The Wealth in the Old Well chapter 2

Jim frowned, snorted, and walked away with a cigarette in his mouth…

The people around the well gradually left, but Linda’s heart couldn’t calm down. She dusted off the mud on her body and walked straight to Old Tom’s house.

When she opened the door, the argument inside suddenly stopped. At the dining table, Old Tom was holding a cup of coffee and lowering his head, while Jim was squinting and smoking. The two of them were staring at each other. Linda got straight to the point. “Old Tom, don’t be in a difficult situation. I’m here to tell you that those turtles belong to everyone.”

Old Tom was shocked. He trembled, and some coffee spilled on the table. With a pained look on his face, he blurted out, “You need the money! Don’t, please don’t…”

Linda gave a faint smile. “No. David once told me that if something isn’t yours, you shouldn’t take it, no matter how much you want it. No matter what others say about him, I’ve always believed in his character and his words. To be honest, I wanted this windfall at first, but then I thought about what David said and realized I couldn’t take it. The turtles grew in the town’s pond, so they should belong to the town.”

“Exactly!” Jim fully agreed. He knocked on the table and looked at Old Tom proudly. “See? She said it herself. Can you still say I’m being unreasonable? Now, you don’t have a ‘problem’ anymore, do you? I’ll go and tell everyone to come for a meeting. Please handle this fairly for everyone!”

As soon as Jim left, Old Tom quickly tried to persuade Linda not to be so stupid. He was almost begging her, but it was all in vain. Old Tom was so anxious that he paced back and forth. In less than the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, the house was filled with men, women, and children. Everyone thought that she shouldn’t keep all that money for herself. This time, the Johnsons and the Smiths were in complete agreement: the turtles were communal property and should be divided!

Old Tom plopped down on a chair. His eyes were fixed, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched rapidly. He looked really funny, as if he had been bitten by a turtle. Suddenly, he jumped up, his face red and his neck thick. “Divide? No way! Have you ever thought about how rare wild turtles are these days? How could there be so many in one pond? Those turtles were… put in by me! I’ve been to so many markets these days to buy these wild turtles. If you hadn’t been so eager to clean the well, I would have bought more…”

No one believed him. Jim rolled his eyes at Old Tom. “Humph! Making up lies to fool idiots? No one can keep all this for themselves!”

Old Tom’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. “Now, I have to tell the truth. It’s better to get it off my chest. I did this because I’m sorry for my dead friend David! He was a good man! Do you know that the well in our town was not funded by the county. It was David who paid for it out of his own pocket!”

At that time, Old Tom was working as an accountant in the county government, and he was in charge of this matter. It should be true. Besides, David had a good reputation before the incident. Many people believed Old Tom’s words and recalled all the good things David had done. Some people smacked their lips, and some sighed. Jim felt that the atmosphere in the room had changed. He was very angry and asked in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, really? Even if it’s true, I’m getting more and more confused. Where did you ‘wrong’ David? If David was so honest, why did he…”

“Jim, shut up!” Old Tom slapped the table hard. “I’ll tell you, David was framed! I was one of the accomplices! I’ll have no face to see David after I die!”

Old Tom was in tears as he told the complicated story…

That year, the town high school was going to build a new teaching building. One of Jack’s relatives wanted to get the contract, but David knew that the guy was just a local builder without the proper qualifications, so he firmly opposed it. Jack was furious and decided to get rid of David. He told his trusted friend Old Tom to write a false accusation letter. Soon, people from the county came to investigate. At that time, David was leading the villagers to build a mountain road. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell off the cliff and died. The case became a mystery, and everyone had different opinions…

When Old Tom finished speaking, there was a murmur in the room. The Johnsons were elated, while the Smiths were dejected. Jim wasn’t convinced. He stared at Old Tom with wide – open eyes. “If what you said about the Johnsons is true, they were wronged. But our uncle also has such rumors. Who… framed him? Old Tom, you were hired by our uncle to work as an accountant in the county government, right? You ungrateful wretch!”

Old Tom straightened his back. “Yes, he was kind to me, and I became his confidant. But the truth is – he was a corrupt official! No one framed him! And the one who reported his corruption… was me!”

The room suddenly fell silent.