Chapter 898: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 898: The Consequences of Taming a Bird (4)
Mo Yan glanced at her, clearly unconvinced. "That's the reason? Your mother would never let you out for just that."
Liu Tinglan stuck out her tongue, unable to keep the truth in any longer. "The government held a public trial for the Du family. The father and two sons were sentenced to fifteen years in prison for their crimes against the authority. They won’t be able to bother my family anymore."
As for the elderly and women of the Du family, since they hadn’t directly participated in the plot against the County Princess, the Magistrate of Jingzhao gave them three lashes each as a warning, and then released them. Despite their cries and pleas to seek justice for the Du family men, no one paid attention.
Mo Yan hadn’t interfered with the trial of the Du family. She had made sure that the punishment for their crime was severe, but the sentence could range from five years to several decades, and if certain influential figures were involved, execution was not out of the question.
Although she despised the Du family, their actions didn’t warrant death. She had personally injured the three men as a form of retribution for Liu’s family. The fifteen-year sentence was decided according to the law, and whether it was severe or not, Mo Yan didn’t know.
Before the trial, the Magistrate had consulted Mo Yan on how to handle the elderly and women of the Du family. Mo Yan had advised against punishing them too harshly, as it would be excessive to give them fifteen years as well. She simply said, "No further action."
Without the Du family's ruffians inciting them, the women of the Du family didn’t dare to cause trouble at the Liu household. This light punishment served as both a warning and a measure of mercy. As for Du Wencai, Mo Yan had no intention of letting him go.
If she hadn’t intervened, Du Wencai would have passed the imperial examination and had a successful career. Once such a schemer rose to power, he would surely seek revenge on anyone who had crossed him. Not to mention the Liu family, she herself could also become his target. Rather than waiting for the snake to bite and then striking back, it was better to act first.
This time, she wouldn’t take his life, but she would ruin his prospects, ensuring his career would be permanently destroyed.
Seeing her friend happy, Mo Yan's mood brightened as well. She laughed, "That’s wonderful news!"
Liu Tinglan subdued her smile and grasped Mo Yan's hand tightly. "Yanyan, thank you. Meeting you is the luckiest thing in my life!"
My friend, without you, how much less color would my life have? Without you, my happiness in the second half of my life would have been buried in the hands of that scum. Without you, how could I face the rumors and gossip, and how could I hold onto that happiness…
Mo Yan was about to say, "It's nothing," when she looked up and saw the glistening tears in her friend’s eyes. She instinctively put down the wooden bucket and gently wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eyes, but teased her playfully, "If you really want to thank me, why not offer yourself in return?"
"…"
Liu Tinglan widened her eyes, her gratitude choked in her throat, unable to say a word.
"Heh, I’m just teasing you! Look how scared you are!" Mo Yan patted her stunned friend’s shoulder and laughed loudly. "If I really wanted you, Brother Shen would probably try to kill me! I may have the heart, but I definitely don't have the guts!"
Liu Tinglan's face turned bright red, and her heart full of gratitude was immediately replaced with embarrassment. She reached out her "claws" and pinched Mo Yan's waist hard, growling, "You little brat, you dare say such things! What if others hear? Do you want to ruin your reputation?"
Mo Yan broke free, dodging while continuing to tease, "What’s the big deal? If it’s for you, who cares about my reputation?"
Liu Tinglan was furious, lifting her skirt and chasing after her. "You—stop right there! If I don’t teach you a lesson today, I’ll change my surname to something else!"
The two of them started playfully chasing each other down the narrow mountain path, one running ahead, the other in hot pursuit. Their laughter startled many birds into flight.
Xin’er watched in helplessness, unsure whether she should step in to break up the scene, worried that others might think the two sisters were being too reckless. But as she listened to their joyful laughter, she decided against it.
Liu Tinglan stayed at Mo Yan’s house that day, and the next morning, Mo Yan took her into the city to buy fishing nets. Afterward, she sent her back to the Liu family. By the time the nets were ready, the six beasts had already captured the birds that fit the taming conditions from the mountains.
It wasn’t exactly "catching" them; it was more like "tricking" them, with the help of their fellow bird, Mao Mao.
"Just a few peaches and you’ve completed the task? Mao Mao, you’ve done well! I’ll give you two extra peaches every day from now on." Mo Yan looked at Mao Mao, who was proudly strutting over to claim credit, and generously rewarded it with its favorite peaches.
"Chirp, chirp!" Mao Mao was overjoyed, its sharp beak affectionately rubbing against Mo Yan's hand.
After feeding Mao Mao two peaches, Mo Yan went to check on the dozen or so birds that had been lured back.
The birds were of different species, with varying sizes. There were hawks like Mao Mao, with wings that could stretch up to ten feet, as well as sparrow-sized birds, and wild pigeons that looked much like homing pigeons. There was even a colorful parrot.
Although the parrot was clever and could learn to speak after being tamed, and flew fast, its bright feathers made it too conspicuous to be used as a messenger bird.
Originally, the six beasts and Mao Mao hadn’t planned to bring the parrot back, but after tasting the juicy peaches and hearing Mao Mao's promises of rewards, the parrot insisted on coming along, refusing to leave despite being shooed away.
In the end, the Golden Beast thought the parrot would make a good pet bird, and convinced the others to bring it back to cheer up Mo Yan.
Mo Yan also thought it would be nice to have a parrot, and since it was so beautiful, with bright eyes that seemed full of intelligence, she couldn’t help but like it at first sight.
Although Xue Tuanzi wasn’t initially planning to train the parrot, the chatty bird kept talking to itself even when no one was listening. Seeing that Mo Yan liked it, Xue Tuanzi decided to put up with it.
[End of Chapter]
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