Chapter 126: Chapter 123: It’s You I’m Beating

Lin Lan flashed the money she’d taken out for everyone to see before stuffing it back into her trouser pocket. She scoffed, “Captain Zhang, if you don’t want to pay, then fine. You can keep the money and deduct from it bit by bit. We’ll settle up whenever you’ve finally taken enough!”

“Deduct it slowly?” Zhang Jun shot her a look and said with a sneer, “I heard that for more than ten days straight before the Mid-Autumn Festival, smoke was pouring out of your chimney from morning till night.

You had people coming and going, and you even bought a Big Golden Deer bicycle. You only get this pittance from the team all year, so where did you get the money to buy a bike and hire a long-term laborer? You came by that money dishonestly!”

As he spoke, he pointed at Lin Yuezhen, who was standing behind Lin Lan.

SMACK! Lin Lan raised her hand and slapped him across the face. “Zhang Jun, what right do you have to say I came by my money dishonestly? If you don’t explain yourself clearly today, this isn’t over between us.”

“You filthy bitch! How dare you slap me?”

Humiliated and enraged, Zhang Jun stood up and raised his hand to strike Lin Lan, but Lin Yuezhen hit his wrist with a carrying pole, and he flinched back in pain.

Lin Lan snatched the carrying pole and swung it at him. “You son of a bitch, I’m going to beat the hell out of you.”

Zhang Jun grabbed the pole. Lin Lan kicked the table, sending it toppling onto his feet. Wincing in pain, he lifted a chair and swung it at Lin Lan.

“Zhang Jun, what are you doing?” Zhang Rongqing hurriedly grabbed the chair.

Accountant Jin rushed forward and wrapped his arms around him. “Zhang Jun, let’s talk this out calmly.”

“Let me go! I have to teach this filthy bitch a lesson today!” Zhang Jun yelled, struggling.

“Pah!” Lin Lan spat at him. “You bastard! You’re the bitch! Your whole family is full of bitches!”

After cursing him out, she turned to the team members behind her. “Everyone, you be the judge! My sister comes to my house to keep me company, and he accuses me of hiring a long-term laborer. By his logic, does that mean any time a relative in need comes to stay, they’re being hired as a laborer?”

“I can’t out-talk you,” Zhang Jun sneered, rubbing his wrist. “If you’ve got the guts, come with me to the joint defense patrol!”

Lin Lan raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “If you’ve got the guts, then call the joint defense patrol to come and arrest me! You think I’m afraid of you?”

“Lin Lan, what did Zhang Jun say?” Yang Liying and Zhao Dehai also squeezed their way to the front.

Lin Lan pointed at Zhang Jun. “This bastard said I only get a pittance all year, yet I bought a Big Golden Deer, have people coming and going, and even hired someone. Out of thin air, he claims my money isn’t from a proper source.”

Yang Liying pointed at him. “Zhang Jun, what right do you have to say our Lin Lan’s money isn’t from a proper source? What right do you have to say Sister Yuezhen is a hired laborer?” She then turned and explained why Lin Yuezhen had come to stay. “The two sisters have both had hard lives. What’s wrong with them keeping each other company?”

’That son of a bitch. He’s this green with envy over a single Big Golden Deer bicycle. If they knew Lin Lan bought a house in the city, who knows how jealous they’d be!’

The onlooking team members nodded. “Who doesn’t have a relative going through hard times? Even the emperor has a few beggar relatives!”

Someone else nodded. “That’s right! The two sisters can rely on each other for support.”

An older woman glanced at Lin Yuezhen. “I saw her when she first arrived. She was nothing but skin and bones. Now she’s filled out and has a healthy glow.”

Zhang Jun’s eyes, filled with venom, were fixed on Lin Lan. “Then you tell me where her money came from.”

“You’re not a high-ranking official, but you sure act like one. Since you claim my Little Lan’s money is from an improper source, why don’t you tell us where it came from?” Lin Changyou pushed his way to the front and stared at Zhang Jun.

“Dad~” Lin Lan turned her head to see her father Lin Changyou, her brothers Lin Guoliang and Lin Guodong, and a dozen or so men holding carrying poles. Tears of grievance immediately streamed down her face.

