Chapter 7

It was unclear whether the mountain god had manifested, but the detoxification medicine in Qingxi Village was indeed effective. The commune secretary, with subtle hints, wanted the detoxification medicine, but Yang Guozhu pretended not to understand and did not agree.

In the end, it was Zhou Baohe who privately discussed with Yang Guozhu. To avoid offending the leader, Zhou suggested giving him four pills.

The commune secretary didn’t leave empty-handed either; he kept a chunk of money and a few ration coupons from his pocket, considering it as his purchase.

After the secretary left, Yang Guozhu snorted coldly. He wasn’t interested in such petty change; his detoxification medicine was priceless, even with money.

Zhou Baohe said, “Stop snorting. You’re not a pig. Don’t talk about this outside, especially with the rumors flying. We don’t need any more trouble.”

“What about the group that came today?”

“Don’t worry. They were so scared they wouldn’t dare come again. I’d respect them as men if they did. Besides, the secretary is backing us. It won’t cause any trouble.”

Zhou Baohe was an eyewitness to the incident. Even someone as bold as him had been frightened into silence, let alone those young students who had barely matured.

As for the report, it had come from their own people. That had to be cleared up.

Everyone was shaken, and with no appetite to cook at midday, Yang Guozhu gathered a few people from Qingxi Village who could speak up. They all agreed that something had to be done about this situation.

“Go ask around. Who’s been away from the village these days?”

“I also want to know. That son of a bitch eats and doesn’t say a word, then comes back and smashes the pot. Qingxi Village won’t tolerate such scum!”

Qingxi Village wasn’t large, and apart from Gu Sui, who had taken a special leave to leave when he first arrived, no one else had asked Yang Guozhu for leave.

As for those who had gone out after finishing work, Li Da was the first to defend himself: “I just went to Wanjia Brigade to deliver some summer medicine to my grandmother’s house. That was a long time ago, it has nothing to do with me. Guan Yue saved me, so I’m not that heartless.”

The people of Qingxi Village were old acquaintances, so they helped each other vouch for one another. Everyone denied any involvement, but who could it have been?

A young man muttered, “We were all fine before, so why did things go wrong as soon as the Educated Youth arrived?”

Fang Jie became upset. “Do you have any proof that it was us who reported it? If not, then shut up.”

“It’s obviously you! You’ve only been here a month, and our village is already in trouble. You’re the ones who’ve ruined the feng shui of Qingxi Village!”

“That’s feudal superstition! I’m going to report you!”

“Look, look, it must be her who reported it. We rural people don’t have so many tricks up our sleeves!”

The argument escalated, and things started to get more chaotic. Wang Lu intervened and stopped Fang Jie. “Alright, why are you bickering with a kid?”

“Hmph, I don’t think it’s just a matter of bickering!” a girl from the village sneered.

Fang Jie had only been in the village for a short time, but she was known for stirring up trouble with her provocative words. She was a city person and often looked down on the villagers, which earned her a lot of dislike from the locals.

Fang Jie glared at the girl. “Say that again if you dare!”

The tension was rising, and it looked like a fight might break out. Yang Guozhu stepped in to control the situation. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it. Once the county finds the person who reported it, they won’t be able to escape. I hope you’ll admit your mistake soon. We’re not refusing to give you a chance to correct it.”

Yang Guozhu looked around. Some people had their heads lowered, some met his gaze, while others whispered to each other. Yet, no one was willing to admit anything.

It seemed that they wouldn’t get to the bottom of this today and would have to continue the investigation.

After the meeting broke up, Gu Sui went up the mountain to find Guan Yue. The gate of the courtyard was tightly shut. Gou Sheng’er, who was locked inside, heard some movement outside and let out a howl.

Gu Sui climbed over the wall, crouched down, and petted Gou Sheng’er’s head. “Where’s your Master?”

Gou Sheng’er had become quite familiar with Gu Sui. Upon realizing he wasn’t her Master, she gave him a brief glance with her black, bean-like eyes before slowly returning to her doghouse under the eaves.

The kitchen door was left open, and everything inside still looked the same as it had when Gu Sui left earlier that morning. The vegetables, half-cut, were still on the chopping board.

The main room, however, was missing a few bags of dried herbs.

At this moment, Guan Yue had already boarded the bus to the county. She was still wearing a dusty gray long-sleeved shirt and pants, the only highlight being that her clothes had no patches on them.

She wore a similarly inconspicuous sunhat, and when she lowered her head, the brim of the hat covered the upper half of her face, with her hair hanging down on both sides of her head. Only her chin was visible on her otherwise pretty face.

Upon arriving in the county, Guan Yue made her way to the South City, familiar with the route. In the South City, there was a street lined with herbal medicine vendors. In the past, the street was bustling with medicine sellers and herb gatherers, but now, there was only a lonely state-run herbal medicine company left.

Guan Yue didn’t go to the herbal medicine company. Instead, she turned into an alley behind the company and climbed over the wall into a courtyard.

The courtyard, which had always been neatly arranged during her past visits, was in disarray today. There was a large hole in the middle of a sieve used to dry herbs, which had been discarded on the ground without anyone bothering to clean it up.

Guan Yue frowned, put down the herbs she had on her back, and stood there for a moment. Hearing some noise coming from the back yard, she quickly walked in.

“Uncle Cai!”

Cai Guofu was leaning against the wall with his right hand, coughing violently.

When he saw Guan Yue, he took a deep breath and said, “You’ve come.”

Guan Yue helped him sit down. “What happened? Did someone hold a grudge and come after you?”

Cai Guofu waved his hand. “It’s just a few small-time thugs. The situation outside is a bit chaotic right now, and they’re trying to take advantage of it for some gain.”

Cai Guofu’s ancestors had been medicine merchants. After the founding of the country, he donated the family business and was left with this courtyard, where he lived with six or seven family members. The government didn’t leave him idle either, directly recruiting him to work at the herbal medicine company, where he managed the herb procurement in the area.

Guan Yue and Teacher Xu Hua’an had become acquainted with Cai Guofu years ago through herbs, and they had known each other for decades. When Guan Yue was in Qingxi Village, she would often come to Cai Guofu to sell herbs or ask him to help find good quality ones.

As Guan Yue visited more often with Teacher Xu, she gradually became familiar with Cai Guofu.

Cai Guofu’s throat itched, and despite trying to suppress it, he suddenly erupted into a fit of violent coughing.

His wife, whom Guan Yue called Aunt Cai, brought out a bowl of herbal soup from the kitchen. “Old man, the medicine’s ready. You can drink it now.”

After Cai Guofu drank the medicine, Guan Yue told him to go lie down in the room. She rubbed her hands together and began to massage him. Some subtle energy flowed through her fingertips as she massaged the pressure points on his head, and Cai Guofu let out a comfortable sigh.

“Your skill is much better than your teacher’s,” he commented.

Guan Yue smiled but didn’t say anything.

She continued massaging him for another ten minutes, and when Cai Guofu waved his hand, she finally stopped.

Aunt Cai brought a basin of water over. “Child, you’ve worked hard. Come, wash your hands.”

“Thank you. What about Big Brother and the others?”

Aunt Cai sighed. “It’s been a bit unsettled recently, and I’m worried about scaring the children. Since it’s summer vacation, I had your Big Brother take your Sister-in-law and the nieces and nephews back to her family’s place for a while. Your Big Brother will be back tonight.”

Guan Yue nodded, but at that moment, a loud crash echoed as the courtyard door was violently shoved open.

Aunt Cai stamped her foot. “Damn it, they’re here again!”

Guan Yue started to step outside, but Aunt Cai stopped her. “Go back to your room and hide.”

Guan Yue gently but firmly pushed Aunt Cai aside. “I’ll go see.”

“Oh, Old Cai, you have such a beautiful granddaughter?” Lei Fugui, the notorious bully, grinned maliciously when he saw Guan Yue.

Guan Yue had no time for small talk. Without needing any weapon, she stepped forward and landed a heavy punch straight on Lei Fugui. The punch was hard and strong, and Lei Fugui struggled on the ground for a long time before he could even get back up.

Seeing this, Lei Fugui’s lackeys didn’t dare underestimate Guan Yue. They immediately grabbed bricks and rushed toward her. Guan Yue kicked each one down without thinking about any fancy moves.

The gate of the Cai family courtyard had been thrown open, and the sound of crashing filled the air. Bold onlookers began to secretly gather around the courtyard.

