Secretary Yao rushed over with several militia members in a hurry.
Aunt Juan, after talking to Chiang Xiao, became increasingly worried and, fearing even Chiang Xiao might have been attacked, went to find Secretary Yao with fervent concern.
As soon as Secretary Yao heard that a bunch of lazybones had gotten together to beat someone, and that it was Ge Liutao they were hitting, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately called Yao Cong and others and hurried over.
He knew that Ge Liutao had a weak heart!
If a life had indeed been lost, he, as the secretary, would be to blame as well!
Moreover, if Ge Liutao really died, Chiang Songhai’s situation would probably be precarious too. What would Chiang Xiao do then? He had high hopes for Chiang Xiao, believing she could definitely become the village’s first college student.
Yao Jubin now felt a mix of valuing Chiang Xiao’s talents as well as pity for her circumstances; he absolutely did not want to see any more trouble in her family.
When he arrived, Ge Liutao was suppressing her tears, Chiang Songhai was sitting on the ground with his clothes pulled into disarray, weeping profusely.
Chiang Xiao was supporting Ge Liutao, her expression solemn and her eyes dark, making it impossible to read what was going through her mind.
He let out a slight sigh of relief, thankful that no life had been lost!
But the sight of the Chiang family of three in such a miserable state was heartbreaking.
Just as Yao Jubin was about to shout angrily, he saw several men lying soaked on the bank of the creek and was momentarily stunned.
What had happened here?
The men, upon seeing Yao Jubin and his group arrive, immediately began to wail.
"Secretary, you have to stand up for us! Look at what that damned girl Chiang Xiao has done to us–um, I mean, to Sun Laoliu and the others! She even kicked them into Nameless Creek. How cruel she must be!"
"Exactly! Secretary Yao, everyone in our village knows that Nameless Creek is haunted by the Water Ghost. What if Sun Laoliu and the others get dragged down by the Water Ghost? What if they become possessed by the Water Ghost?"
"Secretary, that damned girl Chiang Xiao is truly vicious. I reckon if we hadn’t been in numbers, she would have killed us all!"
"Shut your mouths!" Secretary Yao, with a throbbing headache, immediately roared, "You’re saying you were right to hit someone first? You’re saying it’s justifiable for you to come and steal from the Chiang Family?"
"No, Secretary Yao, what are you talking about? Whose side are you on anyway? Are you still our village official? Look at those two men, do you recognize them? They are from the town! They came to our village to steal! Instead of asking the militia to arrest them, why are you scolding us?" a man with a mole on his lip challenged Secretary Yao loudly.
The other loafers also began to chime in.
Now that Secretary Yao and the militia were present, they felt even bolder. At worst, they might not get much of the wild boar and vegetables today, but at least they could seize a portion, taking whatever little they could get.
In their eyes, since they were all villagers, as the village secretary, Yao Jubin should surely side with his own villagers, right?
Where were they wrong?
"They..." Secretary Yao indeed didn’t recognize Ge Dejun and Xu Linjiang.
He turned his gaze to Chiang Xiao.
Chiang Xiao had completely calmed down by now, but that didn’t mean she was about to let today’s events slide. She wanted to hold every one of them accountable.
Meeting Secretary Yao’s inquiring gaze, she said, "Secretary Uncle, this is my grandma’s younger brother, Ge Dejun, and my cousin-in-law, Xu Linjiang. They are indeed from the town, but they are also our family’s closest kin. At least to me, they are closer relatives than Ho Laidi and Song Xiyun and the like."