Chapter 43: Inter-village Feuds: Rivers of Blood?

Lin Junsheng's gaze swept tenderly over each of the Angora rabbits, which were either leisurely chewing on forage or happily hopping and playing. Their fluffy bodies shimmered with a soft luster under the sunlight.

These Angora rabbits were the economic backbone of the veteran Party secretary's household. The old secretary had paid a hefty price for them, and if anything went wrong, it would be a disaster.

"Junsheng, are the Angora rabbits at my place doing well?" Wang Cuihua's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Wang Cuihua was squatting on the ground, holding a handful of fresh alfalfa grass just cut from the field. A satisfied smile bloomed on her face. In those eyes, weathered by time, flickered an infinite tenderness and care for these little creatures.

Lin Junsheng nodded gently, his admiration evident: "They are raised very well, Auntie has put in so much heart. Every rabbit is spirited and has glossy fur; it really looks like you've been caring for them as if they were your own children."

Hearing this, Wang Cuihua smiled even more brilliantly, radiating pride in her Angora rabbits: "Ever since we started raising these Angora rabbits, my old man brings up your breeding method to me every single day, terrified that I'll mess it up. He cares more about this than anything else now, coming to check on these rabbits every day—sometimes even more meticulously than I am."

Her words were filled with playful teasing about the veteran secretary, but even more so with affection for him.

Lin Junsheng smiled and said, "Auntie, raising Angora rabbits is actually a science that requires care and patience. It's truly not easy for you and the old secretary to raise them this well."

As the two chatted, Wang Cuihua began skillfully feeding the rabbits, while Lin Junsheng helped out by her side. They talked about Angora rabbit breeding techniques and gossiped about village matters.

"Old Party secretary! Old Party secretary! Something big has happened!"

A sturdy, dark-skinned man named Li Eryun ran hurriedly toward the veteran secretary's front door, his voice carrying a hint of anxiety and panic. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, clearly showing he had jogged all the way here.

"Oh, I'm coming."

Hearing the cry, Wang Cuihua walked out of the house with alfalfa grass still in her hand, a puzzled look on her face. She looked toward the gate and saw Li Eryun's anxious expression, which made her heart skip a beat with a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

"Li Eryun, what's wrong with you? Why are you in such a rush?" Wang Cuihua asked, her voice tinged with inquiry.

Li Eryun caught his breath and said urgently, "It's bad, the... people from the neighboring village are coming over with hoes and sickles. It looks like they're here to cause trouble for our village."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cuihua's face instantly turned pale, and the alfalfa grass in her hand dropped to the ground.

"What? My old man just left. Quick, let's go take a look first."

She spoke as she hurriedly walked toward the entrance of the village, and Lin Junsheng limped along behind her.

Arriving beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, they saw the villagers also holding farm tools, standing in tense confrontation with the people from the neighboring village. The air was filled with a tense and oppressive atmosphere, as if a storm was about to break.

Seeing Li Eryun and Wang Cuihua approach, the villagers asked one after another, "Where is the old Party secretary? Why hasn't he come yet?"

Wang Cuihua panted and explained, "My old man went to town on business and hasn't returned yet."

Her gaze searched the opposing crowd, trying to find the person leading them.

At that moment, the people from the neighboring village began to stir, and a leader who looked like a local hoodlum stepped forward. He was slender, with sinister eyes and a malicious smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

Seeing this man, Lin Junsheng's heart tightened, and he knew this matter was connected to him. It was that same hoodlum from the town market last time. He hadn't expected the fellow to be from the neighboring village, nor had he expected him to bring so many villagers along.

"Ask that cripple beside you," the hoodlum said, pointing a finger at Lin Junsheng, his tone full of provocation and disdain.

Zhang Youwei looked at the hoodlum and said, "He is the village chief's nephew."

When the villagers heard this, they cast their gazes toward Lin Junsheng, and discussions broke out all at once.

"The town chief's nephew? What's going on?"
"How could he be the town chief's nephew? What kind of trouble did he stir up?"
"What on earth is happening here?"

Lin Junsheng sneered, his laughter carrying a mix of disdain and resolve. His gaze burned like a torch, locking firmly onto the hoodlum's face.

"So what if he's the town chief's nephew? He was openly acting like a hooligan in the market, harassing my sister and bullying the common folk. Since I, Lin Junsheng, ran into it, I will never sit by and do nothing!"

His voice was resonant and powerful, every word sounding as if it burst from the depths of his heart, filled with justice and courage.

After hearing this, the villagers were stunned for a moment, and then expressions of sudden realization dawned on them. They finally understood that the hooligan Lin Junsheng had stopped was none other than the town chief's nephew right in front of them!

"I knew this guy didn't look like a good person from the start."
"He's just bad to the bone."
"Damn it, a guy like this should be dragged out and shot just like his uncle."

The villagers from the neighboring village also knew what kind of person this hoodlum was, but many in their village had been arranged by the town authorities to work in the textile factory. If the town chief fell from power, their families would lose a good livelihood.

Meanwhile, a wave of profound admiration for Lin Junsheng welled up among the villagers of Baigou Village, and they looked at him with utmost respect. After all, despite limping, Lin Junsheng had dared to stand up to a hoodlum. Now that the town chief had been arrested anyway, what was there to be afraid of anymore?

"Junsheng is a good man. Turns out that other guy was the bad egg!" exclaimed one villager. His words carried a hint of irony, but mostly an affirmation of Lin Junsheng's righteousness.

"The key is that he's lost his power. Without that backing, it's much easier to deal with him," another villager chimed in. His tone revealed a sense of relief, as if the oppression and fear previously felt because of the town chief's nephew had vanished into thin air at that very moment.

The hoodlum's expression turned terrifyingly dark. He hadn't expected Lin Junsheng to admit to his actions so frankly, nor had he anticipated that the villagers' attitude toward Lin Junsheng would undergo such a drastic shift. He had originally thought that by leveraging his uncle's power and gathering a group of villagers, he could easily force Lin Junsheng into submission to go to town and give false testimony to restore his uncle's "innocence."

However, reality was completely different from what he had imagined. He had only just learned about his uncle's situation. How did this fellow Lin Junsheng know about it too?

The villagers from the neighboring village also displayed unprecedented solidarity. Seeing them approach aggressively, the Baigou villagers showed no weakness, picking up their farm tools to stand in confrontation against them.

Panic flickered in the hoodlum's heart; he hadn't expected Lin Junsheng and the villagers to be so thorny to deal with. He tried to force himself to stay calm and spoke up, "Lin Junsheng, do you think you can get away with this? My influence in the town is still there, you'd better not toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Hearing this, Lin Junsheng hooked the corner of his mouth into a cold smile. "You're threatening me? Let me tell you, everything I, Lin Junsheng, have done is open and aboveboard, and I have never done anything to cross my conscience. Your uncle's situation is the consequence of his own evil deeds—what does it have to do with me?"

Lin Junsheng's words once again struck a chord with the villagers, who voiced their support for him one after another, expressing their willingness to fight side by side with him against the hoodlum and his followers.

Seeing this, the hoodlum panicked even more. He knew that if things went on like this, he would likely be unable to salvage the situation. Unwilling to give up just yet, he began trying to use his words to incite the villagers' emotions: "Fellow villagers, don't be fooled by Lin Junsheng! My uncle hasn't been arrested at all; he's just making things up. Otherwise, why would I be so fearless?"