Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The room was silent, everyone was looking at Zhang Agou. Although Zhang Liang was a bit of a troublemaker, he was still a member of the Zhang Family. Now that Zhang Liang had been bitten, it was fortunate that the dog hadn't injured the bone, but it was clear that this dog was dangerous.
"Uncle A-Gou, I think this dog needs to be put down," said Zhang Zhong, who was considered the leader of the village and one of the few young people remaining. "Once this dog has bitten someone, it has shown its teeth. Animals are inherently dangerous. What do you think, Uncle A-Gou?"
Zhang Zhong's suggestion received unanimous agreement. Previously, everyone had watched these two beasts linger around Li Family's younger brother, barking but not attacking. Who would have thought they would actually bite someone? Today it was Zhang Liang; tomorrow it could be someone else.
"Exactly, Uncle A-Gou, you are the village chief; you need to take care of this matter," said the widow Tian Guifang, pointing at Li Yan. "Don't say we are bullying you; I've noticed these two beasts are frightening for a long time. Li Yan, I’m talking about our village and beyond; why should we need dogs to guard our peaceful village?"
At first, no one had thought in that direction, but after Tian Guifang spoke up, some began to complain. What did the Li Family mean by this? Did they think everyone in Zhangjia Village were thieves or something? Did they really need two dogs to guard their home?
"Auntie, please don't misunderstand," Yu Tian said as he realized they were siding with Zhang Liang. He wanted to assert dominance over them. "There are plenty of families in the village that also keep dogs. Liking animals isn't a big deal, right?"
"Right! Wonton and Dumpling are good dogs; he's the bad one!" Li Ming felt emboldened with Li Yan backing him up and pointed at Zhang Liang defiantly.
"You bastard!" Zhang Liang shouted back, his body wrapped like a mummy but still charging forward. However, when he met Li Yan's cold and sharp gaze, he shrank back and fell silent.
"Wonton and Dumpling were left by my grandfather; they cost over 200,000 yuan to buy back then. They may not be human, but after living together for so long, there’s bound to be some affection. Besides, I think the village chief has something to say to everyone," Li Yan deliberately referred to Wonton and Dumpling as Zhang Quan's legacy.
Although Li Yan was displeased with how the villagers referred to Wonton and Dumpling, he held his tongue. After all, could he really argue with the villagers about the distinction between animals and beasts?
Upon hearing that these two dogs were worth over 200,000 yuan, many villagers stopped suggesting killing them. After all, those dogs were worth more than people; who would dare kill them? What if they demanded compensation? 200,000 yuan wasn’t just two or twenty yuan; it was a significant amount.
"Damn it! Don’t think just because you’re rich you’re better than us! Your dog bit me!" Zhang Liang glared with his beady eyes, afraid of losing out and making a fuss.
"Enough!" Zhang Agou slammed his hand on the table angrily and stood up to walk over to Zhang Liang and slapped him hard.
This slap not only stunned Zhang Liang but also shocked the villagers. Zhang Liang's wife was the first to react; she fell to the ground crying and wailing. "I can’t live like this anymore! Our own people won’t help us! Just because you have some money doesn’t give you the right to hit people!"
"Shut your mouth!" Zhang Agou had been village chief for several years and still held some authority. His wife quieted down in fear but continued to sob softly. "Li brother, I think we don’t need to call the police about this matter; the officers are busy year-round. Can we discuss this privately?"
When Zhang Agou said this, everyone was confused. How could Li Yan's dog bite someone and yet it seemed like they were blaming him first?
Yu Tian grabbed Li Ming who wanted to interject; he still felt uneasy about what happened that morning. Zhou Miao stood behind them with a mocking look at the group before him.
Li Yan looked disdainfully at Zhang Liang's Wife, and said slowly and forcefully, "Perhaps everyone thinks we are not from Zhangjia Village, so they have some prejudice against us. We originally hoped to integrate into Zhangjia Village, but... this time we are truly disappointed. Do you all know why our Wonton and Dumplings bit Zhang Liang? This morning, he brought this..."
Li Yan took out a spring knife from his pocket and continued, "This knife went to our house, where only my brother and Yu Tian were present. If it weren't for Wonton and Dumplings, then today it would have been my brother and Yu Tian who got hurt. I really want to know, on what basis do you think you must kill Wonton and Dumplings to ensure the safety of Zhangjia Village? On the contrary, I am now even afraid to let my brother stay home alone because I feel that Zhangjia Village is very unsafe!"
Zhang Liang was momentarily stunned. Just a moment ago, he had been arrogant, but now he felt as if all the air had been sucked out of him, and he broke into a cold sweat. He glared at the knife; in the chaos at that time, he hadn't even thought about the fact that he had brought that knife. The room erupted in an uproar. Zhang Liang took a knife to Li Family? What does that mean? This isn't just a minor issue; it's a crime! Why did he take a knife to Li Family, especially when two strong men from Li Family weren't home?
Everyone was no longer children; they could easily connect the dots. Immediately, all those close to Zhang Liang moved away from him. Everyone knew that Zhang Liang coveted Li Family's house, but no one expected him to be so insane as to think about killing!
"Hey, what kind of look is that? I was just trying to scare them!" As soon as Zhang Liang finished speaking, he regretted it deeply; wasn't he indirectly admitting that the knife was his?
Zhang Liang's wife collapsed; she knew better than anyone her husband's character. He often bullied her at home, but she never expected Zhang Liang would actually...
