After a night had passed, the marks on the men’s faces looked even more horrifying. Red, swollen welts from the vine whippings covered their heads and any exposed skin that couldn’t be hidden by clothing.
It was clear they had been beaten severely.
In truth, their entire bodies still ached, each injury a fiery, searing reminder burned into their memories.
When they returned home the day before, their appearances had shocked their friends, family, and neighbors. Some were concerned, others schadenfreude, and many simply curious. Everyone speculated about whom these troublemakers had provoked.
After all, these ruffians often caused trouble everywhere they went. It wasn’t surprising they’d eventually cross someone they shouldn’t have. Getting beaten up was almost expected.
Yu Li said, “From now on, whenever I have free time, I’ll check on you to see if you’re doing proper work. If I find out you’re still acting like before, I’ll have to take action.”
Her gaze dropped pointedly toward their lower regions.
The men: “…”
At this moment, Skinny Wu timidly asked, “Does being a bouncer at a gambling den count as legitimate work?”
The others chimed in, “What about debt collection?”
“And, uh…”
The five men started chattering all at once, but even after racking their brains, they couldn’t think of any honest jobs that suited them.
Yu Li kicked Gao Sheng, who had suggested debt collection, then followed it with a kick to Skinny Wu for mentioning working at the gambling den.
The other three fell silent immediately, not daring to utter another word.
Yu Li’s threats were too terrifying. These ruffians, despite still nursing their wounds, hurried to find honest work.
Since quick-money jobs like gambling dens and debt collection were out of the question, they could only search the streets for more respectable work. Eventually, they found jobs, though the pay wasn’t much.
Some became barbers, cobblers, or night watchmen.
Yu Li found these acceptable and refrained from further punishment. However, she made a point of occasionally visiting their workplaces to check up on them.
The men: “…”
As time went on, they learned her name and that she worked at Zhang’s butcher shop.
Upon discovering that she was actually a pig butcher, they finally understood why she dared to wander around the county alone, fearlessly shopping and walking back to the village without worrying about robbers.
The security in the Shanping County area wasn’t very good. While the county town itself was relatively safe, the outskirts were a different story.
Villagers from the surrounding areas typically traveled in groups when going to the town to shop. This way, no bandits or robbers would dare make a move.
The situation in Shanping County wasn’t unique; many places were the same.
Public security in these times was poor. In towns, there were patrolling officers, but even they could be corrupt—sometimes leading robberies themselves or eating at shops without paying. It all depended on the character of the local magistrate.
For county officials, robberies were considered minor cases. They rarely paid much attention, and victims could only consider themselves unlucky. At most, people would learn not to travel alone and would find a companion for safety.
Gao Sheng and his group were now terrified of Yu Li. Just hearing her name made them quake in fear, forcing them to obediently work and earn money.
That day, after finishing their work, they agreed to meet at a tavern for a drink.
Life had been tough for them lately, and without some alcohol to lighten their mood, they didn’t know how much longer they could endure.
What they didn’t expect was to hear the name “Yu Li” while drinking.
Gao Sheng and the others shivered, cautiously turning their heads to look. They saw three scholars sitting together, drinking wine and enjoying a few dishes.
“Is that Yu Li really so unreasonable?” asked a young scholar, around eighteen or nineteen, wearing a square scarf on his head, clearly astonished.
“She is,” replied another scholar, about twenty years old, his face grim. “I heard it directly from Brother Zong. She actually…”
Yu Jingde hesitated, finding it difficult to articulate. Having his father forced to kneel was a humiliating matter, one he was reluctant to share—it wasn’t just his father’s dignity at stake but their entire family’s.
After learning about the incident, the brothers finally understood why their father, Yu Laoda, had such an unpredictable temper. They even sympathized with him and became increasingly resentful of Yu Li.
Chen Zhongxun’s face darkened with anger. “She beat up Brother Cheng last time. While it’s true Brother Cheng was in the wrong, she shouldn’t have beaten him so harshly.”
Even though he knew his younger brother was at fault, family loyalty made him protective. Seeing Cheng’s swollen face, which took days to heal, and hearing him cry out in pain, how could he not feel heartache?
Now, hearing from the Yu brothers that Yu Li had done something even more outrageous, Chen Zhongxun couldn’t help but fume.
The Yu brothers had been furious ever since learning about their father’s humiliation. They wanted to go back to the village and teach Yu Li a lesson, but their mother forbade them from provoking her.
Both had promised their mother to let it go, so they had no choice but to endure.
But while they held back from seeking Yu Li out in the village, they hadn’t expected to encounter her in the county town.
It was a coincidence.
The brothers usually didn’t eat breakfast at home but grabbed a bite from street vendors. Yesterday morning, as they were eating breakfast on the street, they saw Yu Li delivering pork to a neighboring bun shop.
After asking around, they learned that she had come to the county town to work and was currently delivering meat for a butcher shop.
