Chapter 30: Unexpected Confrontation

Chapter 30: Unexpected Confrontation

A group of people stood on the village road outside the Shen family's house. At the front, a woman with high cheekbones stood with her hands on her hips, still shouting as Shen Moer and the others emerged.

When Shen Moer's family built their new house, they also erected a wall around the yard. Previously, villagers had criticized them for wasting good bricks. However, the wall proved its worth today, as the crowd was blocked outside and could only stand on the village road, glaring at their house. Otherwise, they might have rushed inside.

As they reached the door, Shen YinYin tugged at Shen Moer and whispered, "It's Tian Cui. She used to come to our village often when she was young to find Tian Fang. I've seen her a few times. How dare she show up here and stir up trouble! Don't you step forward; I'll slap her to death!"

Shen Moer hadn't immediately remembered who Tian Cui was, but upon seeing Wang Jinbao standing behind her, she realized this was probably Tian Fang's sister and Wang Jinbao's mother.

Aunt Chen glanced at the cart that had been leaning against the wall but was now overturned on the ground. She quickly told her grandson to sneak off and fetch help from the village.

Usually, there would be people at the neighboring village during the day, but it was mealtime now, and in the hot weather, everyone would rest at home after eating, so there was hardly anyone at the village entrance.

"Tian Cui, you shameless wretch, watch your tongue! Keep it up, and I'll rip it out!" Shen YinYin scolded.

Tian Cui recognized her and spat, "So it's you, a hillbilly from a poor valley, coming here to show off."

Then Tian Cui spotted Shen Moer behind Shen YinYin and thought, "No wonder Jinbao likes her—she's quite the looker."

Originally, upon hearing that her son had been beaten, Tian Cui was determined to retaliate. But after leading the group to Yangliu Village, she first saw the newly built big tiled houses of the Shen family and then Shen Moer, which made her thoughts turn.

This girl wasn't a worker or a cadre, which was a drawback, but she had her advantages—she was good-looking and the only child in her family. After marriage, wouldn't everything belong to her Jinbao? Then, she could have Shen Laoqi transfer his job at the kiln to Jinbao, and Jinbao could even become a worker in the commune.

Even if Jinbao found a worker or a cadre, their family would surely have brothers, so apart from a job, there wouldn't be many other benefits. How could that compare to the benefits of an only daughter?

Of course, it was only because Shen Laoqi had become a worker and their life had improved that Tian Cui even considered this.

After calculating in her heart, Tian Cui stopped cursing and said, "What's wrong with me scolding a bit? I have every right to. Have you ever seen someone who comes to see a potential match and ends up getting beaten? Our Jinbao has been pampered since childhood; we've never even touched a finger on him. He comes here to meet someone and gets beaten. As a mother, how could I not be angry?"

Shen YinYin looked at her coldly, not believing that Tian Cui's sudden softening was for any good reason.

Sure enough, Tian Cui continued, "According to reason, since you beat our Jinbao, I certainly can't let this go. But our Jinbao is a good child; he persuaded me to let it go. He still quite likes your Shen Moer. She's nothing special, but our family always indulges our children. Since the child has taken a liking, we adults have to go along with it. The Shen family's house is built, so let's arrange the marriage of the two children. It's perfect, strengthening family ties, a double joy."

Shen YinYin let out a cold laugh, barely holding back her anger. She forced a smile and said, "So, your kid's a real catch, huh? Which one is he? Come here and let me get a better look."

Tian Cui proudly said, "Of course, our Jinbao's the head of the production team—he's a real go-getter."

She turned to her son, "Jinbao, this is Shen Moer's aunt. Come and let her see you."

Shen Moer's mother had passed away early, and Shen Laoqi wasn't someone who could handle things well. Tian Cui thought Shen YinYin was there to oversee Shen Moer's marriage arrangements.

Shen YinYin saw a young man with narrow eyes, a flat nose, and not very tall stature step out from behind Shen YinYin, and she felt her eyes hurt just looking at him.

Her own mother was quite good-looking, so she and her brother Laoqi were quite handsome, especially Laoqi, who seemed to have inherited the best features from their parents. In his youth, he was quite handsome, and even now, nearing forty, he looked like a young man.

As for the wife Laoqi married, she was even more beautiful.

When she first escaped, her hair was cut very short, as if chewed by a dog, and her face was smeared with dirt, looking like a boy. Only after getting to know Laoqi and washing her face did Laoqi realize she was a beautiful girl.

With such parents, how could Moer be an ugly child?

