Chapter 21

Qin Qingman handled the trouble brought by Zhu Laoda and the others without letting Qian Xiangyang get involved, and even the female director, Zheng Guihua, whom Liu Sangunzi had invited, didn’t have a chance to intervene.

It seemed that their presence was merely to act as witnesses for both sides.

Seeing that the matter was settled and Qin Qingman hadn’t gone overboard, Qian Xiangyang didn’t say anything further.

Inside the room, those who had planned to go out and apologize to Qin Qingman stopped in their tracks. They felt that the matter should end here, and since it was over, there was no need for them to go out and apologize.

Among the crowd, some were from the same village, while others were from different villages. If they truly bowed their heads and submitted in front of Qin Qingman, their whispers would certainly spread to all the neighboring villages.

“Xiang, do you think we really need to go out?” Yao Chunying couldn’t hold back and asked Qin Xiang.

Qin Xiang also looked conflicted. She wasn’t sure what Qin Qingman intended, but she had a gut feeling that Qin Qingman wouldn’t let them off so easily.

Thinking back on all the schemes they had plotted against Qin Qingman, it seemed that none of them were worth being easily forgiven.

“Ah Xiang, what should we do?” Li Meina asked, also feeling lost.

“To be honest, there’s no need to apologize. As the saying goes, ‘family matters should not be aired outside.’ That girl Qingman won’t really tear her relationship with us apart. After all, we’re family—two Qin characters can’t be written differently.” Zhu Hongxia said confidently.

Qin Xiang glanced at Zhu Hongxia, who was unable to move on the kang, and replied helplessly, “Don’t talk nonsense. We’ve suffered enough under that girl’s hand. I didn’t realize it at first, but now I get it. That girl is the type to settle scores with anyone.”

The room fell silent at Qin Xiang’s words.

Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Qin Zhenzhu and the other younger generation shrank back, trying to lower their presence. In their house, they had no voice, so they stayed quiet, as sometimes when adults were angry, it didn’t necessarily mean the younger ones had done something wrong.

While Zhu Hongxia and the others were uneasy inside, Qin Qingman had not forgotten them.

Just then, she saw Qian Xiangyang hurrying over, and directly addressed him in front of everyone, “Comrade Director, you’ve arrived just in time. I didn’t manage to report the situation from the mountain yesterday because I got back too late, but now I’m reporting it to you.”

Beside her, Qin Lei’s legs gave out, and he collapsed directly into the snow.

This startled Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun, who were following him. They hurried to bend down and help him up. “Dad, Dad, what’s wrong?”

Qin Lei: “…”

These two little brats—did they think there weren’t enough eyes on him already?!

Qian Xiangyang understood exactly why Qin Lei had collapsed. The reason he had just arrived was that he had already gone up the mountain early in the morning with people.

At first, Qin Qingman hadn’t planned to deal with Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun, but the two idiots insisted on reminding her in front of everyone. As soon as she thought about how, when she wasn’t home, the Qin family’s younger ones had come to bully Chuchu, she immediately grabbed a wooden stick from beside the fence and swung it at the two brothers, Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun.

It was cold in winter, and Qin Jianming and his brother were wearing quite a few clothes, so when Qin Qingman struck, she really put some strength into it.

She didn’t hold back at all.

With two muffled thuds, Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun both tumbled into the snow.

When they managed to get up, their heads and faces were covered in snow. Just as they were about to shout “Who hit me?” they saw the second strike coming, and upon recognizing the angry face of Qin Qingman, they screamed in terror and ran away.

There was no need for Qin Qingman to say anything. Qin Jianming and his brother knew exactly why they were being beaten.

Qin Qingman’s body was still a bit weak due to the damage left by the original owner, so she couldn’t catch up to the fleeing brothers. But Wei Ling, standing nearby, slightly moved her fingers, and two small ice shards shot out.

With two sharp cries of pain, Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun tripped over something and fell to the ground one after the other.

Qin Qingman, who had been chasing closely, immediately caught up with them. She avoided hitting their heads, and swung the stick down on them, beating the two brothers so badly that they were crying and screaming, quickly admitting their mistakes.

“Sister Qingman, don’t hit us anymore, we know we were wrong, we won’t dare again.”

Qin Qingman didn’t have much strength left. After a few strikes, she was too exhausted to continue. Upon hearing Qin Jianming and his brother admit their mistakes, she stopped swinging the stick and asked, “What was wrong?”

“The mistake was listening to my mom and sister, and borrowing grain from your family.” Qin Jianming tried to sugarcoat the situation.

“Borrowing grain?” Qin Qingman raised her tone, while also weighing the stick in her hand.

Having been frightened by the earlier blows, Qin Jianjun quickly confessed, “It wasn’t borrowing, it was stealing, we stole.”

