CHAPTER 311: CHAPTER 305 PITIFUL

Zhao Hanzhang stood at the door, looking down at the young man pressed to the ground, meeting his eyes that were trying hard to look up, both staring wide-eyed at each other.

A middle-aged man, whose clothes were relatively clean but patched in several places, walked over with a solemn face. His gaze swept over Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan, and upon seeing the horses they were holding, his expression softened. However, when he noticed the twenty or so people standing outside, each holding a horse, his face froze.

A trace of fear rose in his eyes, and his back instinctively bent over as he asked humbly, "What brings such esteemed guests here?"

Zhao Hanzhang retracted her gaze from the young man’s face, looked at the middle-aged man, and smiled, "We are going to the county town and are passing through here. Since it’s getting dark, we would like to seek shelter in the village for the night."

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment after hearing this, "Our village is rundown, and the houses are simple. I’m afraid we might inconvenience such esteemed guests."

Zhao Hanzhang smiled and said, "As long as there is a place to rest, we won’t be picky since the village kindly accommodates us."

The middle-aged man said, "But we don’t have that many houses. Miss, it’s better to go a bit further west. There is a big village below where you might find accommodation."

Zhao Hanzhang then looked at Qiu Wu.

Qiu Wu immediately took a handful of copper coins and gave them to the middle-aged man, "The night is falling, and there are many wild beasts and snakes outside. Please, village chief, accommodate us."

The middle-aged man looked at the copper coins in his hand, pondered for a while, and eventually nodded in agreement.

He accepted the money and turned to have his family clear out the rooms for them. Seeing that they were about to clear all the rooms, Zhao Hanzhang stopped them, indicating they only needed two rooms for the night.

The middle-aged man quietly let out a sigh of relief and just cleared the two largest rooms for them.

Zhao Hanzhang let them busy themselves while she curiously wandered around the courtyard and then began observing the people in the center of the courtyard.

The middle-aged man also noticed that this group seemed to center around the woman, so he followed her around.

Seeing her staring at Wu Erlang, the middle-aged man explained, "This is a villager who just committed a crime. We are confining him here as a punishment. Miss, don’t be afraid."

Zhao Hanzhang shook her head, "I’m not afraid, I’m just curious."

She asked, "Although being pressed like that is uncomfortable, it’s not too unbearable. I wonder what he did wrong. Is this punishment sufficient?"

Speaking of Wu Erlang’s crime, the middle-aged man got angry and said, "This kid stole and cut my young seedlings. Since we caught him in time, we’re just holding him like this. If it happens again, it won’t be this simple. He will at least have to compensate me twice."

Zhao Hanzhang blinked and asked, "Stealing and cutting seedlings at this time... What for?"

The middle-aged man sighed, "For what else but to eat? Eating the seedlings at this time is practically cutting off one’s escape route."

Wu Sheng blinked and looked at Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan. Meeting their gaze, he decisively laid his cheek on the ground, lying motionless.

Zhao Hanzhang looked at him, squinted, and asked, "Where is the field of seedlings that were stolen from?"

The middle-aged man pointed in a direction, complaining incessantly, "It was lucky my youngest son happened to bump into him, or else if he really cut it, who knows how much would have been lost."

Zhao Hanzhang sighed too, "Looking at his age, his parents must be old and weak, and his children are young. Driven by hunger to the extreme, they could only eat seedlings to survive."

"Tch, he’s just a single man. What children? He has no parents to support him. He’s only feeding himself."

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan silently looked down at Wu Sheng lying on the ground.

County Magistrate Gao also widened his eyes in disbelief. He felt greatly hurt, knowing that when Wu Erlang had set aside half of the leftover cake, even he was moved to tears.

He believed that Zhao Hanzhang felt the same, otherwise she wouldn’t have given him two more cakes, but then...

Zhao Hanzhang silently looked at Wu Sheng for a moment, then turned to the village chief and asked, "Why do you still keep someone like him in the village? Not only does he damage property, but he also corrupts the atmosphere. Wouldn’t it be better to drive him out of the village?"

The young man lying on the ground suddenly widened his eyes, lifting his head slightly with disbelief to look at Zhao Hanzhang.

Zhao Hanzhang smiled gently at him, but the young man shivered.

The middle-aged man was startled as well and quickly shook his hand, saying, "No, no, although he isn’t a good person, he’s not a bad one either. Sigh, he’s just starving. The world is tough, sigh, how to put it, sigh, forget it, forget it, Da Lang, untie him and let him go home."

The young man cleaning up the house came out, untied Wu Sheng without a word, and then left him alone.

As soon as Wu Erlang was freed, he cheerfully said to the middle-aged man, "Uncle Cheng, I won’t dare do it again, really!"

The middle-aged man scolded, "Get out of here. If you cut seedlings again, it won’t be this simple."

He paused, then said, "You can’t cut other people’s, and don’t cut your own either. Wait another month. Who knows how much grain can be harvested from those seedlings? Cutting them now is just wasting food."

Wu Sheng replied nonchalantly, "But you have to survive until then. Otherwise, if you starve to death, won’t the seedlings in the field be left for others?"

He sighed, "Just thinking about it is suffocating. Imagine dying with unharvested grain left in the field, uneaten. Holding onto this thought, even in the next life, it won’t be easy."

The village chief, seeing how reckless he was, angrily reached out to slap him.

Wu Sheng flinched but didn’t dodge, allowing the village chief to hit him a few times. He rubbed his shoulder and winced, "That hurts. Uncle Cheng, you definitely have the strength from being well-fed."

"Get out of here."

Wu Sheng glanced at Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan, patted his butt, ready to leave. But Zhao Hanzhang called him back, "Since you’re a bachelor, you must have no ties. Would you like to come with me?"

Wu Sheng was surprised and pointed at his nose, asking, "Me? Miss, you’re willing to use me?"

Zhao Hanzhang raised an eyebrow, "Yes, so would you like to follow me?"

Wu Sheng was immediately tempted and couldn’t help but look at the village chief. The village chief was equally shocked, but after a brief contemplation, he told Wu Sheng, "Go ahead. It might be a way out."

The villagers who had taken the five cents but hadn’t left yet saw this, gathered their courage, and stepped forward, "Honored one, what about me? I can take any beating or scolding. Just give me a string of coins or half a bag of grain. I don’t eat much."

Zhao Hanzhang patted his shoulder and said, "You have a wife and children at home. How can you leave them behind? Stay home and farm. Perhaps hope will spring up before long?"

Wu Sheng, who had been somewhat hesitant earlier, immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Zhao Hanzhang, "I am willing to follow you, honorable one."

He raised his head, looking pitifully, "Honored one, I was wrong to deceive you earlier. I accept any punishment."

The village chief immediately turned his head to look at him, glaring, "What did you deceive her with?"

Wu Sheng started crying, "I lied to the honored one about two cakes. Uncle Cheng, you knew, I still have three kids at home. If I leave, I don’t know if they can survive..."

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan: ...