บท 12: Chapter 11 Hanging
"In broad daylight, what kind of behavior is this?"
Chen Mu directly confronted the two men from the Red Gold Gang, saying to them in a stern voice.
Although Chen Mu was not wearing his constable uniform at the time, both men recognized him; after all, he was the only constable in the two nearby alleys, and since the Red Gold Gang had occupied the area for some time, they were quite familiar with him.
"Brother Chen, it's only natural to repay a debt. You can't expect us not to collect what's owed."
The two men smirked insincerely, their tone lacking any real fear.
If they had encountered the Head Constable, it would have been a different story, but Chen Mu was just a lowly patrolman, and they generally didn't interfere with each other's business, acknowledging one another with a nod as they passed by daily.
"How much is owed?"
Chen Mu asked indifferently.
The two men looked at each other; one of them shrugged and said, "Not much, just half a piece of Silver."
"Fine, let her go, and you can leave."
Chen Mu raised his hand and threw out a Silver coin, roughly half an ounce in weight.
The two men were surprised at first, but after exchanging a look, they picked up the Silver coin and bowed to Chen Mu, saying, "Since Brother Chen has spoken, we naturally have to show respect. We'll leave the girl to you."
Selling Wang Laohan's granddaughter to someone else would have earned them more Silver Coin, but after all, they were just low-level thugs in the Red Gold Gang. Starting trouble with Chen Mu likely wouldn't end well for them.
They dared to bully the common people in the alleys, but a constable was a different matter altogether.
With that,
they released Wang Laohan's granddaughter, nodded at Chen Mu, and then turned away.
Chen Mu stood quietly, watching the scene unfold. These two had enough sense, and he was not interested in probing further.
"Chen, Brother Chen..."
Wang Laohan's granddaughter stood still, her face tear-stained and completely at a loss.
Chen Mu waved his hand at her, saying, "It's all right, go back."
The little girl stood there, dazed, and upon hearing Chen Mu's words, she stiffly turned around, only to see her grandfather Wang Laohan, having retrieved his crutch, hobbling towards her.
"Grandfather..."
Finally snapping back to reality, she burst into tears and flung herself into Wang Laohan's arms.
But Wang Laohan, tears streaming down his face, knelt before Chen Mu, trembling, "Little... Little Chen, I truly can't thank you enough this time..."
Chen Mu sighed inwardly, stepped forward to help Wang Laohan up, and said, "Uncle Wang, there's no need for this."
With trembling hands, Wang Laohan grabbed Chen Mu's hand, then pulled his granddaughter's hand over as well, stuffing it into Chen Mu's hand, with tears flowing he said, "I'm old, and now crippled, I really can't take care of my granddaughter anymore. If your household needs someone to tend the fire and cook, please keep her. Old man me, I only trust you now..."
Having lost his children, his means of livelihood, and no longer able to work, not to mention struggling to get food, he had thought of securing a future for Wang Ni. But the distant relatives were all like wolves, and entrusting his granddaughter to them likely meant a dire fate.
Having been truly desperate, the scene that had just unfolded gave him a glimmer of hope. Although Chen Mu's own circumstances seemed humble, he had stopped the people from the Red Gold Gang, saved Wang Ni, and let her go without asking for anything in return; truly it was in times of crisis that one's true character showed.
"This..."
Chen Mu hesitated, looking at Wang Laohan's state.
Honestly, he hadn't anticipated this outcome before. In the past, he would have flatly refused; struggling already to take care of his own sister, how could he have the means to care for another unrelated little girl? But now, on one hand, Silver Coin was no longer a concern, and on the other, before long, with his new abilities and a move to a new residence, his household indeed would need a maid or helper of sorts.
Chen Mu was not the type to be excessively proud; his hesitation was due to two reasons: first, Wang Ni was quite young, only about ten years old, and second, he was unsure of what kind of temperament she had and whether it might lead to trouble.
Seeing Chen Mu's hesitation, Wang Laohan actually became even more determined. After all, if Chen Mu had any ulterior motives, he could have simply agreed on the spot, then turned around and sold his granddaughter elsewhere for a good amount of Silver; there would be no reason to hesitate.
"Little Chen, I know times are hard, and it's tough living in this world. I don't have much money or property, but the deeds to those two houses are still there, and they can be worth a few pieces of Silver. Once I pass away, they will all be yours..."
Wang Laohan said uninterrupted, tears streaming down his face.
The neighbors, who had been eavesdropping by the door, looked on enviously at this scenario. At Wang Laohan's age, he didn't have many years left, and once he passed away, not only would Chen Mu get the house deeds, but his granddaughter would have grown up as well. With a little maneuvering, all of that would equal Silver Coin.
Envious but unable to bear any jealousy, after all, in their place, they wouldn't have been able to fend off the Red Gold Gang themselves. They could only say that Chen Mu, the poor constable, had finally had a stroke of luck.
"That won't be necessary."
Chen Mu, seeing Wang Laohan push the issue to this extent, thought it over and came to a decision. Having already helped, he might as well help to the end.
Whether she became a sister to Chen Yue or a maid didn't matter; the important part was giving her someone to keep her company. There was no need to fuss over it.
"No, no... it is needed, it is."
Wang Laohan, shaking, placed Wang Ni's small hand into Chen Mu's and then staggered back home with his crutch.
Chen Mu thought it over and said nothing more; he wasn't about to covet the old houses of Wang Laohan's family. He would save them for Wang Ni; there were many changes ahead, and he would deal with the future when it came.
