Chapter 10: Hit Him! Hit Him a Few More Times for Qingtian!

As the saying goes, common folk should never go up against officials.

Big Brother Ye didn’t want to cause a scene with Shan Laoda in front of the government officers.

Besides, he was alone with so many children at the moment. If things really turned physical, it would be difficult to take care of everything.

So Big Brother Ye nodded and said, “Alright, we’re all from the same village, fleeing from the famine together. It’s not a big deal.

“My family just thought the two of you were struggling to feed your kids and felt sorry for you, so we took in Qingtian to raise.

“You’re just upset that we didn’t give you enough food, right? Fine, we’ll just give you a bit more. Problem solved.”

As soon as Shan Laoda heard that they were going to give him more food, his eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

“Hey, it was really my wife who stirred things up because she missed the child. We’re not the kind of people who are greedy and insatiable.”

“Besides, Qingtian has clearly put on some weight living with you—she looks healthier. We don’t have anything to worry about anymore.”

Seeing the dispute dissolve so quickly, the government officers let out a sigh of relief and waved them off.

“Alright, since you’ve settled it amongst yourselves, don’t block the main road any longer. If you get in the way of some noble lord entering the city, you’ll be in serious trouble.”

Big Brother Ye led the couple to a remote, deserted spot and asked coldly, “Speak. What do you really want?”

The Shan couple were so excited about the thought of getting rich, they completely failed to notice that a few of the Ye Family children had already slipped away to report back under Big Brother Ye’s signal.

Shan Laoda plastered a smile across his face and said, “You see, here’s the thing.

“We may not be Qingtian’s biological parents, but if it weren’t for me, she would’ve drowned in the river back then. And we did raise her for several years…”

“Cut the crap!” Big Brother Ye, noticing that his wife and three younger brothers had arrived, suddenly darkened his expression. “Just say what you want.”

“Alright, I’ll be blunt, then.

“You only gave us one sack of corn kernels back then, and that’s far from enough!

“You need to at least give us another sack of grain.”

Madam Shan added, “And we want a few fish, too!”

“Exactly! Your whole family looks radiant these days. Just last night, you ate two big fish—surely you’re not short on a few more…”

Only then did Big Brother Ye realize that his family had long been targeted by these shameless scoundrels.

Shan Laoda continued babbling, “We didn’t know the truth back then, and you tricked us. It’s only after making it all the way to the foot of Shanhai Pass that we finally understood.

“A girl like Qingtian, pretty and delicate, if sold to a brothel madam, could fetch at least three or four taels of silver!”

The moment Big Brother Ye heard that, his lungs almost exploded with rage.

He handed Qingtian over to Madam Ye, who had just run up, then raised his fist and punched.

Completely unprepared, Shan Laoda let out a wail as pain shot through him.

Big Brother Ye followed up with a second punch, equally fierce, then spat viciously and cursed:

“Didn’t you say you wanted to look radiant too? This should keep your face glowing for days. Happy now? If not, I’ve got a few more punches for you!”

“Qingtian is just a few years old! You were her father, even if only in name—and yet you actually wanted to sell her to a brothel? Are you even human?”

Madam Ye held the terrified Qingtian tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face in distress.

It had taken half a month of care to finally heal the child’s wounds. She’d even gained a little weight and started to come out of her shell. And now, this!

Even if Shan Laoda had once pulled Qingtian from the river, did he have to keep haunting her like a lingering ghost?

Seeing the red marks left on Qingtian’s arm from when Madam Shan had pinched her earlier, Madam Ye, for the first time, didn’t try to hold Big Brother Ye back. Instead, she egged him on.

“Husband, hit him! Hit him a few more times for Qingtian!

“I’ve never seen such vile people in my life! You just can’t stand to see a child doing well, can you?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let him off!” Big Brother Ye growled, landing a few more heavy punches.

In the past, Shan Laoda had been about equal in size and strength to Big Brother Ye—when they fought, it had always been evenly matched.

But now, Big Brother Ye had been eating meat daily, his whole body brimming with strength.

Shan Laoda, on the other hand, had grown thin and frail from the journey, exhausted and starving—how could he possibly fight back?

Within a few punches, he was down on the ground, groveling and begging for mercy.

Madam Shan, realizing the tide had turned against them, grabbed their child and screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Help! They’re beating someone—help! They’re going to kill someone!”

Madam Shan had always been loud, and now, with her neck craned and voice raised in panic, her cries carried far and wide.