’Now she had brothers and a father to protect her.’

’It wasn’t like before, when it was just her and her sister at home. When she found out Liu Jianguo was keeping a woman on the side, there was no one to help her beat up that piece of trash and vent her anger.’

Seeing her cry, Lin Changyou’s heart ached. He patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t cry now. Dad’s here. Don’t be afraid.”

Lin Guoliang looked at her, his heart aching as well. “The house getting robbed is such a huge deal. Why didn’t you send word home?”

They had been seeing off Lin Guoqiang and a few other young men from the team and decided to bring some things to Lin Lan on the way. That’s when they learned her house had been robbed.

Lin Lan wiped her tears and looked at them. “Dad, Big Brother, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Lin Guodong grabbed Zhang Jun and punched him in the stomach. “You bastard, say what you just said one more time.”

Zhang Jun doubled over in pain, but lifted his head and roared, “What are you trying to do? Is there no law?!”

Lin Guoliang punched him in the face and pointed at his nose. “You bastard, you’d better explain to me right now! How is my Little Lan’s money from an improper source?”

Blood immediately gushed from Zhang Jun’s nose, but not a single person from his team stepped forward to help or intervene.

The dozen or so men surrounded Zhang Jun and shouted in unison, “Speak! If you don’t explain yourself clearly today, we won’t let you off!”

Lin Changyou looked at the ashen-faced Zhang Jun and sneered, “Captain Zhang, have you gone mute?”

The team members on the threshing ground watched Lin Lan’s family and began to murmur among themselves. Most of them had assumed Lin Lan wasn’t well-liked by her family, since in the years since she’d married into the village, none of them had ever come to visit.

No one had expected her family to be so protective of her.

Zhang Jun’s family also heard the commotion and rushed over. Seeing a dozen burly men with carrying poles murderously surrounding Zhang Jun, their jaws dropped in shock.

Zhang Jun’s wife slapped her thigh and yelled, “Help! The hillbillies are attacking!” With that, she lunged at Lin Guoliang, trying to scratch him.

Lin Guoliang dodged aside and glared. “Stop it! Piss me off, and I’ll hit a woman, too.”

Lin Lan grabbed her. “If you want to fight, come at me!”

Accountant Jin’s wife came forward and pulled Zhang Jun’s wife back. “Huihui, let’s be civil. We’re all from the same team, let’s not blow this out of proportion.”

Zhang Jun’s wife glared viciously at Lin Lan but didn’t dare to make a move.

Lin Changyou turned to the crowd and cupped his fists. “Fellow villagers, this old man is Lin Lan’s father. We mountain folk aren’t unreasonable people looking for trouble, but what this Captain Zhang said is unacceptable. If this isn’t cleared up today, the Lin family will not let this matter rest!”

Lin Guoliang also shouted, “We hillbillies aren’t like the Lexing Team, who live near the city and specialize in bullying the weak.

How long has Old Yang been gone? Back in April, a few thugs broke down my sister’s courtyard gate in broad daylight!

Then during the Ghost Festival in July, more thugs came to her door with knives to rob her. And now even a production team captain is trying to bully my sister.

Even hillbillies wouldn’t do something like that!

The Lin family doesn’t start trouble, but we aren’t afraid of it either. Whether you want to fight or you want to reason, the Lin family will see it through to the end.”

“That’s right, to the end!” the other men roared.

Zhang Jun’s father pushed through the crowd, panting. He shot an angry glance at Lin Guoliang and his group, then turned to Zhang Jun. “Jun, why are they hitting you?”

With a dark expression, Zhang Jun said, “Old Yang’s widow came to get her grain ration. I said I suspected her money wasn’t from a proper source, so she slapped me. Then her family surrounded me and started beating me up.”

His father was so angry he nearly fell over backward. “…” ’You accuse a young widow of having money from an improper source? You might as well have just said she’s doing shameless things to earn it. Who else would she hit but you!’

Someone from the back of the crowd added, “He also said Lin Lan has a lot of people coming and going from her house.”

Lin Guoliang grabbed him by the collar again. “What right do you have to say my Little Lan’s money is from an improper source?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep