cui became a cripple, they had lost interest in such activities.
Now, they just wanted to live a peaceful life.
Or rather, they had no interest in any activities involving bullying the people, for fear of encountering another “Boss Li.”
The threat from Boss Li had been terrifying. Their hearts were still pounding, and their legs were weak. They hadn’t fully recovered from the ordeal.
Even so, Officer Ge still asked politely, “What do you need us to do?”
Officer Peng, meanwhile, kept refilling his tea, drinking several cups of hot tea before feeling a bit more comfortable.
Officer Zhu, oblivious to their unease, said, “Didn’t I tell you before that I have a scholar uncle on the east side of the city who runs a private school? A while back, one of his cousins came to me, saying his younger brother, Cheng Ge’er, got beaten up and wanted me to lend a hand.”
Hearing this, Ge and Peng immediately understood.
Officer Ge said, “So, what? You want us to help you beat someone up?”
Their expressions showed complete understanding. After all, Officer Zhu’s uncle’s cousin had been beaten—how could they just let it slide? Helping to beat the person back was a normal response.
It seemed the opponent must be quite skilled; otherwise, Officer Zhu wouldn’t have sought their help.
Some unruly people just loved to challenge yamen officers. For example, the idlers in Luoyu Alley were so troublesome that even the government officials couldn’t do much about them when they gathered to stir up trouble.
“That’s not it,” Officer Zhu quickly waved his hand. “My cousin is a scholar and doesn’t condone violence. He just wants us to scare the person a little, make her apologize, and preferably kneel while doing so.”
Officer Peng showed some interest. “What kind of grudge is this? You’re asking for her to kneel and apologize?”
An apology is one thing, but demanding someone to kneel? That scholar must be pretty ruthless, clearly intending to humiliate the other party.
“That, I don’t know,” Officer Zhu said, spreading his hands. “That’s just what they requested.”
Officer Ge remarked, “For something like this, you could go on your own. Why would you need us?”
Ordinary people feared the government. Their status as yamen officers was enough to intimidate anyone. Just standing there and shouting a few harsh words would surely frighten the other party.
Officer Zhu could handle this alone.
Officer Zhu sighed. “I thought it’d be simple too, but who knew she hasn’t been coming to the county these days? I can’t find her.”
Chen’s cousin treated him to a meal and mentioned the matter, and Officer Zhu had readily agreed, saying he’d drop by Zhang’s butcher shop when he had time.
Chen’s cousin had done his homework and told him that the person in question worked at Zhang’s butcher shop. But when Officer Zhu went to look for her, he found out that the one who had beaten Cheng Ge’er wasn’t showing up anymore.
He heard she was sick—seriously ill, in fact—and the people at the butcher shop were all worried about her.
Half a month later, he went back to Zhang’s butcher shop but still didn’t see the person Chen’s cousin described.
According to Chen’s cousin, the person who beat Cheng Ge’er was a girl—thin, dark-skinned, and rather ugly.
But at the butcher shop, Officer Zhu only saw a pale-skinned girl. Though she was somewhat thin, she wasn’t ugly at all; in fact, she was quite pretty.
Clearly, this wasn’t the ugly girl they had described as being capable of fighting.
Officer Zhu made several trips to Zhang’s butcher shop but couldn’t find the person. So, he told Chen’s cousin that the person was no longer there.
Chen Zhongxun didn’t believe him, suspecting that Officer Zhu had failed to recognize her.
He and Yu Jingde, his brother, personally went to the breakfast stall where they had encountered Yu Li before, waiting for the delivery from Zhang’s butcher shop.
Eventually, the butcher shop’s delivery person did show up—it was the pale-skinned girl Officer Zhu had seen before, not the dark and thin ugly girl.
The Yu brothers watched as the delivery was made and confirmed that she wasn’t Yu Li.
In their memory, Yu Li was a dark and thin ugly girl.
To them, their second uncle’s daughters were all unattractive, far less appealing than the girls in the county.
“It seems she might’ve gone back to the village because of her illness and isn’t working at the butcher shop anymore,” Yu Jingde said disappointedly.
Or perhaps she was working elsewhere in the county.
The county was vast, and they didn’t have the time to search every corner.
The Yu brothers hadn’t given up on making Yu Li apologize to their father. They believed that this would help their father regain his spirits.
Both brothers could feel that the forced family division had dealt a significant blow to their father. Since recovering from his illness, they hadn’t seen him smile in a long time. Instead, his temper had grown irritable. Sometimes, he would inexplicably lash out and scold people, even reducing their youngest brother to tears a few times. He had even made their mother cry and return to her parental home.
The atmosphere at home grew more oppressive by the day. The previous harmony between husband and wife, the father’s kindness, and the children’s filial piety were nowhere to be found.
This couldn’t go on.
“To untie the bell, the person who tied it must do it.” They believed that their father’s inner torment was tied to Yu Li. If Yu Li could one day kneel and apologize to him, their father would surely regain his spirits, and their family could return to the way it was.
For this reason, the Yu brothers once again turned to Chen Zhongxun, insisting that no matter what, Yu Li must apologize.
Chen Zhongxun had no choice but to approach Officer Zhu again, treating him to a meal and begging him to help with this matter.
—
Officer Zhu briefly explained the situation to Officer Ge and Officer Peng.
“…The girl who hit my cousin must have gone back to her village. I heard she’s unfilial. Even though she’s already married, she meddled in her maternal family’s affairs and forced them to split the family property. Such a woman is far from virtuous. If she’s allowed to continue, it’ll bring chaos to the family.”
Officer Ge and Officer Peng hadn’t expected the person who beat up Officer Zhu’s cousin to be a girl.
This reminded them of the merciless “Boss Li,” and their expressions stiffened.
At this moment, both of them couldn’t help but think: whether or not she’s virtuous has nothing to do with us, and we don’t want to hear about it.
Officer Zhu said to them, “Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up soon, and we’ll have a holiday. I wonder if you two elder brothers can accompany me to Qingshi Village?”
“No, no way,” Officer Peng immediately shook his head. “Rural areas are full of unruly folk. I wouldn’t dare go.”
Especially since the person in question was a girl. If she turned out to be as terrifying as “Boss Li,” wouldn’t they be walking straight into a beating?
What they feared most now were girls who knew how to fight.
If they were asked to intimidate a man, they might not resist so much. But to scare a girl…
Whether or not the girl could fight, if “Boss Li” found out they were doing something like this, she’d probably beat them up again.
Officer Ge also refused.
Like Officer Peng, he believed that any girl who could fight was bound to be as terrifying as “Boss Li.” It was better to avoid them altogether.
In the future, they’d rather not have any dealings with girls who could fight, lest they encounter another fierce female fighter.
Officer Zhu looked at them in confusion. “What’s wrong with you two? I’m not asking you to do anything; just come with me.”
He felt uneasy going alone. He’d heard that the girl could fight and was worried he wouldn’t be able to handle it on his own.
Yu Jingde, after hearing from his younger brother that Yu Li was very strong, feared that Officer Zhu might suffer a loss and had even warned him.
Although Officer Zhu didn’t believe a woman could be that strong, he decided to play it safe and bring two more people along.
After all, it was just a trip to the Fu family in Qingshi Village to scare someone a little.
Seeing the two still unwilling, Officer Zhu finally said, “If you’re willing to accompany me to Qingshi Village, I’ll let Wen Niang serve you for a night.”
The two, who had been firm in their refusal, immediately lit up at the offer.