The Yu family had been torn apart by her actions, yet she showed no guilt. Instead, she came to the county to work, acting as if they didn’t exist.
Both brothers were livid. If she hadn’t run off quickly, they would have confronted her, scolded her, and forced her to admit her mistakes in shame.
Today, while drinking with their maternal grandfather’s grandson, Chen Zhongxun, they shared their frustrations.
Chen Zhongxun, about the same age as them, got along well with the Yu brothers. They often studied and played together, and their bond was closer than typical cousins.
Recalling how Yu Li had beaten Cheng, Chen Zhongxun thought she was nothing but a shrew—unreasonable and merciless. Seeing the Yu brothers’ gloomy expressions, he suddenly asked, “Do you want to teach her a lesson?”
“What?” Yu Jingli froze, then quickly asked, “You have a way?”
Of course, they wanted to teach her a lesson, but they hadn’t had the chance and didn’t know how to go about it.
Chen Zhongxun said, “You know my grandaunt’s grandson works as a yamen officer, right? Why not have him give her a scare?”
The Chen family, before Scholar Chen’s rise to prominence, had been an ordinary farming household, no different from the peasants scraping a living from the fields.
Later, when Scholar Chen decided to establish a private school in the county town, he purchased a house and settled there with his family.
The Chen family had many relatives engaged in various trades.
One such relative was a grandson of Chen’s grandaunt, surnamed Zhu, who came from a family of yamen officers. This role had been passed down through the family for generations. By the time it reached this cousin of the grandaunt’s household, he too worked as a yamen officer.
For unworldly villagers, the sight of a government officer was often intimidating.
Chen Zhongxun believed that although Yu Li dared to hit people, she was ultimately an illiterate countrywoman and would likely be just as easily cowed.
The Yu brothers, Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli, brightened at the suggestion. “That’s a great idea!”
“Best if she realizes her mistake and apologizes to the elders in the family.”
“Even better if she kneels to admit her wrongdoing,” Yu Jingli added. That way, their father might finally let go of his grudge over the incident.
As the three cousins discussed their plan, Gao Sheng and his group listened, their expressions tinged with sympathy.
The group decided not to continue drinking. They paid their bill and left the tavern.
Outside, Skinny Wu asked, “Should we tell Boss Li about this?”
“Of course we should,” Gao Sheng replied. “Even if we don’t, those guys won’t be able to do anything to her. Better we sell her a favor.”
The others nodded, agreeing with this reasoning.
They didn’t believe that the involvement of a yamen officer would scare Yu Li into submission like an ordinary villager. For all they knew, she might even dare to hit the yamen officer.
Of course, she wouldn’t attack him openly in the county town—but outside the town? She could beat him up there and even threaten to castrate him…
With this thought, they became eager to inform Yu Li of the plan.
When Yu Li heard about it from Gao Sheng and the others, she remained calm. She gave them a brief glance and said, “I know about it now.”
Gao Sheng nervously peeked at her. “Boss Li, what are you going to do?”
This informal address was typical among their kind—none of them used fancy or respectful terms like “Miss.”
They had initially wanted to call her “Boss Yu,” but she found it too formal and reminiscent of calling someone an elder uncle. She forbade it, so they switched to “Boss Li.”
Yu Li gave them a glance but didn’t reveal her plans. Instead, she told them to focus on their work and not to concern themselves with such matters.
Watching her leave, Gao Sheng and the others exchanged looks.
“Why don’t we keep an eye on that Chen family relative, the yamen officer surnamed Zhu?” Skinny Wu suggested. Though small and thin, he was sharp and resourceful. “If anything happens, we can report it to Boss Li immediately.”
Everyone agreed enthusiastically. This was a chance to win Yu Li’s favor, and they couldn’t miss it.
If they managed to please her, perhaps she would be magnanimous enough to stop holding their past transgressions against them—and, more importantly, stop threatening to castrate them.
That looming threat still hung over their heads, impossible to forget.
—
Yu Li didn’t take what Gao Sheng and the others told her seriously.
It was just an ordinary yamen officer. Whether he intended merely to scare her or had plans to teach her a lesson, it all depended on whether he had the ability to do so.
There were countless ways to ruin a person; Yu Li didn’t need to engage in a head-on confrontation.
Yu Li respected human life and rarely acted against people easily. However, if someone insisted on opposing her, she would have no choice but to ruin that person.
As long as they were alive, it didn’t matter how they lived.
Yu Li finished her usual shopping and returned to the village.
That evening, while the Fu family was having dinner, a sudden loud banging sounded on the door—bang, bang, bang.
Zhou Shi got up to open it and found Yu Yin, who had left not long ago. Her face was pale, filled with terror and panic. Startled, Zhou Shi asked, “Ah Yin, what’s wrong? What happened?”
The moment Yu Yin saw Yu Li, the tears she had been holding back began to fall.
She cried out, “Elder sister, younger sister… younger sister is in trouble…”