In front of outsiders, Xia Dèyào, the village secretary, roared with rage, like an enraged lion.
Xia Lìpíng and her mother, seeing the situation was unfavorable, had no choice but to retreat, dusting themselves off and getting up.
"Xiao Chéng, what's wrong with your head?"
Xia Dèyào looked up and saw Xia Chéng covering his forehead with one hand, bloodstains on his face, and his temper immediately flared up.
"She hit me," Xia Chéng pointed at Xia Lìpíng.
"Call 110, get the police station to arrest her!" Xia Dèyào was so angry he was spitting fire and directly told a nearby village cadre to call the police.
Xia Lìpíng was terrified when she heard this, crying out, "Sixth Uncle, you can't do this!"
She stomped her feet repeatedly, "It was Xia Chéng who helped outsiders bully me, so I hit him with a stone. Don't you believe me, ask everyone, he and Jīn Mèngxiāng are having an affair, betraying the village!"
Xia Chéng was furious when he heard this, "Say it again if you dare!"
"What, you want to hit me again?" Xia Lìpíng retreated a few steps, "Sixth Uncle, did you see that? If it wasn't for him acting like this, would I have hit him?"
"It was clearly you who snatched the toon shoots from her..."
For a while, the two groups argued incessantly, each claiming to be in the right, their words mostly profanity.
After listening for a while, Lin Fán roughly understood the rights and wrongs of the matter.
The only thing he couldn't figure out was Jin Mèngxiāng's identity.
If an outsider came to pick toon shoots, it was indeed a bit unreasonable.
The produce grew in Xiajiā Gōu, so it was fine for their own villagers to pick them.
If others came to pick them, it was taking advantage of Xiajiā Gōu.
"Stop arguing!" Xia Dèyào's authority as village secretary was repeatedly challenged, and he lunged forward, raising his hand directly at Xia Lìpíng.
"Try complaining one more word!"
"Sixth Uncle..."
Tears streamed down Xia Lìpíng's face as she put on a wronged expression, appearing more wronged than Dou E.
Her mother quickly pulled her arm back.
Others might not know Xia Dèyào's temper, but she knew him somewhat; he was a hot-tempered man in his youth, prone to violence if he disagreed.
"I understand now, the incident started because Jīn Mèngxiāng was picking toon shoots, and you wouldn't let her, right?" Xia Dèyào glared at Xia Lìpíng with fierce eyes.
"Uncle Deyao, she also tried to snatch my toon shoots," Jīn Mèngxiāng interjected.
Xia Chéng added, "I saw Xia Lìpíng acting like a hooligan and helped snatch the toon shoots back. She then hit me with a stone."
After speaking, Xia Chéng lowered the hand covering his forehead.
The not-yet-congealed blood trailed a striking crimson down his cheek.
"My son!" Seeing her son in such a tragic state, the old mother immediately burst into tears.
Xia Dèyào was furious!
"Xia Lìpíng, what business is it of yours if someone else picks toon shoots? Why did you snatch their things, and you even dared to hit someone? You've gone too far!"
"Sixth Uncle, this is Xiajiā Gōu!" Xia Lìpíng said, stubbornly.
She emphasized the surname "Xia."
"Jīn Mèngxiāng is not from our village at all, she shouldn't come here to take advantage!"
"Nonsense!"
Xia Dèyào reprimanded sternly, "Just because you say she's not, means she's not? Old Jin has lived in Xiajiā Gōu for decades, married a wife from our village. He and his family are undeniably our villagers!"
Xia Lìpíng's plump face stretched long, "Sixth Uncle, Jīn Mèngxiāng's household registration was moved out when she got married. If you hadn't registered her back, how could she be from Xiajiā Gōu?"
Xia Dèyào raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean by that? Did I abuse my power for personal gain?"
"Who knows, anyway, the Jin surname is popular, any man wants to get into her bed," Xia Lìpíng said sarcastically.
