Liu Miao Village was not large, with only about a hundred households in total, and a population of no more than four to five hundred people. A fart at the east end of the village could potentially reach the west end; it was a typical small village.
Of course, being small had its advantages. Zhu Lao San could easily roam the village, beating his broken gong. The villagers of Liu Miao Village obediently rushed to the threshing ground because Zhu Lao San, while banging his gong, loudly announced that the scholar-official was going to distribute grain, money, and land to everyone.
This was a rare event for the villagers of Liu Miao Village. They had heard how the scholar-official Liu had cheated some families out of their land, and how the eldest son of the scholar-official Liu had bullied men and women. But distributing grain, money, and land? That was as likely as the sun rising from the west!
However, upon arriving at the threshing ground, the villagers of Liu Miao Village were utterly bewildered.
The Zhu family brothers, usually inconspicuous in the village, had steel knives pressed against the scholar-official Liu's neck? And they were forcing the scholar-official Liu's guards to move his money, grain, and belongings to the threshing ground?
Were the Zhu family brothers planning to be righteous heroes who robbed the rich to help the poor?
Seeing the situation clearly, the villagers of Liu Miao Village inwardly hoped that the Zhu family brothers would quickly kill the scholar-official Liu and distribute the money and grain. Yet, they couldn't help but worry for the Zhu family brothers.
Killing a scholar-official who held a title... that was a capital offense!
Zhu Xiaosong and Zhu Erdan stood at an angle, holding the scholar-official Liu captive on the only threshing roller in the area. Seeing the growing crowd of villagers below and no one else heading in their direction, Zhu Xiaosong cleared his throat and said loudly, "Old and young men of the village, you all recognize me, right?"
Seeing no response from the crowd, Zhu Xiaosong didn't mind. Instead, he tightened the steel knife against the scholar-official Liu's neck and shouted at a villager in the front, "Er Niu, do you remember how your newlywed wife disappeared!"
The man called Er Niu stared with his bull-like eyes and roared, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
Undaunted by the insult, Zhu Xiaosong winked at Zhu Erdan. Zhu Erdan then threw the severed head he had been carrying in front of Er Niu.
Zhu Xiaosong looked at Er Niu, who had taken a step back in fright, and sneered, "What, are you afraid of Fucha Gejika's head, your enemy?"
After speaking, Zhu Xiaosong ignored the stunned Er Niu and turned his gaze to a man next to him. "Uncle Huaiwen, how did your daughter Xiao Cui disappear?"
The man called Uncle Huaiwen's expression darkened, and his gaze involuntarily fell upon the scholar-official Liu's family, who were standing not far from the roller. When his eyes landed on Miss Liu, Uncle Huaiwen's gaze was filled with hatred.
Due to a disaster a few years prior, Liu Huaiwen had been forced to sell his thirteen-year-old daughter, Xiao Cui, as a servant to the scholar-official Liu's family. Who would have thought that less than a month after arriving at the Liu family, Xiao Cui would be beaten to death for enraging Miss Liu!
Hate?
Who wouldn't hate it when their own daughter was beaten to death?
But what was the use of hate?
Xiao Cui had been sold by him to the Liu family, and there was a contract. Even if she was beaten to death, the authorities would not side with him!
If he wanted revenge, how could he fight against the rich and powerful scholar-official Liu, Master Liu!?
Seeing Uncle Huaiwen's wavering expression, Zhu Xiaosong said to Zhu Lao San, "Give your knife to Uncle Huaiwen and see if he has the guts to avenge Sister Xiao Cui!"
Zhu Lao San handed the sharp knife to Uncle Huaiwen, but Uncle Huaiwen trembled as if he had received a red-hot iron. The sharp knife in his hand immediately fell to the ground.
Zhu Xiaosong let out a laugh and looked at Uncle Huaiwen. "If you want to avenge Sister Xiao Cui, pick up the knife. Your enemy is standing right there, and Sister Xiao Cui is watching from heaven."
After saying that, Zhu Xiaosong disdainfully glanced at the guards surrounding the scholar-official Liu's family and said, "Let's see who dares to stop me! Be careful, my hand might shake, and I'll kill your scholar-official first!"
The scholar-official Liu finally couldn't take it anymore and cursed, "Beast! You, surnamed Zhu, are a beast!"
Zhu Xiaosong was unfazed. He directly used the hilt of his knife to smash the scholar-official Liu's mouth, knocking out a few of his teeth, before smiling and saying, "We didn't ask you to speak, you'd better shut your mouth!"
After being struck by Zhu Xiaosong, and under the pressure of Zhu Erdan's steel knife at his neck, the scholar-official Liu finally dared not curse. He merely glared fiercely at Uncle Huaiwen, who was struggling internally below the roller, giving the impression that if he dared to raise a knife, the scholar-official would end his life.
Zhu Xiaosong didn't mind. He signaled Zhu Lao San to take the knife and hold the scholar-official Liu. Then, he jumped off the roller and took out a stack of papers from a basket in front of the roller, smiling and saying, "Here, these are all IOUs personally signed by the young and old men of our Liu Miao Village."
Zhu Xiaosong first looked at the scholar-official Liu on the roller, who was trying to kill him with his gaze, then looked at the farmers of Liu Miao Village. He then took out a flint from his pocket and ignited the IOUs, smiling and saying, "From now on, these IOUs will no longer exist, and the young and old men will be able to live a little lighter!"
Watching the IOUs in the basket being ignited, the villagers of Liu Miao Village felt a sudden lightness in their hearts, but they couldn't help but start discussing amongst themselves.
"I heard Zhu's boy's father is on his last legs. Could it be that Zhu's boy has gone mad from the shock?"
