Chapter 58: Pan Xiazi’s Provocation, Zhou Sinian Strikes!

As dawn broke, Liu Guoqiang instructed everyone to extinguish their torches. The group quickened their pace, eager to press forward.

On the way, they encountered another group of people coming from a side path. Judging by their attire, they were also heading to work on the reservoir.

“Aiya, Accountant Liu! So you’re leading the team this year? What’s wrong? Is Captain Liu too weak to get out of bed?”

As soon as the words were spoken, laughter erupted from the other group.

The speaker was an old man with a tobacco pipe tucked at his waist. Deep wrinkles lined his forehead, and his voice carried a sharp, mocking tone, giving him the air of an elderly troublemaker.

It was none other than Pan Xiazi, the captain of Shangwan Village.

In truth, he was actually younger than Liu Dazhu. He had just turned forty-five this year, not yet fifty, but his face made him look much older.

Liu Guoqiang chuckled good-naturedly and looked at him. “Captain Pan, our captain is doing just fine. He simply believes in giving the younger generation a chance to gain experience, so he let me come out and train a bit. I wonder, Captain Pan, who did you bring out this time?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, Pan Xiazi’s expression darkened.

He was a man full of petty schemes, skilled at maneuvering his way through the commune’s politics, and in some ways, he was even more well-connected than Liu Dazhu.

However, despite being middle-aged, he still had no sons—only a string of daughters.

He did have several nephews, but he still clung to the idea of passing his position down to his own son. Since he wasn’t old yet, he made sure to suppress the younger generation in his village, rarely giving them opportunities, not even his own nephews. This earned him the nickname “Old Pan the Miser,” because he only took and never gave.

“Enough of your yapping, kid. Just mind your own business and stop poking around in others’ affairs!” Pan Xiazi snapped.

Then, without waiting for a response, he waved for his village’s cart to come over. At the same time, he reached out and grabbed hold of Liujiawan’s cart.

“Kid, you should respect the elderly and care for the young, got it? Let this old man go first!”

Liu Guoqiang was furious, but Pan Xiazi was notorious for being a scoundrel—he could stir up trouble even when he had no reason to. The entire Shangwan Village followed his lead in such behavior.

If they forcibly dragged Pan Xiazi away, a fight between the two villages would be inevitable today.

But if they simply let him pass, it would make Liujiawan look weak and spineless.

For a moment, the situation became deadlocked. The two horse-drawn carts blocked the road completely, preventing anyone from moving forward.

Liu Laosan, seething with anger, climbed onto the shaft of the cart and started hurling curses at Pan Xiazi. Given his seniority, Pan Xiazi dared not talk back.

However, Pan Xiazi had always been shameless. Instead of getting angry, he simply grinned at Liu Laosan, thoroughly enjoying the scolding. This infuriated Liujiawan’s most notorious troublemaker to the point of almost passing out, while Pan Xiazi remained completely unfazed—his face didn’t even flush.

At the back of the Liujiawan crowd, Ming Dai tiptoed curiously, trying to see what was happening. All she could hear was the chaotic shouting ahead, but she had no idea what was going on.

Zhou Sinian, at first, didn’t react at all. He was just staring absentmindedly at his empty pockets.

But as time passed and the commotion grew louder, his patience started wearing thin.

When he saw Ming Dai stretching her neck and tiptoeing in vain, unable to see a thing, his irritation deepened.

Without a word, he reached out, slid his hands under her arms, and effortlessly lifted her—basket and all—over his head. Then, using her as a battering ram, he charged forward, pushing through the crowd.

Ming Dai was caught off guard. Suddenly, she had a clear view of a sea of different hairstyles and heads beneath her.

A public humiliation on a massive scale!

Panicking, she pleaded with Zhou Sinian, “Zhou Sinian, Brother Zhou! Please put me down! I don’t want to see anymore!”

Zhou Sinian completely ignored her. Instead, he seemed to treat her as a tool for clearing obstacles, continuing to push his way forward.

Ming (the human battering ram) Dai: I have some very strong words for you, and I’d really like to say them!

At first, the people being shoved aside were furious. But before they could turn around to curse, they saw the madman charging forward while holding Xiao Ming—the educated youth—above his head.

Terrified, they immediately shrank back and swallowed the insults they were about to spit out.

With Ming Dai as a human bowling ball, Zhou Sinian quickly reached the horse-drawn carts.

The people arguing hadn’t noticed their strange posture, but those around them did—and immediately stepped aside.

On the other side, the Shangwan Village folks saw a tall figure in a red headscarf carrying a smaller figure in a green one. They were curious.

