Chapter 39

When the villagers got their land deeds back and learned that Feng Ergou was dead, the entire village was filled with joy that night, even Suniang and Chu Lishi were extremely happy.

However, after the joy, the village quickly fell into a deathly silence. Feng Ergou's death in the village, along with the burning of the documents and the recovery of the land deeds, was a significant event. Many people soon realized that trouble was likely to descend upon the entire Liu Family Village.

The next morning, Liu Tianfu gathered all the able-bodied men in the village. Except for those who were too old or too young, nearly seventy men had gathered in front of the Feng family residence at the eastern end of the village. After a night of heavy rain, a drizzle continued. Liu Tianfu sent people to report the incident to the county office, claiming that Zhao Bao had killed Feng Ergou. The others followed Liu Tianfu's instructions, preparing to face the gang of ruffians.

Three years ago, Feng Ergou had led dozens of ruffians to the village, and the brawl that ensued was still fresh in everyone's memory. Thinking about that fight, many villagers still felt a lingering fear.

It was undeniable that among these simple villagers were many strong men, but they were ultimately farmers who knew only the routine of rising with the sun and resting at sunset. They were skilled in farming but not in fighting.

Many still remembered that even though the men of Liu Family Village outnumbered the ruffians by two to one, when the fight began, only a few villagers could hold their own against the ruffians. Most of the villagers felt fear before the fight even started, and once the fighting began, the majority fled in disarray.

That brawl had left the entire Liu Family Village under the control of Feng Ergou, enduring his bullying and oppression. Now, less than three years later, the ruffians who had once terrified the villagers were about to return to Liu Family Village.

Although some suggested reporting the incident to the authorities and requesting protection, the person who made this suggestion soon felt embarrassed and fell silent.

After the last brawl, the village had also sent people to report the incident to the county office, and Liu Tianfu had even led the group himself. However, the authorities not only refused to help but also accused the villagers of causing trouble, beating Liu Tianfu and his group outside the office. This experience had taught the villagers that the authorities would not act fairly, leaving them with no recourse and forcing them to submit to the tyranny of Feng Ergou and his gang.

The villagers knew that even if they reported the incident to the authorities now, the authorities would not send anyone to help. The authorities and the ruffians were often two sides of the same coin.

Understanding this, Liu Tianfu sent several groups of people out of the village to keep watch. They were to return and report immediately if they saw a large group heading towards the village.

The villagers returned home to find suitable "weapons." The Qin Empire prohibited the use of weapons by civilians, and possession of weapons could be considered treason. Therefore, they mostly found wooden sticks to use as weapons, preparing to fight the ruffians.

Chuhan, however, did not worry much about this. He was skilled with various weapons, and dealing with a few ruffians did not seem to require such measures.

After Liu Tianfu gathered everyone and gave his instructions, the villagers dispersed, agreeing to gather at the eastern end of the village if they heard the sound of a gong, indicating that the ruffians had arrived.

After the meeting, Chuhan returned home in the drizzle. As soon as he entered, he smelled a delicious aroma. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and Suniang was cooking the dog meat distributed the previous night.

The two large wolf dogs had been divided into dozens of portions, and each household received about one or two pounds of meat.

Suniang did not notice Chuhan's return. The dog meat was simmering, and she, who had not tasted meat in a long time, leaned in to smell it, muttering to herself, "It really smells good... No wonder everyone envies the rich, who eat meat every day. Who wouldn't want to be rich...!" The enticing aroma filled her nose, making her hungry. She couldn't resist picking up a pair of chopsticks and, almost involuntarily, picking a small piece of meat from the pot. She muttered, "I'm not stealing, I'm just... just tasting it...!" as if trying to justify her actions. After saying this, she put the meat in her mouth, closed her eyes, and savored it, her face showing a look of bliss. She was so reluctant to swallow the small piece that she chewed it a few times and then held it in her mouth.

Chuhan watched from the doorway, feeling both amused and heartbroken.

Although Suniang was savoring the meat, her high alertness over the past two years made her sense something was wrong. She turned around and saw Chuhan standing at the door.

Suniang was startled. With a small piece of meat still in her mouth, she quickly closed her mouth and turned away, afraid that Chuhan would scold her for eating without permission. She swallowed the meat in a panic.

