SLH | Chapter 55

The Yin Family of Three

An incense stick’s worth of time quickly passed, and Song Tingzhu didn’t see anyone return. So, he informed his mother-in-law and several aunties about the situation.

Everyone knew what kind of person Zhang Yongchun was, so without Song Tingzhu having to spell it out, they understood what he was up to at the Yin Family. The ritual ended at this time, and several women and husbands, full of anger, surrounded the village head and clan elders, demanding they take a trip to the Yin Family.

Zhang Desheng didn’t see the fourth son, and he thought something was amiss. He tried to put on the airs of a clan elder, attempting to smooth things over.

But the crowd wasn’t stupid. Seeing him trying to silence everyone, they directly spoke up in front of the village head and the clan elder about what happened.

“Old Second, look at the good son you’ve raised!” Zhang Dequan said, bending over with his cane tapping loudly.

“Lead the way, to the Yin Family!”

The man next to him immediately followed with a knowing look, “Old Master, take it slow.”

A large group of people marched towards the Yin Family.

Meanwhile, the Yin Family was in the middle of a brawl.

Liu Hu and his brother were in a fierce fight with Zhang Yongchun and his group in the courtyard. The six-year-old Yin Shuyang from the Yin Family was holding stones, aiming them at the people bullying his parents.

Zhang Yongchun took two punches to the stomach and was hit in the back of the head by a stone thrown by Yin Shuyang. He turned around with a vicious expression and cursed, “You little bastard, how dare you throw stones at your father? Tomorrow, I’ll use you as a live sacrifice for the Snow Goddess!”

“Bah! You’re not my father, I have a father! You’re a big villain, go die, big villain!”

Yin Shuyang grabbed a handful of stones and threw them at him. Zhang Yongchun tried to catch him but was grabbed by Liu Hu and slammed against the wall.

“Beat him! Beat him hard!”

Seeing someone helping his parents, Yin Shuyang was overjoyed, but his father was still bleeding inside the house. He needed to quickly go to the village entrance to find Grandpa Liang to treat his father!

“Uncle Mengzi, Uncle Huzi, hold on, I’ll go outside and call for help!”

The little guy was smart. Seeing the bullies being held down, he quickly slipped out of the courtyard.

“Isn’t that the Yin Family’s Shuyang?” a woman outside the courtyard said.

Running into a group of people, Yin Shuyang was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses.

“Uncles, aunties, big sisters, big brothers, please go in and help Uncle Mengzi and Uncle Huzi!”

Hearing that his brothers were in trouble, Tian Tian couldn’t sit idly by. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and took three steps into the courtyard in two strides.

“Let’s go, let’s help too!”

Several familiar men followed closely behind.

Seeing Yin Shuyang about to leave, everyone hurriedly pulled him to ask, “Young Shuyang, why are you running out here alone? Where are your parents?”

“Father’s head was smashed by that beast Zhang Yongchun, mother’s inside taking care of him. I need to go to Grandpa Liang’s house to get him to treat father!”

After saying this, he broke free from the woman and ran towards the village entrance.

In the crowd, a husband mumbled, “What kind of parents raise a kid with such a foul mouth.”

Someone immediately retorted, “If your parents were treated like this, you’d curse worse than him.”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the old clan leader knocked his cane hard, and only then did they quiet down.

“Zhang Yongchun is the old clan leader’s nephew. He won’t cover for him, will he?”

“He shouldn’t, the old clan leader handles things fairly.”

“That’s not certain. Zhang Yongchun has always liked to tease girls and young men. After getting married, he quieted down for a while, but he never changed. After Zou Shi died, he got worse. Many unmarried girls and young men in the village have been harassed by him. If the old clan leader were truly fair, would he let the younger generation run amok?”

Song Tingzhu listened to the women and husbands’ discussions, furrowing his brow tightly.

If the old clan leader intended to cover up, they would have to go to the town to find the village chief for justice.

“Old Fourth, stop fighting!”

“Ouch! Who’s pulling my waistband?”

“It’s you, Zhang Yongchun! I’ve disliked you for a long time. You bully my sister because your father is a clan elder. Today, I’m going to beat you until you can’t find your teeth!”

“My uncle’s cousin was also spoken to indecently by him, and so was my eldest uncle’s third girl!”

