Chapter 7: Getting Knocked on the Head

Jing Xi waited in the kitchen for Aunt Liu for more than ten minutes, but she still hadn’t returned.

She had already drunk two bowls of rice soup.

Thinking about the glistening, oily braised pork in the pot, she couldn’t help but feel that every second was dragging on unbearably.

Just when she couldn’t resist the temptation and was about to sneak a bite, someone she hadn’t expected walked into the kitchen.

Zhang Qiang.

Seeing Zhang Qiang sneakily appear at the kitchen door took Jing Xi by surprise.

Her expression immediately turned cold. What was this man looking for her for? Wasn’t the embarrassment from the other day enough?

“Uh, Xiao Jing, I… I just wanted to say a few words to you. Is that okay?”

Jing Xi remained seated on the stool without moving, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two unburned logs next to the stove, each about forty or fifty centimeters long and quite thick—just right for her to wield.

She weighed the strength of this body. It was still a bit weak, not very powerful, and had suffered from malnutrition before. Fortunately, the spring water had nourished her for a while, so she wasn’t as frail anymore. But fighting a man, especially one who had been doing farm work for years, was still a tough challenge.

“Say whatever you have to say directly.”

Zhang Qiang looked around hesitantly before stepping into the doorway.

When Jing Xi saw him enter, she immediately grabbed a log, stood up, and took two steps back.

“Say it from the doorway. Don’t come any closer.”

Zhang Qiang ignored her and stopped about a meter away.

As he got closer, Jing Xi finally noticed that he had been drinking.

But no one had been drinking in the front hall earlier, had they?

“Uh, Xiao Jing, about that day… I was in the wrong. Can we make peace? I still have work at my place that I need your help with. Don’t be so cold to me. Do we really have to act like enemies when we see each other?”

Jing Xi was utterly shocked. Either this man had been hit on the head by a meteorite, or the brick she threw at him last night had damaged his already deficient brain.

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Uncle Zhang, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by ‘making peace’? What is there between us to make peace about? You’re over forty—how can you still speak without thinking?”

Zhang Qiang didn’t get angry. He reeked of alcohol, making Jing Xi feel nauseated.

“Xiao Jing, I… I truly like you.”

“Age is not a problem. As long as we’re careful, no one will know.”

“If you agree to be with me, I’ll rent a place for you in town. You can have a child for me. I’ll give you fifty yuan every month to buy food and meat. You won’t have to worry about making a living.”

“I know I’m a little older, but everything still works fine… I should be able to satisfy you.”

“Other than marriage, I can give you anything you want. Think about it—would you rather live alone in the village, struggling, or be with me, eating well and living comfortably without doing hard labor?”

As Zhang Qiang spoke, his words became increasingly outrageous.

What kind of nonsense was this?

He really had the audacity! A man in his forties, pestering a seventeen-year-old girl like this!

And with so many people still in the front hall—had he lost all reason just because he drank a little liquor?

Hearing footsteps approaching outside, Jing Xi sneered to herself and deliberately raised her voice, “I used to call you Uncle Zhang, but now I see you for what you are—a scoundrel! I’m warning you, shut your mouth! I will never be your concubine! Get out of here right now, or I’ll scream for help! You won’t ruin my reputation! I’d rather die right here than become your little wife!”

Zhang Qiang saw Jing Xi clutching the log, looking all delicate and pitiful, and was instantly reminded of the feeling of pressing her down on the kang bed the other day.

Although he hadn’t succeeded that time, he still longed to experience that sensation again.

Losing all rationality, Zhang Qiang lunged forward, grabbing Jing Xi’s wrist and stretching his neck to kiss her.

Hearing the footsteps quicken outside, Jing Xi knew the time was right.

She let out a cold laugh, forcefully pushed Zhang Qiang away, and ‘accidentally’ undid two buttons of her blouse. Then, as fast as lightning, she swung the log straight at his forehead.

Zhang Qiang cursed loudly, his expression changing. He hadn’t noticed that someone had entered behind him. He growled in a low voice, “You little bitch, you refuse a toast but take a forfeit? You think I haven’t touched you because I’m scared? Just wait! Once I’m done with my work today, I’ll make sure you regret this!”

At that moment, Aunt Liu stepped into the room and saw Zhang Qiang attempting to assault Jing Xi.

She also saw Jing Xi struggling before ‘accidentally’ using the log to hit Zhang Qiang in self-defense. Meanwhile, Zhang Qiang continued spouting nonsense, even threatening Xiao Jing!

“Aiya! Lao Zhang, what the hell are you doing? Didn’t you say you were going to the restroom? Everyone in the front hall has been waiting for you! And here you are, bullying Xiao Jing!”

Aunt Liu shoved Zhang Qiang aside and rushed into the kitchen to embrace the sobbing Jing Xi.

Jing Xi buried her face in Aunt Liu’s shoulder, crying dramatically with snot and tears. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the small pot, thinking: When am I finally going to eat that braised pork?

