“Third Grand Uncle, I recall that the tung oil poisoning was mainly concentrated in the Li Village, Wang Village, and Luo Village, right?” Luo Wenqian asked the Third Grand Uncle beside him.

Luo Village, Wang Village, and Li Village were three adjacent villages.

“Indeed. The Du brothers were incompetent, and their pressed oil wouldn’t sell. At first, Old Six from Li Village helped the Du family move some products because of Old Eight from the Li family. Later, people from Luo Village and Wang Village saw the oil was cheaper and bought some too. Fortunately, the Li family was righteous and took responsibility for the matter. Otherwise, who knows how bad things would have gotten?” Third Grand Uncle Luo sighed.

The tung oil poisoning incident had been truly horrific.

“Third Grand Uncle, do you remember the people who were poisoned back then?” Luo Wenqian asked.

“Of course, I remember.” As Third Grand Uncle spoke, he understood the implications: “Come, I’ll accompany you to visit each household. The Li family showed righteousness back then. Now that the Du family is targeting them, we can’t forget our moral obligation. We must stand up for them.”

“Third Grand Uncle, not only must we stand up for them, but we must also file lawsuits,” Luo Wenqian said, narrowing his eyes. The Du brothers were truly shameless – this time they needed a harsh lesson.

“What lawsuit?” Third Grand Uncle was puzzled by Luo Wenqian’s words.

“About the tung oil poisoning case caused by the Du brothers, of course. Although the Li family took responsibility back then, that doesn’t mean the Du brothers are off the hook. The new emperor’s ascension may grant amnesty, but it doesn’t say we can’t sue again,” Luo Wenqian explained.

“Right, right, we should file this lawsuit!” Hearing Luo Wenqian’s explanation, Third Grand Uncle Luo suddenly understood, clapping his hands and laughing heartily.

The Third Grand Uncle Luo waved his hand: “Wenqian, Ping’an, let’s go.”

“Alright,” Luo Wenqian and Luo Ping’an responded, and the three left the house.

It was time for chickens to roost, and the sky was growing dim. In farming villages, this was when families ate their evening meals. After tending to the fields, there wasn’t much else to do at this hour. While there was still some light, they would eat early, and when it became completely dark, they would retire early. They would rise early the next morning to work – the day’s success depends on its morning.

Luo Twelve lived at the edge of Luo Village.

Though his family wasn’t wealthy, they could afford enough to eat, which was already considered decent for village life.

But heaven’s plans are unpredictable, and fortune can change in an instant.

A few years ago, while hunting in the mountains, he encountered a wild boar. He was injured by the beast, but fortunately, several villagers who went with him managed to save his life. His family spent everything they had on medical treatment, even selling their few poor fields to save his life.

But as they say, good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortune never comes alone. Because the family was short on money, they bought the cheaper oil from the Du family’s workshop. His elderly parents and eleven-year-old son were all poisoned by the tung oil.

Seeing no way forward, he had planned to risk his damaged life fighting the Du brothers to death, but those cowards had fled. When he heard this news, his heart turned ice cold.

With the Du brothers gone, where could he seek justice? What about his parents and child? His wife was so distraught she wanted to hang herself. Though the village’s Third Grand Uncle had helped, there were over twenty poisoned families in the village, all poor. Even with help, resources were limited. He had grown desperate, nearly leading his family to drown themselves in the village pond, thinking death would be better than such a life.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the Li family suddenly took over the oil workshop and spared no expense to treat all the poisoning victims. Only then did his family pull through.

Now Third Grand Uncle Luo had helped Young Master Wenqian restore the ancestral hall. At the time, many people said Third Grand Uncle was being foolish – renovating a broken-down ancestral hall for a different branch of the family was just wasting money. Many villagers were unhappy since no one had spare money. But Third Grand Uncle’s reasoning made sense: they were all Luo clan members, and despite changing fortunes, as clan members, they couldn’t stand idly by even if from a different branch.

Unexpectedly, Young Master Wenqian later returned wealthy, and upon learning of this, agreed to merge the two Luo branches. He took village youngsters under his wing, and life was improving. Everyone then praised Third Grand Uncle’s foresight.

Of course, privately, he had heard Third Grand Uncle say it wasn’t about foresight – it was simply about having a conscience.

“Husband, Quanbao is thirteen this year. Why don’t you talk to Third Grand Uncle someday about letting Quanbao go out with Young Master Wenqian to broaden his horizons?” Luo Twelve’s wife suggested.

“What’s the rush? He’s only thirteen. Let him stay home two more years – fifteen would be about right to go out,” Luo Twelve finished his last mouthful of porridge in the dim light.

“Twelve, are you home?” Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“Sounds like Brother Ping’an?” Twelve’s wife said.

“Quick, open the door.” Luo Twelve waved repeatedly. Ping’an now followed Young Master Wenqian – his visit might mean Young Master Wenqian had some matter to discuss. After all, wasn’t Young Master Wenqian about to get married?

As Luo Twelve was thinking this, he suddenly heard his wife greeting: “Third Grand Uncle, Young Master Wenqian!”

“Sister-in-law Twelve, please just call me Wenqian. ‘Young Master Wenqian’ is too formal,” Luo Wenqian said with a smile. Twelve’s wife was somewhat uncomfortable with this – previously, Young Master Luo had been as far from them as heaven is from earth.

Luo Twelve hurried out. He remained composed – now that the two Luo branches had merged, they were clan members. As an elder brother, using given names was appropriate.