In her haste, the meat got stuck in her throat, making it difficult to breathe. Her face turned red, and she frantically grabbed a wooden ladle, scooped up some water, and drank it, trying to wash the meat down.

Chuhan found her flustered appearance amusing but didn't say a word. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a gong from the village entrance, indicating that the ruffians had arrived.

He hadn't expected them to come so quickly. The villagers had just returned home, and some might not have even reached their houses yet.

Without a word, he turned and headed to the eastern end of the village, where he saw many men rushing towards the village entrance.

When he reached the village entrance, he saw that about thirty people had already gathered, including Liu Tianfu. Chuhan joined the crowd and heard people saying, "They're here, look... over there!"

Chuhan looked in the direction they were pointing and saw seven or eight large carts approaching quickly, getting closer to the village.

Liu Tianfu's expression was serious, and the villagers looked at each other in silence. More people were still gathering, most of them holding long wooden sticks. When the carts finally stopped, over fifty villagers had gathered at the village entrance.

Liu Tianfu turned and asked, "Is everyone here?"

"Still a few more to come!" someone replied, "Their wives are keeping them at home, not letting them come!"

Many people showed signs of dissatisfaction, but they all knew that the battle ahead would be dangerous, possibly even more so than the last one.

Many had been injured in the last fight, with some taking months to recover. This time, with Feng Ergou's death, the ruffians might be even more brutal, possibly causing serious injuries.

Chuhan had unknowingly moved to the front of the crowd, standing next to Liu Tianfu. He looked at the approaching carts and smiled coldly. Turning to the villagers, whose faces were pale, he said, "They're coming to our door, so don't be afraid. If you lose your courage before the fight even starts, you'll definitely lose!"

Liu Tianfu and the other villagers were all afraid, but Chuhan's words made them look at him with renewed hope.

At that moment, they remembered that Chuhan was probably the best fighter among them. His reputation for defeating Lu Bao was well-known in Liu Family Village. Thinking of this, many regained their composure, and one of them said, "Erlang, what should we do?"

Chuhan's reputation for defeating Feng Ergou and Lu Bao had earned him considerable respect among the villagers. Shi Tou stepped forward and said, "Erlang, how should we fight? They have a lot of people... we might not be a match for them!"

Before Chuhan could respond, a villager shouted, "They're getting off the carts...!"

Chuhan turned and saw people jumping off the carts. It was late autumn, and it was still drizzling, but the group was dressed lightly, mostly in blue clothes and blue headbands, with black belts around their waists.

Their weapons were simple, just wooden sticks, but they were uniform in length, not just random sticks picked up from the roadside.

In a short time, over thirty people had jumped off the carts, forming a dense group. Although they were fewer in number than the villagers, their presence was much more intimidating.

The ruffians looked at the crowd of villagers at the village entrance and smiled mockingly. More than half of them had participated in the brawl two years ago, and the memory of the villagers fleeing in terror made them laugh.

In the eyes of these experienced ruffians, the villagers were just a large group of sheep, and no matter how many there were, they were no match for the wolves.

The ruffians felt no pressure, but the villagers were under immense stress. Seeing the ruffians jump off the carts, the villagers couldn't help but think of the defeat two years ago, and their faces showed fear.

Chuhan knew that if the villagers lost again, their courage would be completely broken, and they would never dare to stand up to the ruffians again. If they lost this fight, the villagers would be forced to endure the ruffians' bullying under the weight of fear.

Chuhan remained calm. He wouldn't flinch even if he faced thousands of trained soldiers.

"You must understand that if we lose this time, we'll be slaves to these animals!" Chuhan said solemnly. "We are all men, and this is our test. We have lived here for generations, and during the chaos, the soldiers didn't destroy our village. Now, in peace, are we going to let these ruffians take what our ancestors left us? Are we going to watch our families starve?"

"No!" Shi Tou shouted first, his eyes red with anger. "Even if they kill us, we won't let them take our land!"

"We'll fight them!"

"We've been bullied by Feng Ergou for years. Now that he's dead, we can't let others bully us again."

The villagers' spirits were lifted, and their fear began to dissipate.

Chuhan nodded. "Everyone, listen. When the fight starts, don't panic. Three people should work together, focusing on one person. Knock them down and then move to the next. As long as you're not knocked down, keep fighting. Whoever retreats first disgraces their ancestors. A true man stands and fights, never kneels and submits!"

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