Chapter 10: Fooling Yourself to Death

The pain from his dislocated legs made Zhao Kun instinctively want to scream, but Jiang Jiuyue was well-prepared and stuffed a filthy rag into his mouth before he could.

She looked down at him coldly. “Your yamen really hires people like you? Not a single ounce of vigilance. One day, someone will trick you into having your kidneys stolen, and you won’t even know it.”

The foul-smelling rag made Zhao Kun gag, but he couldn’t spit it out, his head dizzy from the stench. He even forgot that his hands were still free and could have removed the rag.

Jiang Jiuyue took a hemp rope and tied him up securely, tossing him into the firewood room.

Zhao Kun’s eyes were wide with terror. Since becoming a yamen officer, no one had ever dared to treat him like this.

As his father-in-law had said, this Jiang Jiuyue was indeed crazy—she not only dared to hit a yamen officer but also tied him up!

Jiang Jiuyue winked at him. “Seems like you have something to say? Come on, tell me what you want to say.”

She pulled the rag from his mouth. Zhao Kun gagged several times before hoarsely speaking, “I’m an official! You hit me, and now you’ve tied me up. This is a violation of the law!”

Jiang Jiuyue sneered. “Law? You, as an official, are supporting your father-in-law’s evil deeds in this village, and you still dare to mention the law?”

Zhao Kun’s anger flared. “You’re talking nonsense! You crazy woman! You wait! Once I return to the county, I’ll report this to the county magistrate!”

Jiang Jiuyue tilted her head and looked at him. “Is that so? Then I guess I’ll have to kill you to silence you, so you can’t go and report me.”

Zhao Kun’s eyes widened in shock. “You—you—are you really going to kill me?!”

Jiang Jiuyue put on an innocent expression. “Why wouldn’t I dare? I’ve got nothing to lose. Worst case, I kill you, then take out your whole family and your father-in-law’s. After that, I’ll join the bandits and live as a rogue. What can your yamen do about me?”

Zhao Kun was terrified. She even had an escape plan in mind! Was she serious?

Jiang Jiuyue then pulled a knife from somewhere and waved it in front of him. “Before I kill you, I’ll take a little interest first. After all, it’s your fault for listening to that fool of a father-in-law and coming here to trouble me. You deserve this.”

Zhao Kun, in utter fear, tried to shrink back, but the pain in his legs was so severe that he couldn’t move. He could only watch as Jiang Jiuyue made a cut on his leg.

She really dared to do it!

Zhao Kun’s eyes rolled back in fear, wishing he could pass out.

Jiang Jiuyue put the knife away and pulled out a copper hairpin, gesturing it in front of his face.

Zhao Kun screamed in terror. If she was planning to scar his face, he would lose his position as a yamen officer for sure!

Jiang Jiuyue smiled slightly and gently used the hairpin to carve two characters on his face.

Zhao Kun realized what she was doing: the two characters were “wang ba”, which meant “turtle” but was also a derogatory term for calling someone a coward or good-for-nothing.

Jiang Jiuyue sighed regretfully. “I don’t have any rouge on hand, so I can’t tattoo you. Otherwise, I’d put ‘王’ on your left cheek and ‘八’ on your right. It would look great on you.”

At this point, Zhao Kun was completely terrified, his bravado crumbling. He abandoned all dignity, his tears welling up. If he could move, he would have been on his knees, begging.

“Please, please don’t carve on my face! I beg you, Jiang Jiuyue, no—no—Nine-Month Granny, please let me go! I swear, I won’t come after you again!”

Zhao Kun, a grown man, was now begging for his life, his tears streaming down his face. If his legs weren’t immobile, he probably would have been kowtowing on the floor.

“Tsk, with such little courage, you’re fit to be a yamen officer? You wouldn’t even be able to protect the people. If danger came, you’d probably be the first one to run away.”

Jiang Jiuyue looked at him with disdain for his lack of courage, then put the hairpin away and stood up.

“You just stay here and think about what brought you here. Once you understand, we’ll talk,” Jiang Jiuyue said, leaving Zhao Kun alone, panting heavily on the ground.

After confirming that Jiang Jiuyue had left and wouldn’t come back to carve more words on his face, Zhao Kun finally relaxed. He struggled to push himself up, leaning against the pile of firewood.

As his hands touched the wound on his legs, and his numb limbs reminded him of the agony, he cursed his father-in-law in his heart.

He knew Jiang Jiuyue was a cold-blooded psychopath who would kill without hesitation, and yet his father-in-law had tricked him into coming here to die!

Zhao Kun gritted his teeth in anger. If it weren’t for his father-in-law bringing him here, he should have been back in the county town, drinking with his friends and rolling dice!

What terrified him further was that he had exchanged shifts with a brother to spend more time with his wife at her father’s house. Now, if he stayed here for five days, would he even survive to return?

Though he hated his father-in-law, Zhao Kun could only hope that after realizing he hadn’t returned home for so long, his father-in-law would hurry to the yamen to rescue him.

Jiang Jiuyue had thought of this too, and after a brief moment of consideration, she decided to drag Zhao Kun out of the firewood room.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m taking you somewhere nice.”

The more she said this, the more terrified Zhao Kun became, so frightened he almost wet himself.

Jiang Jiuyue dragged Zhao Kun, whose legs were completely immobile, up the mountain, twisting and turning for an unknown amount of time before finally throwing him into a cave.

“Just stay here. If I remember, I’ll bring you something to eat,” she said before turning and leaving, completely ignoring Zhao Kun’s desperate pleas and frantic begging.

As Jiang Jiuyue’s figure disappeared into the distance, Zhao Kun’s despair deepened.

She had said she’d bring him food if she remembered, but in truth, she would never come back. She was leaving him here to starve and die of thirst!

Bound and with his legs paralyzed, Zhao Kun could do nothing but wait for his end.

Jiang Jiuyue made her way back home, arriving just in time for lunch. The delicious aroma of chicken soup filled the air, and the soft, steaming white buns were a delight. Ma Guichun had thoughtfully prepared stewed eggs to go with the meal.

Jiang Jiuyue ate with satisfaction, leaving only half of a bun, which she tossed to Ma Guichun. He accepted it with a sense of pride, as though he had earned her approval, holding the half-bun with great excitement.

Just as she was about to return to her room, the people from the Liang family were preparing for lunch, when suddenly, Yang Xianglan, Zhao Kun’s wife and the daughter of the town head, arrived with several others.

“My husband Zhao Kun, where is he? Where have you hidden him?” she demanded.

Yang Xianglan had heard her father’s description of Jiang Jiuyue’s madness and, after noticing her husband hadn’t returned for some time, became worried and rushed to Liang’s house to find him.

Jiang Jiuyue shrugged nonchalantly. “You’re coming to my house looking for your husband? Don’t tarnish my reputation.”

Yang Xianglan was furious. “He came here! Where have you hidden him? Hand him over right now!”

Jiang Jiuyue clicked her tongue. “Sister, you can eat whatever you want, but don’t speak recklessly! If you’re looking for your husband, go somewhere else! I don’t have any wild men in my house. My mother-in-law, Du Jinhua, though not a nice person, is not the kind of woman who steals men!”