“Is that all?” Qin Qingman swung the stick in her hand again.

“There’s more… we tried to catch your family’s goose for meat, and… we also bullied Chuchu.” Qin Jianjun’s voice got quieter as he spoke. By the end, he shamefully buried his face in his arm.

A fourteen-year-old boy bullying a small child like Chuchu and still not managing to win? He had truly lost all face.

“Chuchu is only five! Look at his size, does he look like a five-year-old?!” Qin Qingman’s anger grew, and she struck both Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun again, one hit per brother.

The two brothers dared not beg for mercy while Qin Qingman was angry.

They had realized just how tough Qin Qingman was. Even their uncle (Zhu Laoda) wasn’t a match for her, so they didn’t dare argue in front of her. It was better to honestly admit their wrongs, hoping that they’d get fewer blows that way.

Qin Qingman glanced at the intimidated Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun, and then her gaze shifted to the crowd.

She had just spotted the children of Third Uncle and Fourth Uncle.

The two boys had also bullied Chuchu.

When faced with Qin Qingman’s sudden display of power, not only were Zhu Laoda and his gang stunned, but the villagers of Kaoshan Village were also taken aback, especially Liu Sangunzi. Looking at the stick in Qin Qingman’s hand, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his backside.

He dared not make any more moves against Qin Qingman.

Qian Xiangyang was very surprised by Qin Qingman’s change in demeanor, but he didn’t stop her.

Given what the younger Qin family members had done, they deserved to be beaten.

Besides, Qin Qingman’s strength was limited, so a beating wouldn’t cause any major problems.

Even the Security Officer turned a blind eye, and Wei Ling didn’t intervene, allowing his wife to act freely.

Qin Qingman quickly spotted the two other boys who were trying to sneak away in the crowd. She swung the stick in her hand and threatened, “If you dare run, I’ll call the police and have you sent to the labor camp.”

The police might not escalate the matter for a couple of young boys bullying a child, but it didn’t stop Qin Qingman from using the threat of the police to scare Qin Defu and Qin Anping.

Hearing that they would be sent to the labor camp if they ran, Qin Defu and Qin Anping were nearly scared to death.

With sorrowful expressions, they stopped trying to run, their legs trembling as they looked at Qin Qingman.

They wanted to call her “Sister Qingman.” but didn’t dare.

“Come over here and squat down.” Qin Qingman gestured toward the spot next to Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun.

“Oh…”

Qin Defu and Qin Anping, shaking with fear, squatted down beside Qin Jianming and Qin Jianjun, looking pitifully at Qin Qingman.

They too had been scared by Qin Qingman.

This was the first time they had ever seen Qin Qingman lose her temper, and it was the first time they saw her beat someone so fiercely.

Qin Qingman paid no attention to the pleading looks from Qin Defu and the others. When she saw that they were obediently squatting down, she turned and looked at the bright-eyed Chuchu.

At that moment, Chuchu was looking at Qin Qingman with admiration and envy. He thought his sister was amazing and beautiful.

“Chuchu, come here.”

Qin Qingman gently called him, her face soft and smiling, a stark contrast to the fierce expression she had worn when she had beaten Qin Jianming and his brother.

This surprised everyone present, but they understood.

“Sister.” At the sound of Qin Qingman’s voice, Chuchu ran over without hesitation, feeling completely safe.

“Are you afraid?” Qin Qingman reached out and ruffled Chuchu’s round head.

Chuchu shook his head vigorously and shouted, “Sister, I’m not afraid!”

“Good.” Qin Qingman handed the stick to the child, saying, “Hit the same spot where they previously hit you.”

Chuchu hesitated for only a second before grabbing the stick.

He understood his sister’s meaning.

After taking the stick, Chuchu looked back at Wei Ling.

In his heart, he believed that Big Brother Wei was the strongest and would protect him and his sister.

Wei Ling understood the look in the child’s eyes and nodded slightly, offering an encouraging gaze toward Chuchu.

With the encouragement and no further worries, Chuchu approached the group of cousins and immediately began to wave the stick in his hands.

However, he didn’t strike Qin Defu and the others directly. Instead, he hit their palms.

Considering that Qin Defu and the others were bundled up like balls, hitting them directly would have felt like nothing more than a scratch. It would have been a waste of energy. Rather than that, hitting their palms would hurt them and also embarrass them.

In front of everyone, Qin Defu and his companions were struck on the palms by the five-year-old Chuchu.

The impact wasn’t severe, but the humiliation was immense.

The young men of the Qin family immediately lowered their heads, feeling utterly ashamed.

It was embarrassing—extremely embarrassing.

There were four of them, and Chuchu could only manage three strikes before he was too tired to continue. He then looked expectantly toward Qin Qingman.

