1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 3 The upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked

"He's still breathing, he's not dead yet."

Peng Gang reached out and checked the eldest son's breath, then let out a long sigh of relief.

He was tall and strong, and had been farming and studying since childhood. Although he had never practiced martial arts, he possessed great strength.

Fortunately, he hadn't fully recovered yet. If he had, that swing of the carrying pole would most likely have killed him.

He stared at the main house, which lay in the mud like a dead dog, and an idea came to him.

Peng Gang helped Peng Yi up, and the two brothers dragged the eldest son into the back hall, gagged him, and tied him securely to the cedar beams in the back hall.

With this hostage from the patriarch's house, even if that old dog Peng Xianzhong, the clan chief, were to jump over the wall, it would still buy us some more time.

Just as they finished binding the eldest son's clothes, Peng Min came in and tugged at Peng Gang's sleeve, saying, "Brother, someone is touching the fish in our family's fishpond."

"How many people?" Peng Gang asked, rolling up his sleeves.

“Just one,” Peng Min replied, wiping away her tears.

"Damn it! Our male descendants aren't all dead yet! This isn't the way to eat up the blood of the childless!"

Upon hearing that the other party was alone, Peng Gang picked up a carrying pole and rushed to the fishpond without saying a word.

In the blink of an eye, they carried the soaking wet fish thief back.

The person who came to his fishpond in the middle of the night to steal fish was the fourth branch of the family.

The fourth son, who was engrossed in slacking off, saw Peng Gang, dressed in funeral clothes, appear behind him. Thinking he had encountered a ghost, he was so frightened that he fainted. Peng Gang didn't even need to use his carrying pole.

After tying up the four fish, Peng Gang went back to the fishpond and carried back most of the bamboo baskets of fish that the four fish had caught.

You get full quickly from drinking porridge, but you also get hungry quickly.

After changing into clean clothes in his bedroom and putting on a slightly ill-fitting linen coat, Peng Gang led his younger siblings to the kitchen to prepare three large crucian carp, which they then stewed into a soup with three chopped radishes.

The following day, as dawn broke, about thirty members of the family, chatting and laughing, headed to Peng Gang's house at the village entrance, ready to continue dividing up Peng Gang's possessions.

The nine mu of high-quality paddy fields at the entrance of the village were the best fields owned by Peng Gang's family. It was because of this that Peng Gang's great-grandfather built his house at the entrance of the village.

Peng Gang and his son had been bedridden with COVID-19 before the Lunar New Year and were unable to work in the fields. Peng Yi had hired Wei Changgong from their household to do the spring plowing for the Peng family.

When they didn't see Wei Changgong in the fields, the third branch of the family had a vague sense of foreboding.

"Father, we didn't see Wei Changgong from their family in the fields yesterday. Could it be that Wei Changgong went to inform those charcoal burners in Pingzaishan?"

"They're just a bunch of charcoal burners, what's there to be afraid of?" The fifth branch of the family didn't take it seriously and scoffed at Peng Gang's maternal grandparents' family.

What kind of trouble could a group of powerless peasants, who are even less than them, stir up?
Peng Xianzhong stroked his goatee and said, "That's true, but those charcoal burners are still a problem. Peng Xin's fourth son is very stubborn. Since he won't listen to reason, we'll have to be tough with him today!"

To avoid any unforeseen complications, we must find his land deed today, no matter the method, and make that brat sign it! Our Peng family's land cannot be touched by outsiders!

The group of relatives entered Peng Gang's courtyard as if it were their own home.

When his family climbed over the wall and entered, Peng Yi was heartbroken and crying while holding his Chow Chow.

He couldn't sleep well all night because he hadn't heard his Chow Chow bark. At the crack of dawn, he searched the yard for his beloved dog until he found its body near the wall not far from the cowshed.

He had raised this dog from a puppy to adulthood, and had long since developed a deep affection for it. Peng Yi usually treated it like a member of the family.

Needless to say, his dog was poisoned last night when the eldest son sneaked in to steal the cattle.

Seeing his family members come to visit again, Peng Yi put down the dog carcass in his hand, blocked their way, and coldly ordered them to leave: "We have done all the proper etiquette yesterday. My father was a man who liked peace and quiet. Please leave."

"What do you mean by that? How can you drive your own family out?" Peng Xianzhong lectured condescendingly, speaking from his position as an elder.

"Without the help of your family, how could you have arranged the funerals for your father and third brother?"

“I will always remember the help from my family and will definitely come to express my gratitude another day. You may all leave now,” Peng Yi said, clenching his small fist.

