Chapter 12: Retribution

The Chen family’s farmland was in the northwest, a large expanse of fields. However, instead of heading that way, they were walking southwest—toward the plot that Madam Zhou had purchased.

As they walked, Madam Zhou started feeling uneasy. “This isn’t the way to their fields… Could something have happened to our land?”

Zhou Zhao, leading the way, glanced ahead and reassured her, “Mother, don’t worry. Let’s check first before we jump to conclusions.”

“Alright,” Madam Zhou nodded slightly.

Du Wanchun followed behind them, scanning their surroundings. The area was filled with small groves of trees, and beyond them lay stretches of farmland.

The plot that Madam Zhou had bought was originally abandoned land, not part of the main farmland. It was hidden behind the grove of trees, almost like a secluded paradise. She had chosen it specifically for its privacy.

As the group made their way through the trees, they soon spotted Madam Jiang and Chen Tieniu standing near the field.

Madam Jiang stood amidst a patch of weeds, her entire body trembling as she stared at the sight before her. Her voice cracked with emotion as she cried out, “Heavens above! Why are you doing this to me? Look at what you’ve done!”

The field before them was a disaster—every single rice seedling had turned yellow, and all the vegetables had been devoured by insects.

Not a single edible crop remained.

Chen Tieniu slumped to the ground, staring blankly at the ruined field. After a long silence, he turned to Madam Jiang and scolded, “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t forcibly taken someone else’s land, would we be suffering this now? I told you to stop doing bad deeds, but you never listen! Look at this—this is divine retribution!”

Madam Jiang refused to accept his words. She snapped her head up and glared at Madam Zhou, her eyes full of hostility. “It must be you! You did something to my crops! You ruined my rice and vegetables!”

Chen Laoda, standing nearby, shouted in frustration, “Mother, stop talking nonsense! The rice withered because the soil was too dry, and the vegetables rotted because there were too many pests. What does this have to do with them? If you want to blame someone, blame yourself! We asked you to help in the fields, but you refused! If you had helped with irrigation and pest control, would we be in this mess now?”

Unlike his mother, the Chen family’s eldest son was sensible. He was tired of arguing with her, so he grabbed a hoe and began digging through the field. He turned over several patches of soil but found nothing salvageable.

Frustrated, he tossed the hoe aside, crouched down, and buried his head in his hands.

Chen Tieniu pulled both Madam Jiang and Chen Laoda to their feet, saying, “This isn’t our only piece of land. If my second sister wants it, just give it to her. Instead of mourning over this loss, we should go home, clean up the dead chickens, and find the missing piglet.”

Madam Jiang, of course, was unwilling to give up the land. She struggled against his grip and yelled, “No! I won’t give it back to her!”

Chen Tieniu tried to reason with her. “Look at this land. The rice and vegetables are all dead—it’s bad luck. Why not just give it back to them? We should focus on tending to our own fields instead.”

The people of Changliu Village believed in spirits and superstitions to some extent. The land had been fine yesterday, but now it was ruined. Who knew if something evil was lurking beneath?

Chen Tieniu wasn’t one to dwell on such matters—if they didn’t want the land, so be it.

However, Madam Jiang was still unwilling to let go. She screeched at the top of her lungs, “No! Even if this land rots here, I will never give it to Chen Yue’e!”

Chen Tieniu was infuriated. He raised his hand as if to strike her but quickly lowered it again. Instead, he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward home.

Chen Laoda, staring at the ruined field, also started feeling uneasy. The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became. Not daring to stay any longer, he picked up his hoe and ran after them.

“Father! Mother!”

As Chen Tieniu dragged Madam Jiang away, he turned to Madam Zhou and, with some reluctance, said, “Second Sister, if you want the land, take it.”

Madam Zhou, unfazed by superstition, responded with joy, “Alright, but Brother, make sure you keep your word. Don’t let Sister-in-law come back and cause trouble again, or we might really have to settle this in court.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t disgrace myself like that,” Chen Tieniu said, pressing his fingers against his forehead in frustration before walking away.

Madam Jiang, still fuming, struggled against his grip. “Let me go! We can’t give them this land! We can’t!”

Chen Tieniu’s face darkened, and he snapped at her coldly, “Enough! Will you ever stop?”

Madam Jiang was used to being domineering at home. Rarely had Chen Tieniu spoken to her so harshly. Startled, she finally fell silent.

Seeing her quiet for once, Chen Tieniu frowned at her a few more times. He rarely lost his temper, and his sudden sternness made Madam Jiang’s legs go weak. The past two days had been full of misfortune, and she no longer had the energy to argue. In the end, she followed him home without another word.

As soon as the Chen family left, Madam Zhou excitedly ran into the field. “This is wonderful! We finally have our own land again!”

Zhou Zhao followed his mother, his face filled with joy. But as he looked at the withered rice seedlings and the ruined vegetables, his expression darkened with concern. “Mother, what should we do about all of this?”

Madam Zhou, too, felt troubled as she gazed at the damaged crops. After a long pause, she said, “We’ll have to pull them all out, turn the soil, and replant everything.”

Hearing this, Du Wanchun quickly stepped forward. “Mother, Third Brother, wait—let me take a look first.”

Madam Zhou turned to him in surprise. “Wanchun, you—?”

Du Wanchun crouched down, running his fingers over the vegetable leaves and touching the rice seedlings. After a moment, he said, “Mother, don’t worry. These can still be saved.”