Chapter 281: Swift And Decisive
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Li Guanfeng nodded. “Ok.”
The constable handed a long and thick whip to Lin Zheng.
Sun Zhou was frightened and immediately started struggling. “I’m not guilty. What right do you have to flog me? She can’t give birth to a son for me. Why can’t I hit her? Not only do I want to hit her, but I also want to divorce her.”
Lin Zheng’s eyes turned colder. Sun Zhou had already broken free from the rope and was charging towards Li Guanfeng. Raising his fist, he shouted. “Go die.”
Li Guanfeng did not dodge the punch nor flinch.
Lin Zheng had already grabbed Sun Zhou and punched him hard instead, causing him to fall to the ground. Sun Zhou looked big and strong, but he had no experience in combat.
With perfect composure, Li Guanfeng ordered. “You attemtped to murder an official. I’ll punish you with fifty flogs and exile you to the far border.”
Lin Zheng had already raised the whip and struck Sun Zhou hard.
The flogging was extremely painful. Sun Zhou couldn’t help but wail. In the end, he softened his tone and begged for mercy. “Sir, please spare my life. I know what I’ve done wrong. I promise I won’t do it again.”
Lin Zheng flogged him 50 times with a fierce look. The tall and well-built man no longer had the strength to beg for mercy. He lay on the ground like a puddle of mud.
Lin Zheng returned the bloody whip to the constable and retreated.
Li Guanfeng instructed his men. “Take him away and send him into exile immediately.”
Sun Zhou panicked. Only then did he realize that Li Guanfeng meant every single word he had said. He shouted at Madam Niu. “You wicked b*tch, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and beg the magistrate. Do you want me to die? Do you want Huahua to be fatherless?”
Madam Niu’s body trembled. She hugged Sun Huahua and said, “Sir, please let my husband off. Without him, what are we gonna do?”
Li Guanfeng frowned. “Attempting to kill an official is not a joking matter. It’s a serious offense. Be quiet.”
Madam Niu immediately lowered her head and stopped begging when Li Guanfeng shot her an angry look.
By then, Sun Zhou had already been dragged away.
Madam Niu was also chased out of the government office. She was still unwilling to leave. The constable guarding the government office persuaded her. “Madam, don’t linger around here. If you end up going to jail, what will happen to your daughter?”
Madam Niu hugged Sun Huahua tightly and wiped her tears.
The guard sighed and watched as they left. To be honest, he really could not sympathize with them.
Take Madam Niu for example. Even if Sun Zhou beat her up terribly, she still wanted to help her husband. What was the use of having such a husband as Sun Zhou?
Other than looking like a man, nothing he did was what a man was supposed to do. Why did she have to make life difficult for herself?
For three days, almost all the offenders in the prison were cleared out.
This was the strictest magistrate in Yong County since ancient times. For some time, no one dared to cause trouble.
Liu Dalang and Tang Maosheng were locked up in the cell. In just a few days, the once crowded prison became deserted. Tang Maosheng was still shouting that he had been wronged.
The guard couldn’t stand him anymore and shouted back. “Who wronged you? You stole the land from your niece and nephew. Do you really think you can fool us?”
Tang Maosheng was instantly speechless and began to feel afraid. He had seen with his own eyes how some offenders were cocky when they went to jail and came back in a sorry state.
He looked at Liu Dalang and felt very puzzled. Why was Liu Dalang still so calm even if no one from the Liu family came to visit him?
Three days passed in a flash. When the constable came to deliver the food, his face was filled with joy as he said, “Hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, don’t shout to disturb our rest. Otherwise, you’ll surely be in deep trouble.”
Li Guanfeng went mad for three days. Everyone was on the brink of a collapse. They had to wake up earlier than the roosters and sleep later than the cows. Moreover, they had to constantly force themselves to stay in high spirits, afraid that if they didn’t do so, they would offend Li Guanfeng.
They were all relieved that Li Guanfeng was finally going to take a break.
If he kept on forcing himself to work, he would die soon.
Suddenly, everyone in the government office missed Wei Shilai.
After three days of working madly, Li Guanfeng took a break.
The backyard of the government office was empty. He stood in the courtyard and waited for Liu Sanniang to come.
The sky gradually darkened. He reached out and touched the bell, muttering to himself. “Xiaowu, come out and spend some time with me.”
When Xiaowu came out, she stood beside Li Guanfeng and looked at him sadly. “Brother Li, you’ve lost weight.”
Li Guanfeng’s eyes were bloodshot and his heart was in agony. He reached out and broke a branch. “This is an osmanthus tree branch. When the tree is in full bloom, this path will be covered in golden petals. It will definitely look beautiful.”
Unfortunately, Xiaowu couldn’t live to see the day.
WIth her eyes cast down, Xiaowu said sadly, “Brother Li, can you promise me something? I want you to take care of yourself, okay?”
Li Guanfeng had been torturing himself in the past few days. He had not slept for a few nights and had lost a lot of weight. There was a limit to what a human could do before they collapsed.
Li Guanfeng said in a voice choked with emotions, “Yes, I promise you.”
Li Guanfeng turned around and extended his hand. “Xiaowu, let me show you around our house.”
Xiaowu placed her hand in Li Guanfeng’s palm. Although they couldn’t hold hands physically, Li Guanfeng still pretended to hold her hand and walked in with her.
The backyard was very big. There was a kitchen and a big courtyard where some flowers and trees were planted. There was a small door at the back that opened up to two small pieces of land.
Li Guanfeng said with a hint of sorrow. “Here, we can fence this land up and raise some animals.”
Xiaowu sobbed. “Brother Li, I don’t want to leave you. Boohoo…”
Li Guanfeng felt like his heart was torn apart. The sky had already darkened. Hearing what Xiaowu said, he was about to break down.
Xiaowu couldn’t shed tears, but her sobs were like a knife stabbing Li Guanfeng. He reached out to touch the girl who would forever remain seven-year-old. His hand trembled as it passed through her body.
Tears of extreme bitterness smudged his face.
Xiaowu looked at Li Guanfeng and reached out her hand to wipe his tears, but it was to no avail.
Holy scriptures echoed across the entire house and enveloped it with majestic power, as if it could wash away all the sins in this world at this moment.
Xiaowu’s figure started to flicker weakly. With a panicked look on his face, Li Guanfeng pounced on her, howling heartbreakingly. “No…”