Bai Lixin scanned the crowd, wherever his gaze landed, the constable standing there would lower his head in shame.
After glancing over the crowd, Bai Lixin slowly withdrew his gaze without answering the constable’s question. “If there’s something, discuss it when I come back,” he said, and turned towards the direction of the prison.
After he left, the constables exchanged glances in silence.
After a long time, one constable finally spoke, “We misunderstood Master Bai Lixin.”
This sentence was like lighting the fuse of a firecracker, instantly causing an uproar among the constables.
“Yeah, that day I even blamed him for making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Do you know what I was thinking that day? Xiao Lin has been wanting to enter our yamen for a long time, he mentioned wanting to become a scribe several times. Although Master Bai Lixin is outstanding, even more so than Xiao Lin, if he wasn’t the magistrate’s brother in law, would he have had the chance in the first place? That if it weren’t for Head Constable Zhang’s insistence at the beginning, Xiao Lin would be the scribe.”
“Xiao Lin wasn’t happy when he didn’t become the scribe. The way Master Bai Lixin looked that morning, it was as if he was intentionally targeting Xiao Lin. We’ve known Xiao Lin for a long time, plus he’s our boss’s brother. Watching it felt like an outsider taking over our child’s territory and driving our child away. That anger suddenly rose up.”
“Now thinking about it, when did Master Bai Lixin ever treat us harshly? Why did he have to target Xiao Lin? Did he know early on that Xiao Lin was the one who killed the scribe?”
“Yeah, I’m even starting to think that the boss personally went to arrest Xiao Lin because he received guidance from Master Bai Lixin.”
“He didn’t point it out in front of us at that time because he was giving us face.”
“Knowing it but not saying it, it’s not just giving us face but also giving the boss face. The boss is such a upright man, if someone publicly revealed that his brother committed murder, how difficult it would be for him.”
“Yeah, Master Bai Lixin is really an incredibly gentle person.”
“The more he is like this, the more I feel guilty. Back then, I even scolded him, saying he doesn’t know what’s good for him. But Master Bai Lixin knows propriety and integrity, he just pointed out where we went wrong.”
“Yeah, we really made a big mistake. We shouldn’t have discussed cases with people outside the yamen, not even our relatives. Master Bai Lixin’s words that day were all hints. We were a bunch of frogs in a well, and we still had the nerve to say he was wrong.”
“Now thinking about it, I’m scared. If Master Bai Lixin hadn’t appeared at the beginning, and Xiao Lin became the scribe, what would have happened?”
Upon hearing this hypothesis, everyone suddenly shivered.
What would happen?
It would leave the scribe’s soul restless and turn the yamen into the laughing stock of Qingcheng.
They go out day by day to catch criminals and solve cases, but what kind of cases are they solving? They unknowingly harbored the biggest murderer next to them.
This…
At that time, they even had a moment where they disliked Master Bai Lixin for taking Xiao Lin’s position.
They said, it was a good robbery.
No, how can this be called robbery?
Master Bai Lixin is Country Magistrate Lin’s brother-in-law. When he came to the yamen, it’s going through the back door.
Xiao Lin is Head Constable Zhang’s younger brother, if he came to the yamen, isn’t he going through the back door?
Why did they assume this position belonged to Xiao Lin?
They would all be going through the back door. Just because Xiao Lin is the boss’s younger brother, is he more noble than Master Bai Lixin?
In fact, Master Bai Lixin coming to serve as a scribe is truly a waste of talent.
And as a result, the talent even met this group of idiots.
Sigh, the more they thought about it, the more they felt sorry for Master Bai Lixin.
Pah!
They were a group of idiots.
At this moment, Bai Lixin couldn’t hear the constables cursing themselves.
Now, he has arrived at the prison.
The prison was dim and damp, with water drops occasionally falling from the ceiling.
He had just walked a short distance when he saw Zhang Biao.
At this moment, Zhang Biao was standing in front of a cell, speaking to someone inside through the cell door.
The two were speaking intensely, they didn’t even here him approach.
Bai Lixin hid behind a wall while they were not paying attention.