Several passing carriages heard the commotion. From one of them, someone lifted the curtain and said, “Did I just hear someone calling for help?

“Li Fu, go see what’s happening.”

Li Fu quickly stepped out, took a glance from a distance, and returned to report.

“Madam, a few strong men are surrounding and beating a couple who are holding a baby. From the looks of it, they might be bandits or thugs preying on refugees.”

The Madam inside the carriage immediately furrowed her brow. “Has the area outside the pass fallen into such chaos? Is there no law left? Someone—”

She was about to send her guards to intervene when a young boy’s clear voice suddenly rang out from within the carriage. “Mother, don’t rush. Let me ask Li Fu something first.”

“Yes, Young Master. Please ask,” Li Fu said, bowing at once and listening respectfully.

“How can you be so sure that four strong men were beating a couple with a child?”

“Young Master, I saw it with my own eyes,” Li Fu replied.

“And just because you saw it with your own eyes, does that make it true?” the boy countered calmly. “When we were mobbed and robbed by those refugees, what did others say about it?”

The question left Li Fu momentarily speechless. He answered cautiously, “O-Others said we were wealthy and uncharitable… They claimed those refugees were like heroes of justice, robbing the rich to help the poor…”

The rest didn’t need to be said. The boy didn’t have to press further—Li Fu understood completely.

He immediately took two guards with him and went back to reassess the situation.

This time, as they approached, they heard Madam Ye furiously scolding:

“You clearly agreed to exchange food for the child back then. You’ve eaten every last grain of that bag of food, and now you want to take the child back? What kind of twisted logic is that?

“To be blunt, if it weren’t for me, Qingtian would’ve been handed off to someone else long ago—she might not even be alive now! Who else can you try to swindle like this?”

Big Brother Ye backed up his wife’s words, adding, “Exactly! Don’t think you can bully us just because the Ye Family tends to be kind and decent.

“You want to snatch the child? Then open your dog eyes and take a good look—see if you can even take on the four of us brothers first!”

The three younger Ye brothers chimed in one after another with threats of their own.

“You dare try to steal the child again, and I’ll be the first to beat you to death!”

“Qingtian is now our blood niece—she has absolutely nothing to do with you. You got that?”

“And you actually tried to sell her to a brothel? Why don’t you sell your own wife while you’re at it!”

Shan Laoda had already been beaten by Big Brother Ye until he was seeing stars. Now, seeing the other three Ye brothers gather around, all rolling up their sleeves, arms bulging with muscle—

If each of them landed just two punches, wouldn’t he be beaten to death on the spot?

Shan Laoda, ever the master of submission when needed, instantly gave in once he saw the situation turning against him.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I was greedy and shameless—I shouldn’t have come to disturb you again.

“From now on, Qingtian is your real daughter. No matter where she goes, she belongs to your family…”

Standing off to the side, Li Fu had been listening to the entire exchange, and by now, he fully understood the situation from start to finish.

He couldn’t help but feel ashamed of his earlier assumptions.

Seeing that Shan Laoda had already started swearing oaths and begging for forgiveness, Li Fu finally spoke up.

“Allow me, an outsider, to offer a word of advice—when dealing with scoundrels like this, mere words won’t do. You must have him sign and put his fingerprint on a written agreement!”

Those words instantly awakened Big Brother Ye.

But then he frowned—this was a remote wilderness. Where on earth were they supposed to get such a written document?

Li Fu noticed his hesitation and said, “Well, since I’ve gotten involved, I may as well see it through. If you’d like, come with me—I’ll take you somewhere you can draft one.”

“How about I write up the agreement for you and serve as a witness?”

Big Brother Ye hesitated for a moment, a bit wary of Li Fu’s sudden kindness—was there some hidden motive behind it?

Li Fu smiled and said, “My family’s caravan is just up ahead on the main road. If you’re still uneasy, I can bring the written agreement over for you to sign—it’s the same either way.”

Big Brother Ye looked toward the main road, where an orderly row of carriages stood. It was clear at a glance they belonged to a wealthy household.

His own family had nothing worth scheming over in comparison.

Feeling a little embarrassed, he nodded and said, “Thank you for your help!”

Li Fu immediately ordered the servants behind him to escort Shan Laoda and led the Ye Family toward the caravan.

Meanwhile, Madam Shan was still holding the child, crying her eyes out. But when she saw her husband being taken away, she hurriedly wiped her face, smearing tears and snot across her sleeve, and rushed after them.

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