When Moer was young, she was as delicate as a piece of fine jade. It wasn't until after her mother passed, life got tougher, she grew too thin, and toiled all day under the sun, turning dark, that she lost her looks.

Even though Shen Moer was sunburned and emaciated, she was still far too good for this ugly creature. Moreover, with the Shen family's improved circumstances, Moer was clearly being well taken care of and flourishing.

Shen YinYin couldn't help but think that this so-called Jinbao or Yinbao was like a donkey unaware of its own ugliness or a monkey unashamed of its skinny face—a toad lusting after swan meat, completely oblivious to his own inadequacies.

Though she felt utterly disgusted, she didn’t show it. Instead, she waved her hand and said, "Young man, come here. Auntie’s got something to say to you."

If it had been anyone else, Wang Jinbao would have ignored them. But since it was Shen Moer's aunt, he walked over. As soon as he got close, Shen YinYin struck, slapping him twice across the face. Before he could react, she grabbed his hair and banged his head several times.

"Did you even look in the mirror before leaving the house? If you don’t have a mirror, at least take a piss and look at your reflection! You’re so ugly it hurts my eyes. How dare you, a toad, set your sights on my Moer? Is your head full of crap?!"

Shen YinYin continued to hit and curse, her punches heavy and relentless.

Despite being a young man, Wang Jinbao was completely outmatched by her.

Tian Cui was stunned, only snapping out of it after a long pause. She immediately screamed, "Ahhh! What are you doing?! You bitch, how dare you hit my son! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!"

She lunged at Shen YinYin, who swiftly tossed Wang Jinbao aside, grabbed Tian Cui’s hair, and slapped her four times without hesitation.

"You shameless hag, trying to exploit my brother’s family. Your schemes are so obvious they’re practically screaming! Look at your son—uglier than shit, something that could blend right into a dung pit. And yet you dare to covet my Moer? Hah! You’re trying to ruin her reputation by bringing your son here, aren’t you? You despicable wretch! If I don’t slap you to death today, I’ll change my surname!"

Shen YinYin was fierce. Though Tian Cui appeared stronger, she was no match for Shen YinYin.

Wang Jinbao, furious, shouted, "You old witch, how dare you hit me!"

He wasn’t trying to save his mother; he just couldn’t stand being humiliated in front of everyone. He charged at Shen YinYin, only to be met with a punch from Zhao Zhengyang that left him with a black eye.

"Hey, hey, hey! Why are you hitting people? Are you picking on us because Shada Brigade is weak?"

The people from Shada Brigade who had come with Tian Cui rushed forward to help.

They had heard Wang Jinbao was beaten in Yangliu Brigade and came to demand an explanation. But after listening to the exchange, they realized the situation wasn’t as the Wang family had described. It seemed the Wangs were shamelessly trying to force themselves on the girl, which made them hesitate.

Some were close to the Wang family and would naturally side with them, but others had come out of solidarity for their brigade, not wanting their people to be bullied by outsiders. Seeing the situation, they were unsure what to do.

Still, they had come together from Shada Brigade and couldn’t just stand by and watch their own people get beaten, so they reluctantly stepped in to help.

However, they were immediately stopped by Chen Zhuangzhuang and others.

"This is Yangliu Brigade’s territory. If you want to fight, do you think a few of you can take on our entire brigade? You’re causing trouble on our turf. If we beat you, it’s your own fault."

Chen Zhuangzhuang pushed one of the Shada Brigade members and said, "You heard it yourself. This mother and son are stirring up trouble and ruining a girl’s reputation. Beating them up isn’t excessive."

The Shada Brigade members hesitated.

"Ahhh! Let go of my son! Jinbao, Jinbao! Ahhh! Let him go! I’ll fight you to the death!"

Though Wang Jinbao didn’t seem too concerned about his mother, Tian Cui, despite being slapped into a swollen mess, struggled to help her son, her cries piercing: "Ahhh! Why aren’t you helping? We’re from the same brigade! Are you just going to stand there and watch my Jinbao get beaten? You cold-hearted bastards!"

One person managed to create the chaos of a crowd.

It wasn’t entirely the fault of the Shada Brigade members. Tian Cui knew Shen Laoqi’s house was at the village entrance. She thought it would be easy to pick on a widower and a young orphan girl, so she hadn’t brought many people—only about seven or eight.

She hadn’t expected the Shen family to be hosting guests, with everyone who had been helping out still present. They far outnumbered the Shada Brigade group.

