Chapter 870: Punishment, Marriage
The village has been continuing the ancient heritage and schedule. In the past, they had all gotten up and prepared for exercise at this time, but at this moment, the fire on the stone platform went out instantly as soon as the cock crowed.
This action made everyone believe that the curse of the evil child did exist, so since everyone was here, the chief said directly to everyone:
"Since the evil child has come, we must punish those who brought disaster to our tribe. The tribe has a thousand-year rule that we cannot kill our own people, so we will flog Agen and Atawa."
"Bring them up."
Acai ran back at the right time. He just stood in the corner and heard the chief's words. He looked anxiously at the passage on the side. Agen and Atawa were escorted up.
The two knelt under the stone platform. They were supposed to be punished on the stone platform, but the stone platform had just experienced a fire, so no one dared to go up at this moment.
Two long benches were placed in front of the crowd. The two people who carried out the flogging were adult guards in the tribe. According to the regulations, the maximum penalty was 50 lashes for Agen, and Atawa was a child and a girl, so she received 20 lashes. However, for a child, this was also the most terrifying punishment.
Atawa lay on the bench, looking for the crowd, and saw Na Guokang standing next to his parents, not saying a word but just staring at her blankly. The chill in her heart could not be stopped.
She harmed her father and the two children. Na Guokang was a coward.
But who can say that Na Guokang did something wrong? In the eyes of the villagers, Na Guokang's family's approach was the most correct and best.
Agen said nothing, and even did not plead for Atawa, because the rules of the village were there. If he pleaded, Atawa would definitely receive a heavier punishment.
He looked at Atawa worriedly, and Atawa also turned to look at her father. She was not afraid. This was the punishment she deserved. It was not that she did something wrong, but that she was blind and actually saved a ruthless and ungrateful person.
The four elders took a bottle and sprinkled water drops on the heads of the two people with willow branches. They spoke in a convincing manner, as if they were using a unique sacrificial method to clear the sins of the two people.
After this action, the tribe leader came out and said a few old words, and then the punishment began.
The long whip was made of snake skin, thick and long. Every whip would cost a person half his life, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that the skin was torn apart.
Fortunately, Atawa was a girl. There were few women in the tribe, so the whip was relatively smaller, but even so, every whip left a red mark on her body.
Atawa bit her lips tightly. 20 whips seemed to take a very long time. After all, she was just a 10-year-old child. After 20 whips, she was almost unable to bear it.
But she kept looking at her father, and only after Agen had fainted and the whipping was completed did she faint in a wave of dizziness.
The punishment was completed, but the chief warned everyone that they were sinners in the tribe and could not accept treatment from doctors. They could only be thrown back home to die. Of course, if you have the ability to go up the mountain to collect herbs yourself, no one will say anything, but now Agen has become a sinner in the whole village, and no one will save them.
However, the chief showed kindness in front of everyone and asked people to carry the two of them back home.
Acai followed everyone all the time, and when he saw Agen and Atawa being thrown in the room, he immediately took out the herbs prepared early in the morning to treat the two.
He had to take care of two patients alone, which was extremely strenuous, and Agen's injuries were extremely serious, and he looked very bad. After all, Atawa was too young, and it didn't look appropriate.
In the end, Acai had to carry the two back to his home and take care of them nearby.
Anyway, the tribe wouldn't care about them. Ah Cai didn't want to see these two people die like this, so he carried them back to his home.
It was already afternoon when Ah Cai settled the two people.
Everyone went up the mountain, and those who searched along the river continued to search. Ah Cai didn't dare to hide in the room, but he would still follow the crowd to search, and couldn't show any difference, so as not to be suspected.
In this way, a day passed slowly, and it was night again. Yan Kuan and Shen Xiaoxiao had rested enough and slowly crawled out of the secret compartment.
In fact, Yan Kuan went out to inquire during the day and knew Ah Cai's address. He also knew that Ah Cai was not a bad person and saved the two father and daughter.
So, after Shen Xiaoxiao crawled out of the secret compartment, he immediately took her to Ah Cai's house.
Ah Cai was so anxious at this moment that he had no choice. Ah Gen was okay. After all, he was an adult and had good physical fitness, but Atawa was too young. He had received 20 whips and had started to have a fever. If the fever could not be reduced, he would probably die of inflammation.
There is a lack of medical care and medicine here, and many common medicinal herbs are picked in the mountains. Agen obviously got better after taking the medicine, but Atawa became weaker and weaker.
"What should I do? Atawa is still unconscious."
"Uncle Agen, I have to take off Atawa's clothes before I can apply medicine on the wound."
This is also one of the reasons why Atawa is not good. The village has strict rules and attaches great importance to the chastity of women. Don't say that Atawa is only 10 years old. As long as she is over 7 years old, she will be treated as an adult woman. She must take off her clothes unless it is her husband or her own father.
So, this is why Acai has never dared to apply medicine to Atawa.
How could Agen not know the problem? He thought about it and realized that Acai was actually less than 20 years old. He was only 18 years old, not much older than Atawa. Moreover, he had watched him grow up and was the closest to him. After such a big incident, the only one who showed kindness to them and saved them was Acai. After thinking about Guogan and Guohua, Agen simply asked:
"Acai, Uncle Agen will marry Atawa to you. Do you want it?"
Acai was stunned. No way? Atawa is so young? But if it was Atawa's sister who had grown up with him, she would be much better than those girls in the village. He liked Atawa's sister since he was a child.
"Is Atawa still so courageous?"
"That ungrateful man is not worthy of my Atawa. I will marry Atawa to you."
"What can Atawa do?"
"Brother Acai, I am willing."
A soft voice came from the side. Agen was stunned, and Acai was also stunned for a moment, but Atawa's face was too red, and he was a little confused. But if he could still say that, it meant that he was really willing.
Acai was also unambiguous and nodded immediately. Then he took the medicine and walked to the side with his back to Agen to apply the medicine to Atawa.