Chapter 67: The New Village Chief

Chen Erbao placed his hands on his hips and said coldly:

"Chen Qing, someone broke your leg. What's that got to do with me? Did you see me do it?"

He looked at Chen Qing in the wheelchair.

Liu Xiufen had regained her composure and said to the surrounding crowd:

"I'm telling you all, this is a crime. You'd better not get involved, or you'll be harboring a criminal and sent to jail!"

At her words, the villagers who had been about to speak up all hesitated.

They were all just ordinary folks; they couldn't bear the weight of such a serious accusation.

Chen Erbao, however, sneered.

"You shrew, stop making a scene. If you're going to make accusations, you need evidence. Keep spouting nonsense and I'll sue you for defamation."

Liu Xiufen was visibly stunned for a second. Then, her eyes wide with disbelief, she stared at Chen Erbao.

"You called me a shrew?"

"I'm calling you a shrew!"

"Not long ago, you were respectfully calling me 'Auntie,' and now you dare to curse me… I'll tear you apart!"

Liu Xiufen resorted to the classic tactic of a rural shrew, lunging forward to claw at Chen Erbao's face.

Chen Erbao was about to send her flying with a kick, but Fang Yun moved first. She swung her arm in a slap—fast, precise, and vicious—that left Liu Xiufen completely stunned.

"My Er Bao said he didn't do it, and that means he didn't do it. If you have proof, go to the police. Don't stand here acting crazy in front of my house."

Fang Yun snapped, her expression cold.

She didn't want Chen Erbao hitting a woman; it would be bad for his reputation if word got out.

'But there was nothing wrong with *her* hitting Liu Xiufen.'

'We're both women. It's perfectly fine for me to hit you!'

"You slut, you dare hit me…"

Half of Liu Xiufen's face was already beet red from the blow. She completely lost it. With a single shout, the handful of brawny shrews who had come with her charged forward.

The dozen or so men with them also cracked their knuckles, ready for a brawl.

Of course, Chen Erbao wasn't about to stand by and watch his sister-in-law get beaten. He rolled up his sleeves to jump in, but a voice suddenly boomed from the distance.

"Stop fighting!"

Even though Chen Daniu was usually a good-for-nothing, he still held some authority as the village chief. At his furious roar, even Liu Xiufen halted.

The crowd turned to see Chen Daniu rushing over with two village officials, panting for breath.

"What do you think you're doing? Causing a public disturbance! Is there no law and order? Are there no laws in this land?!"

The moment he arrived, he launched into a tirade of clichés, but it was enough to stun the crowd into silence.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, he wiped the sweat from his brow, stepped between Chen Erbao and Liu Xiufen, and said in a low voice:

"The new village chief has heard about this and is on her way. I don't care what your two families are fighting about, you'll handle this by the book. If anyone dares to cause any more trouble, I'll have you all hauled down to the station!"

'Chen Erbao's interest was piqued; he felt a flicker of anticipation for this new village chief.'

But Liu Xiufen whined pitifully:

"Village Chief, you have to sort this out for us! He's my only son, and now his leg is broken. You tell me, what am I supposed to do?"

Hearing this, Chen Daniu frowned. He could tell this was going to be a thorny issue.

If he had no connection to Chen Erbao, he would just handle it impartially and call the police to investigate.

But as things stood, Chen Erbao had him by the balls!

He turned to look at Chen Erbao.

"Tell me the truth, Er Bao. Did you break Chen Qing's leg?"

Chen Erbao raised his head, looked Chen Daniu straight in the eye, and said earnestly:

"Village Chief, I swear to the Bailong Mountain God. If I did it, may I, Chen Erbao, be impotent for the rest of my life!"

The Bailong Mountain God was a deity said to protect the region, at least according to the older generation of Bailong Village. Although the youth didn't really believe in such things anymore, the name still held some sway.

Even those who didn't believe wouldn't dare to swear an oath in the Bailong Mountain God's name lightly.

"HISS… That's a ruthless oath!"

"Looks like it really wasn't him."

The men in the crowd all drew a sharp breath when they heard Chen Erbao's words.

Chen Daniu, Liu Xiufen, and even Chen Qing in his wheelchair were stunned. They never expected Chen Erbao would dare to make such a venomous oath.

For a young man in his twenties, what could be more venomous than that!

'Even Chen Qing was starting to have doubts. 'Could it really not have been him?''

In truth, he had no idea who did it; he just wanted to use it as a pretext to extort some money.

He'd heard that Chen Erbao had made connections with some rich boss, struck it rich, and was even driving a BMW now.

It was only after he and Liu Xiufen heard this news that they decided to target Chen Erbao.

His sister-in-law, Fang Yun, however, discreetly tugged on Chen Erbao's sleeve, clearly terrified.

'For heaven's sake! I've only just had a small taste of the good life, and now you're pulling a stunt like this?'

Chen Erbao wasn't the least bit flustered.

'He was a cultivator of the Joyful Technique. The Bailong Mountain God had no jurisdiction over that, right?'

With a serious expression, he said:

"The night before last, I was drinking at the Village Chief's house. Have you forgotten, Village Chief?"

Only then did Chen Daniu recall that they had, in fact, been drinking together that night. But he seemed to remember getting drunk and passing out around eight…

After a moment of recollection, Chen Daniu shot Chen Erbao a meaningful look before turning to Liu Xiufen.

"That part is true. Er Bao came to drink with me that night because he wanted the planting contract for the top of Bailong Mountain."

Hearing Chen Daniu say this, Liu Xiufen was already convinced.

But she couldn't let it go!

'Her son's leg was broken. Life for their family would surely be even harder from now on. If they couldn't get some money out of this, how would they manage?'

Just as she was hesitating, another commotion rippled through the crowd behind her.

Everyone turned to look again and saw a plainly dressed woman on a mountain bike, slowly riding toward them.

Bailong Village wasn't large, so driving a car was a waste. The roads weren't good enough for electric scooters, so bicycles were the primary mode of transport for most people.

"Village Chief Zhao, you've arrived!"

When Chen Daniu saw the woman, he hurried over with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping as he helped her park her mountain bike.

"Village Chief Chen, what is everyone gathered here for?"

The woman was stunningly beautiful. Her voice was crisp and resonant, yet her face was utterly devoid of a smile. She exuded a powerful, unapproachable aura.

Chen Daniu, long accustomed to her demeanor, kept his back slightly bowed as he walked and explained the whole situation, including the incident with Chen Erbao and Chen Jiaqi.

Chen Erbao had been extremely curious about the new village chief, but when he saw the woman's face, he was instantly dumbfounded.

'HOLY SHIT!'

He cried out in his mind, almost losing his balance and falling over.

'Isn't this the same damn woman who was riding my face?!'

'I'm screwed!'

'Fuck me, I actually made a move on the beautiful new village chief?!!'

'How am I supposed to survive here now?'

'I heard she has powerful backing and a serious background. Town leaders came to visit her the day she started…'

'I'm so dead! So dead!'

Chen Erbao kept his head down, praying she wouldn't notice him. 'One more look and I might just explode!'

After hearing Chen Daniu's explanation, Zhao Ruoying remained expressionless. She raised her head and scanned the crowd, her eyes first landing on Chen Qing in his wheelchair and Liu Xiufen beside him.

With their guilty consciences, neither of them dared to meet Zhao Ruoying's gaze. Even for a lecher as bold as Chen Qing, he had only managed a quick, furtive glance before hastily looking down.

He knew his place. Forget about having a broken leg; even at his best, a woman like her was completely out of his league.

The day she took office, leaders from town had come to pay their respects.