Shi Yangyang cried and threw herself into Zhang Cheng's arms, hugging him tightly, "Don't kill him, don't kill him..."
Hearing the panic and fear in her voice, Zhang Cheng sighed inwardly, his gaze softening as he gently stroked her hair.
"Wife, don't be afraid, I won't kill anyone."
He looked up and glanced at the elderly women standing at the entrance of the ancestral hall.
"Aunt Hua, please take Yangyang out for me first."
"Oh, oh, oh!" Aunt Hua rushed over in a panic, grabbing Shi Yangyang's hand.
"Girl, come with me quickly, Er Gouzi knows what he's doing..."
Shi Yangyang bit her lip, looking at Zhang Cheng with teary eyes.
Zhang Cheng smiled at her and said, "Wait for me outside for a while."
Aunt Hua pulled Shi Yangyang out of the ancestral hall. Zhang Cheng turned around, not looking at Li Xingshan, whose face was ashen, but at the old village chief.
"Uncle, what do you suggest we do about this?"
The old village chief gave a bitter smile, first glancing at Li Xingshan, who was leaning on a cane and had a dark face, then looking at Zhang An, who was lying at Zhang Cheng's feet, not daring to utter a sound. He gritted his teeth.
“Zhang An, Li Dali, and Zhang Zoushan compiled their family genealogy and drove them out of the village.”
“Zhang Xiangui, you can’t do this, you can’t…” Li Dali’s father’s eyes turned red with anxiety.
"Er Gouzi, Er Gouzi, you can't remove Dali from the family register! Uncle will stand up for you, Uncle will break Dali's hands... I'm begging you!"
Li Dali's father knelt down in front of Zhang Cheng, wailing.
Zhang Cheng did not move.
Old Zhang seemed to have lost his soul. His eldest grandson had died young, his daughter-in-law had overdosed on medication, and now his eldest son was about to be removed from the family genealogy and driven out of the village…
The old village chief took a deep breath and looked at Li Xingshan, "Grandpa, what do you say?"
Li Xingshan snorted coldly, inwardly furious at Zhang Cheng's arrogance and even more resentful of Zhang An and his group. In the minds of this generation of elders, those who stole from the imperial clan should have their hands and feet broken, be removed from the family register, and be driven out of the village.
"You're the village chief, you can make the decision!"
Li Xingshan, leaning on his cane, strode towards the outside of the ancestral hall. The elderly women gathered at the entrance quickly made way for him.
Zhang An, Zhang Zoushan, and Li Dali were removed from their family genealogy and driven out of the village.
No matter how much their parents made a fuss, it had no effect.
If you're so capable, then leave the village with them.
As the village head, Zhang Xiangui wielded considerable power. He could remove Zhang An's name from the household registration book and then report it to the police station without going through the police station.
Once Zhang An and his family lose their household registration certificates, they need to register their household registration elsewhere as soon as possible.
If no one is willing to take them in, they will become migrant workers. Nowadays, most migrant workers are arrested and assigned dangerous jobs without pay, struggling to even afford food and drink.
Li Dali and Zhang Zoushan's parents found them immediately, took their money and food coupons, and left the village. They were going to other villages to find relatives and register their sons' household registration.
Old Zhang, carrying the screaming Zhang An on his back and accompanied by his mother, left the village for Jindian Village. Jindian Village was his mother's hometown, and they didn't have many relatives left.
Er Ya committed suicide by ingesting rat poison; it was a violent death, and she was not entitled to have her funeral held in the ancestral hall.
Zhang Cheng first went to the old house, carrying his niece, and found a woman in the village who had just given birth. He spent fifty yuan and ten jin of white rice to have her act as a wet nurse for his baby.
Er Ya's funeral was very simple. She was young and died a violent death, so the villagers thought it was unlucky to pay their respects to her.
Zhang Cheng did not set up a mourning hall.
Three days later, with the help of the villagers, Er Ya was successfully buried in the mausoleum complex on the back mountain.
After witnessing Zhang Cheng's methods, the villagers became estranged from him. When they met him on the road, they would just nod, no longer as enthusiastic as before.
It was evening.
Zhang Cheng sat on a rattan chair outside the store, while Li Qiming and Zhang Weiguo sat on the threshold.
“Brother, I heard that Zou Shan and Da Li have settled down at their relatives’ house in Gao Village.” Li Qiming asked cautiously.
Zhang Cheng closed his eyes, humming a little tune, and didn't say anything.
Zhang Weiguo nudged Li Qiming's arm with his elbow, glared at him, and changed the subject.
"Brother, Wang Hongzhao from Wang Village is here. He said he's here to talk to the village chief about digging an irrigation ditch next month. Do you want to go and take a look?"
"Why would I go and join in the fun!" Zhang Cheng chuckled.
"Brother, how about we go into the mountains for some fun?"
"You guys go ahead, I'm too lazy to move."
Zhang Cheng really didn't want to move.
"Brother, look, isn't that a swordsman?" Li Qiming suddenly stood up, pointed at the figure running towards them in the distance, and shouted with a smile.
"Brother, it's the swordsman! I can see his face now!"
Zhang Cheng slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Jianhao running towards him from a distance.
"Hmm?" As Zhang Jianhao drew closer, Zhang Cheng's expression changed slightly. He stood up and quickly went to meet him, with Li Qiming and Zhang Weiguo following closely behind.
Zhang Jianhao was panting heavily, his face flushed. When he saw Zhang Cheng running towards him, his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.
"Sword Master, something happened?" Zhang Cheng ran up to him and patted him on the back.
Zhang Jianhao swallowed hard and caught his breath. "Brother Gou, our goods have been robbed!"
Zhang Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Don't rush, speak slowly."
Zhang Jianhao gathered his thoughts and began to recount the events in detail.
After Zhang Cheng returned to the village, Li Yuanyuan rented five shops on South Street for 100 yuan a year and signed a ten-year lease.
Li Yuanyuan is very bold; she spent a lot of money to hire a construction team from the provincial capital to renovate her shop.
Li Yuanyuan left Zhang Danao in charge of the renovations while she took Zhang Jianhao to Wenzhou.
It must be said that Wenzhou's industry developed rapidly at that time, with small workshops and factories everywhere.
Li Yuanyuan found a suitable garment factory, signed a contract, and paid a deposit in just half a day.
Everything has gone smoothly up to this point.
Li Yuanyuan was worried that Zhang Danao wouldn't be able to handle the renovations alone in Funing County, so she took a batch of clothing back to Funing County first and asked Zhang Jianhao to wait in Wenzhou. They would go back together with the rest of the clothing later.
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