Chapter 6: Vowing an Oath

After a short while, Chen Dabao arrived outside the village chief’s home.

The house of Liu Fugui, the village chief, was the most imposing in all Peach Blossom Village. The little villa rose a full five stories high, with Roman columns on the outside, white glossy tiles on the walls, and a solar water heater on the roof.

A spacious courtyard, enclosed by tall walls on all sides, looked like a small castle.

To think that simply by being village chief he could build such a handsome house—one could imagine just how black Liu Fugui’s heart must be.

Chen Dabao walked over and pushed open the beautiful iron gate.

Inside the courtyard, Liu Fugui’s family was eating. Beside them lay a big black dog. On the table were stewed chicken, braised ribs, and fried fish. Their food was of a standard far beyond that of the ordinary villagers in Peach Blossom Village.

“Dummy, what are you doing here?”

The village chief’s wife, Deng Hongyan, was displeased the moment she saw Chen Dabao.

Liu Fugui lifted his eyes briefly, picked up a piece of fish, and ignored Chen Dabao.

“Village chief, you’re all eating. Why is Sister Xiaolian washing clothes over there?” Chen Dabao swept his gaze around, saw the village chief’s daughter-in-law crouched beside the large wash basin still doing laundry, and deliberately put on a foolish, goofy expression as he asked.

The daughter-in-law of the village chief was named Xiaolian. Before marriage, she had also been a renowned beauty for miles around.

If Chen Dabao remembered correctly, Xiaolian had been married to Liu Tianjie, the village chief’s son, for more than three years. Yet in all that time, her belly had never shown a sign of movement. No one knew whose fault that was.

Xiaolian crouched there, her taut, rounded backside like a full moon. A woman with that figure looked like she ought to bear children easily, so it probably was not her fault.

“Chen Dummy, do we need your nonsense in our family affairs?”

Deng Hongyan’s expression changed, and with a sharp, cutting voice she snapped at him.

Xiaolian lowered her head, her face growing even more sorrowful. She was not allowed at the table because her belly had not given them an heir and she had not been able to add a child to the Liu family.

But this was truly not her fault.

“Chen Dabao, what exactly do you want?”

With a slap, Liu Fugui set down his chopsticks and asked sternly.

“Village chief, I’m hungry. I want to eat!” Chen Dabao glanced at the richly laden table and said on purpose.

“You want to eat? Fine, then eat!”

Liu Fugui夹起 a piece of rib and tossed it to the ground at Chen Dabao’s feet.

The German shepherd immediately pounced over, growling low in its throat, issuing a threat to Chen Dabao. If Chen Dabao dared to fight the dog for food, he would surely be attacked by the giant hound.

“Dummy, your uncle is giving you meat to eat, and you still don’t hurry up and thank him?” Deng Hongyan said with a smile, her eyes vicious.

The reason Liu Fugui had been able to seize custody of Chen Dabao was because the Liu family had some distant kinship with Chen Dabao’s family. In the past, Chen Dabao had even had to call Liu Fugui his second uncle.

That relation had long since become meaningless, but by the old reckoning they were still connected by blood.

Who would have thought this old bastard’s heart would be so black, so utterly without conscience.

Chen Dabao let out a cold laugh. Since that was how it was, he could not be bothered with further nonsense. He kicked the German shepherd aside and cut straight to the point.

“Liu Fugui, where is the money my father left behind?”

“Damned thing, how dare you speak to your uncle like that? I think you’re itching for a beating, aren’t you?” Deng Hongyan’s face changed at once, and she shrieked sharply.

Xiaolian secretly turned her head. Her lovely face was bright and moving, yet a trace of worry flashed across it.

In Peach Blossom Village, no one had ever dared speak to the village chief like that.

“Blackie, bite him for me. Bite him to death!” Deng Hongyan sprang up and ordered the German shepherd.

“Get lost!”