Even if the Shada Brigade members hadn’t hesitated, they wouldn’t have been much help, as Chen Zhuangzhuang and the others had them blocked.

Realizing the situation was dire, Wang Jinbao quickly collapsed to the ground, pretending to be dead. Seeing her precious son knocked down, Tian Cui became even more frantic, trying to fight back, only to be subdued even more forcefully by Shen YinYin.

"Stop! Everyone, stop!"

The brigade leader Zhou Mancang, accountant Ding Shouchang, team leader Zhou Peijun, and some other villagers hurried over together.

In fact, only Shen YinYin and Tian Cui were still fighting. When Shen YinYin heard Zhou Mancang's voice, she immediately released Tian Cui, who fell to the ground and started wailing, "There's no justice anymore! Yangliu Brigade is bullying us! Jinbao, my Jinbao—"

While crying, she crawled towards where Wang Jinbao was lying.

Shen YinYin frowned and looked at her son, "Did you knock him down?"

Zhao Zhengyang looked annoyed, "I only punched him once, and I didn't even use much force."

Shen YinYin: "..."

Zhou Mancang angrily said, "It seems like you all have too much free time lately, with not enough work in the fields. You—"

He glanced at the main conflict zone and suddenly choked, unable to finish his sentence.

Because he suddenly realized that none of the people fighting were from Yangliu Brigade!

He had heard that people from Shada Brigade had come to cause trouble, and the mother and son on the ground were probably them, given how they were shouting about Yangliu Brigade bullying them.

As for the people fighting them—oh, Shen YinYin, she used to be from their brigade, but she had married out decades ago and was now from Beishan'ao Brigade. The two young men beside her were clearly not from Yangliu Brigade either. Zhou Mancang guessed they were Shen YinYin's children, which would make them definitely from Beishan'ao Brigade.

Since neither side in the "battle" was from Yangliu Brigade, what was he, the brigade leader of Yangliu Brigade, supposed to say?

After a long silence, Zhou Mancang finally asked, "What exactly happened?"

Shen YinYin then briefly explained the situation.

When the people of Yangliu Brigade heard that this was the nephew Tian Fang had arranged to set up with Shen Moer for a blind date, they couldn't help but take a closer look. After seeing him, they all thought, no wonder Shen YinYin was so furious. What kind of ugly, misshapen guy is this, thinking he could marry the most beautiful girl in Yangliu Brigade?

Yes, the most beautiful girl.

Everyone could see clearly. They had all noticed that since the family's fortunes had improved, Shen Moer, who used to keep her head down and had little presence, had not only become more cheerful but also looked more and more beautiful.

Moreover, the outrageous things this guy had said had already been spread around by the old ladies in the village. Now, hearing Shen YinYin repeat Tian Cui's words, everyone's fists itched.

This wasn't just overreaching; it was like a toad trying to eat swan meat, harboring dark thoughts of taking advantage of a vulnerable family. Coming here so brazenly to cause trouble, they were clearly trying to ruin Shen Moer's reputation and force her to marry into their family.

Zhou Mancang's face darkened. This family's actions were truly disgraceful, and bringing people over like this showed they had no respect for Yangliu Brigade.

However, with the autumn harvest approaching, Zhou Mancang didn't want to stir up trouble. After some thought, he said, "You were in the wrong to begin with, so you can't blame the Shen family for taking action. Since it was a one-on-one fight and both sides were involved, and no one seems seriously injured, let's consider this matter closed. Marriage should be based on mutual consent. If the girls from our brigade don't fancy the boys from your brigade, you can't resort to such underhanded tactics. If this happens again, I'll report it to your brigade leader and the commune."

His words were quite fair, but Tian Cui and Wang Jinbao were in no mood to listen.

Seeing that the brigade cadres had arrived and no one dared to hit him anymore, Wang Jinbao stopped pretending and got up from the ground, "I have such good conditions! I even gave up the chance to marry workers or cadres, and I agreed to give her a dowry. What more does she want?! Isn't it just about wanting more dowry? Can't I add a few more? And you had people hit me? Once we're married, my grandma will definitely set her straight."

Tian Cui also scrambled to her feet, "Pah! Forget about the dowry. With such a fierce aunt, we shouldn't give her any dowry at all."

Zhou Mancang: "..."

Everyone else: "..."

You two really had it coming!

Honestly, who could resist hitting you after hearing this?

Shen Shaoyuan stood at the gate of his courtyard, his face cold as he watched Tian Cui and her son. He turned his head and whispered something to Zheng Jiamin, who was standing beside him. Zheng Jiamin nodded and quickly ran off.

