Chapter 25: Changes

Yan Huaiven felt waves of lingering fear.

What was the point of being reborn if he could not save the lives of his children and make amends for his past regrets!

At this moment, he realized deeply that circumstances would not remain static.

From the moment he woke up with the memories of his past life, nothing in the past was set in stone.

But no matter how external things changed, the corruption of the human heart was difficult to reverse.

He would no longer remain confined to a corner; he would take the initiative and sell land to pay off debts.

By doing so, he ruined the opportunity for the village head's family to cling to them, which in turn drew Guo Xiaoxiang to the village ahead of schedule.

This time, it wasn't because no one was home, but because it happened to coincide with Daya being out and the villagers being busy harvesting wheat in the fields, allowing Guo Xiaoxiang to find an opening.

If his second brother's family hadn't returned in time, and if he had truly dragged Daya to a desolate, uninhabited place, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The reason his second brother could return from town so quickly was by using the ox cart.

And the ox cart was something he had prepared for transportation when he went to Guanzhou.

The money used to buy the ox cart came from selling the land...

Thinking of it this way, everything was interconnected; if even one link had been different, the outcome would have been vastly different.

Yan Huaiven fell into deep contemplation.

"Father, we can't let that bastard off easily. Let's go to the yamen to submit a petition and ask the Great Lord to handle him strictly."

Yan Huaiven looked at him, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing quickly.

Fortunately, Heng'er didn't say they should go to the yamen to file a formal lawsuit or ask the Great Lord to prosecute him according to the law.

One should not underestimate the difference between those two phrases; the implications were entirely different.

The latter meant taking the matter to court and making a scene. Regardless of whether the Great Lord sitting high in the county yamen would handle it according to the law, the mere fact of a girl's reputation being tarnished would mean the Yan family would suffer the loss.

As for submitting a petition to ask the Great Lord for private punishment, what could they hope to achieve?

He would merely put on a show, give a few strokes of the cane, and pay a bit of silver.

Daya was only frightened; he might even skip the physical punishment and just settle it with a fine.

Was he to experience the same thing he had gone through in his previous life?

If Daya committed suicide, it would be the end of it; the dead cannot speak against the living.

The Guo family would claim they knew nothing and deny everything.

Aside from swallowing his pride, what else could he do? Open the coffin to examine the corpse?

"Heng'er! Don't be foolish! If this matter is blown out of proportion, how will Daya live?" Yan Lao'er truly wanted to smack some sense into his nephew. Did he think this was a modern society with a complete legal system?

Even in a modern society, it was not easy for harmed women to live; they suffered immense physical and mental trauma, especially psychological damage.

Daya was not a strong person; she was a girl raised on tears and was extremely fragile. Just look at his wife, who hadn't dared to leave her side for a moment, fearing that if Daya were left alone, she would spiral into dark thoughts.

"Big Brother, Xiangheng, as your uncle, let me say something. If you truly want what's best for Daya, don't mention this matter again in the future. Our Daya is delicate, sensitive, and frail.

She was truly terrified today; her body went stiff and it took her a long time to recover. If this matter isn't dropped, the child will inevitably overthink it. If her mind wanders and she does something foolish, it will be too late for regrets!"

Yan Huaiven said coldly, "Your second uncle is right. If the Great Lord is strict, he'll give a few strokes of the cane. If he is moderate, he'll pay a few taels of silver. If Guo Xiaoxiang simply claims he was admiring Daya and that his behavior was merely indiscreet, then puts on an act of being a devoted lover who cannot have his love, the Great Lord might even want to help facilitate a beautiful romance."

Yan Lao'er thought: *Old Yan, you certainly know your stuff!*

Yan Xiangheng was simply sincere, not stupid.

With just a little thought, he knew his father and second uncle had considered everything thoroughly.

But he was still unwilling: "We can't just let it go like this!"

Yan Huaiven stared intently at his second brother.

Yan Lao'er felt uneasy under the gaze.

"Tianyou, where did you just go?"

Yan Lao'er's brain worked rapidly, wondering whether he should tell the truth.

"What happened to that Guo Xiaoxiang?"

Yan Lao'er: "..."

*How did you guess that?*

"Big Brother, how did you know?"

Yan Huaiven: *I don't know anything; I was just bluffing you.*

Yan Lao'er reasoned that since Guo Xiaoxiang hadn't been kicked to death and was still alive, he would surely speak up himself, so there was no need to hide it.

"Well, you know, our ox was just bought and has a bit of a temper. He got too close and got a kick to the ribs," Yan Lao'er said, adding some artistic embellishment.

He also conveniently planted the foreshadowing that Sanbao was wary of strangers and shouldn't be approached easily.

Perfect!

Yan Huaiven was not surprised; it was common knowledge that his brother was not a "good bird."

The only reason he didn't have a reputation for being vindictive was because he was a "scholar."

He had been petty since he was small, often jealous because his father valued him more, and was always calculating and competitive.

It wasn't until their parents passed away and only the two brothers remained that this habit gradually faded.

As for why the ox kicked someone, that wasn't important.

"Was it serious?" Yan Huaiven asked, with a hint of anticipation.

"Ahem! How should I put it..." Yan Lao'er recalled the scene he saw when he rushed over.

He had actually seen how difficult it was for an ox to accurately kick someone in the chest.

First, you had to knock the person down, and then, under the premise of no resistance, land the kick.

If they happened to be lying on their back, you'd even have to flip them over.

*Sanbao, you've worked hard!*

"He definitely didn't die," Yan Lao'er said with certainty.

Yan Huaiven was satisfied and decided to personally feed the ox later as a reward.

Yan Xiangheng felt that his father's and second uncle's images were somewhat overturned today.

His father was calm and wise in the ways of the world.

His uncle considered the family's well-being and would secretly pull strings...

...

"Is the scholar at home?" someone called out at the courtyard gate.

Yan Yu, who was eavesdropping by the door of the east room, stood up, stomped her feet on the spot, and shouted toward the house, "Big Uncle! Uncle Qi is here to bring our wheat!"

Yan Lao'er was the first to come out. Seeing his daughter standing at the door, giggling foolishly, he couldn't help but rub her head. "Careful, or you won't grow tall."

Yan Yu didn't care.

The idea that worrying about height had any scientific basis was nonsense to her.

Yan Xiangheng followed closely behind. Seeing her stop, he whispered a reminder, "Er'ya, do not tell anyone about today's matter, and do not mention it in front of your sister Daya. Do you understand?"

Yan Yu lifted her innocent face and replied crisply, "I remember, Big Brother!"

Yan Xiangheng nodded and hurried over to help.

Yan Yu looked toward the house, and Yan Huaiven beckoned to her.

She trotted over on her short legs and called out brightly, "Big Uncle!"

"Er'ya, what is your eldest sister doing?"

"Big sister and Mother are doing needlework," Yan Yu asked very worriedly. "Big Uncle, will that bad man come again? Big sister is scared, and I'm scared too."

"Don't be afraid. Once we finish grinding the wheat, we'll leave so he can't find us," Yan Huaiven coaxed her.

"Are we taking Sanbao with us? Sanbao is very obedient."

"Sanbao is..."

"It's our ox. That's the name I gave it. I am Dabao, the one in Mother's belly is Erbao, and it is Sanbao."

Yan Huaiven: "..."

He had accidentally become the ox's big uncle.

"Can Sanbao understand words?"

"Yes, yes! Sanbao is very smart. It lets me pet it and even lets me ride it!"

Yan Huaiven didn't think much of it; the ox had a gentle temperament, likely because its previous owner had trained it well to be somewhat human-attuned.