Chapter 351: The First to Undergo Reform Through Labor (Part 3)

It turned out that Feng San gradually regained consciousness after being knocked out. He tried to wriggle his body and get up but was discovered by the refugees, who rushed up and gave him a good beating.

“Beast! How dare you take liberties with Miss Han!”

“Beat these bastards to death!”

“Miss Han is kind to us beyond measure, and you dare do this, beast!”

Seeing this, Han Lei quickly stepped forward to stop them: “Stop, stop. Don’t hit them anymore!” Her gentle and soft voice made everyone pause, “First, tie them up and send them to the authorities tomorrow.”

An old woman with a face full of wrinkles said tremblingly: “Miss, you can’t be too soft-hearted with these thieves. They won’t be grateful and might harm you instead.”

“Exactly!” a young man said angrily, “Miss gives us food and drink and says she will find us work. These damned ones…”

Han Lei shook her head and said softly, “Precisely because of this, we can’t act like they do. We should handle it according to the law.”

Only then did the crowd reluctantly disperse, with some going to find ropes, others getting water, and a few women surrounding Han Lei with concern.

Under the moonlight, the camp gradually returned to order, but everyone knew that tonight’s events would inevitably become an unforgettable memory.

In the deep night, on the streets of Mianning County, only a few scattered bonfires stubbornly burned in the darkness, reflecting the weary faces of the refugees.

Han Lei sat on the edge of the carriage, the beam of the flashlight sweeping over the gradually sleeping crowd, finally stopping on a few dark figures tied up not far away.

With several thieves bound, Han Lei instructed Da San and Da Si to rest inside the carriage while she kept watch for the second half of the night.

Da San and Da Si were unwilling, but Han Lei sternly insisted.

How could they travel tomorrow without rest? The County Magistrate of Mianning County would not allow so many people to stay in Mianning County indefinitely.

The two no longer insisted but were unwilling to get into the carriage, so they lay down next to it, sleeping on the ground.

This time, they had to stay by Han Lei’s side, fearing that something might happen again.

By the carriage, although Da San and Da Si, two strong men, obeyed Han Lei’s orders to lie down and rest, they always maintained a vigilant posture.

Da Si turned over and said gruffly, “Miss, we absolutely shouldn’t be soft-hearted with those thieves.”

“Exactly,” Da San followed up, his fists clenching audibly in the dark, “we should’ve just let the victims break their damn legs, see if they dare to mess with us again!”

Han Lei sighed softly, the flashlight’s beam once again sweeping over the tied figures.

The bright light made Feng San squint, his fleshy face twitching: “Spare me, Miss! I have eyes but fail to see Mount Tai…”

“Shut up!” Han Lei commanded sternly. Her voice was soft yet carried a deterrent power, “Go to sleep now. If you dare make another sound, I’ll gag you.”

Feng San immediately fell silent, his only movement the nervous darting of his eyes, betraying the schemes running through his mind.

Several of his henchmen remained unconscious, one with white foam still at the corner of his mouth.

The night wind swept over, bringing with it the sound of roosters crowing in the distance.

Han Lei shivered, took a cloak from the carriage, and draped it over herself, but her gaze never left the captives.

She, too, knew that in this imperfectly ordered era, mercy often came at a price.

As the sky began to lighten, the refugees gradually awoke. Han Lei retrieved rations from the carriage and organized everyone to line up to receive them.

After these past few days of living together, the originally scattered refugees had learned to observe order and quietly returned to their places after receiving food.

“Miss Han, if it weren’t for you last night!” an old man with white hair said shakily, taking a flatbread with eyes full of gratitude, “without your divine intervention, our old bones might have…”

Han Lei smiled gently, “You are too kind, sir. It’s only right that we look after each other. Once we reach Canzhou, everything will be better.”

She turned her gaze to the captives already illuminated by the morning sun. The small-time hooligans were gradually waking up, lying scattered on the ground alongside Feng San.

After distributing the food and during the mealtimes, Han Lei, Da San, and Da Si each chewing on a steamed bun, walked over to Feng San and his cohorts, looking down at them.

The bunch of thugs stared wide-eyed, their faces full of fear.

“Spare us, Miss!” Feng San struggled to kneel, his forehead pressed into the muddy ground. “I won’t dare again—it was just at the gambling house yesterday that I lost everything and…”

Han Lei leisurely took a bite of her bun, assessing them at ease: “So every time you owe money, you rob someone. Does that mean you’re habitual criminals?”

“No, no, no!” Feng San hurriedly denied, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

“Yesterday, after we lost silver at the gambling den, we passed by here and saw the young lady casually handle two gold ingots, so we got greedy.”

Da San kicked his shoulder: “Nonsense! What do you mean by getting greedy—you all don’t look like good people. Tell me, how many times have you done this besides last night?”

Feng San shrank back in fright; Han Lei raised her hand to stop Da San, squatted down to meet Feng San at eye level, and played with the sharp knife Feng San had held the night before.

“You’d better tell me the truth. What crimes have you committed in Mianning County? Why does the County Magistrate ignore you?”

As Han Lei spoke, a grin appeared on her face, drastically contrasting with her sweet and charming appearance.

The knife’s edge hovered near Feng San’s cheek, swaying back and forth before his eyes. Feng San looked at the knife tip, which seemed ready to cut his skin at any moment, and his mental defenses finally collapsed.

“Please, please. I’ll talk, I’ll talk.”

He glanced at the few hooligans beside him, his throat moving several times, unsure if the sweat on his forehead was due to the heat or fear.

His bloodshot eyes avoided direct contact, remembering the flashlight and the sacred treasure the refugees spoke of the night before; he dared not lie and could only reluctantly confess the truth.

“We often gamble at the Ruyi Gambling House in the west of town. When we lose, we…”

At the critical point, his voice hitched, as if his throat was constricted, and after a while, he forced a few more words: “Every time we steal or rob, we… we would split it 70-30 with Mr. Zhang from the government office…”

Before he finished speaking, Da Si, angrily kicked the carriage wheel beside him: “Rotten people, they’re all rotten people.”

“As expected.” Han Lei stood up, disappointment flashing in her eyes, “It seems they’re in cahoots with people in the government office; reporting to the authorities is useless.”

She then turned to Da San and Da Si, asking, “What do you think we should do with them?”

“Just break their legs and throw them to the wolves in the wild!” Da San ground his teeth.

“Or… send them to Beiguan for military service,” Da Si suggested.

Han Lei pondered for a moment, then shook her head: “Death is too easy for them, and Beiguan doesn’t need people right now.”

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, “Canzhou is opening a mine, and the mining site needs labor.”

Upon hearing this, Feng San’s face changed dramatically: “Miss! We can’t bear such hard work! Please…”

Han Lei snorted, ignoring their cries, and turned back to the carriage.

Since thieves like Feng San, who wield knives for robbery, aren’t dealt with by the Mianning County authorities and are allowed to harm the common people.

The County Magistrate of Mianning is certainly an ineffective official.

Instead of reporting them to the authorities only to have them temporarily caught and then released, it would be better to take them to Canzhou and throw them into the mines.

This way, they could labor to create benefits and learn how to be human again.

Currently, everyone working in Canzhou is there voluntarily and enthusiastically; Han Lei has never forced anyone.

This Feng San will serve as the first person to undergo compulsory labor reform in Canzhou!