Chapter 12

An hour later, the whole family returned home with full hands.

Just before entering, they were all smiles, but as soon as they stepped inside, their expressions changed.

All the bamboo shoots they had dried in the sun were gone! Even the salted fish hanging up had disappeared!

Song Wenhui rushed into the kitchen, her eyes immediately reddening.

“Everything in the cupboard is gone!”

All their eggs, wild vegetables, and even the millet they’d received as a settling-in gift had been completely stolen.

“It must be the Cai family!”

Jiang Wan didn’t believe the villagers would steal their meager supplies; they had just arrived and were the poorest of the poor—no one would be foolish enough to steal from them. But the Cai family was another story; they had developed a grudge after losing their home in a house swap. Their large family was surely desperate for food, making them the most likely culprits.

Yin Huaishan had the same thought. Gritting his teeth, he put down what he was carrying and was about to storm out, but his sister stopped him.

“Little Sister?”

“Big Brother, don’t be hasty. Let’s go find the village chief first.”

Yin Huaixi knew with almost complete certainty that it was the Cai family, but their family had left early that morning to forage by the sea. The Cai family had nearly two hours in which to eat all the food, making it difficult to catch them with evidence. If they went straight to confront them and found nothing, they’d likely end up blamed instead.

“I noticed the croton beans in the cupboard were also taken. If they cook and eat those, they’re in for a rough time, and it could even lead to serious illness. We need to notify the village chief.”

There were over thirty croton beans in that pile, and if the Cai family ate them, they’d be left with diarrhea so severe it could lead to exhaustion. With no doctor in the village, it could even be life-threatening. Truly, karma at work.

Yin Huaishan’s anger cooled a bit after hearing his sister’s reasoning. Even he, with no medical knowledge, knew that croton beans would cause severe stomach upset. The Cai family had also been through exile, leaving them in poor health—a hard lesson was in order.

Though they’d lost a lot of food, the family was still heartbroken over it. Fortunately, the thieves hadn’t taken the clams; the bucket of clams and snails was still there, and along with today’s catch, they wouldn’t run out of food.

Yin Huaixi decisively took her brother to find the village chief, while Song Wenhui stayed to prepare lunch with the two girls.

The clams had already spit out all the sand, so they could be cooked today, while the new clams could be left to clean. As for the cat’s-eye snails and oysters, Jiang Wan suggested roasting them with the crabs instead of making soup.

Sea snails had a fishy taste, which she usually stir-fried or dipped in strong-flavored sauces in modern times. With limited ingredients here, roasting was the only option, but the unique charred aroma from roasting shellfish added a delicious flavor.

As the cooking smoke rose, Yin Huaixi and her brother found their way to the village chief’s house.

At that moment, the village chief’s family was eating, and the conversation happened to be about the three exiled families now in the village.

“This morning, I saw the Zhou and Yin families heading to the beach, but I didn’t see much of the Cai family. No idea what they were up to. Aunt Yue said the Cai family is terrible—yesterday they tried to steal vegetables from her garden but got chased away. They’re bad people, Dad. Maybe you should find a way to drive them out?”

The one speaking was Lian Jiabao. He had been there when the exiles arrived, so he knew the three families fairly well.

The village chief slurped down a big gulp of porridge, frowning in clear displeasure with the Cai family.

“It’s not easy to expel people the authorities just sent over. We’ll just have to keep a close eye on them. They’re at the edge of the village, so they’ll probably avoid coming in. After lunch, go warn them, and also inform them about the quarry work.”

Lian Jiabao nodded, about to say more, when he heard voices at the door.

“Is the village chief home?”

The chief had a sharp memory and immediately recognized it as the voice of that Yin girl. Coming in the middle of the day likely meant trouble, so he quickly downed the rest of his porridge and walked to the courtyard, calling them in.

“What’s the matter?”

“Village chief, it’s a matter of life and death!”

Yin Huaixi stopped her brother from speaking and exaggeratedly recounted the story of their home being robbed.

“Village chief, I know a bit of medicine, so I gathered some herbs on the mountain yesterday. Among them were croton beans, which are poisonous, along with a few other toxic herbs. If anyone mistakes them for wild vegetables, it could be fatal. What should we do?”

The village chief’s brow twitched, and he paused to ask in surprise, “You know medicine?”

The siblings were speechless.

Was that the main point here?

Realizing what was more pressing, the village chief cleared his throat and asked if there were any clues in the house.

“There were some footprints, but that’s it.”

