Chapter 33: They Mean to Harm You

Chen Dabao had just sent off Xiaolian and Liu Tianjie and had barely closed his courtyard gate to begin his cultivation when he heard a commotion outside. Curious, he quickly opened the door and stepped out.

"Auntie, what’s going on?" seeing many houses lit up and villagers heading out, Chen Dabao stopped his neighbor to ask.

"It’s Accountant Li’s house—they’ve been robbed! I heard Li’s leg was broken!" Auntie Li replied before hurrying off toward Li Youcai’s house to join the crowd.

"Li Youcai’s leg was broken?" Chen Dabao found this strange. Li Youcai was the lackey of the village chief, Liu Fugui, and together they threw their weight around the village; no ordinary villager would dare lay a hand on him. "Could those bastards be turning on each other?" As he pondered this, a thought occurred to him, and his eyes brightened. He followed the other villagers toward Li Youcai’s home.

Before he even arrived, he could hear Ma Jinlian’s shrill wailing. "Which god-forsaken wretch beat my husband and trashed my house? How could you do this? Whoever you are, you’ll meet a miserable end!" Inside the courtyard, Ma Jinlian was rolling on the ground in a rage. She didn't really care about Li Youcai’s broken leg—after all, his salary would keep coming—but their television, furniture, and appliances had all been smashed. That was a fortune lost.

"His leg is really broken!"
"Who did this? And why target him? If it were for money, the village chief’s house is much grander—why not go there?"
"Hmph, serves him right. He’s done so many wicked things, it’s just karma catching up with him!"
"Exactly, heaven is watching!"

The villagers were drawn by the noise, but few felt any sympathy for Li Youcai. They all felt he deserved it; he had helped the village chief bully people far too often.

Chen Dabao moved closer and glanced into the house, which only confirmed his suspicions: the rooms had been ransacked, clearly by someone searching for something. After he had shown those ledger pages to Liu Fugui earlier that day, Li Youcai had been attacked that very night. It was likely that Liu Fugui had sent men to recover the ledger and, incidentally, give Li Youcai a warning.

"Chen Dabao! Was it you, you god-forsaken bastard?" Ma Jinlian suddenly spotted him and shrieked with agitation.

"If you think it was me, call the police. Let them investigate," Chen Dabao retorted with a mocking smirk.

"You won't admit it? I’m calling the police right now!" Ma Jinlian glared at him and scrambled to find her phone.

"What good will calling the police do?" Liu Fugui’s voice interrupted as he strolled over with his characteristic swagger.

"The village chief is here!" The villagers parted to make way.

"Village Chief, you have to stand up for us! Chen Dabao trashed our home and broke Youcai’s leg! I’m calling the police to have him jailed!" Ma Jinlian jumped up in a frenzy.

"Call the police? There isn't a single surveillance camera in this village; what’s the point? Are you trying to embarrass us further?" Liu Fugui walked into the yard with his hands behind his back, looking down at Li Youcai.

"Village Chief, that won't do. Ma Jinlian is accusing me of this. She’s slandering me, so we must call the police to investigate and clear my name," Chen Dabao said with a cold laugh, intentionally stirring the pot.

"You bastard, stop acting!" Ma Jinlian was livid, unable to understand why the village chief was stopping her.

"Enough, Jinlian. I can vouch that Dabao didn't do this," Liu Fugui said, pointedly glaring at Ma Jinlian to defend Chen Dabao.

"So Youcai was beaten for nothing? My home was trashed for nothing?" Ma Jinlian demanded, her heart bleeding at the thought of the repair costs.

"Jinlian, stop. The village chief is right; Peach Blossom Village is too remote. Calling the police is useless," Li Youcai suddenly said in a calm, flat voice.

"You... you spineless coward! You’re pathetic! Someone has come to your house to bully you, and you’re still acting like a weakling!" Ma Jinlian snapped, losing all composure.

"Yes, I’m a coward. I’m a loser. If I weren't, I wouldn't have married you," Li Youcai replied expressionlessly.

Ma Jinlian felt a prick of guilt, which quickly turned into defensive fury. "You heartless wretch! What’s wrong with marrying me? I was the village belle back then; am I not good enough for a loser like you?"

Rumors had always circulated about Ma Jinlian’s time working in the city. It was said that her wild lifestyle had left her infertile, and she hadn't been able to conceive in all their years of marriage. Even before they wed, her reputation was poor. After the marriage, it was worse; years ago, the scandal of her and the three Zhao brothers at the threshing ground had been the talk of the entire Qingshan Town. If Li Youcai had been a real man, she would have been buried long ago.

The villagers watched the spectacle with relish.

"Enough, stop arguing!" Liu Fugui barked with the authority of a village chief. He turned to Li Youcai. "Youcai, focus on recovering. Your salary will continue as usual, and I’ll pay out of my own pocket to replace your appliances."

"Thank you, Village Chief," Li Youcai said with his head bowed, his face devoid of emotion.

"The village needs you. Once you’ve recovered, you’ve still got work to do." With that, Liu Fugui turned and walked away, satisfied with his strategy. He felt he had handled it masterfully: punish Li Youcai to warn him, then offer a reward to keep him as an accountant. That was how one managed a dog—you couldn't just beat it, nor could you just feed it meat. Mistakes required discipline, and obedience brought rewards.

"Clear out, all of you! It’s the middle of the night—nothing left to see!" Liu Fugui shouted, and the villagers, not wanting to offend him, dispersed in small groups.

Liu Fugui glanced at Chen Dabao, but wanting nothing to do with him, he walked away. He had the ledger from Li Youcai’s home now; the next step was to deal with Chen Dabao and get the remaining pages. However, Chen Dabao was formidable—three or five men likely couldn't even get close to him—so that method wouldn't work.

"You loser, go see a doctor yourself!" Ma Jinlian didn't even look at Li Youcai as she turned and walked away.

Li Youcai sat expressionless, slowly pulling himself up from the ground.

"I suppose this is what they call being deserted by everyone. Li Youcai, you’ve earned this," Chen Dabao muttered. He had no interest in helping him and turned to leave.

"I can help you deal with Liu Fugui," Li Youcai said suddenly. "I know they’ve set a trap to bring you down."