Liu Yutong was slightly taken aback when she heard it was Jin Xiangming.
This guy is getting into construction now?
Since she knew it was Jin Xiangming, there was no need to call for backup.
However, Cao Wang was the type to hold grudges, so she had to deal with him thoroughly.
"Get lost!"
Liu Yutong let him go again.
After escaping, Cao Wang instinctively wanted to rally his men for revenge, but his arm was throbbing in pain. He decided to get it treated first, then return with more people to teach them a lesson.
Liu Yutong knew he wouldn’t let it go. She whispered something to Gao Min.
A flicker of surprise crossed Gao Min’s face before she nodded and left with Aunt Li.
Liu Debao came over, carrying a hoe. "Sis, that bastard Cao Wang will definitely come back for you. What should we do? Should we call Brother Ma and the others?"
Liu Yutong shook her head. "No need. Let them enjoy the New Year in peace."
Then, she reassured her grandparents, telling them to go about their business—she could handle this.
Afterward, she calmly pulled up a stool and sat at the front gate, clearly waiting for trouble to arrive.
Her uncle’s family still hadn’t left, as if they saw another glimmer of "hope."
They knew Jin Xiangming well—their families had been close until last year’s hotel incident severed ties.
No matter what, Yang Yue wouldn’t feel satisfied until she saw Liu Yutong get what she deserved. Only then would her resentment fade.
Seeing them stubbornly lingering, Liu Yutong ignored them.
Earlier, she had sent Gao Min with Aunt Li to find the family Cao Wang had attacked with a knife.
This was a serious criminal case—Cao Wang deserved to spend years behind bars, didn’t he?
Besides, in her past life, Liu Yutong had heard villagers talk about Cao Wang. He had fled south after slashing several people, one of whom was left permanently disabled. That was why he had sneaked back to his hometown.
Back then, surveillance systems weren’t as advanced, and many criminals evaded capture until technology improved.
With Village Chief Wang Degui pulling strings for him, Cao Wang had remained free.
But today, his luck would run out.
Including Village Chief Wang Degui’s.
Liu Yutong sat there, utterly unshaken, her confidence making her uncle’s family uneasy.
What’s with this girl? She’s downright eerie.
Then, Liu Jianhong—Liu Debao’s father—approached. Seeing his cousin Liu Jianren’s family still standing around, he pulled Liu Jianren aside to talk.
Though only a cousin, Liu Jianhong wanted to reason with him—why let family tensions escalate? Couldn’t they treat the elders and niece better?
Liu Yutong knew her uncle meant well, but she cut in.
"Uncle, do you want to run for village chief?"
Among his peers, Liu Jianhong was well-educated. In an era where most barely knew a few characters, he had finished high school and even mastered calligraphy—many villagers asked him to write their Spring Festival couplets.
More importantly, he was qualified to run.
It was simply because the family pressure was too great, his wife was ill, and on top of that, Wang Degui's clan held immense influence with an overbearing attitude, making it impossible for outsiders like them to even consider running for office.
Though the village was named Duan Village and indeed had many families with the surname Duan, the most powerful clan was the Wangs.
To put it plainly, just among the younger generation in the back half of the village—Wang Ergou’s cousins and distant relatives—there were already over thirty of them.
Wang Degui’s generation had even more.
Under such circumstances, no one could compete with Wang Degui for the position of village chief unless someone from his own clan stepped forward.
Liu Jianhong froze for a moment. "Me?"
"Yutong, don’t joke around. How could I possibly have the ability to be village chief? Besides, the next election isn’t until next year."
Liu Yutong replied, "Uncle, I’m afraid we can’t wait until next year. In a couple of days, the village will likely take advantage of the New Year when everyone’s home and hold an early election."
Though she didn’t yet have direct evidence of Wang Degui’s crimes, some people in the village surely did.
Just the fact that he had shielded the criminal Cao Wang was enough to bring him down.
Once he was out of power, those villagers who had been wronged but too afraid to speak up would surely pile on.
All his other illegal dealings would inevitably come to light.
Liu Jianhong still shook his head. "You’re joking. Even if I ran, no one in the village would vote for me. Besides, your aunt’s health isn’t great, and I need to take care of her. Let’s just drop it."
