Chapter 3: A Conscience Lost to the Dogs

“Who the hell dares to spread rumors?”

Liu Qiang glared fiercely, casting an imposing look around. The murmurs immediately quieted down. The Liu family was a prominent clan in Peach Blossom Village, and Liu Dafu’s cousin, Liu Fuyu, was the village chief.

In Peach Blossom Village, very few dared to offend the Liu family.

Liu Qiang rummaged through the courtyard and quickly found a large sickle. He shouted curses at Chen Dabao, “Chen Dabao, you bastard, release my father now, or I’ll make you regret it!”

Chen Dabao’s parents were both dead, and he had no reliable relatives in the village—he was utterly alone. As long as he wasn’t a ghost, Liu Qiang didn’t take him seriously.

In Peach Blossom Village, the word of the Liu family was law.

His uncle Liu Fuyu’s words carried more weight than even the local police chief’s.

“Liu Qiang, you’re crazy! Put down the sickle!” Xia Xiaoxue tried to intervene in panic but was kicked in the waist by Liu Qiang, screaming as she fell.

Many villagers shook their heads in disapproval.

When Xia Xiaoxue first married into the village, countless bachelors envied her. Everyone said she was beautiful, but no one expected Liu Qiang to be such a scoundrel.

He was a compulsive gambler and, when drunk, violent.

All the unmarried men in the village felt sorry for Xia Xiaoxue.

“Sister Xiaoxue!”

Chen Dabao’s eyes flared as he shoved Liu Dafu aside and hurried over to Xia Xiaoxue, helping her up. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Dabao!” Xia Xiaoxue’s tears welled in her big eyes, but she shook her head stubbornly. She knew why Liu Qiang treated her badly—because her natal family had demanded an exorbitant bride price.

But she hadn’t received a single penny of that bride price; she hadn’t agreed to marry Liu Qiang.

She had been sold by her own family, and the bride price was used to subsidize her younger brothers.

Xia Xiaoxue had agonies she couldn’t voice.

“Chen Dabao, you bastard, let go of me! You two shameless people dare to flirt in front of me!” Liu Qiang’s face twisted with rage as he saw Chen Dabao’s hand resting on Xia Xiaoxue’s slender waist. His fury was uncontrollable, his eyes bloodshot.

“Oh, no wonder Liu Qiang’s so angry—it turns out the fool climbed into his sister-in-law’s bed!”

“Liu Qiang gambles every day and never comes home. The fool’s handsome; it’s no surprise there’s some scandal!”

“If I were Xia Xiaoxue, I’d sleep with the fool too. Chen Dabao may be simple-minded, but he’s good-looking and well-built. Who knows how much better he is than Liu Qiang!”

“Liu Qiang deserves it. You occupy someone else’s house, and they sleep with your wife—that’s only fair!”

“Fool, is Sister Xiaoxue comfortable sleeping with you?”

The villagers, hearing of this scandal, perked up. Someone in the crowd shouted, causing a burst of laughter.

In the countryside, with little entertainment, people loved gossiping about neighbors—their wives’ infidelities, their old men’s affairs—all with vivid detail.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Sister Xiaoxue and I are innocent!” Chen Dabao’s face darkened as he swept his gaze around. He didn’t care about people fabricating stories about him, but he wouldn’t let Sister Xiaoxue’s reputation be tarnished.

Xia Xiaoxue sighed quietly, looking at Chen Dabao with gentle eyes. Her own husband treated her poorly, but the one who cared for her most was this big fool.

“You shameless couple! I’ll kill you!”

Liu Qiang, unable to contain his rage at the exchange between the two, suddenly raised his sickle and swung it hard at Chen Dabao’s shoulder.

Liu Qiang dared not aim for Chen Dabao’s head—too many witnesses. If he killed Chen Dabao, even his uncle couldn’t save him.

“Liu Qiang, you’re courting death!”

Chen Dabao’s eyes blazed with fury. With a fierce yell, he delivered a powerful kick to Liu Qiang’s belly, sending him flying seven or eight meters. Liu Qiang lay there, unable to get up for a long time.

“Ah!”

“My stomach!”

Liu Qiang clutched his belly, screaming in agony, vomiting bile from the blow.

“You little bastard! You dare hit my son? I’ll fight you to the death!”

Liu Dafu scrambled up from the ground, grabbed a brick, and smashed it hard toward Chen Dabao’s head. But Chen Dabao was no pushover—he slapped Liu Dafu fiercely in return.

“Ah!”

Liu Dafu screamed and fell to the ground, stunned for several moments.

The villagers watching outside exchanged glances. Chen Dabao had once been a university student—tall and imposing but kind-hearted—and had never fought anyone before.

He seemed like an easy target.

That was why Liu Dafu and his ilk dared to divide Chen’s money, seize his house, and occupy his land. Simply put, kindness was exploited.

But now, Chen Dabao seemed like a completely different person.

“Murder! Murder! That little bastard Chen Dabao has killed someone! Someone come quickly! Beat the bastard to death!”

Just then, Liu Qiang’s mother, Zhang Guihua, returned from the fields with a basket of vegetables. Seeing the scene, she collapsed on the ground and began screaming and throwing a tantrum.

This was a classic rural tactic among gossiping women—crying, making a scene, threatening to hang themselves, rolling on the ground, shrieking. When you have no case, make enough noise to turn the tide.

“Mom, stop yelling. Let’s go!” Xia Xiaoxue’s face burned with embarrassment. She was young and modest, and she knew Liu Qiang’s family had wronged Chen Dabao.

When Chen Dabao was foolish and needed care, living in his house was one thing.

But now Chen Dabao was no longer simple-minded, and Liu Qiang’s family still clung to his home—that was shameless.

“Get lost, you little bitch! The Liu family has no need for your opinion!” Zhang Guihua shouted sharply, pushing Xia Xiaoxue away.

“Liu Dafu, all of you get lost!” Chen Dabao sneered, utterly ignoring Zhang Guihua’s outburst. With a fierce roar, he ordered Liu Qiang’s family to leave, then turned and threw all their clothes out of the house.

“You little bastard! How dare you throw our clothes out? I’ll fight you!”

Seeing her tantrums were useless, Zhang Guihua scrambled to her feet, grabbed the sickle, and, as Chen Dabao turned around, stabbed violently at his waist.

With a swift move, Chen Dabao turned sharply and kicked Zhang Guihua, sending her flying three or four meters. She tumbled several times and lay there, too sore to get up.

“Chen Dabao, what are you doing? Guihua is your benefactor! If it weren’t for her care, you’d be dead by now. You can’t be heartless!” scolded an elderly villager of higher standing, a relative of Zhang Guihua.

“Old man, do you have any right to speak here?” Chen Dabao’s eyes turned cold as he stared at the old man. “When my house was occupied, my father’s compensation stolen, and I was driven into the pigsty, did you ever say a single word for me?”

“Has your conscience been eaten by dogs?”

“Everyone get lost! If any of you keep yammering, I’ll beat you all up!”