Reporting the matter to the authorities yielded nothing but a perfunctory dismissal.

"If you ask me, she got what she deserved. That woman Bao kept insisting they had no money, even selling that poor girl Meng Yun to get by. Yet, only a few days later, they’re claiming a fortune has been stolen? Who knows which word out of that family is true or false?" Some villagers who had long despised the Meng family whispered among themselves.

"Exactly. Selling her own granddaughter just to pay for her grandson’s schooling—it’s karma, that’s what it is."

"Yes, pure retribution."

"But tell me, how did Feng suddenly take such a turn for the worse? She was built like an ox!" The speaker had been waiting near the gate, having caught the news after seeing Dr. Zhou leave the Meng household.

"Is that true?" The crowd hadn't heard yet.

"Ha! That wicked stepmother dying is for the best. If she’d passed a few days earlier, maybe that girl Meng Yun wouldn't have been sold off to a simpleton," someone remarked with a tinge of regret.

The entrance to the Meng house was like a stage; no one wanted to leave, all waiting for the latest breaking news.

A donkey cart slowly creaked into view.

"Whose cart is that?"

"The driver looks familiar... oh heavens, isn't that Butcher Leng?"

The news set the crowd abuzz. As the cart pulled up, everyone saw Butcher Leng haul a listless woman down. Her clothes were in tatters, and her hair hung in wild disarray.

"Doesn't that look like the third branch's adopted daughter?" A sharp-eyed matron recognized Jiang Yuqing immediately.

"It’s her! What on earth is going on?"

"She’s wearing a man’s clothes!"

When Jiang Yuqing had been abducted the previous night, she was wearing only her bodice and undergarments. After being ravished by the butcher all night, her own clothes had been shredded. She was now wearing the butcher’s garments.

"Judging by the look of it..." Everyone knew exactly what that implied.

"Yuqing, what happened to you?" Meng Yougen rushed out. He had always held a twisted affection for the girl. If he’d known such a flower-like beauty would be defiled by the butcher, and that Feng Cailian was dying anyway, he might have... A dark, depraved thought crossed his mind.

Jiang Yuqing, looking half-dead, stumbled into the courtyard and collapsed onto the ground.

"You slut!" Fueled by fury, Madam Bao rushed forward and kicked her.

Jiang Yuqing lay on the ground like a ragdoll. She felt nothing—the pain had long since numbed into oblivion.

"Vile wench! Just like your mother, all you know is how to seduce men! Have you no shame?" Madam Bao kicked her again.

"Hold on. Get the facts straight first, then you can beat her to death for all I care," Butcher Leng interjected, blocking Madam Bao.

"You have the gall to speak? You’ve ruined a respectable girl like this, and you want to say more?" Madam Bao roared.

"Old woman, watch your tongue. Without proof, that’s slander. I’ll take you to the magistrate. All these neighbors here can bear witness: I am the one who brought this woman back." The butcher gestured to the crowd outside.

"Everyone wants to know what happened? Allow me to enlighten you."

"Last night, this woman snuck into my house, crawled into my bed, and forced herself upon me. Don’t look at me like that—I, Butcher Leng, may be ugly and fierce-looking, but I am a law-abiding man. I never do anything illicit."

"This woman insisted on having her way with me and tortured me all night long. My children and neighbors can testify to when I went to sleep and when she arrived. I have witnesses. Therefore, I am the victim."

"Honestly, if she had just told me she liked me, I would have paid a couple of taels for a proper bride price to marry her. But no, she chose to sneak into my bed and force me. Now, even if you gave her to me for free, I wouldn't take her. A woman who crawls into a man’s bed like that might do the same to another tomorrow. I don’t want a loose woman like her; I’d rather not have horns growing out of my head."

"However, this cannot end here. A man’s reputation is precious. Therefore, the Meng family must pay."

Butcher Leng’s voice boomed, shattering the villagers' sense of reality. They had never imagined anyone could be so shameless. His face was thicker than the city walls of Wanqing Town.

Yet, no one dared to speak up. Since the butcher had staged this entire scene, he likely had witnesses or evidence. Then again, how did the girl get to his house in the middle of the night, across the village?

"You shameless beast!" Madam Bao pointed at the butcher.

"Shameless? I didn't drug my own granddaughter, send her to the back mountain to chop wood, and then force myself on her. Bah! You wicked old hag! I am a man of honor; I don't stoop to such despicable acts." The butcher spoke with an air of righteous indignation.

The information was staggering. People now understood why the butcher had come demanding money the other day—so that was the truth of it.

"Old hag, the Meng family truly invited a curse upon themselves by having you."

"True. They say a virtuous wife brings prosperity for three generations, while a wicked one ruins the whole household. And it seems they are only just beginning."

The crowd was merciless with their commentary.

"You... you..." Madam Bao had never lost a verbal spar in her life, but she had met her match today—someone even more shameless than herself.

"Pay up. I’m a reasonable man. Give me five taels, and I’ll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, I’m moving in." The butcher leaned back on a stool in the courtyard.

"Oh, heavens above..." Madam Bao began to wail.

"Save the tears, old hag. It won't work on me. No money, no deal." The butcher remained unmoved.

"We really don't have any! A thief broke in last night and stole all our silver!" Madam Bao sobbed.

"Who would believe that?" Though the butcher said this, he was secretly stunned. If the girl had truly managed to steal from the Meng family without a trace, he had underestimated her.

"It's the truth! We even reported it to the officials today. Who would dare lie to the magistrate?" Madam Bao cried.

"If you don't have silver, pay with goods. You have land, don't you? Sell an acre, and the problem is solved."

"That is out of the question!" Madam Bao refused instantly.

"Fine then. I'll take your junk instead." The butcher marched into the kitchen and hauled out two sacks of rice and flour.

"Stop him! Eldest, Second, Third! We are being bullied on our own doorstep, and you're just standing there watching?" Madam Bao shrieked.

The brothers rushed forward to snatch the supplies from the butcher.

"Get lost!" The butcher kicked them aside, one by one, and drew his butcher knife from his belt.

The three brothers were sent reeling, stars dancing in their eyes, and upon seeing the blade, they didn't dare move another inch.

In the end, the butcher walked off with the rice, flour, pots, pans, and even the last bit of lard from the oil jar. Still unsatisfied, he kicked the Meng family’s front gate off its hinges on his way out.

Under the gaze of a dozen family members, Butcher Leng swaggered away.

"You wretched thing, this is all your fault!" Madam Bao lunged at Jiang Yuqing, but Meng Yougen stopped her.

"Mother, look at her. She’s already in this state. Let it be. Let her recover, and she can serve you later." Meng Yougen helped Jiang Yuqing up and led her to his room.

Feng Cailian, lying on her deathbed, understood everything upon seeing her daughter's battered state. Her eyes rolled back, and she breathed her last.