"Since you're going to thank me, there's no better time than today. After today, you'll be Fifth Uncle's child. Fifth Uncle raised you to adulthood, and you'll take care of Fifth Uncle in his old age and see him off when he dies." Fifth Uncle grinned at Peng Yi, his mouth agape, as he held the door shut.

"Good boy, tell your father, where did you hide our family's land deeds?"

Peng Yi realized that everyone who came today was from his own family, and no witnesses were brought. He knew that his family was going to force themselves on him today, so he ran away towards the mourning hall in a panic.

The family members naturally gave chase and followed him to the front hall.

Hearing the commotion coming from the front hall, Peng Gang lifted the white curtain and came out from the back hall.

When the family members saw Peng Gang, dressed in plain clothes with a hemp rope tied around his waist, suddenly appear in the front hall, the first few of them were so startled that they stumbled over the threshold and fell flat on their faces. "A ghost!"

"It's a fake corpse!"

The family members who had witnessed the ghost in broad daylight were terrified and rushed to the door.

As the saying goes, experience counts, and Peng Xianzhong sternly rebuked, "In broad daylight, where would you find a ghost?! Didn't you see his breath coming out? This is a living, breathing person!"

After being shouted at by Peng Xianzhong, the family members finally realized what was happening and mustered up their courage to turn around.

“As the eldest brother, I am like a father to my younger siblings. You need not worry about me,” Peng Gang said with a cold, stern face, unlike his relatives.

"I advise you to return the things you took from my house, or you'll regret it."

"You're spouting nonsense! Which eye of yours saw us take anything from your house?!"

The fifth branch of the family, having their shortcomings exposed, was furious and embarrassed.

Yesterday, when my family moved Peng Gang's furniture, his fifth branch benefited the most, getting the most valuable five-compartment seven-star cabinet.

"My third brother is Mr. Liu's student and knows many men in the county! Quickly return all our belongings!"

Seeing the fifth branch of the family suffer a setback, Peng Yi, who had just retreated to Peng Gang's side, suddenly felt emboldened and pointed at the family members, saying...

Upon hearing Peng Yi's words, Peng Gang clearly sensed a hint of murderous intent in the eyes of the old man, Peng Xianzhong.

If you can’t speak, don’t speak!
Peng Gang inwardly groaned.

Apart from his younger siblings and relatives, no one else in the village knew about his resurrection.

If that old man Peng Xianzhong really decided to be ruthless and beat him to death, then there would be no way to prove anything.

“My family is small, and we can’t cultivate all these fields.”

Peng Gang's eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with a clever idea.

"Since my relatives are so kind and helpful, I can't take their kindness for granted."

Here's what we'll do, Brother Jian. Your second branch has the most men and the least land. I'll give you the land cover of the nine acres of paddy fields outside the gate, along with the water buffalo in the cowshed.

"Since we both share the surname Peng, how about I only charge you 10% of the rent each year?"

Of all the branches of the family, the second branch has the most prosperous population.

Although the second wife's family is large, the members are rather simple-minded and lack their own opinions. To put it bluntly, they are not very bright and are easily led astray.

"Great!" The second wife nodded in agreement hastily, afraid that if she agreed too late, Peng Gang would give this good thing to the other wives.

The good thing fell solely on the second wife's side, and the other wives were immediately unhappy.

"No way! Why should all the good things go to your second wife's family?"

"Our Fifth Branch is the smallest, so the water buffalo should belong to our Fifth Branch!"

“That’s clan land! Our sixth branch also has a share!”

Like father, like son. Peng Xianzhong, as an elder, was disrespectful and even ate the male offspring of his clan who had died out.

Their family values ​​are naturally not very upright.

With just a little provocation from Peng Gang, the various branches of the family started arguing and fighting, with no one willing to back down.

Soon, seeing that the men of their household were at a disadvantage, the women from other households also joined the fray, grabbing the men's braids, tearing the women's clothes, and scratching the children's faces.

In no time, Peng Gang's courtyard was in complete chaos, with chickens and dogs running amok and the situation spiraling out of control. Even Peng Xianzhong couldn't calm him down.

It's spring planting season, and the commotion in the yard quickly attracted villagers who were soaking and planting rice seedlings in the fields early in the morning.

People in Guangxi are known for their fierce and aggressive nature, and fights are common.

However, when brothers fight, they usually do it behind closed doors. No matter how fierce the fight is at home, they still have to appear harmonious and respectful to outsiders.

It is extremely rare for brothers like the Peng family to fight in public like this.

It's human nature to watch a spectacle, and before long, news of the Peng brothers fighting spread throughout Qingfeng Village.

Many nosy villagers even brought their bowls, stools, and straw stools to sit in front of Peng Gang's courtyard, shoveling the thin porridge in their bowls while watching the Peng brothers fight.

(End of this chapter)