“Third Grand Uncle, Wenqian, please come sit inside. Quanbao’s mother, light the oil lamp,” Luo Twelve hurried to say. They usually didn’t waste oil lamps since it wasn’t completely dark yet.

Soon, the oil lamp was lit, its small flame casting a yellow glow around the room.

“Brother Twelve, there’s a matter we’d like your help with,” After everyone was seated, Luo Wenqian got straight to the point and explained about the Du brothers suing the Li family.

Hearing about this matter, Luo Twelve felt both old and new grievances surge up. He slammed the table heavily: “Wenqian, rest assured, I’ll stand up for this. Third Grand Uncle often says people must have a conscience. If not for the Li family back then, your uncle, aunt, and young Tianbao would probably be gone already. Those Du creatures aren’t human. I must appeal to the upright official this time.”

Luo Twelve’s eyes grew red as he spoke. The Li family showed righteousness, and the Luo family weren’t cowards.

“Good, then I’ll trouble Brother Twelve,” Luo Wenqian said directly. Among men, there was no need for hesitation.

“Wenqian, that’s not right. This isn’t about doing you a favor – standing up for this is about seeking justice and righteousness,” Luo Twelve said through gritted teeth.

“Yes, I was wrong,” Luo Wenqian admitted his error straightforwardly.

“Good. That’s what a man of Luo Village should be,” Third Grand Uncle patted Luo Twelve’s shoulder.

Afterward, Third Grand Uncle took Luo Wenqian to visit over ten other families who had been poisoned back then. Every single one of them beat their chests in agreement. People must have a conscience.

In Li Village.

When Old Master Li Six heard about the Du brothers’ lawsuit, he nearly smashed his Jingdezhen teapot in anger. Fortunately, he couldn’t bring himself to do it – it was an imperial kiln product he had collected, reportedly from the Yongle period. He treasured it too much to waste it on those ungrateful wolves.

However, thinking of what Dalang had told him a few days ago, he took his walking stick and went out to visit the dozen or so families who had been poisoned back then. This matter still needed to be discussed with them.

They shared the same surname – they couldn’t let the Du brothers bully them like this.

In Wang Village.

A mud brick house with a small yard surrounded by bamboo fencing.

Old Wang sat at the doorway smoking his pipe while his wife was herding two hens into the coop. A five or six-year-old boy was tugging at his older sister’s clothes, begging her to take him fishing in the river tomorrow.

“What fishing? If you want fish, let your sister catch some for you. No, going in the river,” the old woman glared at the little boy.

The little boy immediately pouted, eyes welling with tears.

“Fine, you can go tomorrow if you want,” Old Wang suddenly said after some thought.

“Old man…” his wife was unhappy and wanted to object. They had three daughters and just this one son. He had nearly died from tung oil poisoning two years ago, and now Old Mrs. Wang treated this little boy like her heart and soul – she wouldn’t let her precious darling face even the slightest danger.

“Enough. He’s a six-year-old boy. In our village, what six-year-old boy doesn’t climb mountains for bird nests and catch fish in the river? We can’t restrict him, or the boy won’t amount to anything. Haven’t you heard that an overindulgent mother spoils the child? It’s decided – just have his sisters watch over him during the day,” Old Wang said.

Old Mrs. Wang thought this made sense and reluctantly nodded.

Just then, a woman came out from the kitchen: “Father, Mother, dinner is ready.” Looking around, she asked, “Father, Mother, hasn’t Dong returned yet?”

“Mm, he should be back soon. Perhaps something at the oil workshop delayed him,” Old Wang looked at the sky – it was already dim, and usually Dong would be home by now.

As they spoke, the yard gate opened, and Wang Dong pushed through. His expression was somber, brows furrowed.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Wang Dong’s wife came forward with a cloth to dust him off.

Wang Dong waved off his wife’s efforts and walked to Old Wang’s side. Squatting down, after a while he said: “Father, the Du brothers have sued Master Li again today.”

After the tung oil poisoning incident years ago, not only had the Li family cured his young son’s poisoning, but seeing his family’s difficulties, they had also hired him at the oil workshop. Now as long as he worked hard each day, the monthly wages were enough to support his family.

“Wasn’t this case already tried? Those two Du creatures still have the face to sue?” Hearing Wang Dong’s words, Old Wang exploded – these two inhuman things.

“This time they’ve implicated former Magistrate Wei, and they’ve bribed several tung oil poisoning victims in town to admit that Li Dalang had bribed them back then. I heard the new Inspector has accepted the case and will hold court tomorrow,” Wang Dong said in a low voice.

“Where is their conscience? Ah! Back then, if the Li family hadn’t taken over that mess, who knows what would have happened to those people, and now they can be bought off with some money, ah…” At this point, Old Wang stared at Wang Dong with burning eyes: “Did the Du brothers try to bribe you too?”

“Father, don’t you know what kind of person your son is?” Wang Dong met his father’s gaze, and Old Wang nodded – he knew his son wasn’t someone who would betray his conscience.

“Father, I just passed through Luo Village and heard that the poisoning victims there are finding someone to write petitions to sue the Du brothers again. The amnesty can pardon them, but it doesn’t say we can’t sue again. Our village had over ten households affected too. I was thinking maybe we should gather everyone and file suit as well,” Wang Dong said.

“Sue! We must sue! We common folk must have clear hearts and stand tall and straight!” Hearing Wang Dong’s words, Old Wang said with fierce determination.