âOh,â Ji nodded respectfully.
Su Qingyue asked again who had lost the moneybag, weighed it in her hand and found it quite light, guessing there wasnât much money in it. âIâll keep the last unclaimed moneybag,â she said.
With that, she tucked the moneybag into her sleeve.
She looked down at the thief beneath her feet and said with a smile, âThief brother, youâre not dead yet, are you?â
She asked the crowd, âShould we send the thief to the Official Residence?â
An old granny in her seventies cried, âMiss, I donât know if youâre aware, but this thief is a habitual offender, nicknamed Lai Zitou. Last time he stole my moneybag, a kind-hearted hero caught him on the spot and sent him to the Official Residence. But within a few days, he was released, claiming he had connections with a certain prison guard who had bribed the county magistrate. He became even more brazen, stealing from my house then purposely seeking revenge, and he took all my savings for the past few years!â
As she spoke, the old granny cried while she tried to punch the thief on the ground, but she was too weak to inflict any injury on him.
âIsnât that Granny Zheng?â someone said. âGranny Zheng and Old Man Zheng lost their only son in their old age. Their only grandson, Zheng Dejun, went to the capital city for exams and hasnât come back for years. Some people say heâs probably met with misfortune. That thief is so evil, even stealing from the elderly!â
âThatâs right, such a person needs to be beaten to deathâ¦â
âItâs best to kill him, kill himâ¦â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Seeing the crowd was about to take action, the thief Lai Zitou glared ferociously, âWho dares to beat me, I will seek revenge!â
Everyone was frightened and dared not lay a hand on him.
Su Qingyue casually asked, âLai Zitou, you intend to take revenge, right?â
âBe sensible and let me go, then apologize and compensate me, or I will make you regret it!â
Su Qingyue actually moved her foot away and asked, âHow do you want me to regret it?â
âI will steal from your entire family then beat you until you crawl around to find your teethâ¦â Before he could finish his words, he suddenly cried out in pain.
Su Qingyue had kicked him in the mouth; his teeth were knocked loose, and he lost several of them. âSince the Official Residence canât deal with you, I, Su Qingyue, might as well eliminate the threat for the people today!â She grabbed a stool nearby and smashed it onto his leg.
There was a loud clang.
The stool broke.
âAh!â Lai Zitou cried out in pain, clutching his leg and rolling on the ground.
âWith his leg broken and even if it heals, heâll become a cripple. I want to see how he steals later! If he dares to steal again, he wonât be able to run, and we can beat him to death next time!â Su Qingyue told the crowd, âToday Iâve done such a great deed, and Lai Zitou still wants to take revenge on me. Dear folks and elders, please remember my kindness, Su Qingyue!â
âSo, youâre from Wushan Village. Who wouldâve thought Wushan Village would produce a female hero?â
âIsnât this the girl who sold stir-fried ferns at the Vegetable Market some time ago? I heard she sold the fern dish recipe to Rich Source Tavern and earned fifty taelsâ¦â
âSheâs a capable girlâ¦â
Su Qingyue wasnât modest, âItâs me, itâs me! If anyone has a clue about the owner of the last unclaimed moneybag, you can come to Wushan Village to find me.â Itâs generally not a good idea to disclose oneâs residence after hitting a thief, but she did so nonetheless.