Qin Qingman nodded slightly.

Chuchu happily grabbed the stick and ran back to Wei Ling, standing beside him.

After dealing with the boys who had bullied Chuchu, Qin Qingman turned her gaze to Qian Xiangyang.

While she had just been handling Qin Jianming and the others, she could tell that Qian Xiangyang seemed like he had something to say.

Regardless of what he wanted to talk about, she now had something she needed from him.

Zhu Laoda and his group had promised to help her with labor next year, and a contract needed to be formalized.

Qian Xiangyang understood the look in Qin Qingman’s eyes.

He had never been happy with the way Zhu Laoda and his group had come to Kaoshan Village to stir trouble.

Now, seeing them suffer a bit, he felt satisfied. The agreement to help was a mutual understanding, and he didn’t feel the need to stop them.

He agreed to write up the contract and be a witness.

Chuchu, though young, was very clever.

He had already run home to fetch paper and a pen.

Qian Xiangyang could read and write, so he wrote up the agreement himself, and then both Qin Qingman and Zhu Laoda’s group signed and sealed it.

In less than five minutes, Qin Qingman had the signed document in her hands, which exempted her from work next year. She felt quite pleased and even found a bit of patience for Zhu Hongxia and her group.

“Comrade Director, can we leave now?” Zhu Laoda nervously asked while rubbing the red sealing wax on his thumb, looking anxiously at Qian Xiangyang.

Qian Xiangyang was the Security Officer, and his authority was immense. The moment they saw him step forward, all their courage had evaporated. They just wanted to get away from Kaoshan Village as quickly as possible, the farther the better.

“You can’t leave just yet.” Qian Xiangyang said sternly as he looked at Zhu Laoda and his group.

Zhu Laoda and the others were immediately stunned.

Qin Qingman was also a bit surprised that Qian Xiangyang hadn’t let them go yet, but this didn’t concern her anymore. She had gotten everything she wanted, and those who needed to be punished had been dealt with. As for Zhu Hongxia and her group…

They were now lying on the kang, unable to get up. The best punishment was to stay on the kang.

“Comrade… comrade, is there anything else?”

The tall Zhu Lao Da looked at Qian Xiangyang, nearly on the verge of tears.

Qian Xiangyang felt a little satisfied upon seeing the fear in the person’s eyes and said, “The reason you all caused a scene at Qin Qingman’s house today was because of the incident where Zhu Hongxia and the others were injured by wild boars on the mountain yesterday. I’ve already asked the people who went up the mountain last night, and I personally went up this morning to check. I can testify for Qin Qingman that the appearance of the wild boars was an accident.”

Qin Qingman was extremely surprised by Qian Xiangyang testifying for her.

But she did not speak.

Qian Xiangyang continued, “Yesterday, most of the women in our village went up the mountain to dig for squirrel holes. Since many people were there, some saw that Zhu Hongxia and the others had followed Qin Qingman’s trail, but ended up straying off course.”

At this moment, many of the onlookers had been among those who had gone up the mountain with Qin Qingman yesterday. Upon hearing Qian Xiangyang’s words, a few of them nodded in agreement.

These people had been close to Qin Qingman back then, and not only had they seen Zhu Hongxia and the others following behind Qin Qingman to pick up leftovers, they had also heard their gossiping.

Their gossip made it clear that they didn’t treat Qin Qingman like family.

Qian Xiangyang didn’t care about the looks of the crowd and continued, “This time, most of the tree holes in the forest were empty. I don’t know what happened, but anyway, there were fewer squirrels and almost no food stored. The appearance of the wild boars is possible because of that.”

“Right, this year’s very strange. That forest is full of nut trees, the kind that squirrels and chipmunks can eat, but the odd thing is, there were hardly any nuts in the tree holes. We even wasted more than an hour and didn’t gather a single pound of nuts.”

Some people confirmed the truth of Qian Xiangyang’s words.

“Did the trees attract pests? Reduced nut production?” someone in the crowd speculated.

“That shouldn’t be the case. My husband passed through that forest during the summer while hunting, and he said it was a bumper year. We also went to pick up nuts in the fall, and there was a good amount, the trees were neither withered nor yellow, so it didn’t seem like they had pests.”

“Maybe the squirrels kept changing the places where they hid the nuts every year.”

“Yes, that’s what I guessed too.”

Once the discussion stopped, Qian Xiangyang continued, “There was no snow last night, so all the traces in the mountains were visible on the snow. Even if a bird passed by, there would be traces. I took people up the mountain to check this morning, and the marks where Qin Qingman was knocked down are very clear. The incident definitely happened during the day yesterday.”

When Qian Xiangyang was young, he had been a soldier and was very skilled at identifying traces.

