Chapter 12 The Past of Old Uncle Qi

Nanny Jin had heard from the neighbors that Old Uncle Qi was a skilled craftsman who could earn a decent wage during the other three seasons of the year, as business was usually more plentiful. Although it was winter now, and Old Uncle Qi often went several days without finding work, he seemed to be getting by just fine.

Old Uncle Qi was a genuinely nice man with a cheerful personality and a kind heart. When Ye Xinyan and Nanny Jin first moved in, with nothing to their name, the elderly gentleman had not hesitated to help them out.

Nanny Jin and her companion began by taking on laundry work, often washing Old Uncle Qi's clothes along with their own. Whenever they came across clothing that needed mending, they would take care of it as well.

Ye Xinyan couldn't shake the feeling that Old Uncle Qi was different from the other residents in the courtyard; there was a cheerful air about him, yet it was blended with a sense of detachment, and he seemed particularly unconcerned about many things.

Nowadays, Old Uncle Qi was pondering the two women next door with undefined identities.

Having observed them for some days, he knew that what troubled the women most was their lack of household registration. The younger woman named Ye Zi caught Old Uncle Qi's discerning eye as a bright and straightforward child. Perhaps he could assist them in obtaining legitimate household identities. Along the way, they might also be able to help him fulfill his own wishes.

Old Uncle Qi's real name was Qi Younian. In his youth, he had left home in anger and made his way in the world alone, making friends with a group of brothers along the way.

With mutual support and relying on their various crafts, they had prospered in the construction business, enjoying several years of good living.

But in the end, one cannot outdo fate; no matter how hard or desperately a poor man strives, he cannot match the whims of those with power and influence.

They had been operating in Suicheng City in the South for nearly a decade, thinking they had established themselves in the business. However, the nephew of a local gentry, upon learning that they, with their humble background, were making a reasonable sum of money from what was essentially manual labor, decided to take over their livelihood.

Laughably, at that time, they were young and believed that since it was daylight and justice that in their own business, if they were unwilling to give in, no one with power could just forcibly take it away, right?

Even if someone tried to force it, they had connections with several officials in the Yamen; surely, they could not be so easily overpowered. Besides, they had many brothers under their command; what was there to fear?

It was this line of thinking that led them and their sworn brothers into a desperate situation.

In broad daylight, of course, no one would blatantly seize their property. If negotiations failed, other means would be employed. Qi Younian had believed that his defenses were solid but had failed to account for betrayal from his own brothers.

People's hearts are unfathomable. Many could not be seen for what they truly were on a normal day, even those who appeared trustworthy and with whom you shared deep bonds. But faced with a big enough temptation, the true nature of a person would emerge.

At that time, they were constructing a large residence. Lao Liu, who had sworn brotherhood with them and was a carpenter by trade, had been bought off by a wealthy house. He tinkered with the main beams in several rooms without anyone noticing.

The deception was well-hidden, with no apparent flaws in the construction, until rooms in the near-completed residence began to malfunction one after another. Three workers were crushed to death while several others were injured.

This was a substantial project, and the multiple room failures were enough to bankrupt them with compensation. Yet the owner of the residence dared not take over the unaffected rooms and, in the end, had no choice but to demolish everything.

The seven brothers who were officials in charge, not only dispersed their entire fortune but it wasn't even enough to compensate their master. Moreover, they got involved in a lawsuit because they had caused the death of someone.

It was not until six of them clinked into prison that they realized one person was missing from their midst. Then, looking back on all the accidents that had happened, everything traced back to the main beam - what more was there to ponder?

The six people were sentenced to military service for ten years, but in the end, only two returned.

When Qi Younian and his fourth brother returned to Suicheng City, filled with hatred, and found the vile villain who had betrayed his brothers, they found him in a pitiable state, destitute on the streets, barely resembling a human. While the six brothers had been pressed into military service and yet could patrol and kill enemies at the border in good health, even if four brothers were no more, they had died honorable deaths on the battlefield, standing tall. Even as insignificant soldiers, their deaths were in defense of their homeland.

And this villain, their Lao Liu, had his legs paralyzed, crawling and begging on the streets. He was nothing but skin and bones, filthy, and no longer looked human.

Qi Younian, seeing the once strong and sturdy Lao Liu twisting his body crawling on the ground, suddenly thought of the words "Retribution is inescapable." The fullness of hatred strangely disappeared at that moment, leaving only a profound sorrow.

For such an outcome, this bastard had caused six brothers to be imprisoned and conscripted, with four laying down their lives at the border.

Lao Liu, seeing the worn-out boots in front of him, struggled to lift his head. It took him a long while amidst his bewilderment to recognize the two hostile figures as his former brothers, and he reacted with terror as if he had seen a ghost.

Qi Younian's fourth brother lifted his foot, intending to kick the thief, but was stopped by him.

A sneer hung on Qi Younian's lips, a cold light flashing in his eyes, "No need to lower yourself to the level of a dog. He's living a life even worse than a dog; let him live like that. It's just fine. The brothers underground have probably already seen his sorry state, who knows, they might even be celebrating, so you don't need to dirty your feet by kicking him."

After a moment of fear, Lao Liu did not think to escape but faced them head-on. He forcibly dragged himself across the ground, clasped Qi Younian's legs tightly, and refused to let go. The howling from his mouth was so miserable it almost made one feel he was already in hell.

"Big Brother! Big Brother! I'm not human; I don't deserve to be human, I deserve to die. Kill me, avenge our brothers by killing me; I'm willing to atone with my death. Big Brother, I beg you, please kill me, just kill me..."

Lao Liu was hysterical, repeatedly howling for Qi Younian to kill him. Their gaping mouth, revealing a few scattered teeth, showed the inhumane life he had led.

Disgust flickered in Qi Younian's icy eyes. He kicked the thief away and said coldly, "You don't deserve for me to kill you. I was blind to recognize a brother as treacherous as you; how could I make the same mistake again? If I killed you, wouldn't you be relieved of your suffering? Live a good long life, the longer you live, the more satisfied our four brothers will be down below, celebrating every day."

After hearing Qi Younian's words, Lao Liu froze and stopped his howling, muttering, "The four brothers below... The four brothers below..." He repeated several times until he suddenly looked up, "Big Brother, Big Brother, where are they? Where are the four of them?"

The fourth brother viciously spat, "They are down below, watching over you, seeing how well you're living, they must be very happy for you." As he spoke, he crouched down, grinding his teeth, "What puzzles me is, if you really want to die, to atone with your death, why are you still alive, living a life that's worse than a dog's?"

Qi Younian pulled the fourth brother up, scoffing, "Why ask? He's a coward. He probably has not wanted to live for a long time; it's just too bad he lacks the guts to end it himself and wants someone else to do it for him. What a fine dream he's having!"

Qi Younian, pulling up the fourth brother, was about to turn away when he spoke again to the person lying on the ground, "You don't need to feel guilty towards those four, and they don't need your death as atonement. They are faring much better than you. Better in life, and in death, you can't even compare to them; they died gloriously, their deaths meant something."