“Footprints are better than nothing.”

The village chief called for his eldest son and instructed him to gather some people and go to the area where the Cai family was staying to “take a close look.”

There was no need to overthink it; going straight to the Cai family was evidence that the chief was sharp and had immediately identified the most likely suspects.

The situation was easy to deduce, as most people in the village would guess it was the Cai family. Knowing this, the Cai family had cooked and eaten everything at once, burying the eggshells in the latrine. They had eaten some of the dried bamboo shoots and hidden the rest far away, where no one would find them without a thorough search.

With the stolen goods in their stomachs, they could deny everything—who would dare accuse them without proof?

“At last… after starving for so long, we finally had a full meal,” said Cai Wensheng, from the Cai family’s second branch, patting his belly contentedly. Since his family had worked hard to gather the food, they’d gotten the largest portions, and even the old patriarch hadn’t scolded them this time.

See, only the second branch could support the family—the first branch should have stepped down ages ago.

“Forget it,” he said.

“Brother, I noticed some of the wild greens we ate looked familiar. Why don’t we go up the mountain and pick some ourselves later? We can’t keep stealing every time.”

Cai Wenyi, who had a slightly timid personality, was already feeling guilty after the thrill of stealing had worn off. He was worried that someone would come after them soon and thought it would be best to hide in the mountains for a while.

Having known his brother’s thoughts for years, Cai Wensheng was about to tease him when their cousin from the third family branch suddenly came running in, alarmed.

“Grandpa, Grandma! Bad news! The village head and the people from the Yin family are coming over!”

“The village head?”

Mr. Cai felt his heart skip a beat, but he quickly steadied himself. He had anticipated that the Yin family might come looking after the theft, so there was no need to panic. They’d already eaten everything—no one would find any evidence now.

“Come on, let’s go welcome the village head,” he said, masking his anxiety with a feigned smile.

The Cai family members forced themselves to appear calm as they walked out of their shabby hut, forcing polite smiles.

“Village head, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

“You know perfectly well,” the village head replied sternly.

The old village head knew his people well—no one in the village would have bothered to steal from the Yin family; it could only be the Cai family.

“Jiabao, search thoroughly.”

Lian Jiabao didn’t even acknowledge the Cai family and immediately led the villagers in a search around their shabby hut, looking for any evidence.

“What is the meaning of this, village head? Are you bullying us newcomers?” Cai’s brothers stood together, trying to put up a strong front, but the village head didn’t back down, his gaze even sharper.

“The Yin family was robbed this morning. Your family is the prime suspect, so we’re starting here. Don’t try any tricks—you may be a large family, but you can’t outnumber the entire village. Stay put, and if it turns out you’re the culprits, we’ll deal with you.”

The village head was not about to tolerate theft in his community.

Mr. Cai’s face darkened. He had assumed that the village head, as a leader, would not resort to such a hardline approach, but this man was tougher than he expected.

The Cai family members exchanged uneasy glances. Though they were nervous, they weren’t too worried; they thought they’d hidden all evidence.

However, they underestimated the villagers’ experience. They might be knowledgeable in studies and schemes, but hiding things was no match for the villagers’ sharp eyes.

Lian Jiabao and his team soon noticed a patch of soil that looked recently disturbed. The ground was slightly damp compared to the surrounding area, and the color was subtly different—clear signs of recent digging that wouldn’t escape the eyes of seasoned villagers.

One of the villagers lifted his hoe and quickly uncovered egg shells.

“Dad, look at this!” Lian Jiabao handed the egg shells to the village head, who then tossed them in front of the Cai family.

“Quite the coincidence. The Yin family reported missing eggs, and here we find egg shells buried near your place. Care to explain?”

The Cai family, of course, denied it.

“Who’s to say someone didn’t plant those here to frame us? Everyone knows we have a feud with the Yin family—it would make no sense for us to steal from them and invite suspicion.”

The village head was disgusted by their audacity. Just as he was about to retort, the Yin family’s daughter walked over, smiling calmly.

“Village head, it’s true that the egg shells alone don’t prove the Cai family stole from us. But the herbs I collected included a few toxic plants, along with a bunch of croton seeds. Anyone who ate them would start to feel the effects within about three hours, so we’ll know soon enough.”

“Toxic herbs? Aren’t those wild greens?”

The Cai family’s second son and his wife were horrified, realizing they had eaten the most of those dishes.

“If you confess now, I can ask the village head to find a way to get some antidotes. But if you keep denying it, I won’t be able to help you once the effects start to show.”

