Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 12122

Yang Yongqing was taken aback. After being reprimanded by Yang Huaming, his arrogance immediately diminished.

Yang Yongjin and Yang Yongzhi frowned at him and scolded, "Fourth Aunt's words may be rough, but they make sense. Where were you back then? If you had been even a little nicer to Fourth Sister-in-law, you wouldn't have been handing over the fat meat to the hungry wolf!"

"Second Brother, why are you saying that about me too? Times have changed!"

“I don’t blame my second brother for saying that. If we really trace the source of this matter, you, as the husband, cannot shirk your responsibility!” Yang Yongzhi said righteously.

Yang Yongqing looked aggrieved, but he was unable to defend himself.

"Alright, alright, today is not the time to bring up old grievances with Yongqing," Old Yang tapped the table again, interrupting everyone's condemnation of Yang Yongqing.

"Let's focus on the main topic of today's family meeting, which is to discuss how to hold the Li family father and son accountable in a comprehensive way."

“Yongqing, before you came back, our family discussed two different opinions about this matter. Listen to what they are…”

Old Yang was quite good at organizing his thoughts; in just a few words, he explained the two different opinions and the family members behind them to Yang Yongqing.

"Your fourth wife is the person involved in this matter, so you make the decision. No matter which option you choose, we will cooperate with you!"

Old Yang's words seemed to suppress Yang Yongqing's previous agitation as if a huge rock had been placed on top of it. The weight of the rock made the restless emotions burn like a raging fire, twisting and swaying wildly beneath it.

"I've told Xiao Mo about this." Yang Yongqing's voice lowered a bit; his anger was at its peak, but his aura was clearly lacking.

"What I mean is, we should report this to the authorities, arrest Li Wei, throw him in jail, and make sure he's in prison for at least seven or eight years!"

"But Xiao Mo refused. She said that if she hadn't given birth to those two children, she would risk everything to send Li Wei to jail."

“But she has to consider her two children. Once this matter becomes public, it won't be a secret for miles around, or even the whole town. We adults aren't afraid of what people say, but the two children are still young. They can't become the target of gossip and criticism! It will have a bad impact on their growth and make them unable to hold their heads high in public. After all, she was only groped at Shanyuan back then, not actually violated. And these kinds of things are often the hardest to explain. The more you explain, the worse it gets. In fact, some people might even speculate that my eldest daughter is Li Wei's bastard child. I'm not afraid of people saying I'm cuckolded, but I can't let my daughter be shamed!”

When Yang Yongqing said these words, the expression on his face was truly heartbreaking. His eyes were red and swollen, as if the tears that were about to fall were not tears of shame and resentment, but tears of blood and hatred that came from being unable to let go!
Everyone else present, including Liu, who had previously mocked Yang Yongqing for not fulfilling her responsibilities as a husband, fell silent.

In fact, everyone empathized with Yang Yongqing and Xiao Mo's considerations.

Yang Huazhong sighed and said, "Words can be deadly. Your considerations are reasonable. The affairs of the previous generation should not affect the next generation."

Yang Yongjin also clenched his fist: "The child is innocent. If we let Xiao Niu Niu take the blame, what will people think of her in the future!"

Yang Yongzhi said, "I suggest a low-key punishment. We can't let Li Wei get away with it, but we must keep the impact to a minimum. Ideally, no one other than our family should know about it."

As Yang Yongzhi said this, he turned his head and glanced at the defensive line where Liu was sitting.

Everyone else's eyes also turned to Liu.

The meaning was clear in their eyes. Among the people present, Liu was the most talkative. It would have been best to keep her out of this situation, but Yang Huaming had participated in the 'arrest' of Li Wei last night and told Liu everything in bed after returning to the old house, so it couldn't be kept secret.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you all? You're all talking, why are you all staring at me like that?" Liu asked, her innocent and confused eyes scanning the crowd in front of her, her tone a mix of dissatisfaction and embarrassment.

Sitting next to her, Cao Bamei grabbed Liu's arm and said, "Fourth Aunt, don't pretend you don't know. Who here likes to gossip and be a busybody the most? Of course, it's you!"

"You absolutely must keep your mouth shut about this, or things will get really bad!"