Soon, he heard Zhang Lin’s voice, “Brother, why did you arrest me? Are you crazy? What crime did I commit? Just because I listened to your talk about cases, you want to charge me with a crime?”
“What crime? You personally showed me the cases, it’s not like I begged you to show me. If there’s a crime to be charged, you should be in more trouble than me.”
Zhang Biao’s voice is very low, “Rest assured, after all the cases are handled, I will properly settle my own guilt.”
Zhang Lin was visibly stunned, “Brother, don’t joke with me. I just looked at some cases, being interested in cases isn’t a crime. Wake up, Brother. I’m your brother, your real brother. Our mother gave birth to only us two. When she’s hone, we’ll only have each other to rely on. The same blood flows in our bodies, we are the closest two people in the world.”
“Is it that scribe named Bai Lixin? Ever since he came to the yamen, you’ve been acting strangely. Tell me, did he bewitch you?”
“Brother, look at the way he looks, he’s like a fox spirit. Have you been enchanted by him?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You are just full of filthy words!” Zhang Biao glared at Zhang Lin and raised his voice, “Sir is not some fox spirit. And I like women, Sir is a grown man, why would I like him? I only have the utmost respect for him, not the filthy thoughts in your mind.”
“Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong.” Zhang Lin grabbed the cell bars, “Brother, I’m begging you. I know I was wrong. Look, I’ve learned my lesson now. You should be done being angry, right? What you did this time was really over the top. If Mom knew you brought me to such a place, she would definitely be angry, not only angry, probably faint too.”
“I reflected on my actions after I went back yesterday. I promise you, in the future, if something happens, I’ll prioritize you and take care of you first. I just got too used to your care so I forgot how to take care of you.”
“And, I won’t inquire about the cases in your yamen anymore. I have to take the imperial examination next month, if you keep detaining me like this, how can I go? Detain me for a day or two to vent your anger, that’s fine, but let me go quickly, Brother.”
“Ah,” Zhang Biao sighed softly, “Zhang Lin, don’t you know why I brought you here?”
Zhang Lin rolled his eyes. “Why? Isn’t it just because the scribe named Bai Lixin said that you shouldn’t tell me everything. So in order to prove your integrity, you locked me up for a few days?”
“…” Zhang Biao chuckled, “Zhang Lin, in your mind, am I a blind man who imprisons innocent people for the sake of his own reputation?”
“I locked you up because of the scribe.”
Zhang Lin: “Sure enough, it’s because of him, because of Bai Lixin.”
“It’s not the current scribe, but the scribe who died not long ago. Zhang Lin, don’t you have anything to say?”
Zhang Lin’s hand holding the railing tightened slightly: “What can I say?”
Zhang Biao: “I’m too lazy to beat around the bush with you, Zhang Lin, did you kill Master Yang?”
Zhang Lin’s face changed slightly, but it quickly returned to the initial calm, “Brother, have you gone crazy with handling cases? How could I have killed him? I’m just a powerless scholar. Besides, I’m not close to the scribe, why would I kill him?”
“I also want to know why you killed him.” Zhang Biao chuckled in a low voice, his eyes deep, “You say it’s not you, then can you tell me where you were three nights ago?”
“I was at home, and Mother can vouch for me. You were at the yamen at that time, not at home. If you were at home, you would know that I wasn’t lying.”
“No, you lied.” Zhang Biao pursed his lips, his eyes deepening, “I was patrolling that night and happened to see a man whose appearance was very similar to yours from a distance, but because of the distance, that figure disappeared quickly. Out of concern, I went home that night and found that you really weren’t at home.”
“But I was afraid of making Mother worry in the middle of the night, so I didn’t make a fuss and quietly left home.”
“The next day, before dawn, I went home again. By then, you were already at home. I asked you and Mother but both of you insisted that you were at home the whole night. I thought you were already old enough; maybe you were spending the night talking love with a girl, who knows. Fortunately, you came home safely, so I didn’t expose you.”
“But as the case of Master Yang unfolded, more and more suspicious points pointed to you.”
“The person who could imitate the crime so vividly could only be someone who is familiar with the case.”
