Chapter 31: Demanding Compensation

Wang Dongqiu clenched his fists, his brows furrowed, his eyes full of anxiety. “Then what do you suggest?”

He Haiming said seriously, “Besides medical expenses, He Laodong and Zhao Heping should each receive two hundred catties of grain and twenty yuan.”

The people from Guixi Village widened their eyes; this was extortion.

Wang Dongqiu’s face was dark, his voice like a ghost beckoning a soul. “Two hundred catties of grain is too much. Wang Dejun’s family might not even save twenty yuan in a year. Village chief He is being unreasonable; this is going to force Wang Dejun’s family to death!”

The villagers from Dafeng Village immediately started to clamor. “You were the ones who injured people first. He Laodong and Zhao Heping are still lying at home, but Wang Dejun is fine. If he has the guts, let him break his own head and leg!”

Seeing this, the villagers from Guixi Village immediately stepped forward, and the villagers from both sides started pushing and shoving. Although they weren’t using hoes or shovels, the atmosphere was no longer calm. A slight misstep, if someone was injured, a major fight would erupt, and even the two village chiefs wouldn’t be able to stop it.

Compared to their relatively restrained actions, their shouts were louder, as if they were competing to see who had the loudest voice.

Liu Sicun brushed away the long grass obscuring her vision, complaining, “If I had known there would be a fight, I should have called the village aunties. Their combined shouting could shake the heavens.”

Zhao Leyi frowned, feeling a little disdain. She had just seen He Weiyuan pushed down; he wasn’t only physically weak but also lacked strength.

As the conflict escalated, He Haiming and Wang Dongqiu quickly called for a halt.

“We’re here to seek justice, not to fight. Everyone, calm down and see what Village chief Wang says.”

Compared to He Haiming’s gentle words, Wang Dongqiu’s voice was strong and authoritative. “Stop it, all of you!”

As soon as he spoke, the villagers from Guixi Village stopped and retreated behind Wang Dongqiu.

Wang Shuning murmured, “The Guixi Village chief has a strong presence.”

Especially at such a young age. In rural areas, young people rarely take charge, usually only when the elders can no longer work.

Wang Dongqiu half-squinted at He Haiming. “Village chief He, the New Year is only two months away, and we don’t want a conflict. For He Laodong and Zhao Heping, Wang Dejun will compensate them with one hundred catties of grain and ten yuan each. They can’t afford more; I’ll take him out of the ancestral hall, and you can beat him up.”

“Village chief, no! We can’t afford that! It’ll starve our whole family next year!” An elderly woman with gray hair rushed out from the crowd, kneeling before Wang Dongqiu and grabbing his pants, crying. She was Wang Dejun’s mother.

The villagers from Guixi Village looked back; Wang Dejun’s father, his hair and beard already gray, was leaning on a cane behind them.

Wang Dongqiu bent down to try to help her up, but Wang Dejun’s mother wouldn’t get up, her cries growing louder. “Village chief, our family relies on the grain and money distributed at the end of the year. The ox is an animal; how could Dejun stop it when it went crazy? Now we have to compensate with grain and money; this is going to kill our whole family!”

The villagers from Dafeng Village watched silently; He Haiming frowned.

Wang Dejun’s father shakily walked over, looking into Wang Dongqiu’s eyes. “Village chief, you can’t starve our child. We need to keep the grain and money. Take Dejun out of the ancestral hall and let them fight. An eye for an eye; as long as he doesn’t die, he can still be cured.”

“Uncle, we can earn grain and money later, but we only have one life.” Wang Dongqiu was the village chief; he didn’t want the villagers from Guixi Village to be beaten. It was best to resolve this with grain and money. This happened while delivering public grain; he wanted the village to contribute some, but if Wang Dejun’s family wasn’t willing to contribute at all, it would be difficult.

He Haiming pursed his lips. They said they would break Wang Dejun’s head and legs, but they actually wanted Guixi Village to compensate with money and grain. The people were already injured; revenge wouldn’t help; no amount of compensation could truly solve the problem.

Zhang Meili bit her lip. “I didn’t expect Wang Dejun’s father to be disabled. It seems their family isn’t well-off. The village chief won’t really beat him up, will he?”

Wang Shuning shook her head. “Wang Dejun is the pillar of his family; how could they really beat him? Parents always care about their children.”

Wang Dejun’s parents were playing the victim card. The grain and money might affect their lives, but how could Wang Dongqiu, as village chief, watch his villagers starve? Besides, Wang Dejun’s injury was essentially a work injury.

The next second, Wang Dejun’s mother, still kneeling, turned and grabbed He Haiming’s leg. “Village chief He, Dejun didn’t do it on purpose. Take my old life instead; I’ll take care of them; I’ll kneel and kowtow to them.”

He Haiming stumbled back, almost falling. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Village chief Wang, what do you say? Either one hundred catties of grain and ten yuan each, or bring Wang Dejun out, and we’ll take him back to the village and have the water buffalo hit him. Let’s see what happens.”

Wang Dejun’s parents’ faces stiffened; were they really going to hurt him?

Wang Dongqiu’s eyes darted around. Dafeng Village’s water buffalo had such strong horns; if they were hit, depending on their luck, they could get injured badly.

Guo Jingyi whispered in admiration, “The village chief’s strategy is ruthless. He Laodong and Zhao Heping were injured by Guixi Village’s ox. They’re saying to take Wang Dejun back and have the water buffalo hit him; there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Wang Shuning said nothing. The oxen in the village were usually docile, especially since the cart was tied behind, and Wang Dejun was on it. Yet, under these circumstances, he injured He Laodong and Zhao Heping ; they weren’t wearing red clothes; how could it be such a coincidence?

She hadn’t been at the scene, but judging from the village chief’s attitude, Wang Dejun was definitely involved; otherwise, Wang Dongqiu wouldn’t have agreed to compensate at first.

After making up his mind, Wang Dongqiu said, “Being hit by a water buffalo could be fatal. We won’t give you the person; we’ll compensate. This happened while delivering public grain; the village also bears responsibility. The village will compensate half, and Wang Dejun’s family will compensate half. I’ll take Wang Dejun to apologize tomorrow morning.”

“Village chief,” the villagers from Guixi Village wanted to speak but were stopped by Wang Dongqiu’s gaze.

Wang Dejun’s mother released He Haiming’s leg, covering her mouth and crying; tears flowed incessantly.

He Haiming sternly agreed, “Good.”

Then he turned and left with the villagers from Dafeng Village.

Wang Dongqiu sighed, waving his hand weakly. “Everyone, you’ve worked hard; disperse.”

On the way back, Zhao Leyi suddenly said, “Zhao Heping probably won’t work for a month or two; it’s a blessing in disguise.”

…

Liu Sicun twitched her mouth. During the rice harvest, Zhao Leyi had a day off because she caught a cold from the rain.

Wang Shuning was speechless. A broken leg in exchange for a vacation was not worth it; it was painful.

Guo Jingyi rolled her eyes at Zhao Leyi; her sarcastic remark was too hurtful. If this had happened to Zhao Leyi, she probably wouldn’t have said that.

She turned to Zhang Meili and Wang Shuning. “After Guixi Village delivers the things tomorrow, let’s go see Zhao Heping .”

Zhang Meili and Wang Shuning nodded in agreement. They knew him; after all, he had a broken leg; he was a patient and needed to be visited.

Liu Sicun, Zhao Leyi, Li Jiefang, and Hu Haoguo didn’t speak; they had only had one meal with Zhao Heping ; visiting him required bringing gifts, and they didn’t want to go.