Cao Bamei spoke earnestly, her face full of anxiety, and her eyes extremely cautious.

Only Yang Ruoqing and Liu herself knew that Cao Bamei's words just now were partly a genuine hope that Liu would keep quiet, and partly because she probably still hadn't gotten over the hurdle from yesterday noon. At this moment, the superficiality of their relationship was once again on full display.

Yang Ruoqing simply smiled, not getting involved in the undercurrents between them.

As for Liu, she forcefully pulled Cao Bamei's hand off her arm and threw it aside. She even patted her clothes as if Cao Bamei's hand had just touched chicken droppings.

Cao Bamei's face turned green.

Liu spoke up again: "Don't worry, everyone. I admit I'm a big mouth and I like to gossip."

"But ask yourselves honestly, when have I ever revealed the most confidential matters of our Yang family? I know what's important and what's urgent, I don't need you to tell me, I'm not a coward!" Liu said firmly, even standing up and raising her hand: "If you don't believe me, I can swear on the fourth son..."

"Hey, hey, hey, you old hag, that's enough! Don't swear on me, we believe you, okay?" Yang Huaming jumped up and forcefully pressed Liu's arm down.

"I can vouch for my wife on this point. She knows what she can and cannot say. If you don't believe me, you can recall the struggles between the two families last year over Xiuhong and Sixi's marriage. My wife not only kept her mouth shut but also did a lot of work in the process!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Madam Liu added, "That's right, Eighth Sister, you can't just ignore the 99 good things I've done for your second branch of the family and then nitpick over the one bad thing I did. That would be pointless!"

Cao Bamei blushed and quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "How could that be, Fourth Aunt? You are my elder, I really didn't mean it that way."

Yang Yongjin chimed in, "Yes, yes, Fourth Aunt, Eighth Sister and I remember your kindness to our second branch of the family!"

Yang Ruoqing stretched and said, "Fourth Aunt, please sit down. Let's get back to business. No one should interrupt anymore, okay?"

"Okay, fourth brother, move aside, I'll sit next to you."

"Row."

Cao Bamei was left there alone; Liu Shi no longer sat with her.

Cao Bamei felt a little embarrassed and looked at Yang Yongjin. Yang Yongjin gave Cao Bamei an unpleasant look. She could have chosen not to say those words earlier, so why did she have to make those sarcastic remarks? As a woman, she had already moved on from the past, yet she still had to bring up her private matters. How petty!
The group returned to their main topic, and Old Yang asked Yang Yongqing, "So how do you plan to punish Li Wei?"

Yang Yongqing narrowed his eyes, his gaze as cold and sinister as a venomous snake.

"I'm thinking of finding an opportunity to sneak into the Li family's house, drug them all, and poison them to death!"

"Perfect timing! This will also nip the problem in the bud for the second wife, preventing them from continuing to extort money from my second brother, sister-in-law, and Xiuxiu and her child! It will eliminate any future troubles!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this. Liu and Yang Huaming were squeezed onto a stool, each sitting on half of their buttocks, making them already unsteady.

Startled by Yang Yongqing's words, Liu almost slipped off the stool, but luckily she grabbed Yang Huaming's arm.

"Oh my god, Yongqing, you can't do this! Murderers get beheaded! You killed three people, one head isn't enough to cut off!" Liu patted her wildly beating heart, her voice trembling slightly.

Yang Yongjin was deeply moved. He never expected that his fourth brother would be so willing to go to such lengths for their second branch of the family!
However, while it may be touching, this is something you absolutely must not do!
"Fourth brother, don't talk nonsense. We, the Yang family, are upright and honest. We can't kill people. That would bring divine retribution, damage our karma, and turn a just cause into an unjust cause! Even if the retribution doesn't fall on us, it might fall on our descendants. It's unwise and not worth it!"

"Second Brother is right, Qing boy, don't be impulsive. The good days have just begun, don't ruin yourself for that beast Li Wei!"

Yang Huazhong also solemnly advised, "The thought of killing is unacceptable. People must have a bottom line! Our Yang family will never protect a murderer! If this matter gets out and is used against us by those with ulterior motives, it could be bad for Da'an's career, and for Tiedan, Hong'er, and Feng'er's future. At that time, people won't care about the ins and outs of this matter; they will only say that our Yang family is abusing its power and disregarding human life. Then, we won't be able to clear our names even if we jump into the Yellow River!"