Wang Ni stood there trembling, her sobbing had stopped, and her tears gradually dried. She didn't comment on her grandfather's previous words, being too young to have a say, she passively let Wang Laohan make the decisions for her, her small hand was placed into Chen Mu's and she didn't even dare to pull it back.
"Yue'er, how would you like living with Sister Ni from now on?"
Chen Mu released Wang Ni's hand, turned around and saw Chen Yue, who had been peeping through a gap in the door.
Chen Yue blinked, looked at Wang Ni, and replied, "Okay, whatever brother decides."
"Hmm,"
Chen Mu nodded and looked at Wang Ni, whose emotions had already stabilized quite a bit, and said gently, "What about you, little sister Ni'er?"
He had actually never seen Wang Ni before; the meal at Old Man Wang's house had occurred before he arrived in this world. At that time, Wang Ni was even younger, only six or seven years old, but she still remembered him.
"I... I will listen to Grandpa..."
Wang Ni said softly, her head lowered.
Chen Yue, who was behind the door, heard this response and revealed a smile that no one noticed. If Wang Ni had answered 'I will listen to everything my brother says,' she would have had to be more cautious with this little sister. Now, this was good.
Chen Mu also slightly nodded at this response. Taking in someone was no trifling matter. Though she was still young, having no scheming mind was best, and she would be a good companion for Chen Yue.
He stood at the door and waited for a while.
But no matter how long he waited, Old Man Wang's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Gradually, Chen Mu sensed something was wrong and his face changed color. He immediately walked towards Old Man Wang's house. Upon reaching the doorstep, he noticed the door was ajar. Pushing it open, he was confronted by a pair of legs hanging in the air. One of the legs had a bare ankle that was shriveled and purple. On the broken old chair beside it lay a yellowed house deed.
Chen Mu stood still, looking up with a complex expression in his eyes.
"Grandpa!!!"
A heart-wrenching voice came from behind him.
The little girl rushed into the room, tightly hugged Old Man Wang's dangling legs, and began to wail inconsolably.
Old Man Wang was dead.
"Why go to such lengths,"
Chen Mu sighed internally.
Perhaps he hadn't wanted to think it before, but Old Man Wang really couldn't go on living. His children were gone, he had no livelihood or income, and he was crippled. But Chen Mu hadn't expected Old Man Wang to be so resolute in his decision.
Perhaps Old Man Wang feared that he wouldn't want to take in Wang Ni, so he ended his life like this, leaving the house deed to him as well.
Maybe he was too selfish. If he had talked a bit more, given some silver to Old Man Wang, perhaps Old Man Wang wouldn't have chosen death... After all, the three years he had spent in this world had completely changed him.
Chen Mu patted Wang Ni's shoulder, a look of apology in his eyes, "I didn't anticipate that Uncle Wang would get such thoughts. If I had come to see him earlier, things might have been better."
Wang Ni didn't speak, only crying non-stop.
She cried for a long time, then, finally, she forcefully wiped her tear-reddened eyes and said, "No, it's not Brother Mu's fault. Brother Mu saved Ni'er, Brother Mu is a good person..."
A good person?
Perhaps.
Chen Mu shook his head, touched Wang Ni's little head, and then stepped forward to lower Old Man Wang's body.
Old Man Wang's burial was extremely simple, just wrapped in a straw mat and then taken out of the city to find a place to bury him. The only difference from the Mass Burial Mound was that he wouldn't be gnawed on by wild wolves. And there was a small mound of earth, so one could recognize the spot in the future.
After Old Man Wang was wrapped in the straw mat, Wang Ni stopped crying, but her eyes remained red. After that, she followed everything Chen Mu said, including the silent funeral and staying with Chen Yue instead of following him out of the city.
In fact,
the people of this era had strong endurance.
Even a ten-year-old child, in just half a day's time, had already accepted the reality of losing all her parents and grandparents.
After all, for ordinary families, living to fifty was a happy funeral. Old Man Wang had lived to be fifty-nine, which made him considered quite elderly in the neighboring alleys.
At home,
"Alright, don't be sad anymore. Little sister Ni'er, from now on you'll have to sleep with me,"
Chen Yue sat on the edge of the bed, observing Wang Ni with her big eyes.
Wang Ni nodded lightly.
Chen Yue smiled slightly and said, "But you have to remember a few things, which I'm going to tell you. First, don't cause trouble for Brother. Whatever Brother says goes, and when Brother is not around, you listen to me."
"Second, don't ask too much about anything. If you see something strange, just pretend you didn't see it. Unless Brother talks about it, don't ask or interfere. Did you hear me? Otherwise, I will get angry."
When she said the last sentence, Chen Yue still had a smile on her face, revealing two small tiger teeth, but it somehow felt a little intimidating.
"Yue, Sister Yue..."
Wang Ni felt a bit scared, shivering slightly.
But Chen Yue immediately hugged her, touching her head with a gentle voice, "It's okay, don't be afraid. Sister is just speaking in advance. As long as you listen to Sister, there won't be any problems. Brother works very hard. We cannot cause trouble for Brother, and Brother is very capable. Following Brother, you will have a good life in the future."
"Hmm,"
Wang Ni's nose tingled, and thinking of something, she shed a few more tears.
Chen Mu was unaware of what transpired at home.
After dealing with Old Man Wang's corpse, he continued to his duties with the City Defense Division.
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