Jiang Zhi's slap was forceful, causing Qin Shi to stagger. After a moment of stunned silence, she said, "I...I...you're going to hit me just for two vegetables?"
She could hardly believe the blow she had just suffered: Don't women usually argue while slapping their hips?
Jiang Zhi said coldly, "Slapping you is too lenient."
She turned to the equally stunned children and said, "Go to the construction site and call all the women over here!"
The stone monkey swallowed hard: "Summon them all?"
Someone tugged at him, and the stone monkey snapped out of his daze and immediately ran off with the other children.
Qin sat on the ground and began to wail: "They've killed someone! They beat people just because they heard a few idle words! This is outrageous!"
Jiang Zhi pointed at the woman beside her who was cowering and trying to slip away: "If either of you dares to leave, I'll deal with you both."
Just now at Xia Xiucai's house, these two women watched and robbed the money without saying a word, and now they want to get away.
There's no such thing as a free lunch at the execution ground without getting your hands dirty with blood.
The two women witnessed Village Chief Jiang beating people without even blinking, and were so frightened that they dared not move.
So when everyone on the construction site arrived, they saw Qin tied to a tree trunk.
Qin's son and daughter-in-law were also at the construction site. Upon seeing their mother tied up, they cried out and rushed forward, "Mother!"
But they stopped before they even got close.
Several children blocked their way with wooden sticks.
Jiang Zhi said, "Only women are allowed to come over; all men, step back!"
Qin's son, Xu Genqing, immediately became anxious: "Aunt Jiang, what did my mother do wrong? As her son, I should know!"
Jiang Zhi pouted: "If you want people to see your mother's naked butt, then bring them over!"
She's going to spank someone today!
Xu Genqing blushed deeply with embarrassment and dared not take another step forward. The other men also quickly stepped back, afraid that if they were a step too late, they might see something that would be difficult to explain.
Xu Changming stamped his foot: "If you want to punish someone, you should at least let us ask you first."
Jiang Zhi also disliked this stubborn old man who was always dissatisfied with being the village chief but had always been helpless to change it.
"You ask? What makes you ask? What right do you have to ask?"
You have a mouth, and so do I.
"Who told you to be incompetent and afraid to be the village chief? Asking you is pointless. Don't bother with your unnecessary actions!" Jiang Zhi deliberately stabbed him in the sore spot.
Xu Changming's face turned purple with anger, but he didn't dare to move forward. What if those women really pulled down his pants? Where would he put his old face then?
Qin's youngest daughter-in-law came over. Looking at her mother-in-law, who was crying and sniffling, she felt a strange urge to laugh.
But the atmosphere was awkward, so he could only lower his head and not dare to speak.
Liu, along with her eldest daughter-in-law and Genyou's wife, came over. Seeing Qin's disheveled state, they couldn't help but ask, "Errui's mother, what happened?"
Jiang Zhi said coldly, "Call me village chief now!"
Liu was speechless, and Genyou's wife, Tian, knowing that her mother-in-law was a kind person, quickly pulled her aside and said, "Mother, Genyou said that we should talk less."
Soon, all the women in the village came over, and dozens of them, young and old, stood by without daring to say anything.
Because the scene was so terrifying, Village Chief Jiang held a bamboo strip about two fingers wide in his hand. At this moment, Qin's outer pants were also pulled down, revealing her underwear and white thighs.
It would be humiliating to have one's pants pulled down and be spanked in public in court. Since Qin would still be living in Xujia Village, Jiang Zhi naturally wouldn't use such a vulgar punishment.
The fabric is quite expensive, so it can't be torn. Taking off the outer pants will give it a better visual effect!
Jiang Zhi did not humiliate her in any way, but only made Qin feel pain to the bone.
At the same time, it also lets others know that these few vegetables and a few coins, seemingly trivial matters, can still lead to a beating.
Even if she was to be beaten in public, she had to explain why. Jiang Zhi pointed to the pile of firewood that had clearly crossed the line, as well as the vegetables on the ground, and explained how Qin had always oppressed her neighbors.
For each one she said, a bamboo sliver was pulled out, and Qin screamed in pain, "No, I didn't!"
After the third bamboo strip was used, she changed her tune and begged for mercy: "Village Chief, Village Chief, I won't do it again! I won't bully them anymore."
Hearing her mother-in-law's screams and the whispers of those around her, Qin's youngest daughter-in-law was filled with shame and fear, and could only plead for mercy.
Those who always try to take advantage of others are now feeling uneasy.
In the past, these kinds of things would just result in a verbal battle, but now I'm going to get beaten up. I'll just go back and pack my things.
Finally, Jiang Zhi shouted at Tian Tao: "Tell us everything about how she robbed us today!"
Jiang Zhi had already seen the amount of money recorded by Xia Yuan, and the stone slab was placed next to him.
In front of the other aunts and sisters, Tian Tao'er's face turned bright red, but she still stammered out what had happened: "I dug up those herbs with Xiao Quan and Xiao Xi. I didn't steal anything from anyone else."
Jiang Zhi pointed to the other children in the crowd: "Who else was robbed? Come out and tell us."
A person can be poor for a time, but cannot be weak forever, and certainly cannot always wait for others to help them. If you can't stand up for yourself, don't blame others for taking advantage of you.
It was wrong for the Qin family to bully the outsiders, but it was also wrong for the outsiders not to stand up for themselves.
Two children came out with their heads down: "Village chief, Aunt Qin even stole our money. She said we should pay rent for farming!"
"Oh! You've got some nerve! The county magistrate said there's a year-long tax exemption, and I, the village head, haven't even mentioned rent, yet you're going over my head to ask for money!" Jiang Zhi tapped the bamboo strip in her hand.
"Ahhh! No, I'll never do it again!" The three bloody welts on Qin's thighs were already bulging high, and her legs went weak at the sight of bamboo strips.
“What’s this bamboo strip of mine? It can’t even break your skin. It’ll break your bones on the board in the county government hall.”
Jiang Zhi was also surprised by Qin's audacity.
Collecting rent! How could she even think of that!
Seeing that she was about to be beaten again, Qin blurted out, "It was the Earl of Changming who said that these outsiders who farm our land and live in our houses should pay money."
oh!
Jiang Zhi glanced at the embankment not far away, where a group of men were hiding and eavesdropping.
As soon as Qin Shi uttered those words, Xu Changming, who was in the crowd, knew something was wrong. Afraid of being beaten if he pulled down his pants, he immediately said, "I...I forgot that there's still food cooking at home!" With that, he pushed past the crowd and hurriedly left.
Hearing his mother's cries of pain and pleas for mercy, Xu Genqing was already filled with shame. Now that he knew he had been instigated to do it, he immediately glared angrily: he had opposed Granny Jiang becoming the village chief along with Grandpa Changming, and as a result, his mother had been used as a pawn.
Soon, Qin begged for forgiveness, admitted her mistake, and apologized to Tao'er's mother and several children in front of the whole village.
The younger daughter-in-law also took money from her and returned the amount recorded on the stone slab.
Although they were able to get their money back, those families were not happy; instead, they felt deeply ashamed.
Just as Village Chief Jiang said, he was bullied because he was a coward, and he didn't even dare to speak up.
The money Qin took wasn't much, only a dozen or so coins. It wasn't worth getting beaten up for such a small amount!
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhi was also reflecting on whether she was not approachable enough, which allowed Qin Shi to take advantage of her. She decided to say a few more words to everyone.
It is said that things become complicated when there are many people, and even a small village like Xujia Village has its share of monsters and demons.
You must use both kindness and strictness to manage people effectively in the future!
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