Chapter 63: Intense Reaction
Chapter 63: Intense Reaction
“I heard from the Su Family servants that Mother got injured because a thief entered our home,” said Han Yu. “How did this happen? How could we have a burglary all of a sudden, especially in broad daylight? Xinhe Village has always been peaceful, with few incidents like this. Did anyone get a good look at the thief? How did they manage to target our house?”
When Han Yu spoke of this incident, he found it very strange. Since he wasn’t there at the time, he didn’t know the specifics. Now that he was certain Mrs. Yang was fine, he began to investigate, wanting to get to the bottom of things.
When it came to this matter, Han Hu and Han Ping both felt that something wasn’t right. Thieves typically choose to act at night when it’s dark and easier to go unnoticed. Why on earth would someone break into a house to steal during broad daylight, and specifically when everyone was out? Clearly, the perpetrator was familiar with our family’s situation. If it hadn’t been for Mrs. Yang’s worry about her precious grandson and her decision to check on him, the thief might have succeeded.
Han Lin perhaps coveted Su Wenyue’s dowry, so he thought of the situation as normal. Without even thinking, he replied to Han Yu, “What else could it be but jealousy over Fourth Younger Brother marrying Miss Su, which attracted the trouble? Otherwise, how come our family has never experienced a burglary before? Probably the dowry from Fourth younger sibling was too conspicuous and tempted someone. Really, it’s always Fourth younger sibling causing trouble, yet she remains unscathed while our mother suffers.”
“Third Child, don’t talk nonsense without any evidence. Even if the thief was after Fourth younger sibling’s dowry, it’s the thief’s fault, not hers. A grown man shouldn’t always target his own younger sister-in-law and have no shame,” Han Hu said with a grim expression, clearly displeased with Han Lin’s remarks.
Han Hu mentioned the events from before, saying, “We were all working in the field when Mrs. Yang decided to return home because Mrs. Wang had mentioned feeling unwell around noon. Still concerned, she wanted to check in, only to discover the thief when she arrived. She yelled as soon as she noticed the intruder who attempted to flee. Mrs. Yang charged at him to stop him but ended up being knocked down in the process.”
Han Yu then roughly understood what had happened. “Did Mother manage to see what the person looked like?” he asked.
“Mother said the thief’s face was covered, and she was so focused on confronting the intruder that she didn’t get a good look at them,” Han Hu said, somewhat disheartened. “But she felt the figure was familiar, like someone she knew.” If Mrs. Yang had seen the thief’s face, they might have been able to confront him, but now that he had fled without anyone knowing who he was, they didn’t even know where to start.
“If I ever find out who it was, I swear I’ll beat him to death. To think they’d dare rob our house in broad daylight as if all our family members were dead, and even injuring Mother to such an extent,” Han Ping said, clenching his fists in anger.
“Alright, what’s done is done, and angry words won’t help. Fortunately, your mother is not seriously harmed,” Old Man Han said, though he himself kept sighing, also at a loss as to the audacity of the thief.
“Indeed, without catching the person, there’s no use in talking about it. And I heard the thief was in the Fourth house’s room. Fortunately, Mother came back in time, and he didn’t manage to steal anything. But Fourth Younger Brother’s family didn’t suffer any loss, while Mother got injured. It will cost quite a bit just for the doctor’s prescription, let alone the blood she lost. The doctor said she needs to rest up well. Our family doesn’t have much silver to begin with,” said a person.
Han Lin kept talking, not out of concern for Mrs. Yang’s injury, but focusing on the cost of the treatment. Su Wenyue didn’t know what to say upon hearing this; Third Child was too crude. Not to mention how Old Man Han and the other Han family members felt hearing this—they were all very uncomfortable.
“Enough, Third Child, shut your mouth or get out! How could I have fathered someone so worthless?” Old Man Han exploded in anger.
His speech may have been flawed, but at that moment, no one cared about such details. With a penetrating gaze, Han Yu glanced at Han Lin and then addressed everyone.
“This matter is not simple, and Second Brother is right. How could the thief be so bold as to break into our house and steal in broad daylight? He cannot be unafraid of getting caught. He must have known the situation of our house— aware everyone went out and therefore had the audacity to sneak in. And it’s hard to understand why the thief would know about our house and go straight to my room—it doesn’t add up. Also, wasn’t the house supposed to have someone in it? Third Sister-in-law should have been home; how come she didn’t hear anything? That’s also quite strange.”
With those words, Han Yu was just short of calling out Mrs. Wang as the traitor. Hearing this, Han Lin remembered Mrs. Wang’s unusual behavior at the time and started to panic, fearing the incident might indeed be linked to his wife. But even so, he would never admit it.
Everyone present showed a contemplative expression after hearing Han Yu’s words and turned to look at Han Lin. It was quite obvious they all thought Mrs. Wang was involved, especially since she had been eyeing Fourth Daughter-in-law’s dowry for some time.
“What are you implying with your words, Fourth child? Are you suggesting my wife colluded with the thief? Don’t slander her like that. It’s impossible that she has anything to do with this!” Han Lin pointed at Han Yu, putting on a show of anger, but it was just bluster and clearly lacked conviction.
Han Yu could easily see through Han Lin’s guilty conscience. He suspected that Han Lin knew something, which was why he reacted so violently.
“We’ll know the truth if your wife comes out and speaks for herself. She was also in the house; it’s impossible she heard nothing. Besides, wasn’t it said that when the thief pushed down Mother, your wife was there too? Maybe she saw the thief’s face. Even though his face was covered, during daylight, one can still see quite a bit.”
“My wife is carrying our child right now and isn’t feeling well; she’s resting in our room. You can’t disturb her. If she becomes upset because of your random suspicions, I’ll never let it go! ”
Han Lin was blatantly taking advantage of the fact that Mrs. Wang was pregnant, using it as an excuse to avoid the situation, a move that was despicable yet effective.
Su Wenyue, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly laughed. “Yes, I also do not believe Third Sister-in-law would do such a thing. After all, we are all one family, and even if she were excessive at times, she couldn’t possibly collude with a thief to steal from her own home. I believe that much.”
The relationship between Su Wenyue and Mrs. Wang was well known to the Han family members; these two sister-in-laws had never gotten along and their conflicts had been numerous. Now it was apparent that Mrs. Wang was implicated, yet Su Wenyue was defending her.. What was going on?