Tian Cui and her son kept rambling on, while everyone else looked at them with mixed expressions. The more they listened, the more they suspected that the mother and son were not quite right in the head. Even the people from Shada Brigade couldn't bear to listen anymore, feeling utterly embarrassed.

Not long after, Zheng Jiamin returned with the members of the second branch of the Shen family.

Oh, the third branch followed, led by Cao Mei, who watched the commotion with a face full of schadenfreude.

"Sis, last time you told me to promise Moer to the Wang family, saying they only have one son, and that we should not ask for a dowry upfront. You said that after the marriage, you and Moer could work together to swindle all their family's wealth. You also said you didn't ask for much, just wanted me to return the money you spent on buying the big tiled houses. I remember clearly refusing you at the time. I said I only have one precious daughter, and even if someone offered me a fortune, I wouldn't trade her. I also said that my daughter is an especially upright person; she would only live honestly and would never engage in such underhanded schemes."

Shen Shaoyuan's voice was calm and gentle: "Sis, I thought I made it clear to you. Didn't you explain it clearly to the Wang family?"

Tian Fang, who had just arrived, looked bewildered: "What? When did I ever say..."

"Damn it, Tian Fang, you two-faced snake! You got my Jinbao beaten up, and now you want to conspire to swindle my family's wealth. I'll fight you—"

Before Tian Fang could react, Tian Cui rushed over, grabbed her hair, and slapped her three times.

Shen YinYin had hit her like that, and now she was imitating it, immediately putting it into practice on Tian Fang.

They had come to settle the score, but not only did they fail to do so, they ended up getting beaten up instead. Especially seeing her precious son's eye socket bruised, Tian Cui was already on the verge of going mad. Now, hearing Shen Shaoyuan's words, it was like adding fuel to the fire. Her anger was completely uncontrollable, and she exploded.

She didn't doubt Shen Shaoyuan's words at all, because that was exactly the kind of thing Tian Fang would say.

When Tian Fang had persuaded her before, she had used the same rhetoric. Tian Cui now suspected that Tian Fang might have been targeting their family from the start. When Shen Laoqi refused, she then turned to persuade them to take advantage of the situation.

Although their sisterly relationship was good, everyone is selfish, naturally favoring their own family and children.

Tian Cui was exactly that kind of person herself, so she didn't doubt that Tian Fang was the same.

She couldn't take on Shen YinYin, but Tian Fang was an easy target. Tian Fang always played the weak and kind role, not a fierce person, and had no experience in fighting. Tian Cui was naturally stronger in this aspect, and having just "learned" a few moves from Shen YinYin, she quickly gained the upper hand.

"Auntie, why are you hitting my mom!"

Shen Lingling also arrived. Seeing her mother being beaten by Tian Cui, she immediately rushed over to help.

Wang Jinbao didn't care about not hitting women. Seeing Shen Lingling coming, he grabbed her hair: "What are you doing? You want to hit my mom?!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Brother, sister-in-law, come help me!" Shen Lingling screamed.

Shen Jianye and Shen Jianshe rushed over: "Jinbao, let go of Lingling. We're all relatives, let's talk this out—"

Both sides started pulling and shoving. At one point, Shen Lingling suddenly screamed, broke free from Wang Jinbao, and slapped him: "Pervert!"

Seeing her son being hit, Tian Cui, who had been dominating the fight, immediately let go of Tian Fang and rushed over: "You little brat, how dare you hit your cousin!"

She grabbed Shen Lingling and started slapping her wildly.

"Ahhh, why are you hitting my daughter? I'll fight you!"

Seeing her daughter beaten and hearing her call Wang Jinbao a pervert, Tian Fang rushed into the fight, shouting, "Oldest daughter-in-law, second daughter-in-law, are you dead?!"

Jianye's wife and Jianshe's wife, who didn't want to get involved, had no choice but to step in and help.

"Jinbao's third uncle, Jinbao's fourth aunt, are you just going to watch us get bullied and not help?!" Tian Cui also screamed while calling for backup.

Several of the Wang family's relatives and close friends reluctantly stepped in to "break it up."

Earlier, it was clear that Tian Cui's side was in the wrong, and with Chen Zhuangzhuang and others blocking them, they didn't want to join the "battle," and objectively couldn't.

Now, it seemed like Tian Fang had tricked Tian Cui, and with Tian Fang's side having more people, if they didn't help, Tian Cui would definitely be at a disadvantage, so they had no choice but to step in.

The scene immediately became even more chaotic than before.