The Cai family members turned pale. They had gorged on the stolen food, and now they were being told it was poisoned!

Already, some of them began to feel uneasy. They were faced with a choice: admit to the theft and seek help or stay silent and risk the symptoms.

Mr. Cai’s wife gave him a few sharp pinches, signaling him to take action. Understanding her intent, he turned to his second son. The eldest son caught on quickly and shoved his younger brother forward.

“Village head, it was all my second brother’s doing! Our family had gone down to the shore in the morning!”

Cai’s second son looked at his father and brother in shock, realizing they intended to sacrifice him to protect themselves. But why? They had eaten the food too!

“Village head, my brother is lying! They were just as involved, and we all ate together!”

Furious, the second son admitted everything, dragging his brother down with him. The third family branch hid in the background, terrified of being implicated.

Before the village head could speak, the Cai family had devolved into chaos. The eldest and second brothers were brawling, their sons were fighting, and the wives were pulling at each other’s hair and scratching each other’s faces.

Yin Huaixi couldn’t help but regret not bringing her sister-in-law and nieces to watch the spectacle.

“Alright, that’s enough. Show some dignity,” the village head finally said, signaling Lian Jiabao to separate the brawling Cai family members.

By now, Mr. Cai was gasping angrily, while the eldest and second branches lay battered and exhausted. The eldest son, Cai Shuyuan, was especially weak and had fainted from the scuffle.

“Since you’ve confessed, we have two options: handle it publicly or privately. If publicly, I’ll send your family to the local court and let the magistrate decide your fate. If privately, you’ll compensate the Yin family, and they won’t pursue the matter further.”

The Cai family fell silent, knowing that going to the court could lead to severe punishment. They had only recently arrived in the village and were supposed to be reforming themselves; if they got caught now, they might be thrown back into prison or worse.

“To make an example of them. But even if they want to settle privately, the Cai family can’t pay up immediately, and the Yin family isn’t going to let them repay it slowly.

The most important question is, did they really consume poison?

The third branch couple, spineless as ever, had already started crying and begging Yin Huaixi for an antidote, even promising to work like slaves for the Yin family in the future. But unfortunately for them, the family hadn’t officially split yet, so Mr. Cai was still in charge.

As the family continued exchanging silent glares, Lian Jiabao suddenly stepped back, approached the Yin siblings, and whispered two words.

‘Settle privately.’

The siblings paused, surprised. Was this the village head’s decision?

Was he worried about the village’s reputation, or was there another reason?

Yin Huaixi looked at her older brother, who nodded in agreement. They decided to follow Lian Jiabao’s suggestion to settle privately. After all, they’d still receive compensation, and the Cai family would have to endure a sickness—a fitting punishment.

Both the Cai family and the Yin siblings agreed to settle the matter privately.

The village head nodded and was just about to negotiate the settlement terms when Mr. Cai lost his composure. The first and third branches immediately began clamoring to split the family.

“This whole thing is mainly the second branch’s doing. They ate the most, so why should we all have to pay? I want to split the family, and we’ll only repay what we ate. That’s the fair way!”

The eldest and third brothers began to tear up, while their wives sobbed theatrically, pressuring Mr. Cai to divide the family.

The village head’s expression became strange, and he asked for confirmation several times.

“Are you sure you want to split the family?”

“Yes!”

“No regrets?”

“Absolutely none!”

The brothers were so resolute that Mr. Cai nearly choked in frustration. He knew the family was beyond salvaging and finally agreed to the split.

The Cai family, having little to begin with, divided their household right there under the village head’s witness.

“All right, now that you’ve officially split, let’s discuss the terms of the settlement.”

The village head took a puff from his pipe, then harshly reprimanded the Cai family, saying they were a ‘bad apple spoiling the whole batch.’

“Given your poor behavior and the fact that you can’t repay the Yin family in the short term, you’ll compensate them by supplying manpower.”

Both the Cai family and the Yin siblings stared at the village head, unsure of what he meant.

“You’ve only just arrived, so there are some things you don’t know yet. Near our village is a government-run quarry that’s always short on labor. Each family that’s been exiled here is required to send one person for labor.”

As he spoke, the village head gave the Cai family a bemused look.

“Now that you’ve split into three families, you’ll need to send three people. Adding in the compensation to the Yin siblings, that makes five. Think it over carefully.”

The Cai family looked as if they’d been struck by lightning, utterly stunned.