CHAPTER 563: CHAPTER 339: INVOLVEMENT

With his hefty build and layers of fat across his face, the gold chain on his neck shining brightly, Song Zufu alighted from the car, surrounded by a flock of followers. Gazing at the more than thirty robust workers standing in two neat rows before the gate, he was visibly taken aback but then burst into laughter: "Not bad, not bad! Money indeed makes the world go round!"

"Song Zufu, we’re all fellow villagers here, do you really need to be so despicable?" With the support of many villagers, Old Sir Li felt much more confident.

"Where have I been despicable? I’m here to purchase jujube fruits with sincere intentions. The price isn’t three-fifty, I’m offering you three-sixty. You can’t possibly ignore the sentiments of your fellow villagers to help outsiders, right? And..." Song Zufu teased, kicking his leg out, "even if they do show up, they won’t be able to leave this place. Believe it or not?"

"Three and sixty?" Old Sir Li scoffed, "Even if you promised thirty-six yuan per jin, what’s the use if you don’t pay a single cent in the end?"

"Old Man Li, now you’re being unreasonable. Supporting the economy of Po’er County is the duty of the people of Po’er County. By opposing the government like this, are you trying to make sure Liupu Village doesn’t get any benefits?" Song Zufu pointed at a row of men behind him: "Think carefully. I, Song Zufu, remember both good and bad deeds. Whether the water from Yishan Reservoir will flow this way in the future depends entirely on your conduct."

Some faces started to show hesitation. Liupu Village was located on the eastern side of Po’er County on higher ground. In years with less rain, the crops relied solely on water from Yishan Reservoir.

And Song Zufu’s own brother, Song Zuji, was the Secretary of Po’er County. Whether the water would flow to Yangpu Village was indeed up to Song Zufu.

"Those who leave now, I can guarantee that water will flow to your fields in the future, I’ll buy your crops, and I’ll provide fertilizers at a fair price. Wait any longer than three minutes, and we can forget all about this."

Those who were already hesitant began to quietly sneak away, heads hung low and shoulders drooped. Fortunately, those with jujube gardens remained steadfast.

Old Sir Li wasn’t surprised by this turn of events. They all had families to feed and couldn’t afford to antagonize the most powerful man in Po’er County over something irrelevant to their own interests.

"Yo... tsk tsk tsk..." Song Zufu sneered as he mockingly pointed at Li Dajing, who just appeared from the crowd, "What’s this? Betraying me, huh?"

"I..." Li Dajing quivered, trying to muster some courage: "I’m redeeming myself for my past actions. Even if it’s just for my future descendants, I can’t keep making mistakes!"

"Future descendants? Hahaha... Do you even have any? Hahaha..." Song Zufu laughed exaggeratedly, and his entourage joined in with laughter that sounded truly spine-chilling.

Li Dajing’s face flushed with anger as he retorted, "I don’t have any now, but I will eventually, and as long as I do good deeds, I will have descendants!" Then, looking at Old Sir Li, he said, "Fourth Grandpa, I admit that alerting them was wrong, but I’ve realized my mistake. I want to accumulate good deeds for my children, good deeds..."

"That’s enough..." Old Sir Li interrupted the rambling Li Dajing: "Good deeds aren’t just about words, you have to act on them. Tonight, you finally did something right."

Song Zufu took a couple of steps forward: "Old Sir Li, I address you with respect, are you selling the jujube fruits to me or not?"

"Not selling!"

"What about the rest of you?" Song Zufu pointed at the people behind him: "If the money hasn’t reached you, then the goods are still yours. Are you selling to me or not? Give me a straight answer!"

"Not selling!" the crowd replied in unison. At this point, they had to stand their ground no matter what. If they gave in to Song Zufu, they probably wouldn’t even get fifty cents per jin.

"Interesting, haha... One, two, three, four... twenty-one." Song Zufu counted everyone with his fingers, nodding his head: "I’ve noted down all of you. Bros, let’s go use the bathroom in the yard before we leave!"

"You dare!" Old Sir Li, trembling with rage, raised his stick and shouted, "I dare anyone to try and enter!"

"Old Sir Li, we’re all villagers. It’s only right to do each other a favor. If you were outside my house needing to relieve yourself, I’d let you use the bathroom too." Song Zufu gestured casually: "People with manners can’t just relieve themselves anywhere in the open. Hurry up and finish, then we can head back to the city. If they don’t sell, we can’t just linger around, can we?"

"Yes, boss!" The crowd laughed and rushed in, shouting, "Make way, make way, gotta use the bathroom..."

Just as Song Zufu’s men made their rush, a surprising incident occurred. Five strong men quickly emerged from within the entourage, turned back, and started beating and kicking the others. In less than ten minutes, the ground was strewn with bodies—all of Song Zufu’s men.

"You... you..." Song Zufu, seeing the big men approaching, trembled, pointing his finger: "Who are you people? How... how did you infiltrate my group? If you dare to hit me... I... my brother will... certainly not let you off! Ouch..."