“When I came home, you had a pair of shoes that had just been cleaned. But I had come back early in the morning. The wet shoes meant they weren’t cleaned the day before, it looked like they had just been cleaned. Who would clean their shoes early in the morning? Unless it’s to hide something.”
“And Master Yang’s clothes had a tear on the waist.”
“I later searched at home, our family was missing a sickle used for cutting vegetables. The mark on the belt, was it caused by this sickle?”
“I kept looking for evidence at home, not to prove you’re the murderer, but to prove you are not the murderer.”
“But no matter how I searched, the evidence I found only strengthened the belief that you are the murderer.”
“You mentioned Master Bai Lixin, right? I didn’t go home because of him, not because I didn’t dare to go home, but because I didn’t know how to face you and Mother.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to arrest you, but I also couldn’t pretend not to know anything when facing you. I feel ashamed of the clothes on me. You asked me why I was still sleeping so late? Because I can’t sleep at night, whenever night falls, I dream of Master Yang, I dream of him questioning me, why do I know who the murderer is but let him go free?”
Bai Lixin peeked out from the darkness, silently watching the two brothers confronting each other across the cell.
Zhang Lin inside the cell gradually lost expression on his face, coldly staring at Zhang Biao across from him. After a long time, he smirked, “So, you knew all along. What are you pretending to be deeply affectionate brothers for?”
“I knew it long ago, you’re hypocritical. When you get ruthless, you don’t even spare your own younger brother.”
Zhang Biao sighed, “Say whatever you want. Tell me, why did you kill Master Yang?”
“Why? Because he deserved to die.” Zhang Lin sneered, “He blocked my way, so of course, I had to kill him.”
Zhang Biao: “Do you really want to work at the yamen that much? After passing the imperial examinations, you could have become a high-ranking official and had a much brighter future. Even if I strive my hardest, my fate is just working for someone. Your path was the one that truly changes destiny. Do you know how much I envies you?”
“I can’t pass the imperial examinations at all!” Zhang Lin suddenly roared angrily, “Do you think passing the imperial examinations is as easy as you say?!”
“Ever since I came back, you’ve been pushing me to take the imperial examinations every day. Do you know, I even bought that scholar. At most, I wrote good calligraphy, but what’s the use of good handwriting?”
Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, “If you couldn’t pass, you could have told us. Why not say it? You’re so outstanding; even if you can’t pass the imperial examinations, we can still do other things.”
“What do you want me to say? That I can’t do it? That I’m incompetent?” Zhang Lin glared fiercely at Zhang Biao outside, “My big brother, whom I despise the most, has become a head constable, and is surrounded by so many followers. But me, I’ve accomplished nothing and still rely on you for support. I can’t achieve anything. How can I proudly say those words.”
“Do you know how much I envy you? You live an easy and simple life. Because you were so bad before, even if you became a head constable now, no one would criticize you for whatever you do. But me? I initially showed humility and courtesy. If there’s anything wrong, everyone around me is filled with voices of blame.”
Zhang Lin’s voice suddenly raised, “Zhang Biao! Why don’t you talk about how I almost starved to death at home when I was a child? You always say I’m used to a life of luxury, why don’t you talk about why you sent me away? Isn’t it because our family couldn’t make ends meet at that time? If I wasn’t sent away, I’d have watched myself starve to death or be sold.”
“Did I want a life of luxury? When you wanted to send me away, I knelt on the ground and begged you not to send me away. But In the end? You completely disregarded my feelings and forcibly sent me away.”
“Do you think the days of being dependent on others are good? I cautiously watched others’ expressions because I’m not the biological son of that family. Only by doing so would they treat me a bit better. I had just adapted to life there, and suddenly you appeared, without asking for my opinion, and rudely brought me back.”
“Why? Why did I have to leave just because you wanted me to leave? You brought me back just to live in this hellish place again?”
“I’ve become like this, all because of you. If you didn’t want to treat me well, you should have let me starve to death back then! It would have been better than enduring hardships outside!”
Zhang Biao stared at the hysterical young man in front of him. The disappointment in his eyes was like an un-melting glacier. “I’m sorry, I indeed didn’t consider your feelings before.”
