Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 183

Those who had been criticized by Qian Bin blushed with anger. One of the younger men, not much older than Qian Bin, retorted, "Qian Bin, how dare you talk about us like that? You were the one who spoke up against the village chief first, the one who thought so badly of him. I think you deserved to be beaten by the village chief. Look at your bruised and swollen face! Bah! You even tried to trick us into buying chickens, ducks, and geese from that Jurenzhang place, trying to make us eat chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague. I think you were bribed by the people at Jurenzhang. Because of fowl plague, Jurenzhang couldn't sell any chickens, ducks, and geese, so they lowered the prices, and you tricked us into buying them, saying that eating chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague wouldn't be a problem. Look at Xiangzi's appearance, does he look like he'd be okay?"

The others echoed this sentiment, all agreeing that Qian Bin was a scoundrel. They thought, "Maybe this bastard really is just trying to make some money and is going back to the village to scam people."

That's why people say relationships in rural areas are so complicated and difficult to manage—it's because there are so many people and things are so chaotic. It's unlike in the city, where you only interact with a few people every day—either colleagues or close friends and relatives. Qian Bin already had a bad reputation in the village, but although people had their opinions, they didn't take it too seriously. After what just happened, their dislike for Qian Bin only intensified.

"You're trying to rob and kill me. Thank goodness I didn't listen to your nonsense."

Qian Bin was stunned by what he was being told. He was still a little confused. Why was everyone talking about him? Just a dozen minutes ago, they were all fine and cursing the village chief with him. Why were they all cursing him now?

Even Old Liu chimed in, "Qian Bin, they're right. You really went too far this time. You deserved that beating. Old Zhao is such a good person, but you portrayed him as treacherous, selfish, and self-serving. You hurt Old Zhao's feelings and drove him away. If I were Old Zhao, I wanted to lead the villagers to a better life, but then someone opposed me appeared and even tried to make everyone in the village eat chickens, ducks, and geese infected with fowl plague. If it were me, I would have beaten him even harder than he did."

You can still stand up and talk now, and you look very energetic, so Old Zhao didn't beat you too hard.

"Look at Xiangzi's condition! You still want to encourage the villagers to buy chickens, ducks, and geese from Jurenzhang? Do you want everyone in the village to become like Xiangzi? Have you not considered the possibility that what Old Zhao said might be true, that everyone in the village might actually buy chickens, ducks, and geese from Jurenzhang and fall ill? Then so many people would definitely come to settle scores with you. Have you thought about the consequences?"

Old Liu grew increasingly annoyed with Qian Bin, having been misled by his rhetoric. Qian Bin had told Old Liu that if the village chief really implemented the ban, who knew when it would be lifted? Then, anything done in the village would be treated like theft. Going up the mountain to do some work, Zhao Tingming could easily accuse you of catching pheasants. Then Zhao Tingming could fine you however he wanted, and punish everyone however he pleased.

So Qian Bin urged everyone that they absolutely couldn't let Zhao Tingming's notice be implemented. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to make a living.

As the saying goes, "If you hear cicadas chirping, shouldn't you stop farming?"

Qian Bin looked incredulous. He pointed at himself and shouted, "No, I think it's you guys who are out of your minds! I've already explained what I said before; it was all just my guess. You just believe whatever you hear. I only made a guess, and you believed it. Like now, Zhao Da'e and the others are saying that eating chickens, ducks, and geese with chicken plague will cause this. You believed her as soon as she said it. Have you ever thought about whether Xiangzi might have eaten something wrong and that's why he's like this? You're all just a bunch of opportunists. You believe whatever others say. You clearly have no judgment at all, and yet you come here to blame me."

Before he could finish speaking, Qian Bin felt a shove behind him. He looked back and saw it was Old Liu. Old Liu sneered, "You little brat, what are you saying? Humph, I think you just need a beating! You're indirectly calling someone a fence-sitter."

