Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 928 - 133 Pay back the money

Chapter 928: 133 Pay back the money

When Lin Yuan hurried back to the Lin family’s hamlet, the thief had already been tied up and forced to kneel in the old ancestral hall of the village.

The ancestral hall was a place where the tablets of those who had made great contributions to the village over the past century were enshrined. It would not be opened lightly unless there were significant matters. The last time Lin Jianling led people to Lin Yuan’s house to catch the adulterers, the ancestral hall had not been disturbed, but this time, with the capture of the thief, he had been brought here, which showed the seriousness of the situation.

Seeing Lin Yuan and Xia Zheng arrive, Ding Ming and Ding Liang consciously stood by their side, nudging their mouths toward the figure kneeling in the middle of the ancestral hall.

The thief, that was him.

Lin Yuan gazed intently for a while, and if it had not been for Lady Ma kneeling beside him crying bitterly, or Lin Jiazhong standing there with an unpredictable somber expression, Lin Yuan would have found it hard to believe that this emaciated thief was her cousin, Lin Yongcheng!

Indeed, the thief was none other than Lin Yongcheng!

Lin Yuan furrowed her brows and glanced at Lin Jiaxin, who was also frowning beside her. Now, she finally understood why her father had lied to her. She had initially thought the thief might be Lin Jiazhong’s doing, but she had not expected it to be this youngster.

She should have known, if this fellow could sneak into her house to steal bricks, then he could go into someone else’s house to steal silver. It seemed that old habits die hard.

At this moment, the ancestral hall was filled with villagers from the Lin family’s hamlet, all of them looking at Lin Yongcheng’s family with righteous indignation, whispering and pointing.

As Lin Yuan looked at everyone’s expressions, she felt puzzled. Although Lin Yongcheng had stolen the silver from the Lin family’s hamlet, it wasn’t that many households, so why was everyone so angry?

Further ahead in the ancestral hall, the tablets of the ancestors were placed in the center, and standing in front was the old village chief. Despite his advanced age, he did not sit on a stool in the ancestral hall. The old village chief looked at Lin Yongcheng with a grief-stricken face, his expression as dark as ink. Opposite him stood a relatively younger elderly man who also had an unfavorable complexion, only his was more of anger. By this old man’s side were a few unfamiliar men who seemed likely not to be from the Lin family’s hamlet.

"Who is that?" Lin Yuan was not very familiar with the people of the Lin family’s hamlet, let alone from another village.

Hearing his daughter inquire, Lin Jiaxin’s face flashed with a pained expression, he chewed his lips a couple of times, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Lady Liu also came holding little Xiao Yongyan, usually accustomed to holding the child in her left hand, but this time she had switched to her right. At first, Lin Yuan did not notice anything, but an unintentional glance at the crowd on the left revealed that Lady Yang was standing there, her earnest and surprised gaze falling upon the adorable Xiao Yongyan.

It turned out Lady Liu did it so Lady Yang could see the child.

Looking at Xiao Yongyan, the clothes he wore were all made by Lady Yang, quite fitting and cute.

Lady Liu weighed the little Xiao Yongyan in her arms and spoke in a low voice to Lin Yuan, "That’s the village chief from Wang Village; those men are all from Wang Village. Yongcheng, he was caught by Village Chief Wang."

Caught by Village Chief Wang?

Lin Yuan was stunned; did this mean Lin Yongcheng had not only stolen from the Lin family’s hamlet but had also stolen from the neighboring Wang Village?

Though called a neighboring village, there was still a mountain between them. However, compared to Liu Family Village, the mountain near Wang Village was much smaller, which meant there was no need to detour through Zhuma Town.

And wasn’t Wang Village the home of Lan Hua’s mother, Aunt Wang?

Lady Liu sighed again, "It’s all my fault. Because Yongcheng had a history of stealing bricks and Yong Le had a bad reputation at his death, it was difficult for Yongcheng to find a bride. Later, your father came to me, hoping I could help. I knew your Aunt would definitely not want me to interfere, so I went to Sister-in-law Wang, and now, alas, I never imagined Yongcheng would still not change his ways!"

Ding Liang pursed his lips and moved closer to say, "Actually, we knew early on that the thief was Lin Yongcheng, but your father protected him, not letting us catch him or tell you. We had no choice but to, ahem, you know, please don’t be mad, alright? Luckily, he had no bad intentions toward your father. However, he did harm Sister-in-law Wang: she kindly arranged a marriage for him, and he ended up coveting her family’s silver instead. He completely ransacked the area. Just as he got caught red-handed, he was brought back! Look how furious the old village chief is!"

"If you keep quiet, no one will think you’re mute!" Ding Ming coldly glared at Ding Liang, then said to Lin Yuan, "We are also to blame for this matter. Had we caught him earlier, today’s incident would not have happened."