TATLC Chapter 02 – The Fierce Shuang’er

Grandma Chen loved her eldest grandson the most. She resented Chen Xiaomi for ruining her plans, so when the family divided their assets, she didn’t give him a single copper coin.

But Chen Xiaomi was also stubborn. He only took his two younger brothers with him to establish a separate household and did not ask for anything else.

The villagers thought Chen Xiaomi had gone mad for actually taking his two brothers and leaving the Chen family. He could barely support himself, how could he expect to support two younger brothers?

Many people believed Chen Xiaomi wouldn’t survive after leaving the Chen family. What they didn’t know was that he had a plan. Before leaving, he secretly saved up money from hunting, just barely enough to support his brothers.

In these times, filial piety was highly valued, and Chen Xiaomi’s rebellious behavior was despised by many elders in the village.

Several clan elders, instigated by Grandma Chen, were very dissatisfied with Chen Xiaomi and wanted to hold a trial in the ancestral hall to punish him.

But then—

The two most vocal elders met with misfortune one by one. One had his leg broken by someone while walking at night, while the other nearly lost his life after eating something that gave him severe diarrhea.

There were also those who gossiped too much. Chopped-up dead rats appeared in their beds in the dead of night, with rat blood staining their sheets.

The villagers suspected Chen Xiaomi was behind these incidents, but there was no proof.

As the saying goes, the reckless feared the fierce, and the fierce feared those who didn’t value their own lives. True to this nature, the villagers tended to bully the weak and fear the strong. They didn’t want to provoke someone as dangerous as Chen Xiaomi if they didn’t have to. They avoided him whenever possible.

Although the clan elders were subdued, Chen Xiaomi’s reputation worsened.

Chen Xiaomi had nothing left to lose. He didn’t seem to care and continued doing as he pleased.

A year ago, Chen Xiaomi dragged a tiger out from the mountains, which shocked the entire village.

Tigers were creatures that even the most experienced village hunters avoided, yet Chen Xiaomi killed one.

This incident cemented Chen Xiaomi’s fierce reputation.

He sold the tiger for thirty silver taels. Previously, Chen Xiaomi had been living in a cave with his brothers, but after earning this money, he spent ten taels to buy a small house from a widowed old woman in the village.

When the Chen family learned about his sudden wealth, they tried to cause trouble, only to be beaten by Chen Xiaomi again.

At this point, no one was surprised. If he could kill a tiger, beating a few people was nothing.

Seeing they couldn’t control Chen Xiaomi and knowing his ruthlessness, the Chen family didn’t dare confront him anymore.

Chen Laoda was unwilling to give up. When Chen Xiaomi wasn’t home, he kidnapped Chen Xiaocai, still intending to sell him.

When Chen Xiaomi discovered his brother missing, he pretty much knew what had happened.

Chen Xiaomi kidnapped Chen Jing and sent him deep into the mountains. He then made a public show of cursing that if he didn’t see his brother in one day, wild beasts would eat an arm of “the bastard who took his brother,” and if two days passed, a leg would be chopped off.

Chen Laoda was terrified and quickly returned Chen Xiaocai.

While others found Chen Xiaomi’s veiled threats confusing, Chen Laoda understood perfectly. He might have been heartless enough to sell his brother’s son to a violent young master, but he couldn’t bear to see his own son harmed. After returning Chen Xiaocai, Chen Jing soon made his way back to the Chen family as well.

This matter was handled privately, but word leaked out and became a favorite topic among villagers for a long time.

Some thought Chen Laoda was too cruel, while others believed Chen Xiaomi was like a wolf cub. It would be best not to provoke him.

The men in the village, knowing Chen Xiaomi’s ferocity, avoided him completely.

Given all his bizarre behavior, Chen Xiaomi had become the village’s greatest troublemaker in everyone’s eyes.

Chen Xiaomi was almost eighteen. After news of head tax collection spread through the village, all the eligible single men and women became anxious. Within a month, six older unmarried villagers had paired up.

The village was waiting to see what Chen Xiaomi would do. Three taels of silver a year was no small sum, and many were secretly looking forward to see him fail.

Many wondered if Chen Xiaomi would marry out, but surprisingly, he wanted to bring in a husband instead.

The villagers thought Chen Xiaomi was dreaming. Who would marry into his household?

Chen Xiaomi didn’t care and offered a bride price of ten silver taels.

When this offer became known, people sighed at Chen Xiaomi’s resourcefulness. Chen Xiaomei, the third child of the Chen family, had been born premature and always had poor health. Chen Xiaomi had spent a lot of money on medical treatment for him, yet he could still produce ten silver taels.

Ten silver taels was a significant amount for most farming families, but Chen Xiaomi’s fierce reputation was so terrible that even at this price, no one was willing.

The Lu family, however, was tempted. Because of Lu Lin’s reputation, he couldn’t find a wife anytime soon. Even if he did, they would need to pay a bride price. But by marrying him into another family, they would receive the bride price instead.

The difference between paying out and taking in amounted to more than ten silver taels.

The original Lu Lin was a very traditional man. In these times, men who married into their wives’ families were looked down upon. When he learned his family wanted him to marry into the household of the fierce Chen Xiaomi, the original Lu Lin, in a moment of despair, drowned himself in the lake.

The Lu family had already accepted Chen Xiaomi’s bride price and naturally couldn’t let Lu Lin die so easily. They generously spent one silver tael on medical treatment, but the original Lu Lin died anyway, only to have his body occupied by Lu Lin from another world.