“Comrade… comrade, Meina said they were originally far from the wild boars, and it wasn’t a path the wild boars usually took. It was Qin Qingman who led the wild boars towards them and caused them to get injured.” Liu Rong, seeing Qian Xiangyang’s relatively gentle attitude, spoke up.

Qian Xiangyang glanced at Liu Rong. He didn’t scold her, but he gave what he considered the correct explanation.

“Qin Qingman escaped on skis. Facing a wild boar that weighed over three hundred pounds, no one could be sure of where to run or where not to run. They could only run in the direction that was easiest for the skis to travel.”

The implied meaning of this was that Qin Qingman had run towards Li Meina and the others simply because the path was suitable for skiing.

Liu Rong had nothing to say, since she hadn’t been on the mountain yesterday.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Qian Xiangyang finally made his conclusion. “The traces on the mountain are still there. Anyone with doubts can go check for themselves. After today, I don’t want to hear any more bad talk.”

“Comrade, since you’ve personally led the investigation, it must be as you say. We believe you, you’re the fairest Security Officer in our village.” Zhu Lao Da quickly flattered Qian Xiangyang. He wouldn’t dare question Qian Xiangyang.

“Right, comrade, we trust you the most. There’s no mistake. What happened yesterday is exactly as you said. We were deceived by the girls at home; otherwise, why would we be here seeking justice?” Yao Chunying’s Second Brother was also being smart.

Liu Rong also forced a smile, “Comrade, you personally decided this case, so it must be correct.”

When Qian Xiangyang saw that everyone had no objections, he expressed his true thoughts.

“You came to our Kaoshan Village and caused trouble without understanding the situation. While it’s true that there were mistakes on your part, the real culprits are your girls.” Qian Xiangyang said, frowning.

He continued, “There’s an old saying: ‘Marry the chicken, follow the chicken.’ Zhu Hongxia and the others married into our Kaoshan Village, so they’re now part of our village. Now, to scheme against their niece and turn their elbows outward is a bit too much. If they truly don’t want to stay, I’ll have them all taken back. I represent the Qin family brothers in agreeing to a divorce.”

“I don’t agree!”

“We don’t agree to a divorce.”

Several sharp voices suddenly came from the side. Li Meina and the others were now being helped by their daughters as they stumbled forward.

Qian Xiangyang’s words had not only frightened them but had also scared their maternal families.

None of them had expected that the trouble they caused would escalate this seriously.

Seriously enough to lead to a divorce.

When he saw Li Meina and Yao Chunying, Qian Xiangyang’s expression darkened.

Inviting outsiders to cause trouble in the village, they really had the audacity. If Qian Xiangyang didn’t deal with this evil spirit properly today, would there be others who’d follow their example and come cause him trouble? Was Kaoshan Village a place where anyone could just stir up trouble?

Faced with Qian Xiangyang’s severe and dark expression, Li Meina and Yao Chunying were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they didn’t dare to even breathe.

Qin Xiang, a local from the village, also felt his heart pounding wildly.

“Comrade… Comrade, Hongxia and the others know they were wrong. They’ll never dare to do this again. I apologize to you on her behalf, and I apologize to Qin Qingman as well.” Zhu Lao Da quickly understood that Qian Xiangyang was setting an example, and hurriedly tried to smooth things over.

The most important thing was, if Zhu Hongxia really got divorced and sent back to her maternal family, how would the maternal family hold their heads up?

Even though people did get divorced these days, in the countryside, if someone got divorced, they’d be gossiped about for the rest of their lives.

There was limited food at home, and they couldn’t afford to support an extra mouth.

Yao Chunying’s Second Brother was also quick on his feet. Seeing Zhu Lao Da apologizing on behalf of Zhu Hongxia, he quickly shot a stern look at Yao Chunying, signaling her to follow suit.

“Comrade… Comrade, I’m sorry, I won’t dare again in the future.” Not wanting the divorce, Yao Chunying quickly apologized to Qian Xiangyang.

Qin Xiang and Li Meina also apologized.

“You’re not apologizing to me, and I’m not the one you need to apologize to.” Qian Xiangyang’s scolding of the troublesome women of the Qin family was meant to establish Qin Qingman’s authority. After saying this, he stepped aside.

Looking at Qin Qingman, whether it was Qin Xiang, Li Meina, or Yao Chunying, no matter how unwilling they were in their hearts, they had no choice but to lower their heads. Together, they spoke in unison: “Qin Qingman, we’re sorry. We wronged you without understanding the situation. We apologize.”

Qin Qingman felt no emotion as she looked at Qin Xiang and the others lowering their heads. Her gaze shifted to the Qin Lei family.

Zhu Hongxia, who had been seriously injured, didn’t make an appearance.

But she was the one with the most malicious intent, and the one who had schemed against the original owner the most.