Zhou ManCang shouted several times to stop the fight, but no one paid him any attention. He had no choice but to toss the car keys to Zhou Peijun, telling him to hurry to the commune and call the police.

Fortunately, their brigade wasn’t far from the commune. Zhou Peijun sped like a bolt of lightning and quickly returned with help.

When the police arrived, the fight was winding down, though both sides were still grappling. Everyone was exhausted, and the struggle had lost its intensity. Both sides were bruised and swollen, looking like they’d been through a meat grinder.

The leading officer, surnamed Chang, glanced at the two groups of battered individuals and couldn’t help but remark, “Why didn’t anyone in your brigade try to break it up?”

Zhou ManCang replied expressionlessly, “They’re sisters, blood-related.”

Officer Chang immediately understood. The closer the relationship, the harder it is to intervene. If not handled carefully, they might reconcile and turn against outsiders.

“Alright, everyone, let’s head to the commune police station!” Officer Chang sighed. “It’s lucky our commune has a station. Many don’t. What would they do with a brawl like this?”

Several officers instructed the fighters to follow them to the commune. Tian Cui, seeing that Shen YinYin and the others weren’t being called, protested, “They fought too. Why aren’t they going?”

Shen YinYin sneered coldly and said, “Officer, they brought it on themselves. I just pulled some hair and slapped them a few times. That doesn’t count as fighting, does it?”

Officer Chang looked at Tian Cui’s swollen face, which clearly wasn’t the result of a few slaps. After asking around, he roughly understood the cause of the conflict between Tian Cui and Shen YinYin. Learning that Shen YinYin had only slapped Tian Cui a few times, he said, “Since Brigade Leader ManCang has already handled this, we won’t take you to the station. Consider this a slap on the wrist. Next time, even if the other party’s at fault, resolve it through legal means.”

He despised what Tian Cui and her son had done but kept his thoughts to himself. He simply took the fighters away.

In an instant, a large group was led off.

Strangely, many felt the scene was familiar.

Oh, right. The last time the Shen family boys stole bricks from their uncle’s house, they were also taken away by the police.

Speaking of which, those caught last time hadn’t returned yet, and now so many from Shen Laoer’s family were being taken to the station.

This was really something.

People muttered under their breath, and Zhou ManCang’s face grew darker.

Another embarrassment. Their Yangliu Brigade was humiliated again!

He could already imagine what the Songshu Brigade leader would say at the next meeting.

The onlookers gradually dispersed. Standing at her doorstep, Shen Moer’s expression was subtle. She hadn’t expected Shen YinYin to shut her out so completely.

When she first heard that many from Shada Brigade had come, Shen Moer thought she might have to reveal her true combat skills today.

Who knew Shen YinYin was such a powerhouse!

She didn’t give Shen Moer the slightest chance to act.

Shen Moer could see her father was so angry he almost stepped in himself, but he couldn’t find much opportunity to act.

Shen Shaoyuan had calmed down and politely invited Zhou ManCang and the others inside. Zhou ManCang declined and pulled Shen Shaoyuan aside, “If Shada Brigade comes again, don’t get involved. Let the brigade handle it. This way, it won’t affect your daughter Moer’s reputation.”

Shen Shaoyuan thanked him.

Zhou ManCang paused, then changed the subject, “I’ve noticed you’ve been around the brigade lately. Are you not working at the kiln factory anymore?”

Shen Shaoyuan arched an eyebrow and said, “My main job is writing slogans and painting murals. I had a lot of tasks recently, so I worked overtime to finish them. Now that we’re building a house, the section chief gave me some time off.”

Zhou ManCang nodded, then asked cautiously, “Does the factory still pay you if you’re not working?”

Shen Shaoyuan: "I've done all the work I was supposed to do, so of course I should still get paid. My job is different from everyone else's, and if there's work at the factory, they can call me back anytime, and I'll go back right away."

Zhou Mancang: "That sounds good."

Shen Shaoyuan noticed that he seemed hesitant, clearly wanting to say something, so he directly asked: "Team Leader, is there something on your mind?"

Zhou Mancang sighed and said: "I noticed you were doing well at the brick kiln, and later I asked around and heard that knowing how to write and paint can actually be really useful. For example, the ceramic factory in our county gives priority to hiring people who can paint. I was thinking, didn't the higher-ups say we should bring schools to the doorsteps of the poor and lower-middle peasants? These schools could teach kids to read and write, or even to paint."

He looked at Shen Shaoyuan expectantly: "Lao Qi, what do you say?"