The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 798 - 786: Timid

Chapter 798: Chapter 786: Timid

A tall and fierce-looking bailiff walked up to Lai Tou’s side, his voice booming as he recited a list of various torture methods: "crushing fingers, nailing fingers, flaying skin, roasting over fire", and others.

Although most of these brutal tortures hadn’t been used since the last two county magistrates, the instruments of punishment had all rusted, but the mere mention of them was still quite effective in instilling fear.

At least it had worked on Lai Tou, who then rolled his eyes back and fainted.

County Magistrate Yang: ...

He looked at the bailiff, who scratched his head and offered a simple smile, "My lord, I didn’t expect him to be so faint-hearted. Shall I wake him up?"

County Magistrate Yang watched Lai Tou for a long while, then gestured for him to be awoken.

But when Lai Tou came to and saw County Magistrate Yang, his eyes rolled back again as he was about to faint.

County Magistrate Yang said, "If you dare to faint, I’ll proceed directly with the torture."

Lai Tou forced himself to stay conscious, though his teetering appearance was not much different from having passed out.

County Magistrate Yang was particularly pleased that he could scare him to such extent. After nodding, he asked, "Zhou Yin is Zhou Jin’s younger brother. There are fewer than a hundred households in Qili Village. Standing at the end of the village, one can see everything in the courtyards at the village head, and your home is not far from Zhou Jin’s. Whether he came back or not, at what time he returned, you should know, right?"

Lai Tou was in tears, trembling as he spoke, "My lord, I... I really haven’t seen Zhou Yin. He... he has been gone for so many years now; I’ve even forgotten what he looks like."

"Then tell me, how many years has he been gone?"

"Ten... over ten years. He left when he was fourteen, and he never came back."

"How do you know he was fourteen?"

"I... I’m only two years older than him. That year, there was a severe drought in the Shu Region; our village suffered a drought, too. Many people starved to death, so I remember."

"Why did he leave?"

"To find a way to survive. Their family was large, and if he had stayed, someone would surely have died. Leaving meant he might save himself, and it could also give his family one more chance at life."

"So, the brothers were on good terms?"

Lai Tou, unsure if there was a trap in this question, replied hesitantly, "It was... okay, I guess."

County Magistrate Yang, expressionless, spoke, "However, I heard that Zhou Yin came back after he left, and someone saw him."

Lai Tou turned pale, his lips quivering as he said, "I... I don’t know anything, I don’t know anything at all... "

County Magistrate Yang stared at him for a while, sighed, stood up, turned his back, and waved his hand, "Proceed with the torture."

The bailiffs dragged Lai Tou out amidst his ghost-like wails and howls to be paddled.

"My lord, how many paddlings?"

County Magistrate Yang: "Start with ten paddlings and see."

After ten paddlings, Lai Tou was dragged back in. He cried out, "It’s a mistake, it’s a mistake, my lord, I really don’t know anything."

County Magistrate Yang then said, "Try crushing his fingers."

The bailiffs, wary of County Magistrate Yang’s expressions, did not exert their full strength but pulled the crushing device tightly.

Lai Tou screamed in agony, his eyes rolling back as he fainted once more.

County Magistrate Yang frowned, looked at him for a moment, and the bailiff went over to pat him. Finding no response, he looked cautiously towards County Magistrate Yang.

County Magistrate Yang’s frown deepened. "Did you use too much force?"

"No, it was just the pain of the crush, no bones break." Of course, it’s unavoidable to harm the tendons.

However, they had taken care not to cause serious harm, considering County Magistrate Yang’s infrequent use of torture and his benign disposition, so they had used a technique that caused pain without breaking bones.

Seeing that slapping him didn’t wake him up, County Magistrate Yang waved his hand and said, "Put him in jail for now; we’ll interrogate him again tomorrow. Oh, and have the medical examiner check on him. Don’t scare him to death."

"Yes."

The medical examiner at the County Governmental Office, in order to save money, would occasionally double as a vet, treating both the government horses and the prisoners.

After applying pressure on Lai Tou’s philtrum, the medical examiner revived him, but he was lucky, for County Magistrate Yang, tired from the day, had no desire to interrogate him any further for the moment.

But Lai Tou felt no relief; he spent a night in the cell terror-stricken, weeping half the night. With his limited intellect, he truly couldn’t fathom any connection between himself and Zhou Yin.

If Zhou Yin’s matter had come to light, shouldn’t it be the Zhou Family who were interrogated?

Why was he the one captured?

The next day, with swollen eyes, Lai Tou was dragged into the hall. Still, he clamped his jaws tight, insisting he knew nothing.

County Magistrate Yang looked at him intently for a while, then, without applying further torture, waved his hand and said, "Let him go."

Lai Tou froze, looking up at County Magistrate Yang with suspicion.

County Magistrate Yang asked him, "Will you tell the Zhou Jin family about this after you return?"

Lai Tou shuddered and shook his head vehemently.

County Magistrate Yang gave a faint smile and waved, "Then you may go."

Lai Tou, kneeling on the ground, hesitantly began to rise halfway, but seeing County Magistrate Yang’s steady gaze, his knees buckled, and he knelt down again.

County Magistrate Yang smiled slightly at him and said, "Go."

Lai Tou crawled backward on the floor a few steps, seeing that the bailiffs on the dais did not stop him, he scrambled to his feet and ran out.

After he fled the County Governmental Office, he looked back to see if anyone was chasing him. Finding no one in pursuit, he quickly scampered away like the wind.

Watching him disappear in the distance, the tall bailiff, puzzled, said, "My lord, he’s just spineless. A few more days in jail, a few more beatings, and he would have confessed. Why did you let him go?"

"You said it yourself—he’s spineless. Yet, after being frightened for an entire night, he still didn’t confess, did he?" County Magistrate Yang said, "Human backbone is strange; if you break him down in one go, he’ll confess, but if he doesn’t, that broken spine turns tough, and you’ll get nothing more out of him unless you break his bones completely with force. Otherwise, this half-hearted approach will yield nothing."

And was he capable of using deadly force?

Of course, he was not.

Lai Tou hadn’t actually committed any crime; he was just lazy and gambled, vile towards his family. County Magistrate Yang could discipline, but to break someone’s hands, legs, or back...

County Magistrate Yang was not a cruel official; he had his limits.

Therefore, unable to do anything else, he had to release him and think of other methods.

"But if he tells the Zhou family that you’re investigating the matter of Zhou Yin..."

County Magistrate Yang just smiled slightly and said, "I do hope he tells them. After all, this is just my suspicion, without a shred of evidence. If someone in their family makes a move, I might actually get to know something."

However, County Magistrate Yang’s hopes evidently went unfulfilled. Once Lai Tou returned home, he immediately plunged into deep sleep and didn’t utter a word about it. When his father inquired about his whereabouts the previous night, he was so angry that he overturned the table at home.

He didn’t dare to speak even to his own parents, let alone to outsiders.

Seeing the Zhou family members outside, he avoided them from afar.

This made Old Zhou squint his eyes; returning home, he mentioned it to Ms. Qian, speculating, "Do you think Lai Tou has stolen something from our house?"

Ms. Qian thought carefully and said, "Nothing’s missing from the house."

"What about the fields?" Old Zhou thought of something and sat up from the bed, "That boy wouldn’t have secretly harmed the privet trees on our mountain, would he? Why else would he dodge me the moment he sees me?"

Ms. Qian’s concern grew, "It’s too late today; let Eldest and Third go up the mountain tomorrow to check. If he dares to harm our herbs, I’ll kill him."

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