Chapter 14.1

Falling into the same trap twice, the three brothers finally learned their lesson. They were filled with anger, resentment, and frustration, their emotions boiling over.

Second Brother: “Big Brother, Third Brother, are we just going to let this go?”

First Brother: “What else can we do?”

Second Brother: “If stealing didn’t work, let’s use force.”

Third Brother, irritated: “What if we get scammed out of another hundred? Do you have money to burn?”

Second Brother threw a coarse porcelain bowl: “I can’t accept this. Let’s just overpower her. Once I have my way with her, she won’t be able to fight back. She’s just a woman. Once she’s lost face, how can she live?”

The Third Brother, still weak, punched him hard on the back: “Are you looking to die? You know how powerful her weapon is. You’re just running to give her more money and maybe even your life. If you want to die, go ahead, but I’m not joining you.”

The First Brother agreed: “Yeah, she’s ruthless. If she knocks us out and ties us up naked in the village center, how will we live with the shame?”

Third Brother sighed: “We’re already disgraced. The Xu brothers’ reputation as thieves is now permanent.”

The Second Brother, feeling wronged, squatted down and cried, holding his head. The three brothers had been repeatedly scammed, and the pain of losing the money would take a long time to heal. Even with all four family members working, it would take a year of tightening their belts to save up two hundred yuan.

After receiving the money, Luo Lan didn’t press further. She cried at the police station, saying they were all from the same brigade and that returning her money would be enough. She successfully portrayed herself as a poor but kind victim, while the brothers got a stern lecture from the police officer.

“If this happens again, even if Luo Lan doesn’t press charges, we won’t let you off. This is a socialist country, and we won’t tolerate the oppression of the weak.”

The brothers returned home in disgrace, while Luo Lan watched quietly from a distance. The system was delighted to see the scheming brothers’ downfall, generously rewarding her with points, making them both happy.

“Third Brother Xu, get out here!”

Just as Luo Lan was watching the brothers suffer, she was startled by a familiar voice. It was her eldest brother, accompanied by his son, her second brother and his son, and her brother-in-law. A group of men, carrying sticks.

Seeing the brothers in the courtyard, they started beating them while shouting, “You blind fools! Just because my sister lives alone, you think she’s helpless? I’ll beat you to death today so you’ll never bully anyone again.”

Her brother-in-law joined in: “Our Luo family has six or seven men. Do you think we’re easy targets? We let you off last time because we’re from the same brigade, but you just had to push your luck.”

Luo Lan, a bit anxious, ran out from her hiding spot. She initially wanted to intervene, seeing the brothers unprepared and being beaten while crying for mercy.

“Sorry, sorry. We didn’t mean it, really.”

“Elder Brother Luo, please forgive us. We really didn’t mean it. We didn’t steal anything.”

“Brother, brother, we won’t dare anymore. We won’t dare.”

Luo Lan first approached her eldest nephew, who winked at her. Observing closely, she realized they were holding back. Although the beatings seemed severe, they were careful not to cause serious harm, aiming for areas that could withstand the blows. The brothers pleaded, but their movements were still agile.

Since this was the case, she decided not to intervene. Last time, she stopped her brothers from seeking revenge, but this time, they deserved a beating for stealing her money twice.

The Luo family sought justice for their sister, beating the Xu brothers. The commotion soon attracted a crowd of onlookers, and the Old Lady Xu rushed in, begging and crying, finally stopping the beatings.

“My sons didn’t steal. Your sister is falsely accusing them.”

Elder Brother Luo  pointed at her: “You say they didn’t steal? They admitted it at the police station and returned the money. How dare you deny it now?”

Her brother-in-law also chimed in, “That’s right. If your sons weren’t there to steal, what were they doing sneaking around my sister-in-law’s place in the middle of the night?”

Old Lady Xu stammered, “Well, we were just trying to…”

“Mother!” the three brothers shouted in unison, “Keep quiet.”

Second Brother Xu whispered urgently to her, “Do you want to get us killed?”

The First Brother added in a low but firm voice, “What did we tell you? Do you want us all executed?”

The Second Brother continued, “If that happens, who will take care of you in your old age?”

The old woman shut her eyes and dramatically collapsed to the ground. “I can’t go on living like this,” she wailed.

This was her usual tactic, making a scene by throwing a tantrum. However, people were no longer paying attention to her; instead, they were discussing the three Xu brothers stealing Luo Lan’s money.

“Luo Lan must have brought her dowry with her. They thought they could bully a lone woman. No wonder these three brothers are still bachelors, they’re just too vile.”

“Exactly. It’s tough enough for a single woman living in a small shed. How could they bully her like this?”

“Thank goodness Luo Lan caught them. Otherwise, she would have lost all her money, and how would she get through the winter?”

“Yes, she was lucky. Heaven was watching.”