"Help, murder!"
A shout stopped Chen Mo in his tracks. An elderly figure came running from outside the yard, protectively shielding Lu San and crying out, "Help, come quickly, Brother Mo is trying to kill someone."
The shouts made the nearby households light up their lamps.
Soon, many neighbors came in their sleepwear, forming a circle around the yard, pointing and whispering about Lu San and his mother.
"Why are Lu San and Aunt Lu in Brother Mo's yard?"
"Why is Brother Mo holding a knife? Could he really be trying to kill someone..."
...
Listening to the neighbors' discussions, Lady Lu cried even harder: "My poor son was only here to borrow some grain. If he refused, that's one thing, but now he's beaten my son like this and even wants to kill him. It's simply outrageous..."
Lu San, protected by her, stretched his neck to cry out, "Brother Mo hit me and wants to kill me, I'm in so much pain..."
Their pitiful appearance immediately made some ignorant villagers criticize Chen Mo.
"Brother Mo, he was just asking to borrow some grain. Even if you won't lend it, you can't go around hitting people. It's really unreasonable."
"Brother Mo, how can you do this? Aunt Lu is quite elderly already. If Lu San is hurt, what will happen to her and Hu'Er?"
"Brother Mo, if you have food at home, lend some to Aunt Lu. We are all neighbors; it's not easy for anyone."
"..."
"It's not like that, uncle is not that kind of person." At this point, Han Anniang, dressed, hurried out of the house to explain to everyone, "Third Brother Lu didn't come to borrow grain at all, besides, it's so late and we were all asleep."
"Nonsense! My son was indeed here to borrow grain. Brother Mo refused and even beat him. I was outside in the yard and saw everything clearly." Lady Lu firmly insisted that her son came to borrow grain.
"You... Aunt Lu, speak with a conscience." Han Anniang was clearly not good at arguing with others, and her eyes reddened from anxiety.
Lady Lu, shamelessly, claimed, "I'm speaking truthfully! It's Brother Mo who's in the wrong. No matter what, my son is your elder. Even when the elder was still here, he had to call him Third Brother Lu. Brother Mo is not without grain; a few days ago, I even smelled meat from outside your house.
As neighbors, it's just an excuse to borrow food, and it'll be returned next year. There's no need for favors, to beat my son like this, the villagers need to stand up for us."
"Mother."
Lady Lu and Lu San hugged each other crying bitter tears.
Many neighbors who had borrowed grain from Chen Mo and been refused felt empathy upon hearing Lady Lu's words and criticized Chen Mo even more:
"Brother Mo, you're going too far. We've been neighbors for so many years. Lady Lu's family has been through a lot, how could you do this?"
"You... you all..."
Han Anniang's face turned red from anger, tears welling up in her eyes as she pointed at Lady Lu, "When have we ever refused favors? How many times has Third Brother Lu tried to borrow grain? I lent him twice, yet when did he ever return it?"
"Bull...bullshit, you never lent me grain." Lu San started hesitantly, but seeing so many villagers around, he figured Brother Mo wouldn't dare act recklessly. So he confidently denied that Han Anniang had given him any grain.
"Lu San, do you even have a conscience..." Han Anniang yelled, calling Lu San by his full name out of anger.
"Aiyo, everyone look! Lady Han is embarrassed from being exposed and is getting angry out of shame, claiming falsely that she lent grain to my son when she didn't. It's an absolute injustice, everyone needs to stand up for us, we can't live like this..." Lady Lu began to cause a scene, rolling and crying.
"You... how can you falsely accuse others..." Han Anniang was completely overwhelmed, wiping her tears and sobbing.
"Sister-in-law, go inside, let me handle this."
Chen Mo helped Han Anniang into the house, while Lady Lu thought Chen Mo was about to "escape," immediately shouting: "Don't leave, you need to compensate for how you've beaten my son."
Of course, Chen Mo wouldn't leave; this was his house, where would he go?
He said, "Fine, you claim you came to borrow grain, then tell me, who brings a vegetable knife to borrow grain?"
As he spoke, Chen Mo picked up the vegetable knife from the ground and showed it to the neighbors. Being from the same village, the village women immediately recognized whose knife it was.
Indeed, some of the women glanced at it and recognized it as Lu San's knife.
Lu San was bewildered, glancing at Lady Lu as if asking what to do next.
Lady Lu, unfazed, stuck her neck out and said, "He was beaten up by you last time, so he brought a knife for self-defense this time, but still fell victim to your viciousness."
"Then explain why, deep in the night, you don't come to borrow grain earlier or later, but choose the time when everyone is asleep, and bring a knife with you?" Chen Mo asked.
The crowd fell silent; logically, it was indeed unreasonable.
Imitating Lady Lu, Lu San said, "I… I couldn't sleep because I was hungry. Is it wrong to get up and borrow grain?"
Actually, he'd promised Wang Xi to go hunting on the mountain the next day, but he was too hungry to have any strength. If he went hunting tomorrow, it might be a one-way trip, so he discussed with Lady Lu to steal some grain from the Chen Family once they were asleep and fill their bellies.
Given past attempts to borrow grain, he roughly knew where the Chen Family hid their grain.
Chen Mo laughed in anger: "You say what you want, everyone says what they want, let's report it to the government and let the officials decide."
The crowd grew quiet again; it's said that commoners should not fight with authorities. For ordinary people, as long as it wasn't a life-threatening issue, they preferred not to involve the government.
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Lady Lu immediately rolled on the ground, crying out, "Brother Mo is bullying us, I can't live like this, I can't live..."
Others, seeing Lady Lu's pitiful condition, showed sympathy and started acting as mediators.
"Brother Mo, let this be a lesson. If you give Aunt Lu some grain as compensation, let's just leave it at that."
"Yes, we've been neighbors for so many years."
Seeing the tide turn again in her favor, Lady Lu's eyes glistened with tears: "Son, are you alright?"
"I'm in pain, I'm... running out of breath..." Lu San coughed intensely.
"Oh, my son..." Mother and son cried and hugged each other again.
"Alright, alright, we're playing like this, aren't we..."
Chen Mo saw through their act; the mother-son duo came prepared.
Lu San came to steal grain, while Lady Lu was outside keeping watch. Once discovered, she would shout and wake the neighbors, then act pitifully and turn the tables, effectively covering up her son's theft.
Furthermore, people couldn't even blame her son.
Chen Mo's anger surged, and he held the chopping knife, walking step by step towards Lu San.
"You... what do you want to do?" Lu San's face changed dramatically upon seeing Chen Mo approaching with the knife.
"Brother Mo, don't be impulsive," shouted the surrounding neighbors.
"Brother Mo is going to kill, Brother Mo is going to kill..." Lady Lu was not afraid of Chen Mo, instead, she shouted even more fiercely, shielding Lu San.
"Get out of the way."
Chen Mo kicked Lady Lu far away, raised the chopping knife in his hand, and swung it down fiercely.
"Uncle, no..."
From inside the house, Han Anniang saw this scene and was so frightened she almost lost her soul, rushing out in panic.