PCJ – Chapter 274 Aftermath

“Let it go?” Zhang Wenrong was shocked. This creature was so troublesome; how could they just let it go?

“Don’t worry. It won’t cause any more trouble in the future,” Zhang Jiaohua, noticing Zhang Wenrong’s concern, reassured him.

Zhang Wenrong nodded. Although he wasn’t sure if letting the fat cat go was right or wrong, since Zhang Jiaohua had said so, he had to obey. He walked over and, after some struggling, finally managed to get the fat cat down from the beam. It wasn’t easy to hang it up, and it wasn’t easy to take it down either. In the last moment, perhaps on purpose, Zhang Wenrong loosened his grip, causing the fat cat to fall straight to the ground with a thud.

The fat cat lay motionless for a long time.

“Is it dead?” Zhang Wenrong felt a bit regretful. He only wanted to make the fat cat suffer a little, but if it had really died, even if Zhang Jiaohua didn’t say anything, he would feel there would be some tension between them. He thought he might have been too reckless.

“If it’s dead, it’s dead. Just throw it into the toilet pit to make fertilizer,” Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head.

“Jiaohua, I didn’t mean to kill it. I thought at most the fall would make it suffer a little,” Zhang Wenrong said, hanging his head.

“This thing deserves to die. Throw it in the pit,” Zhang Jiaohua replied.

c

Just then, the fat cat stretched its legs and suddenly sprang up from the ground—it had been pretending to be dead! Once it got up, it shamelessly ran toward Zhang Jiaohua.

“Woof! Woof!” The mountain dog wasn’t about to let the fat cat succeed in getting close and blocked its path aggressively. Dogs and cats are natural enemies, and putting them together rarely leads to harmony. Especially since not long ago, the two were still on opposing sides.

“Jiaohua, it’s getting late. How about everyone rests now? I’ll watch over the fat cat,” Zhang Wenrong suggested.

“Everyone should rest. There’s no need to watch the fat cat. It won’t run away. There’s some leftover food, go grab some for it,” Zhang Jiaohua instructed.

“Okay,” Zhang Wenrong immediately left to get the food.

In the morning, the roosters in Meizitang crowed, signaling the start of the day. However, many people in Meizitang had already been awake for a while.

After Zhang Benrui returned to Meizitang, he immediately led the villagers to Duimen Mountain, where they found Zhang Genxin’s body under the bed in Chen Maozhong’s house. According to village customs, someone who dies outside the village cannot have their funeral held there, and those who die suddenly cannot be buried in the ancestral tomb. Zhang Genxin’s death was pitiful; he died in such a humiliating way, even being stuffed under a bed. According to Meiziao customs, dying off a bed meant that his soul would fall into hell.

Zhang Benrui wanted to secretly carry the body back to the village that night and claim that Zhang Genxin had died from illness at home. But some family members strongly opposed this. Zhang Genxin’s death was mysterious, and they couldn’t just carry him back like that. Moreover, since he died in Chen Maozhong’s house, there was suspicion that Chen Maozhong and his son might have killed him. They insisted on reporting the case immediately so the police could investigate and determine the cause of death. Furthermore, dragging the body back could bring bad luck to future generations if Zhang Genxin had died in an unnatural way.

Zhang Benrui, being indecisive, had no choice but to listen to the family elder’s advice.

Thus, Zhang Benrui and his family spent the entire night fussing over the matter but came to no resolution.

When they found Chen Maozhong, he was still alive, though barely, and he had aged drastically. His wife, Liu Fengying, was also still alive, but she looked like a feeble old woman, withered and on the verge of collapse. Chen Hongming was also barely hanging on, with all the tendons in his feet cut, ensuring that he would be disabled for the rest of his life.

Zhang Dechun went to the township government and called the police. The local police station quickly dispatched officers to Meiziao Village. After a simple autopsy, they concluded that Zhang Genxin had died of a natural illness. No wounds were found on his body, except for some scrapes from being stuffed under the bed, which were clearly post-mortem. However, it was confirmed that the superstitious activities of Chen Maozhong and his son had indeed caused Zhang Genxin’s death.

The money Chen Maozhong earned from these superstitious practices was found hidden in a sack of rice in their granary. Apart from keeping enough for Zhang Genxin’s funeral expenses, the police confiscated the rest as illicit earnings. Although Chen Maozhong and his family could have been fined or punished for their actions, considering their current miserable state, they were spared any legal consequences.

Zhang Jiaohua, upon hearing the news, sighed deeply.

“Harming others only brings harm upon oneself. The Chen family was obsessed with making dirty money, but in the end, they lost everything. Now, their family is in ruins, with madness and disability all around. Chen Maozhong will have to support two disabled people for the rest of his life. I wonder if he ever foresaw this outcome,” Zhang Manyin lamented.

“Genxin’s death was in vain. If he hadn’t listened to others, he could have lived a bit longer. But he chose to believe in that so-called ‘immortal lady,’ and now he’s lost everything. Sigh.” Zhang Jiwang shook his head.

Someone arrived at Zhang Jiaohua’s garden. Chen Dianzi had appeared from nowhere.

“Give me that cat,” Chen Dianzi demanded.

“Why?” Zhang Jiaohua snorted coldly, feeling annoyed by Chen Dianzi’s attitude.

“Don’t think that thing is just for fun. You can’t control it. If it escapes, you have no idea how much harm it can cause,” Chen Dianzi warned.

“Even if it needs to be dealt with, it doesn’t have to be handed over to you,” Zhang Jiaohua retorted disdainfully, clearly unimpressed by Chen Dianzi.

“If you don’t give it to me, you’ll regret it,” Chen Dianzi stepped into the garden, lightly pushing Zhang Jiaohua aside as he tried to advance further.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

The mountain dog, seeing Zhang Jiaohua being shoved, immediately reacted, letting out a fierce bark. Instantly, all the other hunting dogs were summoned. Without needing any command from Zhang Jiaohua, they had already formed an attack formation.

Chen Dianzi was startled. He knew Zhang Jiaohua had raised many dogs but hadn’t realized they were so well-trained.

“What are you doing here?” A loud shout came from behind Chen Dianzi as Chen Shunchang appeared.

Chen Shunchang had come to retrieve something, as the storm had passed and it was safe for him to return home. But just as he stepped out, he saw Chen Dianzi pushing Zhang Jiaohua.

“Brother…”

Chen Dianzi began to speak but was immediately cut off.

“Don’t call me brother. If it weren’t for Jiaohua, I’d be dead by now. You caused trouble and ran off, disappearing without a trace. Now that the danger has passed, you show up and start bothering Jiaohua? I’m warning you, if you dare touch him! if you even lay a finger on him, I’ll fight you to the death!”