Lu Mingcai glanced at Zhao Dabao, Wu Dayou, and the others in the crowd, and said with a smile, "We're all from the same village, how can we not have some conflicts? Even families that eat from the same pot are bound to have their disagreements, don't you think? When I get back, I'll have your Aunt Zhang take some eggs to check on Lingdang. Over the years, as the brigade leader, I haven't treated them badly. We're all from the same village, how can we make such a fuss over something so trivial?"

Ye Weiwei smiled and said nothing, then asked Huo Xiao and Wu Dayou to help carry Huo Jiang back first.

Lu Mingcai watched their departing figures, his eyes filled with a cold light.

Seeing Huo Jiang being carried home, Liu Guilan was so frightened that she dropped the bowl in her hand and it shattered on the ground.

"Weiwei... your second brother... what's wrong with him..."

Hearing the commotion, Huo Jiang's family rushed out and surrounded him, unsure of what to do.

Huo Jiang looked at Ye Weiwei for help, wondering if he could speak now.

Ye Weiwei squeezed Liu Guilan's hand reassuringly, then said, "Second brother fell outside and aggravated his old wound. I need to treat his wound first."

"How could someone so big fall down like that!" Old Man Huo was so anxious he didn't know what to say, and couldn't help but complain to Huo Jiang: "Why didn't you stay home and rest properly? Why did you run out like that!"

Huo Jiang: ...

It wasn't you who told me to wait there and call the third brother and the others to come back to the old house for dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

Ye Weiwei: "First, carry Second Brother back into the house. Mom, you and Sister-in-law go and boil some water; we'll need it later."

Liu Guilan and Su Xuemei agreed and hurried off to get busy.

Huo Hai quickly helped carry Huo Jiang and put him on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Once Wu Dayou and the others saw that everything was alright, they all left to avoid interfering with Ye Weiwei's treatment.

Once only her own family was left at home, Ye Weiwei smiled and said to Huo Jiang, "Alright, Second Brother, get up. You can pretend when the others arrive."

Huo Jiang sat up and shook his arm: "Still pretending?"

Ye Weiwei teased him deliberately: "You'll get two hundred yuan if you pretend a few times, are you going to pretend or not?"

Huo Jiang immediately lay back down. "There's no need to wait for anyone to come. I'll just stay lying down to avoid being seen through."

Let alone lying on the kang (heated brick bed) pretending a few times, he could pretend for a year without any problem!

Huo Xiao told his family about what happened at the small square. Liu Guilan was so angry that she wanted to go to Lu Xiaolan's house and make a scene to shut her up!

Huo Jiang quickly stopped her, saying, "Mom, don't go. They want to pay me two hundred yuan."

Liu Guilan slapped Huo Jiang on the forehead in anger, "You idiot!"

Luckily, Weiwei had cured the second child beforehand, otherwise, if he had really fallen and gotten seriously injured, she would have made Lu Mingcai's family pay!

Su Xuemei was thinking a lot: "Would that family really readily hand over two hundred yuan to the second son?"

Lu Mingcai doesn't seem like the kind of person who's easy to talk to.

Ye Weiwei sneered: "He wouldn't dare not take it! Don't worry, Lu Mingcai is only thinking about paying to avoid trouble now, at least he won't dare to cause any more trouble before the New Year."

He will send the two hundred yuan soon.

As expected.

They had only been home a short while when Lu Mingcai personally delivered the money.

He was carrying a thick wad of two hundred yuan wrapped in a cloth, and a small basket containing two jin of pork belly.

"Brother Huo, Sister-in-law Guilan, how is your second son?"

As soon as he entered, Lu Mingcai greeted him with a forced smile.

Old Huo puffed on his pipe without saying a word, while Liu Guilan sneered sarcastically, "Oh dear, what wind has blown the brigade leader here? Our dilapidated house can't possibly entertain such an important person as you!"

Lu Mingcai's expression changed for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, please forgive me. I've come to apologize sincerely this time. It's my fault for not disciplining the children well and causing you all trouble."

He handed the money and pork belly to Liu Guilan, saying, "This is for your second son to take care of his health."

Liu Guilan didn't even glance at the money and basket, and continued to sneer, "We wouldn't dare take the brigade leader's things; we're afraid we don't have the fortune to enjoy them! Brigade leader, you should take them back!"

Lu Mingcai was surprised that even after he had humbled himself to visit her in person, Liu Guilan still acted arrogantly, and he cursed her inwardly.

Is this because they think 200 yuan is too little and want to pay more?

Ye Weiwei saw through his thoughts at a glance, reached out and took the things, "We'll accept them. We still need to take care of Second Brother, so we won't keep the captain for tea."

Lu Mingcai twitched the corner of his mouth slightly. "Alright, then you guys get back to work."

After saying that, he turned and left.

As soon as he left the Huo family's gate, Lu Mingcai angrily kicked a snowdrift by the roadside, only to kick a stone. He winced in pain and limped home.

Ever since Lu Mingcai took two hundred yuan and a large piece of meat and left, Aunt Zhang felt as if a piece of her own flesh had been ripped out, and she had no heart to do anything else.

Seeing Lu Mingcai return like this, they assumed he had been beaten by the Huo family and were immediately furious, "That Huo guy is a complete scoundrel! He took so much money from us and still dared to hit us! Does he really think our Lu family is so weak that we can be bullied?"

Lu Mingcai glared at her irritably, "Shut up! I just twisted my ankle while walking, it has nothing to do with them."

Aunt Zhang was still resentful: "I only sprained my ankle because I went to their house. It's all their fault!"

Lu Xiaolan chimed in, "I told you long ago that Ye Weiwei is a jinx; anything you associate with her is bound to end badly! Now you all believe me, right?"

Enraged, Lu Mingcai slapped Lu Xiaolan across the face.

Lu Xiaolan screamed, "Dad, why did you hit me!"

Aunt Zhang quickly intervened to break up the fight, saying, "Husband, what are you doing? Why are you hitting the child? Do you think she hasn't been beaten badly enough?"

Lu Mingcai shoved Aunt Zhang aside and yelled, "Get out of my way! If you dare block my way again, I'll beat you up too!"

Aunt Zhang was so frightened that she quickly took two steps back.

Enraged, Lu Mingcai pointed at Lu Xiaolan's nose and yelled, "You bastard! There's nothing you can't mess with! Tell me why I hit you? If it weren't for you, would I have lost face like this today? Would I have been extorted for two hundred yuan?"

"That's what you're going to give them, it's none of my business! Besides, if you don't give it to them, they won't dare do anything to you!"

"Smack!"

Seeing that Lu Xiaolan was still stubborn and uncooperative, Lu Mingcai was so angry that he slapped her again.

"Ah... why did you hit me again!"

Lu Mingcai glared angrily at Lu Xiaolan: "Do you really think that just because your father is the brigade leader, you can act like a tyrant in the village, do whatever you want, and bully whoever you want? Lu Xiaolan, let me tell you, you better keep your head down from now on. If you dare to cause trouble again and make me lose my position as brigade leader, I'll beat you to death!"

Upon hearing Lu Mingcai's words, Aunt Zhang panicked and said, "Husband, what do you mean? Who else in this village can be the brigade leader besides you?"