"Burning these IOUs is like burning the scholar-official Liu's lifeline! Will the scholar-official Liu let him off lightly?"
"Since he dared to burn the IOUs, perhaps he even dares to kill the scholar-official?"
"Who cares? Anyway, he's the one burning the IOUs. If the authorities pursue it later, they won't trace it back to us."
"..."
Zhu Xiaosong heard the increasingly noisy discussions and shouted, "Quiet!"
After everyone quieted down, Zhu Xiaosong returned to the roller, took the steel knife from Lao San's hand, and looked at the villagers with a cold smile. "Er Niu! Your newlywed wife was snatched by the scholar-official Liu's men and given to Master Man. She hanged herself after returning, and you didn't dare to avenge her!"
"Liu Huaiwen! You sold your daughter Xiao Cui to the scholar-official Liu, and in less than a month, she was beaten to death simply because the water she used to wash Miss Liu's feet was a little too hot! You didn't dare to avenge Xiao Cui!"
"And you, Er Lao Wai! How did your leg become crippled? Wasn't it because you blocked the path of the scholar-official Liu's eldest son, and he crippled it by beating you?"
"And all of you! Which family hasn't been cheated by the scholar-official Liu's family? Which family hasn't had their land occupied by the scholar-official Liu?"
"And yet, you endured it all in silence. You think that as commoners, you can't fight against a scholar-official who holds a title, so you didn't even dare to fart. You are all cowards who lack balls!"
"Now, the opportunity for revenge is right before you. If you still don't dare to seek revenge, then just cut off the two taels of flesh in your crotch to avoid being an embarrassment!"
Cowards, seek revenge, cut off the two taels of flesh in your crotch – these words echoed in everyone's minds like a spell.
If no one had exposed them directly, even if the scholar-official Liu defecated on their heads, everyone could have forced themselves to swallow their anger. After all, the common folk couldn't fight the officials, and a scholar-official was already half an official, someone they couldn't fight.
However, Zhu Xiaosong, this wicked and devious fellow, had exposed everyone's scars, like a strong wind blowing away the sand from a ostrich's head.
They couldn't stand it anymore!
Liu Huaiwen, who had been hesitant moments before, suddenly picked up the sharp knife from the ground and charged towards the scholar-official Liu's family. Liu Er Niu, his eyes already red, rushed directly towards the scholar-official Liu's guards and household staff – it was these people who had snatched his wife!
Liu Er Niu and Liu Huaiwen were completely driven to madness. They had cast aside thoughts of life and death, the authorities, and the consequences. Their only thoughts were to kill! To avenge!
Chaos erupted below the roller.
As the saying goes, the beginning is the hardest. If no one had taken the lead, Zhu Xiaosong might have talked until his throat was sore on the roller, and no one would have dared to raise a fist against the scholar-official Liu's guards and household staff, nor even dared to glare at them.
But with Liu Er Niu and Liu Huaiwen leading the way, the remaining villagers went completely wild, as if to vent the resentment they had accumulated over the years.
As for the dozen or so household staff and guards of the scholar-official Liu... although these guards and household staff were strong and brave, facing over two hundred charging villagers, these dozen or so guards and household staff didn't even have the courage to resist!
Only after the last guard's scream died down did the Liu Miao Village villagers, who had been in an uproar, slowly come back to their senses.
What had they done? They had killed the relatives and household staff of the scholar-official Liu's family?
Many looked at their own hands in confusion, unable to believe that they could have done such a thing, yet feeling a secret sense of satisfaction. At the same time, they began to worry about the consequences from the authorities.
It wasn't until the muffled cries of the scholar-official Liu startled them back to reality.
The scholar-official Liu had initially thought that the three Zhu brothers would at most rob his family of money and grain. He never expected Zhu Xiaosong to escalate things so much!
This was not robbing the rich to help the poor; this was outright rebellion!
Zhu Xiaosong paid no attention to the groaning scholar-official Liu. Instead, he looked at the villagers below the roller and shouted, "In the baskets below, there is also the wealth the scholar-official Liu has accumulated over the years. This is all the blood and sweat money of the young and old men!"
"Lao San! Go and distribute this money and the land deeds to everyone. It can be considered us three brothers doing some good deeds for our fellow villagers before we leave!"
"Later, everyone can discuss how to divide the grain! Why should you have to pay sixty percent rent to the scholar-official Liu for the land you worked so hard to cultivate?"
"As for the scholar-official Liu's family, as long as no one speaks of it, the authorities won't discover it for a while. By the time the authorities find out, our three brothers will have long since settled in Jade Emperor Mountain. At that time, everyone can just blame it all on us three brothers!"
After speaking, Zhu Xiaosong directly swung his knife towards the scholar-official Liu's neck and shouted, "Old dog! On the road to the underworld, your family must be complete!"
Zhu Xiaosong killed as easily as slaughtering a chicken, without any of the awkwardness of killing for the first time. The people below the roller, however, were stunned into silence.
After a long while, Liu Er Niu, who had recovered, took a deep breath and looked at Zhu Xiaosong. "I admire you as a man! I want to follow you!"
Liu Huaiwen also stepped forward and looked at Zhu Xiaosong. "Count me in! I'll listen to you from now on!"
With Liu Er Niu and Liu Huaiwen leading the way, another twenty or so young men also stepped out from the crowd below the roller. Although they didn't say they wanted to follow Zhu Xiaosong, their actions of standing behind Liu Er Niu and Liu Huaiwen were quite clear.
On the roller, Zhu Xiaosong finally smiled with satisfaction.
Ruthless and violent? Unscrupulous?
Rebellion is not a dinner party, nor is it writing essays, painting, or embroidering. It cannot be so elegant, so calm and composed, so refined, so kind and courteous.