CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 352: LUPAN GORGE

Chen Zhuzi, on the very first day they settled down, warned them not to mess with the gang of Jin San and Chen Liu in the village.

Who exactly is Jin San? He is one of the ringleaders of those previously mentioned as leftover rice traders. Back then, only three educated youths remained in the village, and Jin San was one of them. This person was quite ugly, orphaned without parents, unable to return to the city or marry a wife, thus he simply resigned himself to his fate.

The other two, one surnamed Lin and the other surnamed Ma, were similarly miserable. Although they had parents, due to many siblings, and being stuck in the middle, they were somewhat dispensable in the eyes of their parents.

Thus, they now hang out with Jin San, enjoying delicious and spicy food every day, and living the life of newlyweds night after night. Life for them is quite enjoyable!

As for Chen Liu, he is a native of the village. The Liu in his name does not indicate that he is the sixth child at home, but rather because he was born with six fingers.

Local people believe those born with six fingers bring bad luck, and with Chen Liu’s parents having died early and no relatives looking after him, he survived by stealing bits from here and there, living precariously but somehow growing up big and strong.

Chen Liu, without anyone to discipline him from a young age and being shunned by villagers because of his six fingers, coupled with his dishonest behavior, became a person detested by both humans and dogs alike in the village.

Therefore, these like-minded individuals found a suitable opportunity to swear brotherhood in Taoyuan; Jin San became the eldest brother, Chen Liu the second, followed by Lin Laosan and Ma Laos as the third and fourth. Then these four gathered some other ruffians from the village and developed into a group that has now reached a size of thirty to forty people, becoming quite formidable.

However, this group does adhere to a principle of ’not harming their own kind’, specifically targeting passers-by and foreigners, and not meddling with the locals.

Of course, this is not because Jin San and his group are virtuous, but for two reasons. The first is that the villagers of Lupanxia Village are traditionally martial, and everyone from old to young, male and female, knows how to fight, so they dare not provoke a mass outrage.

The second reason is that the road at the exit of Lupanxia Village is a national highway, with many buses and trucks passing every day. It is enough to rob these drivers and passengers, so there’s no need to provoke the villagers.

Thus, the villagers of Lupanxia Village and Jin San’s gang adhere to the principle of ’if you don’t trouble me, I won’t trouble you’, and hence live in relative peace.

Chen Zhuzi was worried that these university students might confront Jin San’s group, which could lead to undesirable incidents, especially since they were staying at the home of the four brothers. Therefore, he took the initiative to caution them.

"Master Chen, who exactly are Jin San and Chen Liu? Why should we be careful around them?" Sisi asked anxiously, feeling a sudden chill.

Chen Zhuzi was dazzled by Sisi’s beautiful appearance, pausing for a moment, then turned away and said, "They’re just some local riffraff, not good people. You girls better be careful!"

Chen Zhuzi sighed inwardly, thinking how even he felt his heart race at the sight of such a pretty girl, could Jin San’s group let them be?

And the other girls were also beautiful, ah, this is truly earning hot money!

Chen Zhuzi felt extreme regret, resenting his wife for being greedy for money and bringing these troubles into their home. Now, he had to watch several girls potentially getting into trouble without being able to intervene, which made him uneasy. But if he were to intervene, it could disturb the peace at home, alas!

"I think it would be best for you to go back. Our place is not very peaceful, especially with all these beautiful girls around. If something happens, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee your safety."

Chen Zhuzi no longer wanted to earn this money; he just thought about sending these troublemakers away to avoid difficulties.

When Chen Zhuzi said this, coupled with his earlier mention that there were hooligans in the village, some of the timid ones became worried and showed fear on their faces.

Sisi wasn’t very scared, though. She had ways to protect herself, and with Shangguan, a formidable presence by her side, she really didn’t need to worry about a few local thugs. However, since she had just assured Tian Xinhua that she wouldn’t cause trouble, she thought it best to leave.

"Professor Ma, I think what Master Chen said makes sense. Why don’t we go somewhere else for our sketching? H city isn’t the only place with beautiful scenery," Sisi suggested to Professor Ma.

Teacher Xiao Xu also found it reasonable and chimed in, "Yes, what He Sisi student said makes sense. Shall we change our location?"

"Now is a peaceful and prosperous time, with roads not picked by the passersby and houses not locked at night. How could there be bad people? He Sisi student, do you not have confidence in the leadership of our great Communist Party?" Chang Yunhuan jumped out looking for trouble.

"Yeah, He Sisi, and to think you are some kind of war hero? Just a few words scared you into wanting to flee. I wonder if your hero title on the battlefield was also achieved by being a deserter?" Liu Xuelian, who couldn’t change her scornful nature, also jumped in.

Liu Xuelian’s words made the classmates laugh, thinking He Sisi was making a mountain out of a molehill. With so many of them, what was there to worry about? Besides, it wasn’t before the liberation. Could there still be bullies abducting village girls?

These people, having lived a privileged life from birth, had never seen the dangers of the world. They thought Teacher Xu and He Sisi were being overly paranoid. Although not as sarcastic as Liu Xuelian, their looks towards Sisi were somewhat amiss.

Chang Yunhuan and Liu Xuelian felt particularly smug, finally having a chance to get at He Sisi. Humph, this He Sisi isn’t all that impressive, just someone who had been overly glorified but nothing more than a coward!

"Well, maybe I am overstepping. I just hope no one regrets it later!"

Sisi said coldly, having done what she could; if something happened now, it wasn’t on her.

"Humph, a dog catching mice!" Liu Xuelian muttered quietly.

Sisi reached over the table in Chen Zhuzi’s house, picked up a large pair of scissors, and made a few snipping motions towards Liu Xuelian, causing her to feel a chill on her neck. Touching her shoulder-length hair, she immediately shut her mouth.

Sisi sneered: Serves the worthless creature right to be taught by Miss Ben with a snip!

Professor Ma looked at the beautiful scenery outside the house, truly reluctant to leave such a picturesque site, and he also felt that it was a peaceful society—where could bullies possibly exist?

Thus, the stubborn Old Man Ma decided to stay and continue sketching. Some students with wavering stances saw that the teacher disagreed with leaving and thus dropped the subject.

Teacher Xiao Xu looked troubled as he genuinely felt it was not a good idea to stay, especially with six beautiful girls in the class. If something really happened, Professor Ma, being a senior professor, might at most receive a reprimand, but as a mere ordinary teacher, he would definitely be the one disciplined.

However, since it was Professor Ma leading the trip, he had no say in the matter, alas, and could only pray for divine protection!