"What kind of look is that? You’re also doubting me like an outsider!" Zhang Liang felt cold and scared under everyone's gaze; they looked at him as if he were a murderer.
Zhang Liang felt wronged; he hadn't planned to go to Li Family with any malicious intent. He thought Heavenly Father was helping him, but who would have thought Yu Tian was still inside? "Uncle A-Gou, I grew up under your watch. I, Zhang Liang, may not be a good person, but I would never commit murder. Zhou Dama, tell them! Although I'm not a decent person, I'm really not like that! I just... I just wanted to scare that kid. I admit I'm unwilling to lose the house like this, but I never intended to kill anyone." Zhang Liang cried with tears and snot; only now did he realize that when Zhang Agou slapped him earlier, it was actually helping him.
After all, they had grown up in the same village. Although everyone felt uncomfortable about it, they were also hesitant about calling the police... This matter was too disheartening for them. Li Yan's family didn't have a single woman; they were already pitiful enough. How could Zhang Liang take advantage of the fact that their older brother wasn't home to bully a mentally challenged child? But since Zhang Liang was from the village and they were all somewhat related by blood, they couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Li Yan, this matter is indeed Zhang Liang's fault, but look at him; he's already being punished. For my sake, can you let him go?" Zhang Agou said with a forced smile.
Seeing Zhang Liang's pitiful appearance made others think that if he went into the police station, it would be for murder; perhaps he'd even face execution. The more they thought about it, the more they felt this matter shouldn't be reported to the police and began speaking well of Zhang Liang.
"Brother Li, I think you should let this go. We're all from the same village; your grandfather and Zhang Liang's grandfather were good friends when they were young."
"Exactly! Brother Li, Zhang Liang just acted impulsively; let him apologize to you another day. You should show some magnanimity and forgive him this once."
"That's right! If it really comes down to it, let your Wonton bite this brat again."
...
Normally indifferent to such matters, at this moment seeing so many people speak up for him made Zhang Liang feel an indescribable sensation in his heart. He initially thought these people would only add fuel to the fire; unexpectedly they actually spoke on his behalf at such a critical moment.
Zhang Liang crawled over on his knees and looked at Li Yan before finally kneeling in front of Yu Tian and Li Ming, grabbing their legs and bowing repeatedly. "I'm a bastard; I'm an animal! Li Ming, Yu Tian, please spare me! I have an old mother and young children depending on me; if I go into jail, I'll never come out again! What will happen to my mother and wife? I'm begging you!" As he spoke, he truly bowed down until his forehead turned red.
Originally, that fierce determination faded after hearing that Li Yan was going to call the police. He had been caught stealing before, and that experience was not pleasant at all. Being locked up in the dead of winter forced him to strip down and stand in front of a fan, with the cold air piercing right through him. Ever since then, he had truly become afraid. If he got caught this time... Zhang Liang didn't dare to think any further.
"Not calling the police is fine. Let's do it this way; I won't make things difficult for the village chief." Li Yan frowned, appearing troubled as he said, "Today’s incident with Zhang Liang has genuinely upset my family. I won’t mention any conditions. Just one thing: our Wonton and Dumplings must not be mentioned in relation to being killed, no matter the circumstances."
Li Yan had long noticed the villagers' unease regarding Wonton and Dumplings. At first, everyone was hesitant to voice their concerns since they were not familiar with each other, but behind the scenes, actions were taken frequently. If it weren't for Dumplings and Wonton being at home all day or going out with him, they might have already ended up in someone else's stomach by now.
"This..." Zhang Agou looked at the villagers; many had approached him about Li Family's two dogs. They felt those two dogs were too big and looked dangerous. He had originally planned to find a day to discuss this matter, but now that Zhang Liang's incident had occurred, people were concerned about safety. He felt embarrassed to say that Zhangjia Village was safe; that damn Zhang Liang had ruined everything.
"Village chief, you must help my son Liang!" Zhang Liang's Wife was afraid the village chief would change his mind and bowed to those present, saying, "If anything happens to my son Liang, I can't go on living! Please save my son Liang!"
"Voting!" Zhang Agou finally decided.
There were a total of 107 people; 49 opposed while 58 agreed. They used a ballot box, so no one knew who voted for or against. The only fact reflected was that Zhang Liang had offended quite a few people in this village. Zhang Liang scanned everyone's faces with a stern look, trying to figure out who cast the opposing votes. Damn it! His life wasn't worth more than two dogs!
After Li Yan and the others returned home, Li Ming awkwardly hid beside Yu Tian and ignored Li Yan. Even when Li Yan took out Teddy Bear Cookies, it didn’t work; the child clung to Wonton and Dumpling’s necks, feeling wronged and declaring that his brother was a bad person and he would never talk to him again. Why didn’t Zhang Liang call the police?
"Mingming, why are you ignoring your brother?" Li Yan understood the child's feelings well enough. However, this place was not like the city; many people here were ignorant of the law and illiterate. Many principles simply did not apply here. The world seemed to keep turning, but he had an ominous feeling.
Moreover, many powerful individuals were flocking to rural areas; it seemed that life would only get worse from here on out. He had Li Ming to take care of; even with Zhou Miao and Yu Tian's help, three heads were better than one. But who could predict what would happen in the future? He needed to think things through thoroughly.
Zhou Miao patted his shoulder and mentioned something important. Now that such an incident had occurred, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least they could build a protective barrier now; previously they feared gossip from villagers, but now it was different. This was self-defense!
Comment 0 Comment Count