"How else could this be resolved? You started this whole mess, and you deserved that beating," the village chief said, glaring at her. He then turned to the crowd, "Why are you still standing around? Do you want to lose your work points?"
"Heh heh, Village Chief, we’re heading to the fields right now."
In the countryside, work points were more important than anything else. As soon as they heard they might be docked, no one cared about the spectacle anymore. They grabbed their tools and took off faster than rabbits.
Outside the warehouse, only Feng Yuanchun’s family remained, along with Mother Chen and her son, Feng Caihua, and a few village officials.
Mother Chen wailed, "Village Chief, you’re biased! Yes, I started it, and I admit I was wrong, but Shengjun and I are covered in injuries from Qiu Guihua and the others; we can’t work! They can’t just walk away without paying some compensation, can they?"
"Pah! You want compensation? How about I feed you a pile of shit instead?" Ding Cuilan retorted furiously. "You asked for that beating, and now you want to extort money? Don't test me, or I'll give you a few more slaps for good measure."
Mother Chen, terrified from being beaten, shrank her neck back, but she still threatened, "Ding Cuilan, don't you get cocky with me. If you hurt someone, you pay—that's the law. Don't think you can just beat my son and me and walk away scot-free. I'm telling you, if your family doesn't pay up, I’m going to the Public Security Bureau to report you bitches. I'll make sure you all rot in prison!"
"You mange-ridden hag, I’ll kill you!"
It was unclear what exactly Mother Chen had said to trigger her, but Liu Qingqiu suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Mother Chen by the hair, and slapped her across the face several times.
"You dare threaten to report us? I’ll smash your face in and break your legs first! If I’m going to jail, I might as well make it worth my while. You don't want that mouth of yours anymore, do you? I’ll rip it to shreds!"
With her long, slender hands, she struck Mother Chen’s mouth again and again with a rhythmic *thwack, thwack, thwack*.
Mother Chen tried to fight back, but Qiu Guihua and Ding Xiaotao pinned her arms down, rendering her helpless as she was forced to endure over a dozen slaps from Liu Qingqiu.
The village chief, anxious and angry, turned to Feng Caihua and Feng Yuanchun. "What are you two girls just standing there for? Hurry up and pull them apart!"
Feng Caihua pouted and muttered, "If you ask me, Mother Chen deserved that beating. Her mouth is so foul, she needed a good lesson."
Despite her words, she stepped forward to intervene.
Feng Yuanchun reached out and firmly grasped Liu Qingqiu’s hand. She then smoothed out her mother's disheveled hair and whispered, "Mom, don't be angry. Don't throw your life away over trash like this; it's not worth it."
Liu Qingqiu burst into tears, feeling deeply wronged. "I was just so angry at the horrible things she said about you. And now she wants to bring the Public Security Bureau here to arrest us! She bullied you first—isn't it only right that she got beaten? But instead of shame, she wants to call the police!"
"The thief crying 'stop thief,' shifting the blame—it’s just wicked."
Liu Qingqiu couldn’t think of any truly vicious insults, so she just repeated that Mother Chen was evil.
Ordinary folks were terrified of anyone in a position of official authority and wanted nothing to do with them. When villagers fought, they usually asked the village cadres to settle the dispute; they never went to the authorities. By threatening to involve the police, Mother Chen was clearly trying to ruin them completely.
Lying on the ground, Mother Chen groaned in pain, but she didn't dare mention the Public Security Bureau again.
The village chief, fuming, pointed a finger at her nose. "You mange-ridden hag, keep it up! If you don't want to live in peace and keep causing trouble every single day, then your whole family can get out of Fengjia Village. Go wherever you want! Our village can't afford to keep a pack of troublemakers like you."
The Chen family had wandered into Fengjia Village during the drought of 1960. Out of the kindness of his heart, the village chief had taken them in, allowing them to settle down and become part of the village.