Qian Chuncao shoved her way through the crowd and stood directly in front of her son, glaring furiously at the old woman.
“Accusing my son of not knowing right from wrong, I think it’s you, old man, who can’t tell right from wrong. Your family’s chickens are sick, yet you have the audacity to sell them to the food factory. That’s utterly immoral and outrageous. Aren’t you afraid that one day all the pork you buy will be from diseased pigs, and all the mutton from dead sheep? Then you’ll taste what that feels like.”
“It’s clear as black and white. If you can’t supply the goods as stipulated in the contract to the food factory, you have to pay compensation. When you were making money, you kept quiet and happy, but now that you’re doing something immoral without a conscience and it’s time to pay up, you’re making a scene at someone else’s factory gate. Your face is thicker than tree bark.”
“You still have the nerve to say the food factory is capitalist. Why don’t you ask the villagers, the workers at the food factory, if the food factory has ever shorted them a penny? The ready-to-eat food made by the food factory is clean and sanitary. Has there ever been a quality issue? It’s your family’s chicken farm that sells sick and dead chickens. I see that it’s you who are the real capitalists.”
“With your black-hearted and rotten nature, we should not only seek compensation from you but also send you to the police station to see if you dare to cheat people again.”
……
Lin Chuxia watched the scene, dumbfounded. Is this the kind of hardship her sister-in-law said young people should endure more often?
She saw that it was not Qin Jianjun who was suffering but the old lady opposite him.
Under Qian Chuncao’s verbal assault, the old lady didn’t manage to say a word. Her eyes were wide open, her neck stretched out long, and she gestured wildly, as if she would pass out any second.
Huang Dashun’s wife also noticed the situation here, let go of Qin Wu, and ran over to support the old lady, crying even more miserably.
“Mom, what’s happened to you? Oh my God, please look at us, this is such an injustice, they’re pushing us to our deaths…”
Qian Chuncao backed away a good distance, “I didn’t mean to push her to death. She was the first to curse my son. I was just reasoning with her.”
Then she turned to her son for confirmation, “Son, did this old lady not curse you just now?”
Qin Jianjun was witnessing his mother’s combativeness for the first time and nodded with mixed feelings, “Yes!”
“Of course, you all stick up for your own family. I can see it clear as day; you are the local bullies here. We common folk stand no chance against you people…”
“How can there be no chance to argue?”
Lin Chuxia stepped out from the crowd.
“In this peaceful society, there are plenty of ways to present a case. Xiyang Food Factory has been negotiating compensation with you as a courtesy, considering the long-time collaboration between our two families, and not wanting to take legal action. If you feel that Xiyang Food Factory is oppressing the people, bullying the weak, you can certainly file a complaint with the court. Of course, maybe it won’t even be necessary for you to file a complaint. Since you disagree with private compensation negotiations, Xiyang Food Factory will sue you in court. As for how much compensation and how much to repay, the court will provide the fairest judgment. You can wait for the court’s summons at home.”
Hearing they might be taken to court, both women panicked even more.
They had been ordinary citizens all their lives, with their ancestors for three generations all being poor farmers. It was only up to Huang Dashun’s generation, who, taking advantage of better times and being bold, managed to earn some money with a chicken farm.
The biggest official they had ever seen was the village chief.
A court was something unattainable and frightening to them.
Would going to court lead to imprisonment?
“Now you’re saying you’re not trying to drive people to death? If you dare to sue us, we will kill ourselves right at the food factory’s doorstep.”
Huang Dashun’s daughter-in-law threatened fiercely.
Chuxia Lin addressed the villagers present, saying, “Fellow villagers, today we ask you all to witness that Xiyang Food Factory has not mistreated these two individuals. If they choose to kill themselves at the entrance of the factory, that is purely their personal decision. Should their actions affect the business of the factory and the Feng Shui of Qin Family Village, I believe they should be the ones to bear any losses.”
The crowd immediately became noisy upon hearing the last sentence.
That’s right, whether these two live or die isn’t their concern, but they shouldn’t die in Qin Family Village. It’s so unlucky to pass by the village entrance when returning from the fields at night.
And there are many whose family members work at the food factory. If the factory’s business is really affected, where else could they find such good jobs, earning such high wages?
“If you want to seek death, go do it at Huang Family Camp, don’t think we in Qin Family Village are easy to bully.”
“You commit such wicked deeds and then blame the food factory. I think we should report this to the police and have them arrested and interrogated properly about their intentions.”
“Exactly, if you feel it’s unfair, go to the court. If the court decides that Xiyang Food Factory should compensate for your loss, the factory will definitely pay. What’s the point of causing a scene here?”
Without needing the villagers to drive them away, under the barrage of attacks, Huang Dashun’s wife and mother-in-law could no longer withstand the finger-pointing and left Qin Family Village in a miserable state, supporting each other.
Qin Wu and Qin Jianjun were originally planning to go and negotiate further with Huang Dashun, but now they didn’t know whether to go or not.
Especially Jianjun, who had always been a sensible and obedient kid since childhood. Even if he encountered conflicts with classmates while studying, he had never been pointed at and cursed without being able to fight back like he was today.
His little face was somewhat pale.
Although his mother defended him and scolded that old lady, it still left him feeling rather nervous.
Chun Cao comforted her son, “Don’t listen to their filthy mouths; next time this happens, just call your mother; I’ll fight back for you.”
Jianjun forced a smile, “Mom, do you really want your son to experience this again?”
Chuxia Lin also knew that today’s events had hit Jianjun hard and patted his shoulder.
“You did well today. Although they were unreasonable first, we cannot simply resort to violence; otherwise, simple matters could become much more complicated.”
“Auntie, can I say I was just scared and didn’t even think about whether to fight back or not?” Jianjun chuckled.
Chuxia Lin also laughed, “You’re just starting out in society. You’ll encounter all sorts of emergencies in the future. No worries, you’ll gain experience from these events. Today’s incident is just a little twist in your path of growth. Listen to your mother—don’t take what they said to heart. You need to understand that their anger wasn’t directed at you, just a way for them to vent.”
“I know, Auntie, I won’t take it to heart. It’s just that I didn’t know how to handle it in the moment, felt a bit panicked,” with so many villagers surrounding me.
It was his first time being scrutinized like that.
“Auntie, so do we go find Huang Dashun or not?”
“No need,” Chuxia Lin directly told Qin Wu and Qin Jianjun, “you two head back to the factory. As for this matter, wait for the follow-up. Since they don’t want to reconcile, let’s proceed through legal channels. Later in the court, you can follow your Uncle.”
Qin Wu nodded, “Okay, we’ll handle it.”
Hearing that the matter would go through legal proceedings, Qin Jianjun’s expression became serious and somewhat expectant.
Chun Cao was even more excited. Her sister-in-law was entrusting such tasks to her son. Although he would be following his younger uncle, it was still an opportunity for her son to gain experience.
Indeed, it’s clear who has your back by the tasks they give you.