The next morning, after the day's work was assigned, Tao Hua ran up to An Moxue and said, "Sister Moxue, be careful of those educated youths who went to your house last night." Without waiting for An Moxue's reply, she ran back to her field and started working again.

An Moxue knew these people were going to cause trouble, but she didn't care; it was a minor matter.

The next day at noon, the brigade headquarters sent a militiaman to find her. When she asked the militiaman, she knew it was about these educated youth.

When An Moxue arrived at the brigade headquarters, Village Chief Guo, Accountant Chen, the militia company commander, and the other educated youths were all there.

An Moxue entered the brigade headquarters and asked, "Village chief, what brings you here?"

Village Chief Guo said, "An, the educated youth, we've come to you because these educated youths accused you of raising wolves to murder them. Do you have anything to say about that?"

“Village chief, I want to ask them how they described the whole story, or can I ask them to recount the cause and effect of the matter so we can have a confrontation?” An Moxue asked.

Village Chief Guo said, "Let those educated youths recount the story again!"

"Village chief, the matter is very clear, what else is there to say! We just demand that the village punish An Moxue and compensate us," Chen Hong said in a high-pitched voice, her eyes blazing with anger.

"We asked you to tell us what happened, but you wouldn't. You're just giving vague answers. Did you plan this all along to come to my house and extort money from me?" The educated youth glared at her angrily.

"No way! I guessed right! No wonder you guys kept running into me the other day, trying to strike up a conversation. I've been busy these past few days, rushing to and from work, so you couldn't find a suitable opportunity and ended up at my house. Tsk tsk tsk, educated youth, huh? How disgusting! You're a disgrace to us educated youth!" An Moxue looked heartbroken, while the others gritted their teeth in hatred.

Zhu Yan, looking like a timid wife, said, "An Zhiqing, you've misunderstood us."

An Moxue didn't give her a chance to speak, saying, "What misunderstanding have you all had? Are the things I said above true or not?"

Zhu Yan's lips moved, but she didn't say anything in the end, looking like she was greatly shocked.

Chen Hong, who was next to her, jumped up again and started cursing, "An Moxue, what are you? Zhu Yan meant well and wanted to be your friend, but you let the wolf bite us."

An Moxue darted in front of Chen Hong and slapped her twice across the face, catching everyone off guard.

"Your name is Chen Hong, right? Get to the point, don't swear, especially not at me, understand? Who do you think you are, to have the right to insult me? Can't you speak properly?" An Moxue smiled, but her eyes were cold as she looked at Chen Hong, making her involuntarily shiver.

An Moxue looked at her and said, word by word, "Did you remember?"

She nodded involuntarily, her words already mumbled: "I remember."

"Just remember that." Then An Moxue returned to her original position, took out a brand new handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped her right hand that had just hit someone. She wiped her hand carefully, finger by finger, several times, and then threw the handkerchief into the trash can behind the door.

The young educated youth reacted in various ways, while Village Chief Guo and Accountant Chen were secretly delighted. The militia company commander sighed inwardly, 'Of all people to mess with, why did she have to pick on An, the educated youth? Is life too mundane? Does she crave some excitement?'

Village Chief Guo's face turned serious. He asked, "Do you want to solve the problem? If not, that's fine too. I'll report it to the educated youth office and let them resolve it."

Three of the five people had records in their files, receiving minor demerits. They knew that if the matter went to the educated youth office, the office would definitely not side with them. They were puzzled. In other villages, people would cover up problems for fear of making a big fuss and letting others know. But these people were not afraid at all. They said that reporting it to higher authorities was not just a bluff, but a real commitment to do so.

Seeing that no one answered his question, Village Chief Guo asked again, "Have you figured out what to do?"

The group exchanged glances. Zhu Yan said, "Village Chief Guo, our initial intention was to make friends with An Zhiqing, but we didn't expect that the wolves he raised would scare us. Not only did he not apologize, but he also showed no remorse. Wolves are not dogs; can you just raise them like that? They frightened us and even tried to bite us. Shouldn't An Zhiqing, who raised them, apologize to us and compensate us?"

Before Village Chief Guo could speak, An Moxue spoke first, "You're right, but there's a condition. Didn't I tell you outside the gate the night before last that I have two wolves in my yard? They're wary of strangers, so we should talk outside and not come inside. You insisted on coming in, and I repeatedly told you beforehand that I wouldn't be responsible if you were frightened by the wolves. I didn't let you in, and I repeatedly warned you, but you didn't listen to me. What, are you trying to settle scores now? Two days have passed, isn't it a bit late? I've had my wolves for a year, and no one in the village has ever been frightened or bitten. Why won't you even step through the gate? Wolves are very sensitive animals; could it be that they sensed your ill intentions?" An Moxue deliberately dragged out the last sentence.

Village Chief Guo asked, "Gentlemen, this is different from what you told me. Which side is telling the truth?"

The group looked at each other, unsure how to respond.

"Looks like I was right. You've been exaggerating and trying to extort money from me!" An Moxue said angrily.

“It’s a fact that your wolf scared us,” Wang Yu said when the others remained silent.

"I admit I scared you, but do you agree with what I said?"

The group remained silent.

"What, not saying anything again? Speechless, aren't you!"

"Village chief, look, it's true we were frightened, and the diagnosis from the town health center can't be faked." Zhu Yan's words implied, "Regardless of what happened before, we were scared afterward, so you're in charge."

Village Chief Guo said to An Moxue, "An Zhiqing, you see, the key point is that a few people were frightened, that's for sure. You need to keep your wolves in check from now on."

"Village chief, I will. I will do whatever you say."

Village Chief Guo smiled and said, "This girl is quite something."

He then whispered to Accountant Chen and the militia company commander, looked at An Zhiqing, and said, "An Zhiqing, no matter what, it's a fact that your wolf scared those people. You should reimburse their medical expenses!"

After the village chief finished speaking, the group immediately became smug.

An Moxue said, "Okay."

Then, Village Chief Guo looked at the group of people and said, "You have distorted the facts, which is intolerable. You must be punished. You will be sent to the livestock shed to clean up manure for a week, starting tomorrow."

The group was stunned.

"village head..."

Just as the group was about to speak, Village Chief Guo interrupted them, saying, "If you think our village's decision is unfair, then we'll go to the educated youth office."

The group was unwilling, but after thinking about it, they could only nod.

Alright, now, hand over your medical records and bills to Accountant Chen. Once he's verified them, he'll have Comrade An reimburse you.

Several people handed the bill to Accountant Chen. After reading it, Accountant Chen said, "Each person spent one dollar and thirteen cents."

An Moxue said, "Accountant Chen, I have enough money in my pocket. I'll give it to them now." Then An Moxue took out a wad of cash from her pocket, counted out five portions, and handed them to them.

Seeing that An Moxue always carried more than ten yuan with her, the group felt even more jealous.

An Moxue looked at the group of people and thought to herself, "My money isn't so easy to take. I hope you don't like my gift too much!"