Zhang Qiang panicked when he saw someone had come in.

On top of that, his head was throbbing from where Jing Xi had hit him. He even felt a little dizzy.

After a few seconds, he slapped his forehead and tried to slip away, but the moment he stepped out, several people blocked his path.

“What’s going on here? We haven’t seen you for a while, and now your head is bleeding?” Xie Aiguo asked.

No one answered, but the group quickly took in the scene—Aunt Liu holding a sobbing Jing Xi, while Zhang Qiang stood there red-faced, looking guilty as hell. They instantly understood most of what had happened.

“What happened, Aunt Liu? Tell us exactly what’s going on!”

Aunt Liu sighed, shot Zhang Qiang a scornful look, and then explained to Xie Aiguo and Wu Jun everything she had just witnessed.

Jing Xi, hearing this, started struggling in Aunt Liu’s arms, dramatically crying, and then lunging towards the wall as if to bash her head in.

She even reached for a kitchen knife, wailing, “I don’t want to live anymore! I don’t want to live!”

Aunt Liu comforted Jing Xi with all her might before Jing Xi finally calmed down a little.

Zhang Qiang still wanted to argue, but this time, there was a witness, and he had no way to talk his way out of it.

After hearing Aunt Liu’s account, Xie Aiguo’s expression grew even darker.

Pointing at Zhang Qiang, he hesitated because the Long family was still in the front hall. “Zhang! What the hell are you doing? What kind of mess have you created this time? The Long family is still here, the goods haven’t even been received yet, and now you’re stirring up trouble again!”

Wu Jun and a few others shot Zhang Qiang a sharp look.

Drinking a little alcohol and completely losing his sense of judgment—did he even know what was important and what wasn’t?

The first time he slandered Jing Xi, the villagers had let it go because there was no concrete evidence and no direct harm. Besides, they were at a crucial stage of receiving goods, so they had only given him a stern talking-to, asking him and his wife to keep a low profile.

But this time, the Long family was right in the front hall, inside the village committee building, and Zhang Qiang, drunk again, had caused another scandal. Wasn’t this a direct slap in the face of the entire village?

Jing Xi cried even louder.

Aunt Liu hugged her tightly, trying her best to comfort her while scolding Zhang Qiang in between.

Jing Xi hadn’t expected Aunt Liu to stand up for her so fiercely.

She had never spoken much with Aunt Liu before. In fact, she rarely spoke to anyone, so she hadn’t expected Aunt Liu to be so warm-hearted.

Listening to Aunt Liu curse at Zhang Qiang, Jing Xi found that her frustration over missing out on the braised pork eased a little.

“Zhang, you really are shameless! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, who knows how you would’ve framed Xiaojing again? We worked hard for hours, cooking and preparing meals to welcome important guests, and we haven’t even had a single bite of warm food yet. But you? You’re full and satisfied, and the first thing you do is come and bully Xiaojing!”

Zhang Qiang felt utterly humiliated, but as one of the wealthiest people in the village, he had a thick enough skin to endure it. “I was drunk, don’t take it seriously. I mistook her for my wife, Cuihua!”

“Pah! Mistook her for someone else? Cuihua is your concubine now? Who are you trying to fool?”

Aunt Liu refused to back down, but everyone was still mindful of the guests in the front hall.

In the end, it was Xie Aiguo who spoke up. “Wu Jun, take Zhang and Lao Li to his house. Get the goods ready for inspection, and while you’re at it, treat his damn head injury. I’ll bring the guests over in a bit.”

Then he turned to Jing Xi. “Xiaojing, I know you were here to help cook. That was my oversight. But let’s handle the transaction first—this is a big deal for the village, and we can’t afford any delays. Once we’ve sent off our guests, we’ll shut the doors and properly deal with today’s incident. By then, you can bring up any request you have.”

Jing Xi looked at Xie Aiguo and, from his tone alone, she could tell—he didn’t take this matter seriously at all.

Fine. She would remember this.

“No! Why should I be the one to suffer injustice every time? This has happened more than once! I earn my money through honest work. I’ve never provoked anyone, yet just because I’m an orphan, I keep getting bullied?”

“This must be resolved today! If the village won’t handle it, I’ll make a scene! I’ll call the police, report it to the authorities! And if that doesn’t work, I’ll hang myself to demand justice! I refuse to believe there’s no law left in this world!”

“Why should I have to swallow my anger? I’m the one being bullied! Think about it, elders—if it were your daughters, your family members suffering this, would you still say the same thing?”

Jing Xi’s accusations left everyone standing at the door in silence, their faces turning grim.

She let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Since no one is saying anything, I understand!”

Breaking free from Aunt Liu’s embrace, she headed straight for the door.

Xie Aiguo saw her leaving and panicked. If she actually called the police or caused a scene in the front hall, things would get out of control. He quickly reached out to stop her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Xiaojing, how about this? The village will allocate a plot of land for you as compensation!”