Wang Qiuju's words silenced everyone around her.

Uncle Guo was speechless upon hearing this.

His lips twitched, and he thought to himself: Cheng Qiang's wife, how could you say such a thing? With your fierce temper, who in the village would dare to mess with you?

Bullying you?

You're the one bullying others!

"Wang Qiuju, don't talk nonsense! Who bullied you? I didn't even touch a single finger of yours! It's clearly you who bullied me!"

Liu Qing turned to the Party Secretary Cheng Zhenguo and argued, "Secretary Cheng, Wang Qiuju is lying! She's wronging me! Don't believe what she says."

Wang Qiuju: "Where did I lie? Just tell me! Wasn't it you who blocked the door and wouldn't let my sister in? Wasn't it you who called us country bumpkins and uncultured?"

Liu Qing: "..."

“Speak up! Why aren’t you saying anything? The Party Secretary is right here listening. Do you dare say these words weren’t yours?”

"..." Liu Qing bit her lip and stammered.

"Look, you're so guilty you're silent now. I'm just telling the truth, how could I be wronging you?"

"Yes, I did say those things, but I didn't hit you, I didn't pull your hair, and I didn't tear your collar. You, Wang Qiuju, are very powerful; I don't have that kind of ability," Liu Qing said self-deprecatingly.

Wang Qiuju didn't care whether she made fun of herself or not; as long as she admitted to saying those things, that was enough.

Wang Qiuju turned to Cheng Zhenguo and said, "Uncle Guo, you heard it, right? She admitted it, she started it! This kind of person isn't enthusiastic about work, but is always the first to start trouble. You must punish her severely this time, otherwise she'll dare to do it again! In the end, she'll destroy the unity of our village!"

Seeing that Wang Qiuju was getting more and more excited, Cheng Zhenguo glared at her impatiently: "So what do you want?"

Wang Qiuju shrank back as she was glared at. "Deduct it, deduct her work points." Her voice trailed off.

Taking the opportunity, Liu Qing said, "Secretary Cheng, I, Liu Qing, am a person who dares to do things and will not lie or act like a villain. But I will never admit to something I did not do."

I didn't hit her. Who is Wang Qiuju? Everyone in Xiaocheng Village knows her! A woman who's invincible in Xiaocheng Village, and now you say you hit her? What a joke. Who would believe that?

Yes, I did block the door, but I don't think I did anything wrong. Shouldn't there be a first-come, first-served order? She arrived late, and I made her go to the back of the line. Was that wrong? I don't think there was a problem. If you insist on punishing me, then I have nothing to say.

Cheng Zhenguo said with a stern face, "Alright, everyone, say less."

"Wang Qiuju, you're not allowed to lay a hand on me again. If you do it again, I won't let you off!"

The subtext is, "I'll let you off this time."

"Uncle Guo, I understand. I promise I won't do it again next time." Wang Qiuju obediently lowered her head and apologized, while also trying to defend herself: "But this time it really wasn't my fault. She was just too rude. She kept calling me a country bumpkin and saying I had no manners. I just couldn't stand it."

"If you can't stand it, just keep it to yourself." Cheng Zhenguo: "You're a mother now, can't you be a little more mature?"

"cannot."

"Stop joking around with me." Cheng Zhenguo waved his hand at her irritably: "Get out of the way."

Liu Qing was dissatisfied with Cheng Zhenguo's handling of the matter.

Wang Qiuju clearly beat her up, but Cheng Zhenguo only scolded her a few times without any real repercussions. What kind of behavior is that?

She felt that Cheng Zhenguo favored Wang Qiuju from one village.

Liu Qing showed a resentful expression, but the next second, Cheng Zhenguo called her out.

"Liu, the educated youth."

Liu Qing quickly forced a smile: "Secretary Cheng, please speak."

“Liu Zhiqing, in principle, you are an educated youth who gave up a comfortable city life to come to our vast countryside to support construction. It is not my place as a village party secretary to lecture you.”

However, now that you're here, please refrain from saying anything that could lead to misunderstandings.

After all, workers and peasants are one family. What does it matter if we're from the city or the countryside? We're all the same. We're all people of this land.

"Liu, I know you didn't mean anything by it, but personal conflicts are personal conflicts. You should think twice before you speak, and avoid saying controversial things. It wouldn't be good if people misunderstood you as having bourgeois ideas and questioned your class background."

Cheng Zhenguo's tone was gentle, but to Liu Qing, it sounded incredibly heavy.

Her face turned pale, and a chill ran through her body.

Although the resumption of college entrance examination registration no longer restricts social class background, people have become accustomed to being sensitive to the word "social class background" over the years.

Liu Qing forced back her fear and blinked. "Secretary Cheng, what do you mean by that?"

"It's nothing, just a reminder." Cheng Zhenguo patted her shoulder and said, "Young man, don't be so hot-tempered. It's better to be more law-abiding."

Nobody likes a troublemaker who's always stirring up trouble.

Cheng Zhenguo: "Alright, that's enough about this. Stop crowding around here and go do what you need to do. Those who have registered, step back. Those who haven't registered, line up and come one by one."