“But… you becoming like this is not anyone else’s fault, but your own.”
“There are many people in this world who have suffered much more than you. You say you almost starved to death, but do you know you had only missed one day of meals? You were still young at that time, how could you understand what true starvation is? You just felt hungry. I fed you every day and I wouldn’t forget. But do you know, at that time, I only had a meal every three days.”
“I sent you away to protect you, not to harm you.”
“What kind of hardship do you call that? Even if your relatives weren’t good, they didn’t mistreat you, didn’t starve you, and even provided you with a life of luxury. You not only don’t feel grateful, but now you also think they treated you badly. You are truly ungrateful. If they hadn’t given us something to eat back then, we would have starved to death long ago.”
“When someone saves your life, you should repay them like a gushing spring. Do you understand?”
“Do you know what true hardship is? Have you seen beggars on the streets? Have you seen corpses being devoured by wild beasts in the wilderness? You haven’t, because even if our life wasn’t good, we protected you well.”
“I, my mother, and our relatives, none of us have wronged you.”
“If I had known you would turn out like this…” Zhang Biao fell silent for two seconds, then squeezed out a few words with a heavy voice, “I should have thrown you into the wilderness to feed the dogs!”
“I’m too disappointed in you, Zhang Lin. ”
With that, Zhang Biao turned around resolutely and left.
Behind Zhang Biao, Zhang Lin suddenly grabbed the doorframe of the cell and loudly called out, “Zhang Biao, you’ve finally spoken your mind, right?! You just want me to die, Zhang Biao, I hate you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. You harmed me! If our ancestors in the afterlife knew, they would surely curse you. If I die, you’re not worthy of meeting the ancestors of the Zhang family! Zhang Biao, can you hear me, Zhang Biao!”
“Head Constable Zhang.” When Zhang Biao was about to leave the cell, a voice stopped him.
Zhang Biao’s footsteps stopped halted. He turned around to see a tall and upright young man walking out from the shadows behind the wall.
Bai Lixin scanned the crowd, wherever his gaze landed, the constable standing there would lower his head in shame.
After glancing over the crowd, Bai Lixin slowly withdrew his gaze without answering the constable’s question. “If there’s something, discuss it when I come back,” he said, and turned towards the direction of the prison.
After he left, the constables exchanged glances in silence.
After a long time, one constable finally spoke, “We misunderstood Master Bai Lixin.”
This sentence was like lighting the fuse of a firecracker, instantly causing an uproar among the constables.
“Yeah, that day I even blamed him for making a big deal out of nothing.”
“Do you know what I was thinking that day? Xiao Lin has been wanting to enter our yamen for a long time, he mentioned wanting to become a scribe several times. Although Master Bai Lixin is outstanding, even more so than Xiao Lin, if he wasn’t the magistrate’s brother in law, would he have had the chance in the first place? That if it weren’t for Head Constable Zhang’s insistence at the beginning, Xiao Lin would be the scribe.”
“Xiao Lin wasn’t happy when he didn’t become the scribe. The way Master Bai Lixin looked that morning, it was as if he was intentionally targeting Xiao Lin. We’ve known Xiao Lin for a long time, plus he’s our boss’s brother. Watching it felt like an outsider taking over our child’s territory and driving our child away. That anger suddenly rose up.”
“Now thinking about it, when did Master Bai Lixin ever treat us harshly? Why did he have to target Xiao Lin? Did he know early on that Xiao Lin was the one who killed the scribe?”
“Yeah, I’m even starting to think that the boss personally went to arrest Xiao Lin because he received guidance from Master Bai Lixin.”
“He didn’t point it out in front of us at that time because he was giving us face.”
“Knowing it but not saying it, it’s not just giving us face but also giving the boss face. The boss is such a upright man, if someone publicly revealed that his brother committed murder, how difficult it would be for him.”
“Yeah, Master Bai Lixin is really an incredibly gentle person.”
“The more he is like this, the more I feel guilty. Back then, I even scolded him, saying he doesn’t know what’s good for him. But Master Bai Lixin knows propriety and integrity, he just pointed out where we went wrong.”