Liu Yutong’s tone turned serious. "Uncle, I mean it. Auntie’s illness can definitely be treated—don’t worry about that. I’ve already arranged for her to be admitted to a hospital."
"Uncle, you have to run. Otherwise, if someone else becomes village chief, I won’t feel secure about leasing so much land for farming. I can’t stay in the village forever, can I?"
Hearing this, Liu Jianhong fell into thought.
He knew very well how capable his niece was—her business in the city was thriving, and she couldn’t always be running back to the village.
Besides, she had already laid things out so plainly. If he backed out now, it would truly be inappropriate.
"Alright, I’ll run. But... will Wang Degui just step aside?"
A cold smile curled at Liu Yutong’s lips. "That won’t be up to him."
Liu Jianhong’s heart jolted.
He hadn’t expected his niece to be planning to drag Wang Degui down outright.
Nearby, Yang Yue overheard their conversation and couldn’t help but scoff.
"Oh my, young people these days—each one talks bigger than the last. What, you think you can just do whatever you want to your village chief? Ridiculous!"
"Just wait till they get here. We’ll see if you’re still laughing then."
Liu Yutong turned to her. "Whether I laugh or not remains to be seen, but your tongue might not stay intact much longer."
Yang Yue immediately shrank back, not daring to make another snide remark.
Still, she was waiting—waiting for them to arrive. When they did, she’d make sure to pay this wretched girl back tenfold.
Just then, a group of figures appeared in the distance.
A rough-looking crowd was sprinting toward them, their aggressive demeanor unmistakable.
Village Chief Wang Degui and Cao Wang—his arm freshly set—panted heavily as they trailed behind a young man with a streak of yellow in his hair, both thinking the same thing:
What kind of weird habit is this? The young master from the county has a car but insists on running here instead.
Though the distance from his home to the Liu family’s place was just over a kilometer, sprinting that fast was still exhausting.
Of course, everyone just assumed Young Master Jin was being a loyal friend.
They had merely mentioned the issue, yet he immediately rushed over with his crew to teach that Liu girl a lesson—acting even more eager than they were.
Yang Yue watched as Jin Xiangming dashed to the front, his face twisted in what seemed like fury, though it was really just exhaustion. He was forcing himself to keep going, making his expression appear downright menacing.
Add to that the gang of followers behind him, and the whole scene did look like a mob out for revenge.
Yang Yue instantly perked up, her smugness returning in full force.
“Well, well, look who’s finally here—Young Master Jin himself!”
“Hahaha! Liu Yutong, you’re done for! Your luck’s run out! See that? Young Master Jin came personally to deal with you! I swear, if we don’t strip a layer off you today, I’ll take your family name! Hahaha!!!”
Cao Wang and Village Chief Wang Degui finally caught up, both panting heavily but radiating arrogance.
“Liu Yutong, Young Master Jin is here—you’re finished! Young Master, it’s her! She’s the one who hit me! She even said if you dared show up, she’d beat you too and force-feed you crap!” Cao Wang added extra spice to the story.
Wang Degui, still catching his breath, chimed in, “Y-yes! Young Master Jin, this girl’s completely lawless! She needs to be taught a lesson! Plus, her family’s right on the highway demolition route. Punishing her means saving money—two birds with one stone!”
“Liu Yutong, you’re done!”
“.........”
Yang Yue, Cao Wang, and Wang Degui—their faces practically oozing with gleeful malice—seemed to already envision Liu Yutong groveling on the ground, begging for mercy.
However.
Just as everyone expected Jin Xiangming to immediately order his men to attack Liu Yutong…
Jin Xiangming suddenly dropped into a smooth, practiced kneel, sliding right up to the wooden chair where Liu Yutong sat, and exclaimed excitedly:
“Aunt Liu! Happy New Year! Your nephew Xiangming pays his respects!”
Yang Yue: “???”
Cao Wang: “???”
Wang Degui: “???”
.........
The author is considering commissioning an artist to create a set of character illustrations—maybe even character cards as a keepsake. Does anyone know someone affordable? The author’s wallet is light, and I’m clueless about this stuff. Just thought it’d be nice to have some well-drawn cards made, maybe print extras to give to readers as gifts.