As he spoke, Old Liu raised his cane and struck Qian Bin hard on the back. Qian Bin screamed in pain, remembering the terror of being beaten by Zhao Tingming. His back still ached, and he couldn't help but yell, "Old Liu, what are you doing? What right do you have to hit me! It's one thing for Old Zhao to hit me, but you hit me too? Are you out of your mind? Did I say anything wrong? Aren't you a fence-sitter? Wasn't everything I said the truth? And you're just getting angry and hitting me? Hypocritical! Utterly hypocritical! You and everyone in the village are so hypocritical!"

Old Liu became increasingly agitated as he listened, and he hit harder, striking Qian Bin directly on the buttocks with his cane: "I'll beat you to death, you little bastard."

The wife of Old Liu, who was behind them, not only didn't stop Old Liu, but also chased after Qian Bin, trying to tear his clothes.

The other villagers were also eager to watch the drama unfold, and another reason was that Qian Bin was really hated this time, so they all gathered around and each of them punched Qian Bin.

Qian Bin was torn and ripped apart by the crowd, his face soon covered in scratches, his clothes ripped, and even one of his shoes was thrown far away…

Zhao Da'e couldn't help but cover his eyes, clicked his tongue a few times, and shook his head. It was truly an eyesore.

Qian Bin cried out in pain and cursed, "Why are you hitting me? This was Old Li's idea!"

After Qian Bin's reminder, most of the people immediately turned their attention to Old Li's wife. Old Li's scalp tingled from the stares, and she swallowed hard. Knowing when to yield, she quickly admitted her mistake, saying, "Qian Bin, don't go around accusing people. I've always supported the village chief's work. For example, I'm always the first to hand over the grain every time he collects it. The village chief has it tough too. How can you still be talking badly about him? You're so inconsiderate! The village chief is such a good person, how can you say such things about him?"

When the villagers saw that Old Li's wife said this and was on their side, they immediately turned their attention back to Qian Bin. Seeing Qian Bin's stubborn look, they were even more furious.

Offending the village chief wasn't a big deal, since everyone knew Zhao Tingming wasn't a petty person. But being tricked was unpleasant.

Besides, everyone is in a difficult position and needs Zhao Tingming's help, so nobody wants to offend him. If there were a valid reason, it might be acceptable. However, it's clear that today is not a good time.

Zhao Da'e stepped forward and pulled everyone apart: "Alright, alright, today is not the time for fighting. My great-grandfather won't cause you any trouble later, so just stay quiet and do what you're supposed to do. Anyway, the notices have been given, so go home. If no one can pay for Xiangzi's medical expenses, the village can cover it first."

Old Mrs. Li, however, remained relentless; she was a notorious shrew in Dongtaizi Village. She rolled up her sleeves, adopting a righteous and indignant air: "Big Goose, you don't understand. That Qian Bin is seeing your great-grandfather is getting old and is eyeing the next village chief. So he's deliberately causing trouble… He'd love for the village to descend into chaos. I'm different from him; I just have a craving for meat. But that Qian Bin, he's got a rebellious streak…"

Qian Bin's eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of twisted logic was this? He was almost in tears. He looked at Old Li's wife incredulously. Wasn't she just standing with him, criticizing Xiangzi? How could she be siding with Zhao Da'e and the village chief so quickly? Qian Bin hadn't forgotten that Old Li's wife had asked him to help her look around at the market for cheap chickens, ducks, and geese so she could sell them to her at a low price. And now, Old Li's wife had changed her tune so quickly. Qian Bin truly understood what it meant to be treacherous.

That old woman Li is really damn wicked!

Qian Bin was furious. He immediately yelled at Old Li's wife, "Old Li's wife, you can't do this! You were clearly with me, arguing with the village chief and Xiangzi the most enthusiastically. I even got beaten up because I was trying to defend you, and now I'm the one who got beaten up, and you're turning around and blaming me! Are you a dog?! I was blind to even speak up for you, and now I'm all in trouble. Old Li's wife, you're something else! No wonder you're so unpopular. You're two-faced... so despicable!"

Feeling guilty under Qian Bin's gaze, Old Lady Li turned her head away, pretending to look elsewhere.

