He turned to run away, filled with regret! If he had known that Xu Kuo could actually grow vegetables, he would never have dared to make this bet! Now look what's happened, he's even going to lose the village chief's land, and when he gets back, the old man will beat him to death.
Xu Kuo wasn't about to let him escape. He rushed forward, grabbed Tan Wang by the back of his collar, and yanked him back.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Xu Kuo sneered, a ruthless glint in his eyes.
Tan Wang was pulled so hard he almost fell to the ground. He panicked even more; how could Xu Kuo be so strong? He was like an ox!
"Let's go together."
Out of fear, Tan Wang had no choice but to agree and led Xu Kuo to the village chief's door.
Tan Wang stood trembling at the door, because he saw that the village chief had already returned to the house.
Seeing Tan Wang trembling, Xu Kuo pulled him up.
The commotion caused by the two pulling and tugging finally alerted the people inside the house.
"What are you doing! What are you doing! In broad daylight, Tan Wang, what are you and that brat Xu Kuo doing at the door!"
The village chief's signature loud voice rang out from the courtyard, and then he appeared at the door.
The moment Tan Wang saw the village chief, his face turned deathly pale, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. It's all over, it's all ruined!
He instinctively tried to run back, but Xu Kuo's hand gripped his collar tightly, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't budge.
The village chief also noticed the strangeness between the two, frowned, and asked in a deep voice, "What are you two up to here?"
Tan Wang was so frightened that he trembled and couldn't say a word. He could only steal glances at the village chief out of the corner of his eye.
Xu Kuo remained calm and composed, a cold smile playing on his lips. He spoke loudly, "Village Chief, you've come at the perfect time. I made a bet with Tan Wang, the stake being half of your family's farmland. I've won, and he's just going inside to get the land deed."
Upon hearing this, the village chief nearly fainted from anger.
"What?!" His eyes widened, his voice trembling. "What did you say? The stake is... my family's farmland?!"
He simply couldn't believe his ears. Had Tan Wang lost his mind? Daring to gamble with his family's land? Or had this kid gone mad?!
Tan Wang hung his head, not daring to utter a sound, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He was truly regretting it now, deeply regretting it!
The village chief felt a surge of anger rush to his head, and his vision blurred. He took a few deep breaths, forcing down his rage, and pointed a trembling finger at Tan Wang, cursing, "You good-for-nothing! You've completely disgraced me! You...you..."
He was so angry that he could barely speak, and his chest heaved violently.
Tan Wang didn't dare to utter a sound, he just lowered his head and his body trembled even more violently.
The village chief turned to Xu Kuo, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Xu Kuo, we're from the same village, we see each other all the time, this matter... could you just let it go? It's just children playing around, don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously..."
He was incredibly frustrated! This land was his lifeline; how could he just give it away like that? But Tan Wang had personally agreed to the bet, and there was even a written agreement; he couldn't renege on it even if he wanted to!
Xu Kuo snorted coldly, mercilessly exposing the village chief's hypocrisy: "Village chief, this won't do. Tan Wang just said that he's a man of his word and must honor the bet. He even confirmed it with me several times, as if afraid I wouldn't agree!"
Upon hearing this, the village chief became even angrier and kicked Tan Wang in the buttocks.
Ouch!
Tan Wang screamed as he was kicked face-first into the dirt and landed on the ground.
The village chief's kick was delivered with tremendous force, and Tan Wang was in so much pain that tears almost welled up in his eyes. He clutched his backside, got up from the ground, but dared not utter a single complaint.
"You've really gotten yourself into some serious trouble. You haven't made a single penny, but you've lost all your land!" the village chief roared.
Xu Kuo looked at Tan Wang with a smile and urged, "Tan Wang, what are you waiting for? When are you going to send me the land deed?"
Tan Wang truly cried this time. He knelt on the ground, hugged Xu Kuo's leg, and wailed, "Xu Kuo, Brother Xu, I beg you, please let me go! I... I'll never dare to do it again! This land... I can't give you this land!"
He was genuinely terrified now; he had fully experienced Xu Kuo's ruthlessness firsthand. If he really gave the land to Xu Kuo, his uncle would definitely beat him to death!
Xu Kuo sneered and kicked Tan Wang away without any mercy: "You brought this on yourself! If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"
Seeing that Xu Kuo was unyielding, the village chief became angry. He glared at Xu Kuo and threatened him sharply, "Xu Kuo! Don't be stubborn! I advise you to cancel this bet right now! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Xu Kuo was not afraid at all. He stared coldly at the village chief and said, "What, village chief, are you trying to renege on your promise? Go ahead and try!"
The village chief hadn't expected Xu Kuo to be so assertive, and for a moment he was at a loss for words. He snorted coldly and stormed off, saying, "Get out of here! You'll never get your hands on this land deed!"
Xu Kuo pulled out the crumpled betting agreement from his pocket and waved it in front of the village chief: "Village chief, this is Tan Wang's signature and fingerprint. You think you can renege on the bet so easily?"
When the village chief saw the bet, he was furious. He snatched the bet away, pointed at Tan Wang's nose, and yelled, "You bastard! Look what you've done!" He then slapped Tan Wang hard across the face.
With a sharp "smack," five bright red finger marks appeared on Tan Wang's face.
Tan Wang was stunned by the beating. He covered his face, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.
"You old bastard! Hit me? It's just half a farmland, what's the big deal!" Tan Wang completely lost his temper. He pointed at the village chief's nose and cursed, "You think you can be the village chief for a few more years? When I have money, I'll kick you out of this position!"
Xu Kuo watched coldly from the sidelines, inwardly sneering. These two were fighting like dogs, a complete mess! But this was exactly the result he wanted. He knew very well that in the future, arable land would become incredibly important, and he needed to control as much land resources as possible.
"Village chief, you'd better hand over the land deed quickly, lest it make things awkward for everyone," Xu Kuo said calmly, his tone carrying an undeniable air of authority.
The village chief's face turned ashen. He knew he couldn't renege on the bet. If he forcibly broke it, he would not only lose the support of the people, but it would also affect his chances of running for village chief again.
After weighing the pros and cons, the village chief ultimately chose to compromise. He gritted his teeth, took out the land deed from the house, signed it, and then slammed it down in front of Xu Kuo.
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