Chapter 258: Chapter 258 Punishment
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Gu Chengrui nodded, then walked to the leader of the guards. “Mr. officer, these refugees broke in and tried to rob us. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“No problem, but you still must be more careful in the future.” When the guard leader heard Gu Chengrui wasn’t making things difficult, he immediately nodded and replied.
He then called out to the group of guards and led the refugees to the police station.
After they left, Gu Chengrui turned to his men and asked, “Is anyone hurt? I’ll bandage your wounds in the living room.”
“No need, Master. It’s just some external wounds. We can handle it ourselves.” Fang Qing shook his head.
“Alright, then, go to bed early. If there’s anything you can’t handle, come and find me.” After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he brought Zhou Ying to their bedroom.
The next morning, everyone was awakened by the sound of gongs.
After getting up, he looked at a group of people leaving town and asked around. He discovered that the refugees caught yesterday were being paraded through the streets and would all be sent to the mill to work as coolies.
“This punishment is light. People like them should be executed directly.” Fang Qing remarked indignantly.
“Sometimes, death is a relief, but a life worse than death is the greatest torture for them.” Gu Chengrui explained.
After noticing his confused look, he continued, “The mill in town is running non-stop all day long. After entering, not only will you not be able to eat your fill, but you will also have to do heavy work. The treatment is worse than that of a donkey. Anyone with even a minor health problem will perish.”
“I see. No wonder they’re all crying. That’s satisfying to know.” Fang Qing nodded in understanding.
“They deserved it. It’s already good enough that we didn’t take their lives.” Li Sheng clutched his half-swollen face and spoke through gritted teeth.
“That’s because Tian Jingzhong doesn’t dare execute this many people, or else the remaining refugees would riot.” Of course, Gu Chengrui only thought about this and didn’t say it aloud.
“This matter is over,” he said after a while. “But we still must be more careful to prevent anyone from taking revenge.”
“Revenge? Do they dare to?” Fang Qing asked in surprise.
“Why wouldn’t they? Among their many relatives, there will always be someone brave and foolish. This is also why there is a saying that criminals will implicate their family’s nine generations.”
After Gu Chengrui finished speaking, he turned around and walked into the house. At the same time, he reminded them, “Hurry up and wash up. It’s time for breakfast.”
The next few days were unusually peaceful. Although the public wells in town had all dried up, the refugees were leaving quickly instead of rioting.
Ten days later, two wells were dug in the village, and the water inside was sufficient. This meant that the sweet potatoes in the village were growing healthy.
As a result, Tian Jingzhong moved to Shanghe village and commandeered the well at the village entrance to become a public well. Those who lacked water in the nearby villages could come here to draw water in limited quantities.
In the manor, under the leadership of Manager Liu, they also dug out two deep water wells. One was a well with sweet water, but the amount it could produce wasn’t significant.
However, there was plenty of water at the mouth at the foot of the mountain. Thus, not only did Manager Liu bring his men to water all the sweet potatoes, but under Chang Shun’s guidance, they also eliminated the wild grass and planted some white potato seedlings.
In the blink of an eye, it was the day of Gu Chengsi’s wedding. However, because the drought was getting increasingly severe, it wasn’t celebrated on a large scale; only the villagers and a few important relatives were invited.
At the same time, Gu Ziyi and the rest of the people eventually built a small courtyard in the village and stayed there because of water availability.
After Gu Chengsi’s marriage, it was the summer harvest season. Wheat harvesting wasn’t ideal even in places with plenty of water, such as Shanghe village; each acre could only produce 23 pounds of tiny, shriveled rice.
The other places that lacked water had basically no harvest..
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