Seeing Zhang Tie bound by the villagers, Xia Liu was a bit surprised. He had suspected the guy before, but he didn't expect everyone to actually find evidence.
"Everyone, please stay calm, the death of the chickens doesn't matter..."
"Xia Liu, put away your White Lotus Flower heart, I didn't poison them, the death of your chickens has nothing to do with me!" Zhang Tie didn't give Xia Liu a chance to speak, struggling while he shouted and also warned the villagers present.
"Zhang Tie! You shut up, Dali saw you take a bottle out last night, and by morning all of Xia Liu's chickens were dead. If it wasn't you who did it, then who was it? Don't tell us that bottle was filled with nothing but urine!" Li Zhi got heated, since they were all from the same village, and considering Xia Liu was continuously improving the village's conditions, Zhang Tie's actions were no doubt trying to provoke everyone's wrath!
"Yeah Zhang Tie! I won't even mention how in the past following you resulted in our wages being maliciously withheld, just look at what Xia Liu has done for our village, how much he has changed it!"
The villagers had seen all that Xia Liu had done; he had no idea how much effort it took to get the county head to come to the village in order for them to have a road.
He was someone who tirelessly worked for the village's benefit, and the villagers couldn't comprehend how Zhang Tie could be so cruel.
"I didn't do it, means I didn't do it!" Despite all accusations, Zhang Tie's attitude remained unchanged.
Zhang Tie's attitude, like a pig not afraid of boiling water, finally irked some young men from the village, who started punching him directly.
No one stopped them, and after a while, Zhang Tie began to howl, though his mouth was still as tough as ever.
"Let's release Zhang Tie, everyone. I've already called the police station, and they will send someone to deal with it tomorrow," Xia Liu said with a wry smile as he explained to everyone.
"Right! That's exactly what we should do!"
"Catch that poisoner, and get him sentenced to ten or twenty years!"
Hearing the villagers' heated discussions, Zhang Tie widened his eyes and his body trembled even more.
He was scared and felt guilty; if the police really did come, he was done for.
"Xiaoxue, help your uncle, I really didn't do it." In his moment of distress, Zhang Tie saw Zhang Xiaoxue and immediately put on a pitiful face and said.
To tell the truth, Zhang Xiaoxue felt quite conflicted; after all, when her old man was still around, Zhang Tie wasn't this detestable. You could say that his wife was a reason for his current condition.
"I know what to do." Knowing Zhang Xiaoxue's dilemma, Xia Liu gave her a reassuring smile.
"Let's let Zhang Tie go, everyone, I'll handle this. You all go back and get some rest, or you won't have the energy for work tomorrow," said Xia Liu.
Since Xia Liu had said so, Li Zhi and the villagers also smiled wryly; they released Zhang Tie and then went back, Xia Liu's mind was much sharper than theirs, and they weren't worried about it.
Zhang Tie cast a resentful glance at Xia Liu and also quickly left. As for what he was thinking, no one knew.
"Brother Xia Liu, I'm sorry, he took care of me a lot in the past and I don't want to see him go to jail. Let me compensate for the chickens." Back inside the house, Zhang Xiaoxue apologized to Xia Liu with her head lowered.
"Hehe, Xiaoxue, what are you thinking about? The chickens are dead, and all I want is for Zhang Tie to apologize to you. Everything his family owes you will have to be slowly repaid." Xia Liu chuckled, pinched Zhang Xiaoxue's cheek, finding her too adorable to resist wanting to reach out.
"Brother Xia Liu..." Zhang Xiaoxue's eyes were already misty; she couldn't believe that Xia Liu would consider so much on her behalf.
"Don't cry, you silly girl. Have you forgotten what I said? Stick with me, and you'll enjoy the best of everything. If anyone dares to bully you, I will definitely bully them back!"
"Okay, I won't cry. Good night, Brother Xia Liu. I'm going back to rest now!" After laughing through her tears, Zhang Xiaoxue pecked Xia Liu on the face and then ran back to her room.
Touching the faint warm fragrance on his face, Xia Liu shook his head helplessly.
In the dead of night, while lying in bed and absorbing nature's spiritual energy, Xia Liu suddenly opened his eyes, "I really want to see what you're up to, Zhang Tie!"
Muttering to himself, Xia Liu quietly left his house. At that moment in the courtyard, a petite shadow was gently closing the gate.
But before she could react, her mouth was covered, and then her world went dark as she lost consciousness.
When Zhang Xiaoman came to, she found herself tied to an osmanthus tree surrounded by utter darkness, with infinite fear overwhelming her mind and body.
"Ah! Ghosts!" Zhang Xiaoman screamed instinctively. She had been afraid of the dark since she was little, and had it not been for her mother enticing her to go to Xia Liu's house, she wouldn't have dared to venture out of her room.
"Zhang Xiaoman, is it? Keep quiet." Under the bright moonlight, Xia Liu's figure reflected in front of Zhang Xiaoman. He didn't understand why Zhang Xiaoman had come to his house. Was she perhaps there to plead on behalf of Zhang Tie?
"Xia Liu, let me go, or I'll have my dad kill you!" Now realizing it was Xia Liu, Zhang Xiaoman was no longer afraid and spoke with intimidation.
"What were you doing at my house?" Faced with this childish threat, Xia Liu had no interest in engaging and just wanted to understand what was on the girl's mind.
"I... I..." Zhang Xiaoman was at a loss for words. Indeed, what was she doing at Xia Liu's house? Was she truly going to follow her mother's words, apologize to him and beg him not to pursue her father's actions?
Seeing Zhang Xiaoman stumble over her words, Xia Liu stepped forward. With one swift movement, he tore her clothes right off!
"Ah! Xia Liu, what are you doing!" Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Zhang Xiaoman screamed frantically.
"What am I doing? Do you still remember what you said to Xiaoxue?" Xia Liu said, glaring at Zhang Xiaoman with nothing left to the imagination.
To be honest, Xia Liu's gaze was somewhat fixed on her. Although Zhang Xiaoman's character left much to be desired, her figure was indeed top-notch, possessing the tenderness of a girl in bloom, complete with a natural fragrance.
He actually began to wonder what virtues Zhang Tie and Mo Li must have accumulated in a past life to have such a daughter.
It's just too bad that while Zhang Xiaoman's exterior was attractive, her interior was unbearable to behold.
"I knew there was something wrong with her! She is cheap! She's nothing but a vixen!"
That's right, Xia Liu had struck her. He generally didn't like to hit women, but Zhang Xiaoman had gone beyond all principles. If he let her go unchecked, she might become even more extreme in the future.
The slap brought Zhang Xiaoman to complete silence. Although her vision was blurry, she could see the rage in Xia Liu's eyes. If she continued to act out, the consequences could be very severe.
"Zhang Xiaoman, I can take down your whole family on Xiaoxue's behalf without resorting to any means. I just need time. But if I were to take action, you'd never live to see tomorrow's sun!" With that, Xia Liu punched the tree trunk beside him, then watched as the thick tree collapsed to the ground...