Chapter 65: Beating Drums and Striking Gongs

"Damn you, Li Youcai, get your ass out here!"

Ma Jinlian stormed back home in a fury, kicked open the large iron gate of her courtyard, and let out a sharp, piercing shriek like a great horned owl.

"Ma Jinlian, what kind of madness has gotten into you? Why are you screaming in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

With a dark expression, Li Youcai forced himself up from the bed. He hadn't even bothered to ask where Ma Jinlian had slipped off to in the dead of night, yet this foolish woman dared to come back and make a huge scene. Did she really take him for a pushover made of clay?

"Li Youcai, you better make things clear to me right now! Whose damn spawn is Liu Xiaowu anyway?"

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Ma Jinlian rushed forward and lunged at Li Youcai, scratching and beating him.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard, Li Youcai let out a sudden cry of pain as a few bloody scratch marks were clawed across his face. Consumed by rage and humiliation, he grabbed a handful of Ma Jinlian's hair and slammed her head hard against the wooden headboard.

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

Letting out a miserable shriek, Ma Jinlian collapsed onto the floor, her face covered in blood from the impact.

With a ferocious expression, Li Youcai climbed out of bed, standing unsteadily on one leg. His eyes bloodshot, he glared down at Ma Jinlian and roared, "Ma Jinlian, what kind of nonsense are you babbling about? What does Liu Xiaowu have to do with me?!"

Li Youcai wasn't panicked at all. Aside from Deng Hongyan, absolutely no one else in the world knew that Liu Xiaowu was his son. Ma Jinlian must have caught wind of some baseless gossip and come back to throw a tantrum.

"Could I actually be wrong?"

Seeing how composed Li Youcai remained, Ma Jinlian began to doubt herself. Could Chen Dabao have been lying to her? Yet, Liu Xiaowu looked remarkably like Li Youcai in his younger days.

"Li Youcai, stop putting on an act! I'm telling you, I already know everything! You and Deng Hongyan have been hooking up, and Liu Xiaowu is your flesh and blood!" Ma Jinlian shrieked.

"Ma Jinlian, cut the fucking bullshit!"

Panic finally flared in Li Youcai's chest. Initially, he thought Ma Jinlian was merely throwing a drunken, groundless fit, but now he suspected she might actually know the truth. Could Chen Dabao have told her? Yet, there was no way Chen Dabao could possibly know that Liu Xiaowu was his son.

With a cold face, a murderous intent suddenly welled up within Li Youcai. No one was going to ruin the happy life he shared with his son and Deng Hongyan. Since this bitch Ma Jinlian insisted on spouting nonsense, he would simply make her disappear for good.

Abruptly, Li Youcai snatched the wooden stick from the foot of the bed and swung it viciously toward Ma Jinlian's head.

Shrinking back in terror, Ma Jinlian took the blow squarely on her shoulder. The strike was so fierce it felt as though her collarbone was about to shatter. Screaming in agony, she scrambled away toward the doorway in a panic, tumbling and crawling.

Although Li Youcai had trouble with his legs, he hurled the stick with all his might. It struck Ma Jinlian's leg heavily, sending her crashing back to the ground.

Seizing the advantage, Li Youcai stumbled forward, straddled Ma Jinlian's body, and locked his hands tightly around her neck.

"I'll teach you to spread wild rumors!"

"I'll teach you to sneak around with other men!"

"I'll teach you to humiliate me!"

With a crazed expression and bloodshot eyes, Li Youcai squeezed her windpipe with all his might. Ma Jinlian's eyes bulged outward as she struggled frantically.

As her movements grew progressively weaker, a morbid, twisted smile crept onto Li Youcai's face.

Just then, a series of loud shouts rang out from the front courtyard.

"Murder!"

"Li Youcai is murdering someone!"

"Li Youcai is killing Ma Jinlian! Everyone, come out and look!"

Having dug up a brass gong from goodness knows where, Chen Dabao beat it wildly while shouting at the top of his lungs.

The silent mountain village was instantly jolted awake. Lights flickered on one by one in neighboring houses as numerous villagers threw on jackets, rushed out into their yards, and stretched their necks to peer toward the commotion.