“Even married ones aren’t spared. He’s a beast. Brothers, beat him, teach him a lesson!”

The Yin Family courtyard was in chaos. A few men from the Zhang Family tried to break up the fight, but not only were they ignored, they were also elbowed a few times.

Those who couldn’t stand Zhang Yongchun’s behavior decided to let it be. Before leaving the battlefield, they even took the opportunity to throw a few punches. Zhang Desheng’s other three sons went outside the courtyard to complain to the village head about Liu Hu and the others’ actions.

“Uncle, Second Uncle, and Village Head, please save my brother. The Liu brothers and a group of people are beating him to death!”

Zhang Desheng’s face turned black, “Let’s see who dares! Sun Family, Yang Family, aren’t you going to break up the fight?”

The clan elder’s position in the village was high, but it was only because he lived long and everyone respected him. When something happened, people were more willing to listen to the village head than the clan elder.

Therefore, no one moved, and those families named by Zhang Desheng also looked at the village head’s expression.

Zhang Desheng’s old face looked even worse, but unfortunately, he wasn’t the clan leader. Otherwise, who in the village would dare defy him?

Zhang Hongbo wanted to teach Zhang Yongchun a lesson. When he saw him being beaten to a pulp, he finally spoke up and let people go in to break up the fight.

About ten men rushed into the courtyard and soon separated the two groups. Zhang Yongchun and his cronies were beaten into pigs’ heads. When everyone came in, they were holding their swollen cheeks, cursing Liu Hu and the others.

“I’m not even interested in your husband, why are you so worked up?”

“Exactly, Brother Chun taking a liking to the Yin Family’s lady is her blessing. Marrying into the Zhang Family means no worries about food and drink and living in a brick house. Isn’t that better than being with Yin Chengji, who’s all alone?”

“Beasts! Look at the nonsense they’re spouting!”

The old clan leader knocked his cane, trembling with anger.

Everyone was also furious, spitting and cursing at Zhang Yongchun and his group.

Who knew Zhang Yongchun was thick-skinned, playing the victim first, “Uncle, Village Head, you have to stand up for me. I was just passing by and got dragged into the house and beaten up by those Liu brothers. Look at my face, it’s ruined.”

His cronies immediately backed him up, “Yeah, old clan leader, you have to stand up for us.”

“Bah! Truly shameless. We all heard what was said just now, and yet you have the nerve to twist the truth. Do you think we’re all deaf?”

“Village Head, we can’t let this scoundrel go. He used to just take verbal advantage of girls and young men, but today he dared to come to people’s homes. What’s next, murder?”

“If this were ten years ago, Zhang Yongchun’s behavior would have gotten him drowned in a pig cage.”

“Granny Yao is right, drown him in a pig cage!”

“And those accomplices shouldn’t be let off either!”

“Why? Didn’t you hear Zhang Laosi say the Liu family started it? My son was just passing by and lent a hand.”

“I say, who knows what the Yin Family couple did to end up moving to our village?”

“I think so too. The Yin Family lady looks so seductive, doesn’t seem like she’s from a good family. She must have seduced Zhang Laosi.”

“Bah! Such dirty minds see dirt everywhere. The Yin Family lady is such a nice person, and yet people throw mud at her. A bunch of black-hearted people, aren’t you afraid of karma?”

“Old hag, who are you saying will get karma?”

“Whoever it applies to. You’re just trying to climb up the Zhang Family, but think about it. Today it’s the Yin Family, tomorrow it might be you. You’ll regret it then!”

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation. Several families close to Zhang’s second family, shamelessly sided with Zhang’s family, and the crowd started shouting.

Seeing the situation getting out of control, they saw Yin Family’s lady Xue Qinyao supporting her husband Yin Chengji out of the house.

“Please, Village Head and clan elder, do justice for us.”

The couple knelt on the ground, Yin Chengji’s forehead wrapped in blood-soaked white cloth, his face as pale as paper, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

“Oh my, how did he get beaten like this? Didn’t young Shuyang go to get Doctor Liang? Why isn’t he back yet?”

“Zhang Yongchun hit so hard, he wanted to kill him with one blow!”

Everyone was talking, and Xue Qinyao saw the village head and the old clan leader not speaking. She kowtowed again, pleading, “Please, Village Head and old clan leader, do justice for us.”

Worried that the clan leaders would favor Zhang Yongchun, Xue Qinyao directly explained the whole story in front of everyone.

“That Zhang has always insulted me with words. Recently, he even broke into my home while my husband was chopping wood, intending to violate me. Fortunately, my husband returned in time, and he didn’t succeed.”

Xue Qinyao endured the crowd’s scrutinizing gaze and continued, “Today, I wasn’t feeling well, and my husband stayed home with me instead of attending the ritual. Zhang found out and brought several men to our home, hitting my husband with a club without a word. I thought we wouldn’t escape this time, but thankfully, the heavens sent the Liu brothers to help us out of trouble.”

“You beast, is what the Yin Family lady said true?” Zhang Desheng pretended to be angry, secretly signaling to several women.

The women understood and stood up, “Yin Family, how do we know if what you’re saying is true? There’s no witness, how can we believe you?”

“Yeah, maybe the Yin Family man’s head injury was from a fall, and you two are trying to extort money from the Zhang Family!”

Xue Qinyao, with red-rimmed eyes, said, “Auntie, don’t speak nonsense. Our family is poor, but we would never do such shameless things.”

Zhang Yongchun was a scoundrel and smart. When doing bad things, he always picked the right moment. The two times he came to the house, no one saw him, and even if someone did, they wouldn’t offend the clan elders for an outsider.

Her heart was bitter, having lost hope. She was about to help her husband back inside when someone spoke from behind, “I can testify.”

“Brother Zhu?”

“What are you doing standing up? Go back!”

Women and husbands close to the Liu family and afraid of the Zhang clan elders quickly signaled Song Tingzhu, and someone pulled Ruan Xiulian, telling her to call him back.

Ruan Xiulian ignored them and instead supported him, “Brother Zhu, don’t be afraid. Your parents are here, tell them what you know.”

Tang Chunxing also stood behind him, glaring angrily at the women speaking for Zhang Yongchun.

Song Tingzhu felt warmth in his heart, with no more reservations.

“My sister and I often go up the mountain to dig herbs. We occasionally saw Zhang Yongchun loitering near the Yin Family courtyard, but didn’t think much of it until two days before the village was snowed in. I went to Aunt Cai’s house to buy tofu and saw Zhang Yongchun trying to take advantage of the Yin Family sister-in-law. That’s when I realized his filthy intentions.”

The women, seeing someone actually came forward to testify, changed their tune.

“How come only you saw it? Who knows if you’re lying? I say it’s the Yin Family lady who’s not decent, seducing Zhang Yongchun!”

After she finished, more people stood up.

“I can testify too!”

“Count me in!”

“And me.”

One after another, ten people stood up, men and women of all ages, all of whom had been verbally harassed by Zhang Yongchun.

The women who had spoken earlier were suddenly speechless.

The old clan leader originally wanted to downplay the matter, but with such a commotion, he couldn’t be biased even if he wanted to. Zhang Yongchun was punished, not only getting beaten in the ancestral hall but also compensating the Yin Family five taels of silver for medical expenses.

Zhang Desheng failed to establish authority, losing face completely, and thus bore a grudge against the Liu family. Later, when the Liu family opened a distillery in the village, he often had his sons create trouble for them.

That’s a story for another time. Right now, the Yin Family knew it was Song Tingzhu’s meticulousness that saved them, and they couldn’t thank him enough.

Yin Chengji, being straightforward, said, “From now on, the Liu family’s matters are the Yin family’s matters. If there’s ever anything you need, just let me know, and I’ll do my utmost.”

His words were sincere, though somewhat literary. Everyone assumed he was literate, but only Song Tingzhu noticed his Kyoto accent.

When he was young, Song Xing’an had entertained guests from Kyoto, who spoke in the same manner. The Yin surname was rare, but there were many noble families with the surname Yin in Kyoto.

He speculated that Yin Chengji’s family might be from Kyoto, but he thought it unlikely. If they were truly of noble descent, why would only the three of them settle here?

Song Tingzhu didn’t pursue the matter further. The Yin Family had proper registration, proving they weren’t criminals, so there was nothing to worry about.

———————–
Author’s Note: No court politics involved.

Prize Quiz: What role does the Yin Family play [throwing flowers]?