“Yeah, we really made a big mistake. We shouldn’t have discussed cases with people outside the yamen, not even our relatives. Master Bai Lixin’s words that day were all hints. We were a bunch of frogs in a well, and we still had the nerve to say he was wrong.”
“Now thinking about it, I’m scared. If Master Bai Lixin hadn’t appeared at the beginning, and Xiao Lin became the scribe, what would have happened?”
Upon hearing this hypothesis, everyone suddenly shivered.
What would happen?
It would leave the scribe’s soul restless and turn the yamen into the laughing stock of Qingcheng.
They go out day by day to catch criminals and solve cases, but what kind of cases are they solving? They unknowingly harbored the biggest murderer next to them.
This…
At that time, they even had a moment where they disliked Master Bai Lixin for taking Xiao Lin’s position.
They said, it was a good robbery.
No, how can this be called robbery?
Master Bai Lixin is Country Magistrate Lin’s brother-in-law. When he came to the yamen, it’s going through the back door.
Xiao Lin is Head Constable Zhang’s younger brother, if he came to the yamen, isn’t he going through the back door?
Why did they assume this position belonged to Xiao Lin?
They would all be going through the back door. Just because Xiao Lin is the boss’s younger brother, is he more noble than Master Bai Lixin?
In fact, Master Bai Lixin coming to serve as a scribe is truly a waste of talent.
And as a result, the talent even met this group of idiots.
Sigh, the more they thought about it, the more they felt sorry for Master Bai Lixin.
Pah!
They were a group of idiots.
At this moment, Bai Lixin couldn’t hear the constables cursing themselves.
Now, he has arrived at the prison.
The prison was dim and damp, with water drops occasionally falling from the ceiling.
He had just walked a short distance when he saw Zhang Biao.
At this moment, Zhang Biao was standing in front of a cell, speaking to someone inside through the cell door.
The two were speaking intensely, they didn’t even here him approach.
Bai Lixin hid behind a wall while they were not paying attention.
Soon, he heard Zhang Lin’s voice, “Brother, why did you arrest me? Are you crazy? What crime did I commit? Just because I listened to your talk about cases, you want to charge me with a crime?”
“What crime? You personally showed me the cases, it’s not like I begged you to show me. If there’s a crime to be charged, you should be in more trouble than me.”
Zhang Biao’s voice is very low, “Rest assured, after all the cases are handled, I will properly settle my own guilt.”
Zhang Lin was visibly stunned, “Brother, don’t joke with me. I just looked at some cases, being interested in cases isn’t a crime. Wake up, Brother. I’m your brother, your real brother. Our mother gave birth to only us two. When she’s hone, we’ll only have each other to rely on. The same blood flows in our bodies, we are the closest two people in the world.”
“Is it that scribe named Bai Lixin? Ever since he came to the yamen, you’ve been acting strangely. Tell me, did he bewitch you?”
“Brother, look at the way he looks, he’s like a fox spirit. Have you been enchanted by him?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? You are just full of filthy words!” Zhang Biao glared at Zhang Lin and raised his voice, “Sir is not some fox spirit. And I like women, Sir is a grown man, why would I like him? I only have the utmost respect for him, not the filthy thoughts in your mind.”
“Alright, alright, I admit I was wrong.” Zhang Lin grabbed the cell bars, “Brother, I’m begging you. I know I was wrong. Look, I’ve learned my lesson now. You should be done being angry, right? What you did this time was really over the top. If Mom knew you brought me to such a place, she would definitely be angry, not only angry, probably faint too.”
“I reflected on my actions after I went back yesterday. I promise you, in the future, if something happens, I’ll prioritize you and take care of you first. I just got too used to your care so I forgot how to take care of you.”
“And, I won’t inquire about the cases in your yamen anymore. I have to take the imperial examination next month, if you keep detaining me like this, how can I go? Detain me for a day or two to vent your anger, that’s fine, but let me go quickly, Brother.”
“Ah,” Zhang Biao sighed softly, “Zhang Lin, don’t you know why I brought you here?”
