Longwang Town, Jinshan Construction Company.
"Brother Shan, you have to back me up! That bastard Lin Fei is completely out of his mind! All seven of us got beaten up by him. Just look at me—I lost a tooth, my ribs might be broken, and I'm even coughing up blood! That son of a bitch also said..."
Liu Er exaggeratedly clutched his chest and wailed to Liu Jinshan.
"What else did he say?" Liu Jinshan asked, frowning.
"He also said... that we're all just running dogs for that old hound Liu Jinshan, and that he was specifically beating Liu Jinshan's people! He said it's a good thing you didn't go yourself, or he would've knocked all your teeth out and made you lose control of your bowels..."
Bang!
"Goddamn it! The little punk's death wish has come true!"
Liu Er's exaggerated and provocative words made Liu Jinshan fly into such a rage that he smashed his teacup on the spot.
That was precisely his intention—to make Liu Jinshan furious so he would ruthlessly punish Lin Fei and vent his anger.
"Has his amnesia cleared up?" Liu Jinshan asked again.
"Probably not. Maotou, Gouwa, and the others—Lin Fei didn't recognize any of them," Liu Er replied, shaking his head.
"Then how come I heard he recognized Lin Yougen and his old man? He even cured his old man's heart disease. I also heard he's going back to work at the town clinic. If he has amnesia, how can he work?" Liu Jinshan glared at Liu Er and asked.
"This... I don't know..."
"You useless trash! Can't even handle a simple task like this!"
Liu Jinshan cursed angrily, then rolled his eyes, a sinister look flashing in his gaze as he stared at Liu Er.
"Liu Er, did Lin Fei beat you up pretty bad?"
"Yeah! If I hadn't run fast, that dog would've beaten me to death! That bastard was playing for keeps. I've gotta go to the hospital to get my injuries documented in a bit—damn it, I'm going to make sure he goes to prison!" Liu Er cursed through gritted teeth.
"Don't worry. Go tomorrow, I'll have a word with Qingbo beforehand so they document your injuries as more severe," Liu Jinshan said, patting Liu Er's shoulder with a twisted smirk.
"Great, great, great! Brother Shan is still the smartest! This time we're going to completely ruin that bastard Lin Fei!" Liu Er said with a burst of joy, giving Liu Jinshan a thumbs-up.
"Tietou, this afternoon after the brickyard lets out, take a few of the outside kiln workers and get rid of Liu Er. Remember, no knives—use your fists and feet, and make sure there are no loose ends!"
After Liu Er left, Liu Jinshan made a phone call to one of his most trusted confidants.
He didn't really believe that Lin Fei's amnesia hadn't cleared up, and he wasn't willing to take that risk.
Therefore, he intended to use Liu Er to completely eradicate this remaining trouble, silencing him for good.
***
The sun slanted westward, and the heat in the air had subsided quite a bit while cicadas chirped noisily in the willows. Lin Fei hoisted a hoe over his shoulder and headed out to the fields to weed.
In the dead of summer, villagers always did their farmwork in the early morning or evening when it was cooler.
"Lin Fei? They said you recovered, and you really did! Tsk tsk, you were laid up on the kang for two years, but you don't look sickly or thin at all—if anything, you look sturdier than before!"
As Lin Fei passed a vineyard, a woman in a short-sleeved white shirt smiled and called out to him.
Her name was Liu Yushuang. In her late twenties, she was quite a well-known figure in Longquan Village.
There were two main reasons she was considered a prominent local figure.
First, she was a widow. Her husband had died less than two years after they married. With fair skin, delicate features, and a full, graceful figure—coupled with an outgoing and sociable personality—she had been the subject of quite a few romantic rumors around the village.
The second reason was that she was regarded by the villagers as a strong, independent woman.
Widowed at a young age, Liu Yushuang raised a child alone, cared for a mother-in-law who had been bedridden for years, and still managed to run a fairly large vineyard.
The grapes from her vineyard were sweet, large, and sold exceptionally well. By growing grapes, she had made her life prosperous and flourishing, turning her into the envy of everyone around her.
She was far more capable and better at making money than many of the grown men in the village.
Everyone had given her the nickname "Grape Xi Shi."
"Hello, Sister Yushuang. How's your grape harvest looking this year?" Lin Fei asked with a smile, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Oh, don't even ask. Who knows what's wrong this year? Not only are the grapes ripening late, but they're also tiny. Other people's grapes are already hitting the market, and mine are still these sour-as-hell green clumps bunch after bunch. I'm worried sick—I'm afraid I'll be swimming in debt this year!" Liu Yushuang knitted her delicate brows and sighed.
Lin Fei walked under the grape trellis and took a look. Indeed, he saw that these grapes were still a ways off from ripening.
"Sister Yushuang, I hear other people use ripening agents to speed things up. Why don't you use them?"
Lin Fei plucked a green grape on impulse and popped it into his mouth. As soon as he bit down, the intense sourness made him jump.
"I've never used that stuff when growing grapes. Grapes ripened with chemical agents taste nothing like naturally ripened ones, and besides, I hear those chemicals aren't good for people's health. We can't let greed make us lose our conscience just to catch a good price, can we?" Liu Yushuang smoothed back a lock of hair behind her ear and said candidly.
She kept her gaze fixed on Lin Fei with a bright light in her eyes.
After all, Lin Fei was a famously talented and handsome young man in the village. Not to mention a widow like her, even the unmarried young women and young brides were more than willing to spend time with him.
"You're completely right, Sister! I totally agree. No matter what we do, we have to keep our conscience."
Hearing Liu Yushuang's words, Lin Fei felt a surge of respect for her.
Although she was just a country woman, her simple kindness and moral clarity were vastly superior to those so-called business tycoons who stopped at nothing for profit.
As he spoke, Lin Fei thought of how his Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Qi seemed to possess the power to accelerate the growth of all things.
He hadn't tested it yet, though, and thought he might as well try it out on Liu Yushuang's grapes.
If it worked, it would also help her solve her current predicament.
"Exactly, exactly. Xiao Fei, now that you've recovered, your sister-in-law's hardships have finally paid off. Those Yang Family members who forced you to call off the engagement are bound to regret it to death!" Liu Yushuang gazed at Lin Fei with her watery eyes.
Longquan Village wasn't that big, and news about anyone's business spread rapidly across the entire community. Naturally, Liu Yushuang knew all about Lin Fei's broken engagement.
For some reason, Lin Fei found it hard to meet the woman's gaze, feeling a sense of unease as if there was some kind of magic hidden in her eyes.
He felt that staring at someone from this close was no different from flirting.
Seeing Lin Fei's eyes wander in search of a place to rest while his face flushed slightly, Liu Yushuang didn't find it awkward at all; instead, she found it quite amusing.
"Well... Sister Yushuang, I used to research a kind of all-natural, harmless formula. It might be able to help ripen your grapes." Lin Fei turned his body slightly and said.
"All-natural and harmless? Really?"
"Would I try to pull one over on you? Besides, grapes ripened this way taste every bit as good as naturally ripened ones. Once I finish weeding, I'll come over and try it out. What do you think?" Lin Fei said with a completely serious expression.
"Alright. I might not believe anyone else, but I trust your word. You're our village's top scholar, and a doctor to boot—you definitely wouldn't lie. Hehehe." Liu Yushuang agreed with a soft laugh.