Chapter 190: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 190: Almost Caught in a Dilemma (9)
As Mo Yan passed by, she glanced and saw a raggedy boy, about five or six years old, kneeling on the ground with his hands tied behind his back. There was a wooden sign hanging around his neck, crudely inscribed with the words 'I am a thief, I am scum.'
She frowned, disapproving of the owner's behavior. Although stealing was despicable, beating the child was better than humiliating him like this.
"Do you think he's pitiful, Miss?" an old lady nearby couldn't help but speak up when she saw Mo Yan's expression. "Don't pity this kid. He often sneaks into people's homes to steal things. He's been caught and beaten many times, but he never learns. The owner had no choice but to do this. This kid has stolen from them seven or eight times in a month."
Seven or eight times in a month?
Mo Yan's eye twitched. The people living nearby were ordinary commoners. If a six or seven-year-old child could steal from them seven or eight times, it probably wasn't anything valuable. However, stealing was still wrong, even if it was just a needle.
Looking through the crowd at the child inside, she saw him keeping his head down tightly, unable to see his expression clearly, but his tightly pursed lips revealed a sense of stubbornness.
Around the same age as Zhen'er but living completely different lives, Mo Yan couldn't bear it. She stepped forward and said to the middle-aged man who was incessantly cursing the thief, "How much did he steal from you? I'll compensate you."
The middle-aged man was taken aback, clearly not expecting this turn of events. Seeing Mo Yan's decent attire, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "He stole from my house seven or eight times, stealing a total of ten taels of silver and five chickens. Forget about the chickens, just give me ten taels of silver, and I'll let him go."
Before he could finish speaking, the silent child suddenly lifted his head and stared angrily at the middle-aged man, loudly saying, "You're lying! I only stole ten buns and one chicken from your house. I didn't steal your silver!"
Exposed in front of everyone, the middle-aged man felt embarrassed and angry. He kicked the child to the ground and cursed, "You little brat! Daring to argue after stealing from me, I'll beat you to death!" As he spoke, he even tried to kick and hit the child.
Mo Yan stepped forward and stood in front of the child, shouting, "Enough! He's just a child. Is it necessary to be so harsh?"
Perhaps still hoping to get some silver from Mo Yan, the middle-aged man glared angrily at the child but refrained from insulting her.
"I advise you to tell the truth, or you won't get a single penny," Mo Yan said coldly. Seeing the man's actions just now, she knew the child couldn't have stolen ten taels of silver from him. Mo Yan wanted to help the child, but she wouldn't play the fool.
Realizing that Mo Yan wouldn't accept lies, and since she had no connection with the thief, the man quickly put on a smiley face and said, "I remembered it wrong. He only stole a dozen buns and two chickens from my house. Miss, just give me two hundred coins, and it'll be settled."
Mo Yan couldn't be bothered to argue with such a person. She gave him two hundred coins amidst the angry gaze of the child.
The middle-aged man took advantage of the situation and hurriedly untied the child's ropes and removed the sign from his neck. "Consider yourself lucky, kid. You've met a benefactor today. If you dare to steal from Grandpa's house again, I won't let you off so easily."
The child raised his foot, kicked him hard in the crotch, and then ran away, leaving Mo Yan staring blankly at his retreating figure, not knowing what to say.
▶▶The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
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