Chapter 14 Chaos

When Qian Xiaolan arrived, she saw Sun Honghua crying as if her parents had died. Her mood instantly lifted. Suppressing a smile, she asked in shock, “My goodness, were you robbed? But robbers wouldn’t dismantle the doors and windows, would they? What would they need them for? Aren’t those things too bulky to carry?” Hearing her voice, Sun Honghua looked up sharply and glared at her, “It was you! It must have been you!” The villagers thought she had gone crazy and couldn’t help but say, “Regardless of whether it was Xiaolan or not, how much weight could a small girl like Xiaolan carry?” Sun Honghua got up from the ground, pointed at Qian Xiaolan, and roared, “It was her! It must have been her! The day before yesterday, this little b*tch moved our cabinet from the room to the yard!” Hu Guifen happened to arrive and, hearing this, couldn’t help but say, “Sun Honghua, don’t go crazy. Who could move such a big cabinet? Xiaolan dragged it that day.

The old people and children from nearby families all saw it. Don’t just bite whoever you see when you lose something.” Someone immediately agreed, “Yes, we all saw it that day. Xiaolan doesn’t have that much strength. Even if she did move it, there would be traces along the way. But everyone just searched, and there were no traces nearby. It couldn’t have been Xiaolan. She doesn’t have that kind of ability.” Sun Honghua had already lost her mind from anger and wouldn’t let go of Qian Xiaolan. No matter what anyone said, she was convinced that Qian Xiaolan had emptied their house. Qian Changcai, hearing the commotion, walked over from the backyard with Gu Shengli. His eyes fixed on Qian Xiaolan, but she didn’t feel guilty at all and calmly met his gaze.

 After a while, Qian Changcai averted his gaze, rubbed his forehead in annoyance, and sat down on the ground, his head bowed, silent. Qian Xiaolan curled her lips and turned to Sun Honghua, who was still glaring at her, “Your family is clearly being targeted by someone for revenge. You have time to glare at me, but you should think about who your family has offended. Or, have you killed anyone?” Qian Changcai’s pupils contracted sharply. He suddenly looked up and quickly lowered his head again. Qian Xiaolan saw this, raised an eyebrow, and made a note of it.

 Sun Honghua, however, exploded. She raised her hand and charged towards Qian Xiaolan, “You, you little b*tch, your mouth is full of venom! Besides raising you, this white-eyed wolf, for a few years, who else has our family offended? And murder? If we were going to kill anyone, it would be you!” However, before she reached Qian Xiaolan, she was stopped by the villagers. Qian Xiaolan sneered, “I’m just trying to help you analyze the situation. You don’t appreciate it, fine. But you still want to hit me? Do you think I’m still as easy to bully as before?” Sun Honghua’s eyes were blazing with anger. She wanted to kick the villagers who were holding her back.

 “Be quiet! If you keep making false accusations, we won’t care anymore.” Gu Shengli reprimanded Sun Honghua and said solemnly, “Xiaolan is right. Your family is clearly being targeted by someone for revenge. Otherwise, why would your neighbors’ houses be fine, but yours is completely emptied? I guess it wasn’t just one person, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to move so many things silently.” Qian Xiaolan nodded. Yes, yes, that’s right. Keep thinking in that direction. As soon as Gu Shengli finished speaking, someone suddenly clapped their hands and said, “I remember now. Qian Changcai’s mother was a refugee. Could it be that she offended someone before, and now that she’s gone, they’re taking revenge on her son, who she loved most?” Hearing this, someone else remembered something, “Ah, yes, yes. I remember when Zhang Qin came to our village, she was clutching a package in her arms. She would fight anyone who tried to touch it.

 Maybe she was carrying stolen goods.” Qian Changcai immediately became like a ruffled rooster. He charged towards the old woman who spoke, “Chen Dahua, you’re talking nonsense! My mother was carrying her clothes and the few coins she had left.” Chen Dahua, with her wrinkled face and white hair, was surprisingly agile. The moment Qian Changcai charged towards her, she quickly hid behind her son, shouting at the top of her lungs, “Look! Look! This little b*stard wants to kill me to silence me because I’ve hit the nail on the head!” Chen Dahua’s son, Qian Qingguo, glared at her with a dark face and scolded, “Qian Changcai, even if my mother is wrong, you shouldn’t hit her. She’s your aunt after all.

 If anything happens to my mother, don’t blame me for turning against you!” Qian Changcai was in a mess right now. He was angry about losing his belongings, embarrassed that his secret had been exposed, and worried that Sun Honghua’s loose tongue would reveal the stolen goods and cause trouble. He was still venting his anger, so he didn’t care about seniority anymore. He clenched his fist and punched his cousin, Qian Qingguo. Qian Qingguo didn’t expect him to hit him so suddenly and was caught off guard. He took a solid punch to the eye. With Qian Qingguo’s “ouch,” the scene instantly descended into chaos. Qian Qingguo’s five sons, seeing their father being beaten, all clenched their fists and rushed forward to beat up Qian Changcai.

 Sun Honghua, seeing her husband being beaten, screamed and was about to go help, but she was held back by Qian Qingguo’s wife and daughters-in-law. The two families were beating each other up, with screams echoing through the air. The villagers were stunned and completely forgot to pull them apart. Gu Shengli, holding his throbbing forehead, roared in anger, “What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and pull them apart!” The villagers, as if waking from a dream, rushed forward to separate them.

Qian Xiaolan blended into the crowd, taking advantage of the chaos to kick Sun Honghua several times and even slap her twice. Everyone was in a frenzy, so nobody noticed her vengeful actions. Sun Honghua and the Qian family women were finally pulled apart.

 By now, Sun Honghua’s face was swollen like a pig’s head, and she had lost a front tooth. After fighting with so many people, she no longer had the energy to scold anyone. Qian Xiaolan looked regretfully at Qian Changcai and his cousins, who were being pulled apart by a group of men. She had missed the chance to beat up Qian Changcai today, and she felt a pang of regret. Gu Shengli paced back and forth in front of the brawling men, tapped their faces, and gritted his teeth, “Since you all have so much energy, you’re all going to work ten extra points today.

 If you don’t finish, you’re not allowed to go home! Also, everyone involved in the fight will lose twenty work points.” He was furious. Of all the men in the brigade, the Qian family was the most prone to shirking work, but they were always involved in brawls. Qian Qingguo’s sons and daughters-in-law were dissatisfied and surrounded Gu Shengli, demanding an explanation. They argued that Qian Changcai had started the fight by hitting their father, so he should be held fully responsible. Any work points deducted should be deducted from him.

Qian Changcai and his wife were also dissatisfied. They felt that it was Chen Dahua’s two sentences that had instigated the whole thing. Their house had been emptied, and now they were being penalized. The brigade was trying to make their lives miserable. The two families argued loudly, giving Gu Shengli a headache. Qian Xiaolan watched the chaotic scene, feeling both sympathy and admiration for Gu Shengli, who was fuming with anger.