Volume One, Chapter Two: Wang Youfu Arrives

Lu Yang opened the courtyard gate, and a young man in his twenties hurried over, his face full of urgency, eyes filled with both fear of the incident and deep hope in Lu Yang.

“Village chief, you need to go check it out quickly, or someone’s going to get seriously hurt!”

When Wang Sufen heard that a fight had broken out, she was even more determined not to let her son rush headlong into danger.

“Son, you don’t have their brute strength to persuade them. It’s better if you don’t go. Let me try to talk some sense into them!”

“Mom, trust me.”

Lu Yang grasped Wang Sufen’s hand firmly, a slight smile playing on his lips—confident and steady.

Suddenly, Wang Sufen realized her son seemed even more remarkable than before. She couldn’t quite say in what way, but her heart felt reassured.

“All right!”

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Yang had already followed the young man out.

“Village chief, here’s how things stand.”

It turned out that since the issue hadn’t been resolved by this afternoon, the group had gone to find Wang Youfu as promised.

Seeing that no one was willing to sell, Wang Youfu had come proactively with a few men.

Both sides were harboring resentment and immediately clashed upon meeting.

Wang Youfu, irritatingly, claimed that Lu Yang had approached him first.

He pretended to pity these rural folks and claimed he was only showing goodwill by collecting their wild game.

But the prices were not set by him; they were fixed by the county people's canteen.

He had already reported the matter up the chain, and the county had issued a directive.

According to the document, everyone was required to sell to him at half price.

When he saw everyone only listened to Lu Yang, Wang Youfu began to mock him outright.

“This Lu Yang is good for nothing, ruining you all. Yet you fools treat him like some village chief! It’s enough to make me laugh my head off!”

That was a serious insult.

Since Lu Yang hadn’t resolved the conflict, it meant Wang Youfu was a scoundrel—how could anyone blame Lu Yang for lacking ability?

After all, he was still the pride of the people, the only high school graduate in the third team, and their most respected village chief.

One of Lu Yang’s biggest admirers, Lu Yongchun—known as Lu Ergou—refused to accept this. He shouted fiercely, “Brothers, kill this bastard!”

Thus, in the usually peaceful Dayang Village, a brawl erupted, the worst in ten years.

It seemed this little village chief’s influence was truly strong—just one shout from a devoted fan, and everyone responded.

Lu Yang felt caught between laughter and tears and could only ask, “Where are they now?”

The messenger was another of Lu Yang’s chief admirers, Lu Yongguo, nicknamed Winter Melon.

Having attended elementary school, he was somewhat educated and less impulsive than Lu Yongchun. Seeing the fight had turned serious, he rushed over to report.

“They’re at the Red Temple.”

The Red Temple was a tiny earth shrine—a half-man-high earthen hut—only two or three hundred meters from Lu Yang’s home.

Lu Yang pricked up his ears and indeed heard the raucous sounds of fighting.

“Quick, run!” Lu Yang said, then took off.

Lu Yongguo was momentarily stunned.

Lu Yang had always been passionate about village affairs but usually maintained his composure and dignity—rarely running like this.

Could it be that even the village chief was uncertain?

Wang Youfu had come prepared today, not only with several thugs but also carrying an official county document.

According to the document, their village had been designated by the county people’s canteen as a specific supplier of wild game, with annual quotas.

If they failed to meet these, not only would Lu Yang be held accountable, but the entire village would face sanctions from above.

But after all their hard work these past days, how could the villagers willingly hand over their spoils?

Alas, it seemed this matter was truly difficult to resolve today.

...

“Damn you! How dare you call the village chief incompetent! I’m going to kill you today!”

“I’ll say it again! Incompetent! Useless! No ability!”

“Hey! You think I’m scared to kill you?”

“If you kill me, you’ll pay with your own life!”

“If my head falls, the scar will be bigger! I’m not afraid!”

“...”

Before the Red Temple, a dozen or so people had already descended into chaos!

Some were grabbing each other by the neck, faces red from holding their breath, unwilling to let go.

Some scooped handfuls of dust and flung it into their opponents’ faces, then flailed wildly with clumsy punches.

Others retained a shred of reason, verbally sparring while poised to strike at any moment.

The ringleader, Wang Youfu, in his forties, had been running people through various villages since ’75.

Over three long years, he had seen many vicious and ruthless villagers who, in reality, feared the power of officialdom.

So this brawl didn’t faze him at all.

Indeed, he had come to cause trouble, knowing he couldn’t beat these rural folks in a fight.

But now that he represented the authorities, the more villagers got injured, the higher his medical expenses would be.

“Everyone stop!”

At that moment, Lu Yang’s voice rang out.

Those who had been ready to fight desperately seemed to receive an order they must obey and immediately ceased.

Even those on Lu Yang’s side who were unwilling to back down refrained from retaliating, instead retreating quickly.

Wang Youfu immediately sensed the respect Lu Yang commanded among these people.

But what good was respect?

He was just a bookish high school graduate.

He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve and could easily deal with such a student.

Feigning anger, he shouted,

“Old Six, stop fighting! We’re here to collect goods, not to brawl. What’s this nonsense?”

Hearing this, a few men stood aside, watching Lu Yongchun and his group.

Lu Yongchun looked like a schoolboy tattling to the teacher, his face a mixture of defiance and grievance.

“Village chief, they insulted you first, calling you uselessI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.