"You!" Xia Dèyào raised his hand to strike, but Xia Lìpíng's mother reacted quickly, pulling her away, otherwise she would have been slapped.
"Old Jin worked as a barefoot doctor in the village his entire life. He has more than earned his keep."
"If you dare to blabber further, you shrew, I'll beat you to death!"
Xia Dèyào made a gesture to strike, frightening both mother and daughter into a shudder.
"Sixth Uncle, you are treating this unfairly!"
"In my eyes, outsiders are not allowed to take advantage of our village!"
"The toon shoots of Xiajiā Gōu belong to the Xia family, tell all outsiders to get out!"
Xia Lìpíng yelled repeatedly at Jīn Mèngxiāng.
"You..."
Before Xia Dèyào could say anything, a cold voice came from behind him.
"Do we also have to leave?" Lin Fán asked, hands behind his back, his expression displeased.
His voice was extremely penetrating, and Xia Lìpíng turned her head when she heard it.
"Where did you come from?"
"Luòfèng Village, Lin Fán."
Lin Fán wore a cold smile as he stated his name and hometown.
"You're here to steal toon shoots too, get lost!" Xia Lìpíng cursed without discerning right from wrong.
Lin Fán frowned slightly and looked back at Chén Zhìmíng, "Shall we go?"
"Alright," Chén Zhìmíng forced a smile and walked out first.
"Come back!"
"Manager Chen, Xiao Fán, come back!"
Xia Dèyào panicked and hurried to catch up.
"Sixth Uncle..." Xia Lìpíng had a very bad premonition, feeling that she was about to bring disaster upon herself.
As expected!
As Xia Dèyào passed by her, he swung his arm and delivered a resounding slap.
*Slap!*
A clear and melodious sound rang out.
Xia Lìpíng spun and fell, spitting out a bloody tooth.
"Old Liu, you... you..."
Xia Lìpíng's mother quickly helped her daughter up, looking at Xia Dèyào in shock.
She never imagined that he would actually dare to hit someone.
"What are you looking at? Keep looking and I'll hit you too!" Xia Dèyào, still full of anger, shouted sternly.
"Xia Dèyào, you dare to hit me!" Xia Lìpíng wiped her mouth, saw the bright red blood on her palm, and became furious, no longer calling him Sixth Uncle.
"For the sake of two outsiders, you hit your own niece, it's unjust!"
"I'm going to sue you!"
Xia Lìpíng began to wail.
"Say another word!" Xia Dèyào clenched his fist and stepped forward, his heart burning with rage. For the future development of Xiajiā Gōu, he didn't mind being called heartless.
Xia Lìpíng hurriedly shielded her face with her arms, shrinking back and holding her breath.
Many surrounding villagers felt sympathetic.
"Sixth Uncle, that's enough."
"Yes, forget it."
"It will sound bad if it gets out."
Several elderly villagers spoke out in劝，同时hatefully looked at Lin Fán and Chén Zhìmíng.
When did Xiajiā Gōu's affairs become the business of outsiders?
If these two hadn't suddenly jumped out, they could have resolved it amongst themselves!
"You know it will sound bad?"
Xia Dèyào pointed at Lin Fán, "This is the brother-in-law of Elder Xiàngqián's family... the younger brother, his name is Lin Fán, Xia Xuě's brother-in-law."
He then pointed at Chén Zhìmíng, "This is the manager of the Huáshāng District of the Liánhuā Chain Supermarket Group."
"The toon shoots from our village were found by Lin Fán through his connections, and that's why they came to this poor mountain village."
"It's also thanks to Lin Fán's connections that Manager Chen offered a high price that you could only dream of."
Xia Dèyào scanned the surrounding villagers and shouted loudly, "Who can guarantee that they will buy the village's toon shoots at forty-eight yuan a pound, and I will support you."
"Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it!"
Xia Dèyào asked with a stern face, one by one, "Who will buy it? You? Or you?"
Whoever he asked, they immediately turned their heads away.