Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Compensation (1)_1 Chapter 29: Chapter 29 Compensation (1)_1 “What’s going on here? Are you all just standing around doing nothing?” Lou Zheng of Shili Village bristled at the gathered crowd. He had just returned from the government offices, hoping to apply for tax reduction for the village. The village’s harvest had been meager these past few years; after paying four-tenths of it in taxes, most families were barely scraping by.
However, the county magistrate rejected their application, leaving him stewing in frustration. On his way back, he ran into Lin Changshu. A conversation between them lifted his mood slightly. But upon returning to the village, he was shocked to find the villagers embroiled in a brawl.
This circumstance plunged his spirits once again.
“What’s the matter?” Lin Changshu saw, his son crying uncontrollably in the old man’s arms, his younger brother sporting a bruised face yet glaring fiercely at the folks from the Ma Family, and his sister actually holding a glittering sickle. What on earth had happened?
“Lou Zheng, you must stand up for our Ma Family. You can see for yourself; the young and old of the Lin Family are bullying our two boys.” Madam Yan implored through her tears.
“Yes, Lou Zheng, the Lin Family must not be let off lightly.” Another woman with high cheekbones came forward to support Madam Yan.
“What happened?” Lou Zheng asked the elderly man.
“Lou Zheng, need I say more? Four people from the Lin Family, young and old, broke my boy’s arm and even took out a sickle, ready to kill.” Madam Yan accused Lin Ziyin fiercely, and then hugged her adolescent child, wailing pitifully.
“Stop crying.” Lou Zheng roared, and Madam Yan was startled into silence.
“Lou Zheng, clearly, the Lin Family were the aggressors.” At this point, a young man who had just arrived pointed threateningly at Lin Ziyin. “Look, she’s still holding the murder weapon.”
“Murder weapon? Which eye of yours saw me killing someone with this sickle? Look around; there are quite a few uncles and brothers here holding farming tools, which can also be used to kill. Are they all murder weapons too?” Lin Ziyin retorted with a mocking smile.
Lin Changshu appeared concerned. “Ziyin, put down the sickle for now.”
“Brother, don’t worry,” Lin Ziyin comforted him. “The aggressor is still here. This sickle can protect me.”
Hearing her words, the villagers couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sharp-tongued, deliberately causing trouble.” The young man pointed at Lin Ziyin, fuming.
“With your manners, no one would want you even if you were given away for free. Yet, you talk about causing trouble. You sure have a long face for it. Your surname suits you so well, Ma Zhicai.” Lin Ziyin could tell from his features that he was from the Ma Family.
“Hahaha.” The villagers had initially found nothing unusual about Ma Zhicai’s slightly elongated face. But after Lin Ziyin’s comparison, they saw the resemblance between his face and a horse’s, and laughter filled the air.
“You slut.” Seeing her beloved second son’s humiliation, Madam Yan could no longer hold back her fury.
“Even if I were a slut, I couldn’t compete with you.” Lin Ziyin shot her a dismissive look. “Otherwise, how could you birth such a horse-faced son?”
At first, the villagers didn’t quite make sense of her words. But after a moment’s thought, the implication dawned on them: a horse face, wasn’t that almost equivalent to a beast?
Laughter around the crowd grew louder; some people even bent over with laughter.
Ma Zhicai’s face turned purple. Ever since he became a Tongsheng, he considered himself a scholar and always held high self-regard. But today, he was mocked by Lin Ziyin, a mere country lass, which left him choking on his pride.
“Lou Zheng, I request you to deal with this matter impartially.” Unable to outwit Lin Ziyin, Ma Zhicai appealed to Lou Zheng to step in.