"Ouch!... Ah... Ouch... Mercy... Stop hitting... My leg is broken... Ouch!..." Song Zufu was being kicked around on the ground, while the man kicking him seemed deaf to his screams, each kick harder than the last.

The followers who had managed to get up after a few kicks simply decided to lie down and play dead—no more moving.

The people on Old Sir Li’s side finally snapped out of their daze, but they were at a loss of what to do next. Afraid that someone might get killed, Old Sir Li quickly stepped forward: "Benefactors, please, take a break, take a break."

From the distance, a row of cars with flashing police lights approached. Old Sir Li panicked: "Benefactors, you need to leave quickly. I, this old man, will take the fall for what happened here. Whether it’s being beaten, arrested, or jailed, I’ll leave my old bones to their mercy."

"Uncle Li." The leading man smiled, "Don’t worry, the police cars are ours. Tonight, all these troublemakers won’t escape, not a single one!"

Old Sir Li quickly pulled him aside, his voice low: "Benefactor, that Song Zufu’s brother is the Secretary of the County Committee. Even if they’re caught, they’ll be released immediately.

What’s more, the local police, both in the town and the county, are under the Song Family’s thumb. Don’t let them deceive you; you better get out of here quickly with the benefactors."

"Uncle Li, just call me Luo Liang. Today’s matter was arranged by Miss Luo. After you left, Miss Luo was worried about disturbances, so she asked her fiancé—my old leader—for extra protection. As for that Secretary Song, don’t worry about it. From now on, in Po’er County, the sky belongs to the common people!"

Old Sir Li was somewhat skeptical. How old was Miss Luo to already have a fiancé? Okay, even if she has a fiancé, this is Po’er County, where the strong dragon may struggle to suppress the local snakes.

Seeing that the police cars were upon them, it was too late for the benefactors to escape, so Old Sir Li had to comfort himself and temporarily believe the other party.

After thinking it over, he bravely took a stand at the front, ready to shield everyone from any unexpected incidents.

The first police car stopped, and a man in his forties got out. Old Sir Li was about to greet him when the man stopped in front of Luo Liang: "Director Luo, I am Ji Lianliang, the captain of the second division of the Po’er County Public Security Bureau, and all my team members are at your disposal. Please give us your orders!"

Luo Liang said sternly, "Take all these people into custody and seize their motorcycles."

"You... you just wait, let’s see who regrets this!" Song Zufu spat out blood hatefully. Now that the police arrived, he was not afraid anymore. Even if these people weren’t his brother’s men, they wouldn’t dare kill him!

"We’ll wait and see who regrets it!" Luo Liang kicked him down, "You’d better take a good look at the sky now because you probably won’t have the chance again in this lifetime."

...

The next morning at 9:30, Yang Songping, the Secretary of the Jinping City Committee, received a secret call: Song Zuji of Po’er County couldn’t be saved anymore. He asked the Secretary to delay the case for two days; otherwise, although it would not involve the Yang Family, it could lead to the loss of several officials from Po’er County under the jurisdiction of Songpo City.

The loss of these officials wouldn’t make much difference to the overall Yang Family, but it had a significant impact on Yang Songping taking the helm. In order to vie for the leadership of the Yang Family, he divorced his wife, yet he couldn’t marry Feng Yuning.

Although his son and Feng Qing were supposedly lovers, it was clear that the girl had a firm hold over his son. What kind of life were father and son leading for this so-called helm?

What upset him the most was that after hints of his brother Yang Songli’s framing of the Wen Family started to surface, the old man leveraged relationships and exchanged family interests to save his brother. Under such circumstances, he did not announce him as the successor. Could it be that the old man was considering handing over the Yang Family directly to his nephew?

If that was the case, how could he be content? His son’s move was smooth; that girl had completely charmed the son of the Luo Family. It seems it’s time to push that girl to accelerate their progress and ask for a formal status!

When this move is revealed to the old man, if the old man still refuses to let him succeed, it is likely that the other members of the Yang Family, apart from his big brother’s family, would not agree either!

...

On the campus of Q University.

Wang Peirong affectionately linked her arm with Luo Feng, whispering, "He commanded me to establish a relationship with you before the end of the year. What should we do?"

"Just say you will try your best, but for safety, you’ll decide based on the situation," Luo Feng’s eyes were cold. "If they give you any drugs, accept them!"

"Yes!" Wang Peirong quickly agreed.

"Act natural," Luo Feng warned.

"Okay!" Wang Peirong respectfully responded, but her face was filled with a sweet smile. To anyone looking on, she would seem like a young girl basking in happiness.

As a man in the distance quietly walked away, Wang Peirong hurriedly let go of Luo Feng: "I’m heading back now."

Luo Feng nodded: "You did well today."

"Thank you," Wang Peirong smiled happily and ran off.

Over the past year, she had encountered too many things she could never have imagined, and she truly understood a principle: never vie for what isn’t yours. Beneath that shiny exterior could be swarming maggots!

Thus, she was immensely relieved to have been seen through. Fortunately, she still had a chance to turn back!

The first update from Nu’an has arrived. (To be continued. If you like this novel, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)