Shen Tingzhou saw through Lin Wanqiu's thoughts and gently shook his head, signaling her not to act impulsively. Then, he looked at the scarred man and said coldly, "I'm giving you one last chance, get out of here!" The scarred man thought Shen Tingzhou was afraid and laughed loudly, "Get out of here? We're not leaving until we get the money! Brothers, get him!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the short, fat man swung a wooden stick at Shen Tingzhou. Shen Tingzhou dodged to the side, then grabbed the fat man's wrist and twisted it gently. The fat man cried out in pain, and the wooden stick clattered to the ground. Seeing this, the other thugs also surrounded him, throwing wooden sticks and stones at Shen Tingzhou.
Shen Tingzhou showed no fear, dodging left and right, occasionally launching a counterattack. His movements were swift and precise; in no time, he had knocked several thugs to the ground, wincing in pain. Scarface looked at his brother lying on the ground, then at Shen Tingzhou, a little apprehensive, but still forced himself to say, "You...you wait! We won't let this go!" With that, he scrambled to his feet, helped the other thugs, and fled in a disheveled state.
Watching the thugs run away, Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief; her back was soaked with sweat. Shen Tingzhou walked over, patted her head, and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. No one can bully you." Shen Nian'an peeked out from Lin Wanqiu's arms and whispered, "Dad, you're so amazing!"
Shen Tingzhou smiled, picked up Nian'an, and kissed him on the cheek: "Of course, Dad will protect you and Mom." Then, his face darkened, and he said to Lin Wanqiu: "These people must have been hired by Zhao Jianjun. He wants us to back down and give up building the house."
Lin Wanqiu nodded, feeling both angry and resentful: "Zhao Jianjun has gone too far! Our house construction has nothing to do with him, so why is he targeting us like this?" Shen Tingzhou frowned: "He's just narrow-minded and can't stand to see us doing well. Besides, he wanted to marry you before, but you rejected him, and he's been holding a grudge ever since. This time, when Old Lady Shen complained to him again, he took this opportunity to get revenge on us."
Lin Wanqiu bit her lip, her eyes filled with determination: "We can't let this go! If we tolerate it this time, he'll definitely come back to harass us. Tomorrow, I'll go to the commune to complain to Secretary Zhou and let him be the judge!"
Shen Tingzhou thought for a moment and nodded: "Alright. Secretary Zhou and my father are old comrades-in-arms, so he will definitely help us. However, you should be careful when you go to the commune tomorrow. Zhao Jianjun's father is the brigade secretary, and he might trip you up on the way."
Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "I'm not afraid. I'll go with Aunt Li tomorrow. She knows everyone in the village, and with her by my side, Zhao Jianjun won't dare to do anything. Besides, I have evidence—I wrote down what those thugs said earlier. When I tell Secretary Zhou, he'll definitely believe me."
Shen Tingzhou looked at Lin Wanqiu, his heart filled with admiration. He hadn't expected this seemingly delicate woman to be so strong and brave. He reached out and took Lin Wanqiu's hand, the warmth of his palm making her feel warm inside: "Okay, I'll take you to the village entrance tomorrow. Once this matter is resolved, we'll quickly build the house so that Nian'an can move into her new house as soon as possible."
Lin Wanqiu nodded and leaned on Shen Tingzhou's shoulder. Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating everything in the room. She looked at the sleeping Nian'an, then at Shen Tingzhou beside her, and secretly made up her mind: no matter how much Zhao Jianjun caused trouble, she would not give up on building a house, and she would definitely make sure her family lived a peaceful and happy life.
The next morning, Lin Wanqiu got up early. She made breakfast for Nian'an, carefully put away the money and coupons, and then went to find Aunt Li. When Aunt Li heard that she was going to the commune to file a complaint, she immediately agreed to go with her: "Wanqiu, don't worry, with me here, Zhao Jianjun won't dare to do anything. Besides, it was wrong of Zhao Jianjun to harass you with the help of local thugs, and Secretary Zhou will definitely help you."
The two finished packing their things and were about to leave when they saw Shen Tingzhou pushing a wheelbarrow towards them: "I'll take you to the village entrance. Be careful on the road." Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and nodded.
The three walked towards the village entrance, encountering many villagers along the way. Having heard about the events of the previous night, the villagers all condemned Zhao Jianjun for going too far, and said they would go to the commune with Lin Wanqiu to file a complaint and testify on her behalf. Looking at the enthusiastic villagers, Lin Wanqiu was deeply moved—she knew that with so many villagers supporting her, she was certain she would win the case.
Upon reaching the village entrance, Shen Tingzhou handed the wheelbarrow to a young man in the village, asking him to look after it. He then said to Lin Wanqiu and Aunt Li, "Be careful on the road. If anything happens, come back to me immediately." Lin Wanqiu nodded and walked towards the commune with Aunt Li.
The two walked for about an hour before finally arriving at the commune. The commune gate was made of wood, with a wooden sign hanging above it that read "Red Flag Commune." Lin Wanqiu took a deep breath, took Aunt Li's hand, and walked into the commune courtyard.
The compound was quiet, with only a few staff members busy at work. Lin Wanqiu found Secretary Zhou's office and gently knocked on the door. Secretary Zhou's voice came from inside: "Come in."
Lin Wanqiu pushed open the door and went inside. Secretary Zhou was sitting at the table reading documents. Seeing Lin Wanqiu, he smiled and said, "Wanqiu, what brings you here? Is there some problem with the fermented bean curd?"
Lin Wanqiu quickly said, "Uncle Zhou, I came here to complain to you." Then, she recounted in detail how Zhao Jianjun and the local thugs had harassed her, and also told Secretary Zhou what the thugs had said. Aunt Li also testified, saying that she had indeed heard the thugs shouting last night and had seen them running away in a disheveled state.
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