bookrandom Chapter 435 The sun rose in the west?
Chapter 435 The sun rose in the west?
The painter drew the people based on his son's description of their appearance. One of them looked simple and honest, tall and strong, while the other had a deep scar on his face.
Although he had never met the real person, he remembered the portrait vividly.
Several years have passed, and the kidnappers have still not been caught. He never expected that Xiao Tang would suddenly bring him into the mansion, which really frightened him.
He wiped his sweat, glanced at Scarface and Beard, and seeing that their expressions weren't fierce, his expression softened slightly.
"Xiao Tang, explain this to your uncle. What exactly is going on?"
Xue Zhiyuan was both angry and anxious. He thought to himself, "The kidnappers know my house. Will they come here often in the future?"
If it's about money, then we should reluctantly give more. But if it's about life, then his wife and children will be in danger. We need to find a way to move as soon as possible.
Lin Xiaotang whispered, "Uncle, the scholar-looking man is named Huo Qi. The other day I asked you to help me get an identity and a travel permit, and that was for him."
Several years ago, he was falsely accused of theft by a classmate and imprisoned. By chance, he fled and became a bandit. We went to the capital and were captured by the people who framed him. By sheer luck, we helped him clear his name. He is now an ordinary citizen and came today to thank you.
Xue Zhiyuan nodded, understanding dawning on him. So that's how it is. Xiao Tang wrote to him asking for help getting travel permits, which was to help this young man.
"Now that his name has been cleared, that's a good thing. I guess I've done a good deed. What... you're saying he was a bandit?"
Does that mean this person is in cahoots with those two kidnappers?
He was immediately terrified and filled with regret. He wished he hadn't helped Xiaotang get a travel permit. Now, he had been caught helping bandits get a travel permit, which was a serious crime of colluding with bandits.
Moreover, these bandits had kidnapped his son and had a grudge against the Xue family!
Lin Xiaotang could tell that Xue Zhiyuan hated bandits, but upon hearing that Huo Qi had been a bandit, he had even forgotten that Huo Qi was innocent. This gave her another headache.
The kidnapping of his son had already left him with psychological trauma, so it would be difficult to change his attitude towards bandits.
“Uncle Xue, they were indeed bandits and committed many wrongdoings. Now they have repented, and Uncle Wu and Uncle Hu have come to apologize today.”
After saying that, Scarface and Beard stepped forward together, clasped their hands in greeting, and knelt on one knee.
“Mr. Xue, we were bewitched back then, thinking of kidnapping your son to make some money. Fortunately, the child was not hurt and the plan was not successful. Today, we shamelessly beg you to forgive our mistake and give us a chance to start anew.”
The bearded man was not good with words, unlike his elder brother who was eloquent. He chimed in, "Mr. Xue, I am stupid and not good at speaking frankly. I have come here today to apologize sincerely. Please forgive me, Mr. Xue."
Xue Zhiyuan's eyelids twitched violently. He really didn't expect that one day bandits would come to apologize.
Is the sun rising in the west?
Even if bandits commit heinous crimes, can they still wake up and repent?
Could it be that I'm not fully awake, my mind isn't clear, and I'm dreaming?
He grabbed Lin Xiaotang's arm, leaned close to her, and asked in a low voice with an incredulous look on his face.
"Xiao Tang, is this real or fake? Is your uncle dreaming?"
Lin Xiaotang smiled somewhat awkwardly and said, "Uncle Xue, they have truly realized their mistakes and want to make amends and start anew."
How can this be?
Xue Zhiyuan still found it hard to believe; believing that bandits could come to their senses was less likely than believing that pigs could fly.
He continued in a low voice, "How did you, a young girl, come to know these bandits?"
Lin Xiaotang then told Xue Zhiyuan about her family of five encountering bandits in Beijing, her experience of following the bandits up the mountain alone, how she led everyone to grow medicinal herbs, hunt, fish, and dig wild vegetables on the mountain, how they never went down the mountain to rob again, and how her parents opened a restaurant in Beijing with Manager Su.
After listening to Xiaotang recount her experiences, Xue Zhiyuan sighed repeatedly.
"Xiao Tang, you really are... bold!"
A young girl, in order to save her parents and younger siblings, actually went up the mountain alone with ruthless bandits. There were plenty of lustful men on the mountain, and just imagining it was terrifying...
He looked Xiaotang up and down with a complicated expression and asked, "Xiaotang, they didn't do anything to you, did they? If they did, don't be afraid. Your uncle will risk his life to report them to the authorities."
At this time, the bandits were in his house, and he had many servants, so he wasn't afraid of being unable to defeat these three people.
Xiao Tang turned around and showed Xue Zhiyuan to him.
“Uncle, look, I’m perfectly fine. When I went up the mountain with them, I told my father to write to Manager Su as soon as we got to the capital… Later, they treated me well. I led them to grow medicinal herbs and solve the food problem. Since I went up the mountain, they have been slowly changing.”
Xue Zhiyuan nodded, still feeling somewhat uncertain.
Xiao Tang is a smart girl with a talent for business and is more mature than other children her age. However... she is still a child. If she misjudges people, wouldn't that cause everyone a lot of trouble?
No, he still needs to be more careful and not completely trust them.
So, with the attitude of finishing the conversation quickly and getting rid of them, he told Xiaotang, "Since they sincerely apologized, I won't hold a grudge. Feng'er was just frightened and didn't suffer any physical pain. Let's just let this matter go."
Lin Xiaotang was the first to thank Xue Zhiyuan, "Uncle Xue, your magnanimity is admirable. Xiaotang thanks you on behalf of the two of them."
Scarface and Beard were secretly delighted, thinking to themselves that the matter had been settled so easily.
They said in unison, "We were blinded by greed and kidnapped your young master. This was a dishonest thing we did. We know we were wrong and promise that we will never do such a despicable thing again. Thank you, Mr. Xue, for not pursuing this matter further. My brother and I thank you."
Xue Zhiyuan waved his hand and said, "Get up. I'm not some big official, how can I accept your kneeling? Let's just let this matter drop. I have other things to do. If there's nothing else, I won't keep you here."
They understood that Xue Zhiyuan meant to kick them out, and knew that he didn't like them, so they didn't say anything more.
The bearded man thought to himself, "In the past, if I had just brandished my broadsword, I would have scared people so much they would have wet themselves. Now I'm actually cowering and pretending to be an honest man. It's really a bit difficult for me."
Lin Xiaotang kept a smile on her face. Whether Uncle Xue was really calm or just going through the motions, he didn't order the servants to tie up the three of them, so the matter was considered over.
After all, when Uncle Xue was looking for Xue Ruifeng, he was almost frantic. He must have hated the bandits. It would be difficult to get him to forgive them immediately.
We cannot force Uncle Xue to forgive Scarface and Beard immediately and act as if nothing happened just because they want to start anew.
She said obediently, "Uncle Xue, you still have things to do, so we won't bother you any longer."
Xue Zhiyuan sighed, "Come with me first."