The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so nosy and let the neighbors know about this."

Yuan leaned against the door without saying a word. His wife, Zhong's sister Huan, cried and pulled Zhong to tell him the whole story.

Now, the head of the village has brought dozens of people to block the door of their house. From time to time, people tiptoed to look inside. Most of them were village women who were interested in watching the fun.

And those shouts of indignation or gloating were endless, shaking Zhong's ears...

Zhong sighed and turned around. His two children were still young and were frightened by the scene and burst into tears. Their mother quickly hugged them in her arms, covered their ears, and told them not to cry... But this weak comfort still couldn't stop the shouts that shook the tiles:

"Zhong, come out and say something!"

"Why are you so slow? Come out and explain things!"

Zhong has never been a person who likes to stand out. This month, he has been relieved to hand over the main responsibility of the family to his second brother Heifu. Seeing Heifu making the family's life better little by little, and seeing the originally ignorant third brother Jing also getting on the right track, Zhong felt that his hard work as the eldest brother over the years was not in vain...

But now, his two younger brothers, one went to the plaque, and maybe he is concentrating on reciting the law. The other one went to the mountain to chop wood with a copper axe, and boasted before leaving that he would carry a month's worth of firewood back.

With his small body, can he do it?

Zhong shook his head. Now, he was the only one left at home, and there was also the more honest and simple-minded Yu.

"My dear..."

Zhong's wife Kui came over tremblingly, and said in a crying tone: "If there is really no other way, then agree to the head of the village. It's just a treadle, and let the head of the village and all the people in the village use it, so what..."

Since she married Zhong, the head of the village and his family have been resentful, and in recent years, this revenge has become more and more obvious. Kui was really a little scared, and even felt ashamed to think that the family's predicament was caused by herself.

"That's right."

Huan also wiped his tears and grabbed Zhong's arm and said, "Brother, although I promised my younger brother not to show this thing to outsiders, there is really no way now. Let's hand it over first. Yuan has already smashed the one at home, which is worthy of my younger brother, but now, I can't resist. There are so many people outside, all of whom are fellow villagers. If we insist on not giving it to you, how will they look at us in the future? I'm afraid we can't stand here anymore..."

Zhong nodded after listening to the advice of his wife and sister.

The head of the village shouted again outside: "Zhong, if you don't come out, we will go in by ourselves. If we scare your mother and children, don't blame us for not showing sympathy to our fellow villagers!"

Kui and Huan turned pale, while Zhong frowned slightly, and then returned to his usual calmness.

He turned his head, glanced at his frightened mother and crying children, and forced a smile to his wife and sister.

"I'll go out right now. Kui, Huan, you take mother, Yang, Yue, and Chen into the house and close the door. Don't be afraid. Nothing will happen."

After his wife, sister, old mother, and young child hid in the house and shut the door tightly, Zhong sighed. He waved his hand and asked Yuan to get out of the way. He opened the thin wooden door himself...

The door creaked open. Zhong stepped on the threshold with one foot and left the other foot inside. He held the door with his left hand and hid his right hand behind his back.

He looked up and saw the familiar mulberry forest and road outside. They were filled with people from the village. There were probably dozens of people, most of whom were familiar faces, but at this moment, their faces looked so ugly and strange.

The head of the village stood in the middle of the group, with his hands on his waist, looking arrogant. When he saw Zhong slowly open the door, his face suddenly changed.

"Zhong, I knew you would come out..."

Zhong is a person who doesn't want to stand out. On weekdays, even if someone focuses on him, he will feel embarrassed.

He knows that at this moment, his face must be pale.

Zhong didn't dare to look at the crowd again, but tilted his head to look at the door.

The door of his house is no longer shabby as it was a month ago. After Zhongdi came back, he and Yuan found good wood and made a solid wooden door. They also found paint. The three brothers spent half an hour painting it black and shiny, which looked very decent.

This door is like their home. After being decorated, it has a new life.

But today, those unethical people outside threw dirt and stained the wooden door into a big clown face.

Zhong felt a little distressed. He stretched out his hand, brushed off the remaining dirt on the door, gritted his teeth, and hit his trembling injured leg hard! Don't let it be afraid!

"You can insult me and bully me on weekdays, but don't even think about insulting my family and frightening my family!"

Then, he pushed the wooden door open with all his strength!

When the door was wide open, the head of the village and everyone at the door saw that Zhong had a hatchet in his other hand!

...

"Zhong, what are you going to do?"

The head of the village saw the weapon in Zhong's hand and changed his face: "We tried to persuade you, but you just don't want to take out the tool and share it with everyone in the village? How can you be so petty!"

Share? For Zhong, it was not difficult, but Zhongdi once secretly told him that the treading pestle at home might be rewarded for merit again, so that the family's life could be taken to a higher level.

Zhong didn't understand these, but he believed Heifu's words, just like they had never made "rice cake" before, but under Heifu's guidance, after working together to make it, the taste was really good.

The same is true for this matter. He just needs to trust his brother and keep the secret for him.

But now, the news has leaked. The head of the village incited the neighbors, relying on the power of numbers, and threatened him with "sharing with the people in the village" to force him to hand over the treadle.

Zhong knew very well that once this group of people crossed the threshold and took away the treadle, what Zhongdi wanted to do would probably be impossible.

If Zhongdi came back and found that the house was in a mess, the treadle was taken away, and the old mother and children were scared, how should Zhong explain to him?

As an elder brother, how could he say "I feel at ease outside"?

Thinking of this, facing the questioning of the head of the village, Zhong opened his mouth and finally responded.

"Head of the village!"

Zhong hadn't spoken loudly in front of so many people for a long time. His voice was a little changed and a little hoarse, but it was heard clearly by everyone.

"Since you like sharing so much, why don't you take out your oxen, farm tools, and farm slaves and let everyone in the village share? Why do you want to take my tools?"

With this sentence, the village head was stunned, and the villagers looked at each other.

Is this still the Zhong they know, who is honest, cowardly, and dares not speak loudly to others?

The village head was rebuked by Zhong in public, and he was embarrassed, so he said angrily: "Zhong, I didn't expect you to be so stubborn. It seems that you want us to go in and take it ourselves!"

After that, under the order of the village head, several farm slaves of the village head walked forward.

Zhong pointed at them and warned loudly: "Let's see who dares!"

"He is a useless person, what can he do? Go in!" The village head kept urging from behind.

Several people came together, and Zhong couldn't help but take a half step back. After hesitating, he took another step forward!

He tried to recall the words that impressed him the most when he helped Zhongdi recite the law that day...

Just when those people were about to touch the door, Zhong raised his hatchet with one hand and chopped it down fiercely at the air in front of him, and shouted loudly:

"The law says that anyone who enters someone's house without reason will be killed by the owner at that time, and he is not guilty! I'll see who dares to step forward! Don't blame me for not recognizing my fellow villagers with the knife in my hand!"

At this time, the man behind him, Yuan, also stepped out of the door with a small hammer. The eight-foot-tall man stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhong and shouted angrily at those people!

The farm slaves were scared back a few steps and looked back at their master, trying to confirm whether this was true...

The head of the village was also stunned. Just when he didn't know what to do, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out behind everyone.

"Hahahaha!"

Then came the angry shout like thunder!

"Brother, what you said is right! Anyone who breaks into a private house without reason shall be killed without any crime! I will see who dares to step into my house without my permission!"

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