"Ah..."
"Crack～"
With a swift motion, the knife descended, and a heart-wrenching scream pierced the night sky. The villagers watching couldn't help but turn away, unwilling to witness the bloody scene.
"My son..." Lady Lu fainted straight away from the shock.
"Uncle..." Han Anniang turned pale at the moment Chen Mo's knife fell. When she approached and saw that Lu San's leg was merely broken, she finally sighed with relief. However, her face still showed worry as she tightly grabbed Chen Mo's arm, not daring to let him act recklessly.
Han Anniang was a straightforward person. In her view, killing meant paying with one's life, and debts had to be repaid, regardless of the situation.
She didn't want Chen Mo and Lu San to trade lives.
Naturally, Chen Mo wouldn't kill Lu San in front of everyone, but breaking his leg with the back of the knife was still an option.
With the power of his blade, that strike had rendered Lu San's right leg useless. He could hear the sound of bones breaking, and even if fixed, it would remain a lifelong disability.
"Ah, my leg, my leg..." Lu San continued to wail miserably, and the villagers only then realized Lu San wasn't dead, just had his leg broken by Chen Mo.
In their shock, they fell silent.
Clearly, they couldn't have imagined that Brother Mo, once gentle and bookish, would become so ruthless.
Some still wanted to say a few words.
Chen Mo stared straight at them, and with Han Anniang's pull, stepped forward with a fierce expression: "What, do you want to stand up for this scoundrel?"
With these words, those who intended to speak quickly closed their mouths. Chen Mo's cold and harsh gaze made their hearts tremble with fear, causing them to step back. No one tried to persuade the Chen Family to be magnanimous. Instead, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Chen Mo cast a cold glance at them and then had Han Anniang release him, his gaze shifting to the wailing Lu San.
Lu San thought Chen Mo wouldn't let him go and frantically crawled on the ground, pleading, "Don't hit me, don't hit me."
When he saw Chen Mo raise his hand, he panicked even more and shielded his head with both hands.
"Confess honestly, were you here tonight to steal grain or borrow grain? If you continue to spout nonsense, I'll break your other leg too, and I'm serious," Chen Mo said coldly.
"I'll tell you, I... I was here to steal grain, my mother, my mother told me to say so..." Lu San shifted the blame onto Lady Lu.
"Villagers heard it, whether you believe it or not, this is the truth. Report it to the authorities if you wish." Chen Mo stated the facts clearly; whether they believed it was not his concern.
The crowd fell silent once more.
Chen Mo said coldly, "Today, consider it a lesson. Now get lost."
"I'll leave, I'll leave right away..."
Lu San dragged his leg to crawl away, not even bothering with his mother.
Chen Mo raised his eyebrow and looked at the villagers gathered outside the courtyard, saying with a sinister tone, "Villagers, aren't you going to help?"
The two villagers who previously criticized Chen Mo most, feeling intimidated by his gaze, quickly entered the courtyard and helped Lu San and Lady Lu leave.
Oh, and the vegetable knife on the ground too.
With no more excitement to watch, the villagers dispersed in a hurry.
"Sure enough, being gentle invites bullying, and being tough solves more problems," Chen Mo thought to himself.
...
Inside the house.
"Uncle." Han Anniang was still a bit tense, clutching Chen Mo's arm firmly, frightened by the earlier events.
"Sister-in-law, don't be afraid, I'm here," Chen Mo raised his hand, wiping away her tears with his fingertip, speaking softly.
Han Anniang immediately reacted, stepping back as if electrified. Her enchanting eyes glistened with allure, her beautiful, charming demeanor stirring anyone's emotions.
She turned her head, not daring to look at Chen Mo, saying, "Uncle, you caused trouble earlier, breaking Lu San's leg in front of so many witnesses. If someone reports this to the government, what are we going to do?"
Han Anniang had the mindset of a commoner, fearing trouble.
"Don't worry, even if the government intervenes, sister-in-law, you still have over two hundred Wen Coins saved. If the officials come, just give them the money," Chen Mo reassured her.
In these chaotic times, the government was bound to be corrupt and slack. This was evident from how they ignored his previous conflict with Wang the Pockmarked.
And money can move mountains, not only in the present but also back when his father started his business...
Cough cough, getting off topic.
Chen Mo knew how to handle such matters. Lu San had neither money, power, nor justification. What could he use to report them?
"But..."
"It's alright, sister-in-law, if the sky falls, I'll hold it up. It's late, go to sleep now," Chen Mo raised his hand, intending to pat Han Anniang's shoulder but reconsidered midway, pulling back his hand.
Han Anniang blushed, her voice soft and gentle, "Uncle, you should...get some rest early too."
...
The next morning, Chen Mo was awakened by the noisy sounds outside. As his eyes opened, he immediately reached for the hatchet beside his bed.
Gripping the hatchet gave Chen Mo a sense of relief, but a bitter smile crossed his face immediately. Before crossing into this world, he never had to worry about such things, but in this damned place, he felt so anxious just to sleep. Reaching for the hatchet had become muscle memory.
Han Anniang awoke earlier than him.
"Sister-in-law, why is it so lively outside?"
"Uncle, you're awake. Wang the Pockmarked is calling the village lads to go up the mountain," Han Anniang said.
...
While having breakfast, Chen Mo heard distant curses.
Amidst the mumbles, Chen Mo heard someone cursing him.
It seemed they were wishing him an ill fate.
Chen Mo's face darkened.
Han Anniang said, "It sounds like Aunt Lu's voice."
"Sister-in-law, sit tight. I'll go take a look." Chen Mo grabbed the hatchet and headed out.
"Uncle..." Han Anniang quickly followed.
In front of the Lu Family's gate, a crowd of women had already gathered. Lady Lu sat on a small bench at the entrance, cursing Chen Mo incessantly.
"Brother Mo, that little bastard bullying us widows, breaking my son's leg. How are we supposed to live now? There's no justice! Oh heavens, please open your eyes..."
One woman tried to advise, "Aunt Lu, stop yelling. This is clearly your family's fault, Lu San admitted he was stealing grain last night. If you keep yelling, Brother Mo will come..."
"Rubbish, he forced my son to say that. Poor son of mine..."
Lady Lu continued her wailing. Just then, someone mentioned Brother Mo was coming, causing Lady Lu to pause.
Standing not far away, Chen Mo coldly glared at Lady Lu before finally holding back and returning home.
But shortly after he left, Lady Lu resumed her cursing.
Whenever Chen Mo went over, she stopped cursing.
When he left, she started again.
This happened multiple times.
Finally, this time, when Chen Mo went over, he kicked Lady Lu to the ground.
Lady Lu was already elderly and had been surviving on tree root and wild vegetables for days, her body weak. Chen Mo's kick nearly took her life.
Her grandson Hu'Er ran out and hugged Lady Lu, crying in his childish voice, "Don't hit my grandmother, don't hit my grandmother..."
Seeing an old woman and a child sobbing, any onlooker would feel troubled.
Chen Mo considered backing off.
But the stubborn old woman refused to give up, lying on the ground and cursing relentlessly.
Chen Mo's heart steeled, and he rushed into the house, breaking Lu San's right thumb. His screams echoed through the Lu Family.
The women watching shrank their necks in fear.
Before leaving, Chen Mo told Lady Lu, "Every time you curse, I'll break one of your son's fingers. Keep cursing, and I'll keep breaking. Let's see how long your son can endure..."