Zhang Lin rolled his eyes. “Why? Isn’t it just because the scribe named Bai Lixin said that you shouldn’t tell me everything. So in order to prove your integrity, you locked me up for a few days?”
“…” Zhang Biao chuckled, “Zhang Lin, in your mind, am I a blind man who imprisons innocent people for the sake of his own reputation?”
“I locked you up because of the scribe.”
Zhang Lin: “Sure enough, it’s because of him, because of Bai Lixin.”
“It’s not the current scribe, but the scribe who died not long ago. Zhang Lin, don’t you have anything to say?”
Zhang Lin’s hand holding the railing tightened slightly: “What can I say?”
Zhang Biao: “I’m too lazy to beat around the bush with you, Zhang Lin, did you kill Master Yang?”
Zhang Lin’s face changed slightly, but it quickly returned to the initial calm, “Brother, have you gone crazy with handling cases? How could I have killed him? I’m just a powerless scholar. Besides, I’m not close to the scribe, why would I kill him?”
“I also want to know why you killed him.” Zhang Biao chuckled in a low voice, his eyes deep, “You say it’s not you, then can you tell me where you were three nights ago?”
“I was at home, and Mother can vouch for me. You were at the yamen at that time, not at home. If you were at home, you would know that I wasn’t lying.”
“No, you lied.” Zhang Biao pursed his lips, his eyes deepening, “I was patrolling that night and happened to see a man whose appearance was very similar to yours from a distance, but because of the distance, that figure disappeared quickly. Out of concern, I went home that night and found that you really weren’t at home.”
“But I was afraid of making Mother worry in the middle of the night, so I didn’t make a fuss and quietly left home.”
“The next day, before dawn, I went home again. By then, you were already at home. I asked you and Mother but both of you insisted that you were at home the whole night. I thought you were already old enough; maybe you were spending the night talking love with a girl, who knows. Fortunately, you came home safely, so I didn’t expose you.”
“But as the case of Master Yang unfolded, more and more suspicious points pointed to you.”
“The person who could imitate the crime so vividly could only be someone who is familiar with the case.”
“When I came home, you had a pair of shoes that had just been cleaned. But I had come back early in the morning. The wet shoes meant they weren’t cleaned the day before, it looked like they had just been cleaned. Who would clean their shoes early in the morning? Unless it’s to hide something.”
“And Master Yang’s clothes had a tear on the waist.”
“I later searched at home, our family was missing a sickle used for cutting vegetables. The mark on the belt, was it caused by this sickle?”
“I kept looking for evidence at home, not to prove you’re the murderer, but to prove you are not the murderer.”
“But no matter how I searched, the evidence I found only strengthened the belief that you are the murderer.”
“You mentioned Master Bai Lixin, right? I didn’t go home because of him, not because I didn’t dare to go home, but because I didn’t know how to face you and Mother.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to arrest you, but I also couldn’t pretend not to know anything when facing you. I feel ashamed of the clothes on me. You asked me why I was still sleeping so late? Because I can’t sleep at night, whenever night falls, I dream of Master Yang, I dream of him questioning me, why do I know who the murderer is but let him go free?”
Bai Lixin peeked out from the darkness, silently watching the two brothers confronting each other across the cell.
Zhang Lin inside the cell gradually lost expression on his face, coldly staring at Zhang Biao across from him. After a long time, he smirked, “So, you knew all along. What are you pretending to be deeply affectionate brothers for?”
“I knew it long ago, you’re hypocritical. When you get ruthless, you don’t even spare your own younger brother.”
Zhang Biao sighed, “Say whatever you want. Tell me, why did you kill Master Yang?”
“Why? Because he deserved to die.” Zhang Lin sneered, “He blocked my way, so of course, I had to kill him.”
Zhang Biao: “Do you really want to work at the yamen that much? After passing the imperial examinations, you could have become a high-ranking official and had a much brighter future. Even if I strive my hardest, my fate is just working for someone. Your path was the one that truly changes destiny. Do you know how much I envies you?”
“I can’t pass the imperial examinations at all!” Zhang Lin suddenly roared angrily, “Do you think passing the imperial examinations is as easy as you say?!”
