"Liu Kui, are you just jealous of other people's good fortune because you got caught secretly raising pigs?"
If the previous remarks weren't enough to enrage Liu Kui, then this last sentence pushed him right to the brink of emotional collapse.
"Ridiculous!" Liu Kui roared. "Even if my Liu family has fallen on hard times, we'd never stoop so low as to steal! And what good would it do me to ruin his saplings? Would they pay me for it?"
Liu Kui's words were truly laughable. The second half of his statement was actually correct. Whether he did it or not, the Yun family would never share a single cent of their fortune with him.
But no one could agree with the first half.
Hadn't Liu Kui done enough petty theft?
Not to mention anything else, the livestock he raised in excess were living proof.
And before the old village head stepped down, everyone had heard rumors about Liu Kui's collusions.
Maybe some of these things didn't directly affect the villagers, but that's what Liu Kui did.
Sometimes, when others are struggling and you're doing well, if you're too prominent, people will naturally assume that you've stolen their luck.
So it was no surprise that Liu Kui was now being attacked by the crowd.
His short statement was like a bomb thrown into the crowd, instantly igniting everyone's emotions. They all started to condemn Liu Kui.
Meanwhile, his so - called "demon - possessed" son was still struggling and screaming desperately. Three strong men couldn't even hold down a child as strong as a calf.
He rushed forward, knelt beside Liu Kui's leg, and tugged at his pants.
"Dad! Dad, save me! It must be because our family has done too many bad things. The retribution has come!"
The villagers were quite pleased to hear this. Liu Kui was like an impenetrable piece of old leather. Maybe no one could do anything to him even if they all rushed at him together. But his son's words in this situation were like a confession that Liu Kui had a guilty conscience.
This time, even if Liu Kui really hadn't instructed his son to do such immoral things, the villagers had already decided that it was Liu Kui who was behind it.
The scene instantly turned chaotic. Liu Kui was scolding his son while insisting that someone must have instigated his son, Liu Yu, to say such things.
The on - looking villagers, like a mob, were all ganging up on Liu Kui, shouting insults at him.
Yun Fujin watched silently from the side and suddenly felt extremely gratified.
Who said we should return good for evil? No, that would only make the victims die of anger.
Only when those who harm your family suffer the same fate can you truly feel at ease.
The secretary couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to stop the crowd.
"What are you all talking about? Stop shouting! What a disgrace! If outsiders saw this, they'd think our villagers do nothing but argue about trivial matters all day! When will you ever get rid of your petty - mindedness!"
Liu Kui's collar was tugged during the chaos. He angrily straightened his clothes and pointed at the crowd.
"Right! Can't you all be more generous!"
The secretary's face darkened as he looked at Liu Kui.
He hadn't even mentioned Liu Kui, but this guy really thought he was innocent.
"And you, Liu Kui!" The secretary suddenly turned his spearhead towards Liu Kui. "You should spend some time disciplining your son instead of just thinking about making money! Look at what your son has become under your so - called guidance! He doesn't learn any good but only picks up all the bad habits! As the old saying goes, if the father fails to teach, the son will go astray. You set a bad example, so it's no wonder your son is like this!"
Liu Kui was stunned by the secretary's scolding. He never expected the secretary to turn the topic to him so quickly.
"Secretary, what do you mean? What's wrong with my son?"
The secretary frowned. "Don't be in a hurry to defend yourself. Everyone knows what's going on. You just said that even if Liu Yu ran out, he wouldn't pass by the Yun family. Big Brother Yun shouldn't have to come and deal with this mess. But think about it. If Liu Yu hadn't really run into their yard and ruined all the trees they had painstakingly planted, Big Brother Yun would surely be sleeping soundly at home now. Would he have come here?"
Liu Kui understood. It turned out that the secretary was on Yun Fujin's side.
Liu Kui laughed out of anger. "Fine! I get it now. So you're all in this together! They say that those in office should be just and honest, but it turns out you're all the same! No one is any better than the other!"
The secretary was filled with annoyance. Liu Kui was just spouting nonsense!
The secretary knew he wasn't a completely just person. He had known about the collusion between the village head and Liu Kui and the many immoral things the village head had done, but he had pretended not to see.
He had done what an ordinary person would do at that time: turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. As long as it didn't involve him, he wouldn't say a word, let alone report it.
But he had never harmed anyone. He had dedicated himself to the villagers for all these years, yet Liu Kui's short words had destroyed all his hard work!
"Stop talking," the secretary said disappointedly, looking at Liu Kui. "I thought that after all these years, even if you weren't a good person, you should at least know how to read the situation. But now you not only refuse to admit your mistakes but also slander me..."
The secretary took a deep breath. "Right and wrong are judged by people's hearts. Everyone knows what you've done over the years. Whether you were involved or not, the fact that you failed to discipline your son is undeniable. As his guardian, you should be responsible for this."
The secretary turned to Yun Fujin. "Big Brother, tell me, how much are those dead saplings in your family worth?"
Yun Fujin couldn't answer. The saplings were given by Yun Que'er.
He thought for a long time and then shook his head.
"I don't want money."
"Are you sure?" The secretary was a bit surprised. "Then what do you want?"
Yun Fujin gave a bitter smile. "Some things can't be compensated for with money. Our saplings have been damaged twice, and we've wasted so much time. Time can't be repaid with anything. We all live in the same village. I don't want to wrong anyone or hold anyone accountable. I just hope everyone can understand that there are four children in our family, and we all need to survive. We've never harmed anyone. Please stop opposing us."
"Did you really say that?" Yun Jianzhou stared at Yun Fujin in disbelief and grabbed his arm. "Big Brother, you... you didn't even ask for any money?"
"The saplings were all given by Xiao Que'er. Our family really didn't spend a single cent, so I can't take the money."
"Good heavens..." Yun Jianzhou grabbed his head.