Spotting Chen Dabao standing calmly by Li Youcai's gate, a few villagers with enough nerve slowly crept closer.

"Dabao, what on earth is going on here?" an old man holding a kitchen knife asked urgently.

"Li Youcai is trying to kill Ma Jinlian! They're going at it inside the house!" Chen Dabao announced loudly on purpose.

"Then why aren't you going in to break it up?" another villager chimed in.

"Uncle, why don't you go in yourself?" Chen Dabao sneered, recognizing the man as one of the locals who had shared an affair with Ma Jinlian. She had always been loose with her virtue; she could practically roll in the hay with anyone just while herding cattle outside. Quite a few men in the village had shared her bed.

"I wouldn't dare! I'm afraid Li Youcai might just finish me off along the way. Better go get the village chief!" The villager chuckled sheepishly and shrank back into the crowd.

Other villagers hurried off to fetch Liu Fugui. In this small mountain village, the residents had little legal awareness; as long as nobody died during a domestic dispute, the village chief's word carried far more weight than the local police station.

"Make way, make way! What's all this about?"

Before long, Liu Fugui arrived in a fluster, still dressed in his pajamas. Having recently lost some of his authority as village chief, he had been desperate for an opportunity to restore his prestige. Hearing that Li Youcai and Ma Jinlian were engaged in a violent domestic brawl, he had rushed right over.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw Ma Jinlian sitting on the ground, her hair disheveled and her face smeared with blood.

Li Youcai was kneeling on the ground with a loud thump, kowtowing to her. With Ma Jinlian covered in blood and Li Youcai bearing fresh scratch marks, it was clear the fight had been brutally intense.

"Youcai, what is the meaning of this? Why are things getting so violently out of hand?" Liu Fugui demanded, glaring with an air of absolute authority.

Following close behind him, many villagers poured into the yard, buzzing with animated discussion as they took in the chaotic scene.

The villagers weren't the least bit surprised that Li Youcai and Ma Jinlian were fighting; what astonished them was that Li Youcai had endured her behavior for so many years before finally snapping. Anyone else would have pulled out a blade long ago.

"Village Chief, it's all just a misunderstanding! Jinlian and I have already talked things through. Everyone can clear out now!" Li Youcai cast a quick glance at Ma Jinlian, hurriedly scrambled to his feet, and forced a smile.

"Is it really all settled?" Liu Fugui asked suspiciously, eyeing Li Youcai. Just moments ago, things had been fiercely violent; how could they have patched things up in the blink of an eye?

"It's really fine, truly all resolved!" Li Youcai insisted repeatedly.

Seeing that Ma Jinlian didn't object either, Liu Fugui nodded and prepared to disperse the villagers. The fact that the fighting stopped the moment he arrived proved that his influence still held supreme sway.

Li Youcai let out a long breath of relief. It was only by promising Ma Jinlian one hundred thousand yuan in cash and a house in town that she had agreed to spare him today. Otherwise, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

"Nothing to see here, just a misunderstanding! Scatter now, everyone clear out!" Liu Fugui bellowed with an authoritative wave of his hand.

The villagers exchanged confused glances. Finding no more spectacle to watch, they began to murmur among themselves and turned to leave. But right at that moment, Chen Dabao sneered and spoke up loudly.

"A misunderstanding? I don't think so!"

"Village Chief, I just heard Aunt Jinlian say that Li Youcai has a woman on the side and even fathered a son with her!" Chen Dabao proclaimed at the top of his lungs.

"Is that true?" Liu Fugui paused, a flicker of gossip instantly lighting up his face.

The villagers who had been on the verge of leaving stopped dead in their tracks, pricking up their ears. This was prime gossip for Peach Blossom Village!

"Shut your damn mouth, Chen Dabao!" Li Youcai's expression turned ashen.

"Of course it's true! Aunt Jinlian said Li Youcai has been sleeping with your wife, Deng Hongyan, and that Liu Xiaowu is actually Li Youcai's son!" Chen Dabao announced with a broad grin.