bestfiction Chapter 43 Melee
Chapter 43 Melee
As expected of the infamous "Living Yama," he started fighting at the slightest provocation. The burly man with a face full of scars raised his left hand and swung his broadsword at Yang, the village head.
Yang's two sons flanked him, protecting him. The moment they saw the burly man attack Yang, they simultaneously raised their pitchforks, working in perfect unison, thrusting them down hard at the man.
The burly man hadn't expected the two to attack simultaneously, nor had he anticipated that his upper and lower body were both within their attack range. He quickly sheathed his sword and took a few steps back to dodge the pitchfork's attack.
A villager rushed forward with a hoe and smashed it down on the head of the weasel-faced man. As the man's head exploded, his large knife also pierced the villager's chest.
Bloodshed and injuries enraged both sides, and everyone became bloodthirsty. In an instant, except for the women wielding kitchen knives and machetes who were protecting the elderly and children, all the other villagers rushed forward.
Blood stained the earth red; besides the villagers lying dead with their eyes wide open, lay not only those who had died in despair, but also the wicked refugees.
Wen Dashan, holding his grandsons, nervously watched his three sons fighting with the refugees. He saw Wen Zibai's right leg slashed by the refugees, and Wen Zihua stabbed in the back.
With trembling lips, Wen Dashan murmured, "God, I'm willing to shorten my lifespan by ten years. Please bless my son with safety, please bless my son with safety..."
Half an hour later, the burly man with a face full of scars shouted sternly, "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! Second brother, back down!"
I forgot to check the almanac before going out today, and I ran into a bunch of reckless lunatics. If the fight continued, my men would probably all be wiped out here. The burly man reluctantly led his men away.
Yang, the village head, stopped the villagers who wanted to press their advantage and ordered Doctor Yang to treat the wounded while he organized people to dig pits and bury the dead villagers.
With tears streaming down his face, Wen Dashan looked at Wen Zisong lying on the ground, then turned to Wen Zhihua and shouted sternly, "From this day forward, I will never have anything to do with you again!"
Wen Zhihua said helplessly, "Second brother, what's wrong with you? You keep saying you'll never see me again."
"Just now, Wen Zicai pushed Zisong into the line of fire with the refugees' knives, and Zisong lost his life because of that blow," Wen Dashan roared.
By then, the refugees had already retreated. If Wen Zicai hadn't pushed Wen Zisong, the refugee's broadsword wouldn't have pierced Wen Zisong's chest.
During his time fleeing famine, Old Lady Wen caused all sorts of trouble, but in the end he compromised and gave the mule cart to the eldest son's wife. Wen Zisong's death made him realize that he and the eldest son's wife could never coexist peacefully.
"Second brother, that was an accident, yes, it was an accident. Zicai didn't mean it. You can't talk tough to me just because of an accident."
……
"Stop arguing. Scholar Wen, keep your family in check from now on and don't cause any more trouble for Wen Dashan's family. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to kick you out of the group. Alright, pack your things and get ready to go," Yang Lizheng sighed and said in a deep voice.
He didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Wen family's eldest and second branches, but he could clearly see that Wen Zicai's act of pushing someone was clearly intended to kill Wen Zisong.
"Father, we found fifty taels of silver in total," Yang Jun said, handing over a pile of loose silver and copper coins he had taken from the refugees to Yang, the village head.
Yang Lizheng turned to Village Chief Ding and Village Chief Li and said, "Do it the old way."
"Twenty-eight people died in Dawan Village," Village Chief Ding said in a low voice.
"Fifteen people died in Lijia Village,"
"Give 43 taels of silver to the deceased's family," Yang Lizheng said in a low voice.
It wasn't that he didn't want to give more, but the rules had to be followed once they were set. The compensation of one tael of silver for the death of one person was decided by a vote of the villagers.
The injured villagers were treated free of charge by Doctor Yang and Doctor Li, and the medicinal herbs were dug up from the mountains by the two doctors and the villagers.
Wen Lin silently walked to Wen Dashan's side and said through tears, "Old man, Zisong is gone. We should work together to raise his child."
Wen Dashan said coldly, "So what?"
His parents favored the eldest son's family, and his wife favored her own family; his life was a joke.
Wen Lin said gently, "Old man, let's live together."
Mother said the family was running low on food and told her to ask Wen Dashan for some. If Wen Dashan agreed to live with her, her family could then eat the food from Wen Dashan, Wen Yuxia, and Wen Zisong's family.
Wen Linshi's idea was quite beautiful; the so-called "living together" meant that Wen Dashan would live with her family.
Wen Dashan said expressionlessly, "We can live together, but you have to bring your grain back."
Wen Dashan was convinced that the Wen Lin family had no food to move, and that the Lin family was a ruthless, predatory family.
"Old man, what are you saying? My family doesn't have much food left. Where would I get food to bring back?" Wen Linshi said in surprise.
"Don't come back if there's no food. You'll stay with your family for the rest of your life," Wen Dashan said, then turned away from Wen Linshi.
Wen Linshi stared blankly at Wen Dashan's retreating figure and the backs of her children and grandchildren's heads. This was utterly heartbreaking; she felt utterly abandoned by everyone.
When she takes things to her parents' house, doesn't Wen Dashan always turn a blind eye? Why is he making her bring the grain back this time? Could it be...?
She dared not think too deeply about it; for decades, Wen Dashan had never said a harsh word to her.
Wen Lin slowly turned around and walked towards her maternal family, feeling extremely depressed. Ever since her family finished eating the grain she had brought, her mother had only given her a bowl of wild vegetable porridge each day.
Just now, her mother promised that as long as she managed to get some grain, she would get an extra black flour bun for dinner. Alas, tonight's black flour bun is now out of the question.