The German shepherd growled and was still about to charge forward, but Chen Dabao glared at it and barked coldly. Frightened, its legs went weak, and a wet patch instantly spread across the ground. Whimpering, it fled.

“Blackie, Blackie, useless wretch!”

Deng Hongyan was so angry she nearly exploded. No matter how she shouted, the big dog no longer dared come out.

“All right, stop making a fool of yourself,” Liu Fugui said impatiently as he threw down his chopsticks and stared at Chen Dabao. “Chen Dabao, you’re not pretending anymore, are you? I thought you’d be an idiot for the rest of your life. I never expected you to recover!”

Liu Fugui had already known that Chen Dabao was better. Li Youcai had called him about it. He had merely been deliberately humiliating Chen Dabao, with the aim of making him understand exactly who held the power in Peach Blossom Village.

Even if Chen Dabao had recovered, he still had to behave obediently like a coward.

“Good thing I didn’t stay an idiot forever, or else some people would have tried to take everything from my family after they were dead!”

Chen Dabao sneered.

“Chen Dabao, what kind of way is that to speak? This Peach Blossom Village is not a place you can turn upside down!” Liu Fugui suddenly flew into a rage, startling Xiaolian so badly that her whole body trembled.

Liu Tianjie quietly picked up a dish and, while no one was paying attention, led Xiaolian into the kitchen.

It was as though what was happening outside had nothing to do with him at all.

“You took my family’s money, occupied my family’s house, stole my family’s land. If you don’t spit it all back out today, then I’ll be the one turning this place upside down!”

Chen Dabao did not retreat a single step. He glared furiously at Liu Fugui.

A kind person is bullied, especially in the countryside. The weaker you are, the more people trample on you.

The easier you are to talk to, the less likely it is that you can get your own things back. Chen Dabao had no intention of being gentle with them.

“How did Dabao start arguing with the village chief?”

“Dabao is courting disaster. After going stupid for so long, it wasn’t easy for him to stay alive, and now I’m afraid he’s going to lose his life!”

“Who would have thought that after his parents died, there wouldn’t be a single capable person left in the Chen family?”

“That’s true, but the village chief’s family really is too black-hearted!”

“Hush, you can’t say that!”

“Chen Dabao can actually argue with the village chief. Could it be that he’s no longer stupid?”

At the sound of the commotion, the neighbors from both sides soon gathered outside the village chief’s courtyard, whispering among themselves.

“What are you shouting about? Don’t you all have work to do?” Liu Fugui swept them with an authoritative glance, and the murmuring outside the yard vanished at once. Some of the bolder villagers even turned and left directly, not daring to offend him.

“Chen Dabao, now that you’re not stupid anymore, you want to kick away the bridge after crossing the river?”

“I’m telling you, this past year and more, if I hadn’t had Liu Dafu look after you, you would have starved to death long ago!”

“Your parents died, and you were stupid too. Even if I gave you your land, could you have farmed it?”

“As for your house, if Liu Fugui didn’t live in it, how could he have looked after you?”

“And as for your father’s compensation, that simply never happened. The driver who caused the accident didn’t pay a single cent, and the village never received a penny either. The money used to support you still came from the village. You should know gratitude and repay kindness!”

Seeing Liu Fugui lie through his teeth with his eyes wide open, Chen Dabao suddenly smiled.

“All right, Liu Fugui. Your ability to spout lies with a straight face has truly reached perfection. I won’t waste words with you. Swear here and now that if you took my father’s death compensation, then your Liu family will have no descendants and no one to carry on your line. Make that vow, and I’ll turn and leave at once.”

Heh.

That little brat still wanted to fight him.

Wasn’t it just a curse? What big deal was that?

Liu Fugui let out a cold laugh and was just about to swear it, when Deng Hongyan suddenly pinched him. His face immediately darkened.

Xiaolian’s belly had shown no movement for three full years. If his curse should truly come to pass, and they really ended up with no descendants, then after he had built such a large estate, to whom would it all pass in the future?