Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1121 - 359: The Murderer, The Opportunity

Chapter 1121: Chapter 359: The Murderer, The Opportunity

More than twenty chicken thieves were temporarily locked up in the vacant rooms of the Mo Family Ancestral Hall, guarded by eight villagers in rotation.

The bound and tied leader of the chicken thieves, unwilling to be easily captured, actually incited the villagers guarding them to help him escape his predicament, offering various benefits including money and beautiful women.

The villagers were unmoved and took the opportunity to severely beat up the leader, warning him to behave himself. In their eyes, a person who dreams of getting rich by petty theft like stealing chickens and dogs will certainly not achieve great things. If one really had the ability to obtain gold and silver treasures, why would he bother coming to a remote place like Liu Yang Village to steal chickens? Preposterous!

The leader of the chicken thieves failed to achieve his goal and was beaten up instead, wishing he could bite those villagers to death. However, his hands were tied behind his back, and his legs were bound from his ankles to his thighs, making it impossible for him to even sit up or stand, leaving him cursing and swearing to vent his frustration.

At dawn the next day, the village chief and several elders represented the entire village in a preliminary interrogation of the chicken thieves. After confirming that the theft at Old Man Sun’s house and the chickens stolen from eight other households were indeed their doing, they turned to the father and daughter of Mo Family to inquire about how to deal with them.

Mo Qingze threw the question to Mo Yan, and it was clear from the way he stood by, listening, that he had no intention of voicing an opinion.

Having thought about the problem the day before, Mo Yan asked Yang Bao, "Have their exact identities been clarified?"

Yang Bao replied, "Yes, aside from the leader, the others are from various villages around Jing City, with two of them coming from Village Gao and Lower King’s Village."

Village Gao and Lower King’s Village are both within the Yuhua Mountain range and are very close to Liu Yang Village. Some children from these two villages even attend the same school, and the villages have intermarried over generations.

The reason this group of chicken thieves repeatedly targeted Liu Yang Village was because those two individuals had often spoken with envy and resentment about the village’s prosperity, which tempted the others with covetous desires. With a snap consensus, they shifted their thieving sights onto Liu Yang Village.

With a hint of curiosity, Mo Yan’s beautiful eyebrows lifted as she asked, "And what is the identity of this ringleader, who could gather such a disparate group of people to do his bidding?"

Upon hearing this, a shade of embarrassment flashed across Yang Bao’s face. "The man refuses to reveal his identity, and his accomplices only know that his surname is Hu. We couldn’t get anything else from them."

Mo Yan pondered for a moment, recalling the leader’s attempt to attack the villagers when he was caught the night before. A flash of insight crossed her mind as she said, "This man seems to be trained, not to say that his martial arts are exceptionally strong, but he’s probably enough to deal with two or three people. His insistence on keeping his identity a secret suggests there might be something shady about him."

Yang Bao understood the implications at once and asked anxiously, "Yan girl, what should we do?" If this man really had powerful connections, who knows if his accomplices would take revenge on the entire village?

However, Mo Yan’s thoughts were quite different from Yang Bao’s. If this chicken thief leader was truly formidable, perhaps even a notorious Jiangyang Robber, would he stoop to petty theft like stealing chickens? Reflecting on his threatening words from last night, it was evident that he was blustering—an indication of a disreputable identity.

Seeing Yang Bao’s unease, Mo Yan called over Mao Tuan, who was lying at her feet, and told him, "I’ll meet with him in person. As for the others, if they haven’t committed unforgivable crimes, have them cough up the silver they stole and return it to the villagers who suffered losses. If they comply, get them to write confessions for their thumbprints. When spring farming comes around, have them help those who suffered theft as a way to repay their debt through labor. Otherwise, we’ll take the confessions to the Government Office and file a formal complaint."

Those chicken thieves, though despicable, were mostly first-time offenders who had committed no violent crimes. If it weren’t for the snow disaster, they wouldn’t have resorted to such desperate measures. Although they could be sent to the authorities to receive the punishment they deserved, the laws of Great Chu were quite harsh. Theft was punished based on the value of what was stolen, and for these petty crimes, these men would still face beatings and several months in jail.

Such punishments might seem mild, but the underlying "penalties" could ruin their lives. Not to mention the rejection by friends, family, and neighbors — even their own families could suffer, and under such pressure, they might truly turn towards a life of crime.

Mo Yan’s suggestion to not submit the case to the authorities stemmed from these considerations. Offering them a test of labor in lieu of crime, if they honestly showed up for spring farming, she would be willing to let them off. Otherwise, they would have to face the authorities and learn a real lesson.