Originally, some had thought of helping if Lei Fugui had gone too far, but they never expected this outcome. Lei Fugui and his lackeys were all knocked down.

The onlookers clenched their fists. Well done!

Guan Yue turned her neck and walked toward Lei Fugui, whose face was flushed red from the force of the punch. He struggled, trying to back away.

But Guan Yue didn’t give him the chance. She placed her foot firmly on his shoulder, and with a loud crack, Lei Fugui screamed in pain as his arm went limp and motionless.

“My hand, it’s broken! It’s broken!”

There was another loud crack as her foot struck again, and his other hand was broken too.

Guan Yue remained expressionless as she disabled Lei Fugui’s hands. She spoke coldly, “Next, do you want to lose your left leg or your right leg?”

Lei Fugui, unsure whether it was pain or fear, broke into a cold sweat, his whole body trembling. “Auntie, I’m sorry, I won’t dare again!”

Guan Yue didn’t listen to his pleading. She proceeded to break his left leg.

At this point, it wasn’t just Lei Fugui and his lackeys who were shocked, but also the onlookers who widened their eyes in fear. This girl was ruthless with her words and even more so with her actions!

Cai Guofu, still coughing and leaning on his cane, came out and waved toward Guan Yue. “You’re a young lady; stop shouting and fighting like this. It won’t be good for your reputation in the future.”

Guan Yue briefly turned her gaze away from Lei Fugui and temporarily spared him. Lei Fugui, his face pale, forced a weak smile. “Old Cai is right, Old Cai is right.”

Guan Yue glanced back at him, and Lei Fugui smiled ingratiatingly at her. His limbs were useless, and the pain was unbearable, but he didn’t dare faint—he was terrified that this merciless killer might end his life.

Lei Fugui knew that those who were as ruthless as Guan Yue would stop at nothing. Now, he kept calling her “Auntie” and “Little Ancestor”—whatever she wanted—begging for her to spare him and promising never to do evil again.

Guan Yue casually said, “Scram!”

Lei Fugui’s face stiffened. Could he even move? Would he dare to move? His joints were dislocated, and with his injuries, he would become a cripple in the future!

With a look from Lei Fugui, his lackeys all dropped to their knees, begging Guan Yue for mercy.

She didn’t kill this scoundrel only because the law didn’t permit it. Guan Yue twisted his joints, causing a series of cracking sounds that made everyone in the yard too scared to speak.

In the end, it was Cai Guofu who took action, putting Lei Fugui’s dislocated limbs back in place. Even after his arm was reset, it still didn’t move properly. Lei Fugui, ignoring his pain, immediately knelt in front of Cai Guofu, kowtowing to confess his wrongdoings, all while sneaking glances at Guan Yue’s expression.

Guan Yue turned to Cai Guofu. “Uncle Cai, what do you think we should do? If you have any concerns… I have ways to ensure you won’t get involved.”

Lei Fugui was terrified, his body trembling. What kind of veiled threat was this? Was she going to kill him?

Tears and snot streamed down Lei Fugui’s face as he collapsed to the ground, hugging Cai Guofu’s legs and crying. “Grandpa Cai, I only wanted to take a little advantage. I don’t deserve to die! I damaged your property, I’ll pay you back double, how about that? Please spare me, after all, you’ve watched me grow up, we have some old ties…”

Cai Guofu glanced at the neighbors standing at the door. “You didn’t just break our things, you know.”

“I’ll pay, I’ll pay! I, Lei Fugui, am no better than an animal. Please give me a chance to make things right!” Lei Fugui pleaded desperately.

Someone from outside muttered, “Serves you right.” Lei Fugui, looking pitiful, turned his gaze toward Guan Yue.

Guan Yue frowned. “The things that need to be compensated, you’ll pay for. From now on, you’ll be in charge of this street. If anyone dares to cause trouble again, you’ll handle them for me. The next time I come, if anything happens to Uncle Cai or his family, you know the consequences. Don’t even think about running or finding someone to suppress me, no matter what, I have the means to deal with you.”

She looked like an angel, but when she acted, she was more terrifying than a demon! Lei Fugui, in a panic, nodded repeatedly. “Auntie, you’re right! You’re absolutely right!”