Who was this woman? Why was she so tall?

But the moment the “woman in the red headscarf” put down the “girl in the green headscarf,” they finally saw clearly—this wasn’t a woman at all!

It was none other than Zhou Sinian, that living nightmare!

The painful memories of past beatings surged back, and everyone near the carts scrambled away, clearing the area at lightning speed.

Even the horses of Shangwan Village sensed the danger. Their legs trembled as they nervously backed away.

Before Ming Dai could see what was happening, a flash of red streaked before her eyes. Then came a crisp—“Pa! Pa! Pa!”—a rhythmically satisfying series of smacks.

It actually had a nice beat to it.

Focusing her gaze, she saw Zhou Sinian gripping an old man, his large, iron-like palm “affectionately” slapping the man’s deeply wrinkled face.

Within moments, Pan Xiazi’s dry, gaunt face swelled up, turning red and shiny.

Alarmed, Ming Dai rushed forward. Amid a collective gasp from the onlookers, she grabbed Zhou Sinian’s hand just as he was about to continue his “drumming.” With her other hand, she swiftly fished out a piece of pine nut candy. The moment Zhou Sinian turned his bloodshot eyes toward her, she stuffed it into his mouth.

Zhou Sinian’s fierce gaze flickered with confusion for a moment before gradually clearing. As he chewed on the candy, he finally loosened his grip.

With a dull thud, Pan Xiazi collapsed face-first onto the ground.

Ming Dai pressed and massaged an acupoint on Zhou Sinian’s left hand before pretending to pull a small cloth pouch from her pocket and handing it to him.

Zhou Sinian lowered his head and sniffed it. Once he confirmed it was pine nut candy, he reached out, took the pouch, opened it with one hand, and popped a piece into his mouth.

His body gradually relaxed. Following Ming Dai’s lead, he moved slowly toward the side of the road, matching her pace.

Once they were away from the crowd, Ming Dai let out a quiet sigh of relief and discreetly tucked away the golden needle hidden between her fingers.

After making sure Zhou Sinian had regained his composure, she glanced at Pan Xiazi, who had been helped to his feet.

His face was covered in fresh wounds from his fall, yet he didn’t dare utter a single complaint. He let himself be escorted to the cart without a word.

Now that the tension had dissipated, no one seemed eager to fight over the road anymore. Liu Guoqiang gave a few low-voiced instructions, and Liu Laosan drove the first cart forward.

Soon, the Liujiawan team was on the move again. Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian still walked at the very back, with Huang Dalian just ahead of them.

Even after they had traveled a considerable distance, there was no sign of the Shangwan Village people catching up. It seemed they were thoroughly intimidated by Zhou Sinian.

Though no one knew exactly what had happened, whatever it was that pushed Zhou Sinian to such a level of rage clearly wasn’t a small matter.

Besides, the Shangwan Village group seemed guilty about something. Otherwise, knowing Pan Xiazi’s character, even if he didn’t dare to retaliate against Zhou Sinian directly, he would have at least tried to shift the blame onto the Liujiawan people.

Yet, even by the time they reached the reservoir construction site, there was still no trace of the Shangwan Village team.

Shaking her head, Ming Dai decided not to dwell on them any longer. Instead, she carefully observed Zhou Sinian’s condition. Seeing that he was curiously watching the large crowd tamping down the earth along the reservoir’s edge without showing any signs of agitation, she finally felt relieved.

Not far away, Huang Dalian lingered hesitantly. Ming Dai waved her over.

Huang Dalian hesitated, cautiously making her way toward Ming Dai. She deliberately took a wide detour around Zhou Sinian, keeping a good eight-zhang distance from him before daring to come closer.

“Aiya! Xiao Ming, you scared me to death! You little troublemaker, how can you be so bold? Weren’t you afraid that lun— that he would slap you?!”

Ming Dai’s heart nearly skipped a beat but quickly composed herself. “Sister Dalian, I’m fine, aren’t I? I’ve been treating him for a while now and understand his condition well. I know how to handle him without triggering anything.”

Huang Dalian still looked uneasy as she glanced at the tall figure in front of them. The fear in her eyes hadn’t completely faded.

“T-then… he won’t hit me, will he?!”

Ming Dai shook her head. “As long as you don’t try to snatch his food, I guarantee he won’t lay a finger on you!”

Huang Dalian frantically shook her head. “No, no, I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”

After a little more reassurance from Ming Dai, she gradually became more comfortable with Zhou Sinian’s presence.

With a sigh of relief, Ming Dai knew it was time to get to work.