The parents finally calmed down and began checking their children for injuries. The kids were all covered in dirt and bruises, and by the time the brigade leader rushed over, the fighting had stopped. However, the chaotic scene and the disheveled crowd made it clear what had happened.
The brigade leader’s expression darkened as he scanned everyone with a sharp glare, hands behind his back.
“What is this? You all have too much time on your hands, huh? Lin Zhen just got back, and his leg hasn’t even healed properly. And now you’re here stirring up trouble? What, you’re trying to make sure he never recovers?”
Liu Guifen, feeling aggrieved, spoke up immediately.
“We came here to find Heidan. He beat my son Dahu!”
The brigade leader snorted. “And this is how you resolve it? Charging into someone’s home and starting a brawl? Good! Tomorrow, all of you can go shovel manure as punishment!”
Liu Guifen shuddered. Shoveling manure was the brigade leader’s go-to punishment-exhausting, smelly, and barely worth any work points.
“It wasn’t us! They started it first!” she retorted.
“Don’t you dare lie! It was your son, Da Hu, who hit our kid first!” another villager yelled. “Brigade leader, you’ve got to do something about their family. If their kid is this bad now, imagine what kind of trouble he’ll cause when he grows up! He’s already bullying others and stealing things. He’ll probably end up a thief!”
“Don’t you dare slander my family!”
The sharp voice didn’t belong to Liu Guifen but to old lady Niu, who had rushed over with her son after hearing her grandson was hurt. Her sharp, piercing eyes glared at the villager who had spoken, and she started cursing loudly.
“My grandson is destined for greatness! If his luck is ruined because of your nonsense, you’ll pay for it!”
She turned to Liu Guifen, who eagerly pointed at Heidan.
“Mom, it was Heidan who led the group and beat Dahu.”
Old lady Niu immediately focused her fierce gaze on Heidan.
With her menacing eyes and aggressive posture, she looked terrifying-like a ghost straight out of a nightmare.
But even a ghost wouldn’t scare Lin Zhen and Song Wei.
“So, it’s you, you little curse! I knew nothing good would come of you!” Old lady Niu spat. “What’s this? Are you protecting him? Want to fight me? Come on! Hit me if you dare! Let everyone see how you bully an old woman!”
She then turned to Song Wei, her eyes narrowing. “And you, you shameless wench, always defending Heidan. What, are you and Lin Zhen already shacking up?”
Her son, Wang Shu, stood behind her, glaring at Lin Zhen as if ready to fight him.
Lin Zhen met his gaze calmly with cold, dark eyes.
Before anyone could react, Lin Zhen suddenly moved.
His fist shot out, landing squarely on Wang Shu’s face.
With a loud thud, Wang Shu was knocked to the ground, dazed and unable to get up.
Old lady Niu and Liu Guifen screamed in unison.
“My son!”
“Wang Shu!”
Lin Zhen, standing tall on one leg, didn’t even flinch. His punch seemed to have cost him no effort at all.
“Uncle Wang, you’ve come at the right time,” Lin Zhen said, his tone calm. “Your son hit my brother. As an adult, it wouldn’t be fair for me to hit a child. So let’s settle this the adult way.”
Old lady Niu erupted into a frenzy of curses, trying to lunge at Lin Zhen, but Song Wei stepped in.
“Go get some rope, Heidan,” Song Wei said to the boy.
When Heidan returned with the rope, she swiftly tied old lady Niu to the peach tree in the courtyard.
“Don’t worry, Granny Niu,” Song Wei said sweetly as she worked. “You saw how hard Lin Zhen can punch. If you hurt yourself in a scuffle, it wouldn’t be good, would it? My rope-tying skills are top-notch, so I guarantee you won’t get hurt.”
Old lady Niu screamed and cursed, struggling furiously, but Song Wei’s grip was firm and her technique flawless. In no time, old lady Niu was securely tied, unable to thrash or fall.
The onlookers were stunned.
“…Can you really do that?” someone murmured.
Even the brigade leader was dumbfounded, watching the scene unfold in silence.
Lin Zhen, unbothered by the old woman’s filthy language, chose not to retaliate. As a man, he didn’t stoop to bickering with elderly women.
Instead, he grabbed Wang Shu by the collar and hauled him up.
“Uncle Wang, let’s settle this like men,” Lin Zhen said. “You’ve got no problem with that, right? Don’t worry, I won’t bully you. Sure, I was a soldier, but I’m down a leg now-if anything, you’ve got the advantage.”
Wang Shu, his face still stinging from the punch, looked incredibly uncomfortable. With so many people watching, and his mother tied to a tree, he couldn’t back down without losing face.
The brigade leader took a puff, debating whether to intervene. But then he shrugged.
This was how conflicts had always been resolved in the Village. If families had disputes, the men would fight it out. Once the fight was over, the matter would be settled.
And Lin Zhen didn’t seem like the type to take no for an answer.
The crowd began to cheer.
“Fight! A real man wouldn’t back down!”
“Wang Shu, what’s there to fear? Lin Zhen is giving you a handicap!”
Wang Shu threw off his jacket, his expression hardening.
“This is what you wanted. Don’t blame me if something happens!”
Lin Zhen shrugged off his own jacket, revealing a plain undershirt.
Despite the simple and modest clothing, his muscular frame was striking. His broad shoulders, defined arms, and faintly visible abs made him look powerful and imposing.
The women in the crowd stared wide-eyed, particularly the young women, who pretended to look away shyly but kept sneaking glances through their fingers.
Song Wei rolled her eyes. “You might as well put your hands down.”
Without further ado, Lin Zhen and Wang Shu began to fight.
Despite being down one leg, Lin Zhen moved with the precision and speed of a seasoned soldier. Meanwhile, Wang Shu, though uninjured, was clearly outmatched.
Heidan clung nervously to Song Wei’s sleeve, but she reassured him with a pat on the head.
“Don’t worry. Your brother won’t lose.”
Lin Zhen effortlessly blocked Wang Shu’s punch, twisting his arm and forcing a cry of pain.
Before anyone could react, Lin Zhen’s fist connected with Wang Shu’s torso, eliciting a blood-curdling scream.
The courtyard fell silent, save for Wang Shu’s cries of agony.
The spectators were dumbstruck.
This… why was this different from what they expected?
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