Chapter 15 A Scoundrel’s Grab

Wang Fugui was leading five or six yamen officers towards the village.

The villagers of Changhe Village were stunned to see the officials entering the village. They thought someone in the village had committed a crime.

After inquiring, they learned that Wang Laoer and his son had actually hunted a wolf in the back mountain.

The villagers’ thoughts were mixed. A wolf could be exchanged for two taels of silver, and they would also get a wolfskin for free. The Wang family father and son were incredibly lucky.

They heard that the wolf had fallen into a trap and was injured, and the Wang family father and son had hunted it. Now, everyone thought the Wang family father and son’s luck was out of this world.

Some people didn’t believe it at all. The Wang family father and son were greedy and cowardly. How could they dare to hunt a wolf? It was more believable that a sow could climb a tree.

The news of the Wang family father and son hunting a wolf spread quickly.

Villagers who heard the news rushed over to watch the excitement. The Zhou brothers also received the information and immediately sensed something unusual about the incident.

Something was wrong! How could such a coincidence happen?

So, they didn’t bother with anything else. They told their father and mother a few words and rushed to the Qin family.

When they arrived at the Qin family, they ran into Qin Ruo and Qin Zimu, who were just about to go out.

A quarter of an hour ago, Qin Zimu, who had just returned from outside, knocked on her door.

He said that Wang Fugui was leading the yamen officers towards the back mountain, and he heard that they had hunted a wolf.

“Qiuxi, the Wang family…”

“No need to say anything, let’s go and see what’s going on.” Qin Ruo interrupted Zhou Dazhu’s words with a stern face.

She didn’t believe a word about the Wang family father and son hunting a wolf.

The Wang family father and son were lazy and cowardly. If they encountered a wolf, wouldn’t they run as far away as possible?

It was most likely that the wolf she had killed today had been stolen by the Wang family father and son.

Her things weren’t so easy to take.

Qin Ruo sneered and walked out first. The Zhou brothers and Qin Zimu followed closely behind.

When they arrived at the pond, the yamen officers were about to carry the wolf back.

The Wang family father and son were boasting and spitting as they told the villagers about their hunting of the wolf.

Qin Ruo recognized the wolf the yamen officers were carrying. It was the one she had hunted. Her eyes suddenly turned cold.

The Zhou brothers also recognized the wolf, but they still had a glimmer of hope. They rushed to the spot by the pond where the wolf was hidden, pushed aside the grass, and found nothing.

The two brothers looked at each other, their hearts sinking. Wang Laoer and Wang Fugui were too shameless.

This was clearly Qiuxi’s kill, and now they were clearly trying to take credit.

“You’re lying! This wolf was clearly hunted by Qiuxi. You’re stealing it!” Zhou Erzhu pushed through the crowd and rushed to the Wang family father and son, shouting loudly.

“Zhou family boy, I advise you to stop talking nonsense. Who do you say hunted this wolf? That stinky girl from the Qin family? Who would believe that?”

Wang Fugui glared at Zhou Erzhu, his voice laced with a threat.

The Wang family father and son also saw Qin Ruo, who had just arrived. They didn’t take the bean sprout-like Qin Ruo seriously.

This girl from the Qin family didn’t like to talk, she was the kind who wouldn’t say a word even if you beat her with a stick. They figured she wouldn’t dare to do anything.

They were determined to get those two taels of silver!

“I don’t know when the wolf I killed became yours.” Qin Ruo walked forward, staring at Wang Fugui, her voice devoid of emotion.

The crowd stirred. The Qin family was known for their hunting skills, so it wasn’t impossible that the girl had hunted the wolf.

But the Wang family father and son were tall and strong. It seemed more plausible that they had taken down an injured wolf.

The officers looked at each other, unsure. They then turned their attention to Qin Ruo.

The young girl was thin and small. She didn’t look like someone who could kill a wolf.

Seeing the officers’ reaction, the Wang family father and son exchanged a triumphant smile.

They had already processed the wolf, so they weren’t afraid of a confrontation.

The leading officer, Yu Zhengyang, was about thirty years old. He raised his hand to silence the crowd and beckoned Qin Ruo to come forward.

“Little girl, come forward. You say you hunted this wolf. Do you have any proof?”

Yu Zhengyang, the leading officer, wanted to hear Qin Ruo’s explanation.

Although the girl looked thin and small, her gaze was firm and her eyes were clear. She didn’t seem like someone who would deliberately cause trouble.

“Officer, don’t listen to that little girl’s nonsense! With her small frame, if she really encountered a wolf, she would only become its food.”

Wang Fugui panicked when he saw that Yu Zhengyang’s attitude seemed to be changing.

Although they had already processed the wolf, he wanted to get rid of the officers as soon as possible to avoid any complications. He would go to the yamen tomorrow to claim the reward.

“Shut up, I didn’t ask you.” Yu Zhengyang’s face was not good. He had some doubts about Wang Fugui’s words on the way here.

Wang Fugui looked like a lazy bum. He didn’t look like someone who could hunt a wolf. He didn’t know how cunning wolves were.

But when he arrived at the scene, he saw that the wolf was indeed as Wang Fugui had described. Its head was smashed to pieces by a rock, and its abdomen and neck were stabbed several times.

It did seem like what the Wang family father and son had described, so he could only temporarily suppress the doubts and strange feelings in his heart.

He was about to leave when Qin Ruo and her group stepped forward.

The ownership of the wolf was disputed, and Yu Zhengyang couldn’t just stand by and watch. That was why he asked Qin Ruo to come forward.

“Sir, my son doesn’t know how to speak and has offended you. I apologize. I was afraid that you would be fooled by the Qin family girl and waste your time.”

Before Qin Ruo could speak, Wang Laoer stood in front of Yu Zhengyang, smiling and bowing.

Yu Zhengyang had been in the yamen for over ten years. He could see through Wang Laoer’s intentions.

The Wang family father and son had repeatedly stopped him from questioning Qin Ruo. They clearly had something to hide.

Yu Zhengyang was now more inclined to believe that Qin Ruo was the one who had caught the wolf.

“I will find out who caught this wolf. Are you teaching me how to do my job?” Yu Zhengyang said sternly, his face turning serious.

Seeing this, the officers with large swords hanging from their waists immediately stepped forward and surrounded Wang Laoer and Wang Fugui.

The two men immediately became quiet and dared not speak again, but they didn’t forget to glare fiercely at Qin Ruo.

Their eyes clearly signaled her not to speak, but Qin Ruo didn’t even look at the Wang family father and son.

She walked forward, glanced at the Wang family father and son, and calmly said, “I hunted this wolf in the mountains. I was planning to go to the yamen tomorrow, but it seems that the wolf I hunted has been taken credit for by someone else…”

Qin Ruo calmly told Yu Zhengyang the whole story of how she hunted the wolf and how she hid the wolf’s body.