“Ever since I came back, you’ve been pushing me to take the imperial examinations every day. Do you know, I even bought that scholar. At most, I wrote good calligraphy, but what’s the use of good handwriting?”
Zhang Biao was stunned for a moment, “If you couldn’t pass, you could have told us. Why not say it? You’re so outstanding; even if you can’t pass the imperial examinations, we can still do other things.”
“What do you want me to say? That I can’t do it? That I’m incompetent?” Zhang Lin glared fiercely at Zhang Biao outside, “My big brother, whom I despise the most, has become a head constable, and is surrounded by so many followers. But me, I’ve accomplished nothing and still rely on you for support. I can’t achieve anything. How can I proudly say those words.”
“Do you know how much I envy you? You live an easy and simple life. Because you were so bad before, even if you became a head constable now, no one would criticize you for whatever you do. But me? I initially showed humility and courtesy. If there’s anything wrong, everyone around me is filled with voices of blame.”
Zhang Lin’s voice suddenly raised, “Zhang Biao! Why don’t you talk about how I almost starved to death at home when I was a child? You always say I’m used to a life of luxury, why don’t you talk about why you sent me away? Isn’t it because our family couldn’t make ends meet at that time? If I wasn’t sent away, I’d have watched myself starve to death or be sold.”
“Did I want a life of luxury? When you wanted to send me away, I knelt on the ground and begged you not to send me away. But In the end? You completely disregarded my feelings and forcibly sent me away.”
“Do you think the days of being dependent on others are good? I cautiously watched others’ expressions because I’m not the biological son of that family. Only by doing so would they treat me a bit better. I had just adapted to life there, and suddenly you appeared, without asking for my opinion, and rudely brought me back.”
“Why? Why did I have to leave just because you wanted me to leave? You brought me back just to live in this hellish place again?”
“I’ve become like this, all because of you. If you didn’t want to treat me well, you should have let me starve to death back then! It would have been better than enduring hardships outside!”
Zhang Biao stared at the hysterical young man in front of him. The disappointment in his eyes was like an un-melting glacier. “I’m sorry, I indeed didn’t consider your feelings before.”
“But… you becoming like this is not anyone else’s fault, but your own.”
“There are many people in this world who have suffered much more than you. You say you almost starved to death, but do you know you had only missed one day of meals? You were still young at that time, how could you understand what true starvation is? You just felt hungry. I fed you every day and I wouldn’t forget. But do you know, at that time, I only had a meal every three days.”
“I sent you away to protect you, not to harm you.”
“What kind of hardship do you call that? Even if your relatives weren’t good, they didn’t mistreat you, didn’t starve you, and even provided you with a life of luxury. You not only don’t feel grateful, but now you also think they treated you badly. You are truly ungrateful. If they hadn’t given us something to eat back then, we would have starved to death long ago.”
“When someone saves your life, you should repay them like a gushing spring. Do you understand?”
“Do you know what true hardship is? Have you seen beggars on the streets? Have you seen corpses being devoured by wild beasts in the wilderness? You haven’t, because even if our life wasn’t good, we protected you well.”
“I, my mother, and our relatives, none of us have wronged you.”
“If I had known you would turn out like this…” Zhang Biao fell silent for two seconds, then squeezed out a few words with a heavy voice, “I should have thrown you into the wilderness to feed the dogs!”
“I’m too disappointed in you, Zhang Lin. ”
With that, Zhang Biao turned around resolutely and left.
Behind Zhang Biao, Zhang Lin suddenly grabbed the doorframe of the cell and loudly called out, “Zhang Biao, you’ve finally spoken your mind, right?! You just want me to die, Zhang Biao, I hate you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this. You harmed me! If our ancestors in the afterlife knew, they would surely curse you. If I die, you’re not worthy of meeting the ancestors of the Zhang family! Zhang Biao, can you hear me, Zhang Biao!”
“Head Constable Zhang.” When Zhang Biao was about to leave the cell, a voice stopped him.
Zhang Biao’s footsteps stopped halted. He turned around to see a tall and upright young man walking out from the shadows behind the wall.