Immediately, everyone in the main room except Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang started talking at once, all advising Yang Yongqing against having such extreme thoughts.

The reason why Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang remained silent was not because they were frightened by Yang Yongqing's words. What a joke! They themselves had fought their way up from the bloodbath to where they were now. What extreme methods of revenge hadn't they seen?

Their silence had nothing to do with the fear or admonitions of the rest of the Yang family.

If a person is too kind, unable to do this or that, constantly constrained, always looking before and after, worrying not only about their own generation but also about their children and grandchildren, then they can forget about achieving anything great in this life and will live a life of frustration and humiliation.

Morality can only bind those who are kind and moral.

And morality must be used in the right place.

At this moment, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang only needed to exchange a simple glance to understand each other's thoughts.

No matter what form Yang Yongqing's punishment takes next, the two of them will secretly deliver the final blow behind the backs of the Yang family's "moral guardians."

I won't tell them about the last knife anymore, because it will scare them and make them look at the two of them strangely.

Sigh, it's frustrating and distressing when our minds are not on the same level.

However, the couple always did things as they pleased, as long as they were satisfied with their own enjoyment.

Yang Yongqing suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his angry gaze sweeping over the people trying to dissuade him. He roared, "You all wanted to call me back to discuss this matter again, but now you're holding me back, telling me I can't do this or that. Why did you tell me about this in the first place? You told me, but you can't do anything about it. What do you expect me to do? Repay evil with kindness? You might as well let me die. At worst, I'll trade my life with Li Wei's!"

"Yongqing, don't be like that, we didn't mean it that way! We just don't want you to do anything foolish and cause yourself trouble!" Yang Yongzhi hurriedly got up and tried to comfort him.

"So, Third Brother, what do you mean? And what good suggestions do you have for me to get revenge?"

"Yongqing, my idea is that we brothers should find an opportunity to lure Li Wei out, and then give him a good beating!"

"Yes, don't kill him. Leave him alive so you can beat him up whenever you feel like it. That way you won't get into a murder case, you won't do any bad karma, and you can even vent your anger! Isn't that great?"

"I agree with Yongzhi's suggestion. Those kinds of people should be beaten up every now and then. Since we can't kill them, we won't feel guilty, and it'll be satisfying!"

Yang Yongjin and Yang Huaming talked back and forth, clearly indicating that beating Li Wei every now and then was the most extreme act of revenge they had ever committed in their lives.

“Yongqing, things have come to this, and this is the only way. Go and beat someone up, and call your fourth uncle and your brothers. As long as you don’t kill anyone, we’ll turn a blind eye. What do you think?” Old Yang spoke up again.

Apart from Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang, everyone else seemed to share the same thought when they looked at Yang Yongqing.

Yang Yongqing stood frozen in place for a long while before angrily sitting back down, slamming his fist heavily on the table, and finally letting out a heavy sigh.

It seems that, it's probably the only way!

……

The meeting here has ended, and everyone has gone their separate ways to attend to their own affairs.

Liu followed Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang out of the third courtyard and into the old Luo family's courtyard.

"Qing'er, Qing'er, wait a minute, your fourth aunt wants to ask you something." Liu Shi came closer, her eyes sparkling with gossip.

Yang Ruoqing glanced at Luo Fengtang and nodded. Luo Fengtang understood and went back to the backyard first.

"Fourth Aunt, what do you want to know?"

"Qing'er, it wasn't convenient for your fourth aunt to ask when there were too many people around. Now that there's no one else around, you can quietly tell your fourth aunt something." Liu Shi pulled Yang Ruoqing to a secluded spot under the covered walkway.

What do you think about Yongqing going out every now and then to beat up Li Wei to vent his anger?

“Of course I use my eyes to see!” Yang Ruoqing said.

"Oh, Qing'er, stop teasing me," Liu said with a grin, then changed direction and went around to Yang Ruoqing's other side. "This kind of revenge method is the safest, but for someone like us, it's not very satisfying, don't you think?"