It wasn't that she didn't want to speak up for Qian Bin, but there were just too many people outside siding with the village chief. If Old Li's wife sided with Qian Bin, she would definitely be the one getting criticized. People should avoid causing trouble for themselves if possible. Although Old Li's wife felt a little sorry for Qian Bin, she had no choice but to apologize to him, even if it meant sacrificing a friend for herself.

Old Liu and the other villagers beat up Qian Bin. Qian Bin was so badly beaten that tears came to his eyes. He couldn't believe things had turned out this way. The villagers who were originally on his side had turned around and helped the village chief. In Qian Bin's eyes, this was disgusting. Why didn't they do this sooner?

The villagers initially knew little about chicken plague. When they learned that Juren Zhangzi was selling chicken, duck, and goose meat at low prices, they were all eager to get a bargain. They approached him, pleading with him to help them buy some cheap chicken, duck, and goose. But now that Doctor Chen Shuyi had stepped forward and informed them that the chicken, duck, and goose meat was problematic, these same villagers sided with the village chief, turning around and blaming him, even coming to beat him up. Qian Bin found it utterly hypocritical; he had never seen such disgusting people.

Overwhelmed by a mix of emotions, Qian Bin could no longer bear it. He pushed away Old Liu, who had been pressing down on him, and snatched the cane from Old Liu's hand, fighting back.

Qian Bin, his eyes red and his emotions running high, stared at the villagers who had surrounded him, ready to beat him up. A wild beast roared within him: Fight back! Fight back! Fight back! He couldn't let himself be bullied like this!

But his remaining rationality was still urging Qian Bin to fight back. If he were to fight back like that, and Old Liu was too old to get up, and then try to extort money from him, he would be in big trouble.

But another inner demon told Qian Bin, was he just going to be bullied like this? It was clearly all the villagers' fault, so why should he bear the blame? Why was he the only one being attacked? Just because he was an outsider, and there were only two or three households with the surname Qian in the village, were they bullying him?

When Old Liu saw Qian Bin's furrowed brows and red eyes, looking furious, he felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly thought that Qian Bin looked terrifying.

But after thinking about it carefully, Old Liu shook his head again. He was Qian Bin's uncle, and he was old. In this village, he was always respected and treated with deference. What was there for him to be afraid of, a mere junior?

So Old Liu straightened his back and said defiantly, "What, you want to hit me? Come on, hit me... hit me on the head. You coward!"

Watching Old Liu's infuriatingly arrogant demeanor, Zhao Da'e felt a pang of embarrassment. Looking at Qian Bin's expression, it was clear he was on the verge of exploding with rage. If Old Liu provoked him further, Qian Bin might actually do something truly terrifying. Moreover, Zhao Da'e felt that this wasn't entirely Qian Bin's fault; the villagers present also bore some responsibility, such as Old Li's wife and Old Liu. However, they all shifted the blame onto Qian Bin, making him bear the entire burden. Frankly, these two were inherently selfish and self-serving. Compared to Qian Bin, he was at least frank and open, readily admitting his mistakes.

Zhao Da'e felt she had to say something, otherwise it would be troublesome if Qian Bin really got angry and injured someone, but before Zhao Da'e could speak, Qian Bin had already taken action.

Suddenly, Qian Bin stood up and kicked Old Liu in the buttocks, yelling, "Go to hell!"

With a "bang," Old Liu fell to the ground with a thud. Qian Bin gripped his cane tightly and swung it hard, hitting Old Liu's buttocks.

Perhaps it happened too suddenly, everyone stared wide-eyed, not reacting for a moment, until Old Liu shouted at the top of his lungs, "You traitor! How dare you hit your grandpa, you little brat, you're finished!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and start the fight!" Zhao Da'e was pacing around anxiously.

Young people can take a beating, but this old Liu is skinny and thin, and he's also quite old. If something really happens to him, everyone here today will be in deep trouble.

Those nearby then realized what was happening and rushed forward to try and pull Qian Bin away. However, Qian Bin was still holding a cane, and anyone who stepped forward would get a beating. Qian Bin was also very ruthless, hitting the fleshy parts of Old Liu's legs with red eyes.

Although he was very excited, he wasn't entirely stupid; hitting other areas could easily kill someone. The thigh has the most flesh, so it's unlikely to kill.