Chapter 16: The Guilty Party Files the First ComplaintButcher Wang reached out and kneaded Wang Erlang’s face several times. Already bruised, the boy’s face became even more visibly mottled with blue and purple after this rough handling, almost unrecognizable from its original state. Wang Erlang howled in pain throughout the ordeal.Mrs. Su, listening from inside the house, truly believed Butcher Wang was disciplining his son. She kept her mouth shut even tighter, not daring to interfere, afraid of angering Butcher Wang and getting herself punished as well.Although Butcher Wang had treated her well since she married into the family, the sight of his stern, intimidating expression still filled her with fear.Butcher Wang took Wang Erlang straight to the Village Chief’s house."Village Chief, look at what they’ve done to my child."Seeing Butcher Wang, the Village Chief initially felt a surge of anger—the Wang family was nearly becoming the village bullies. But when his eyes fell on Wang Erlang, that anger dissipated."What happened here?" he wondered. In the village, the Wang children were known to be the toughest. He racked his brain but couldn’t figure out who could have beaten Wang Erlang to such a state.With an air of righteousness, the Village Chief said, "Hitting people is wrong. Tell me, who did this?""It was Lin Qinghe from the Lin family. With Lin Dazhuang gone, the children have no one to discipline them. Now they’re getting more and more out of hand," Butcher Wang replied.Hearing it was a child from the Lin family, the Village Chief immediately turned his gaze to Butcher Wang. After all, Butcher Wang had married Mrs. Su, so by rights, the Lin children should be under his care. Yet, when Mrs. Su remarried, she hadn’t brought the children with her."Why are you looking at me like that, Village Chief?""Aren’t the Lin children supposed to be your children now?" the Village Chief asked.Butcher Wang quickly waved his hands. "How could they be my children? They bear the Lin surname. If they were to follow me and take the Wang surname, wouldn’t that cut off the Lin family line? How could I, Butcher Wang, do something so cruel as to sever another family’s lineage?"Tsk. His words sounded noble, but in truth, he simply saw the children as burdens and had no intention of raising them.The Village Chief, wise with age, saw right through his meaning."Village Chief, let’s not dwell on that. Let’s talk about how Lin Qinghe beat Erlang like this. What should be done about it?""Qinghe is two years younger than Erlang, isn’t she? And she’s a girl. How could she have beaten Erlang?" He clearly found this hard to believe."Grandpa Village Chief, it’s true! If you don’t believe me, call Lin Qinghe over and ask her. She’s the one who hit me," Wang Erlang said indignantly.Hearing the term "Grandpa," the Village Chief inwardly scoffed. He had personally heard Wang Erlang call him "that old geezer" behind his back. He never expected to be addressed as "Grandpa" today."Alright, then let’s call Qinghe over and ask," the Village Chief nodded, sending a child to fetch her.It must be said that Lin Dazhuang had been extremely well-liked in the village during his lifetime—gentle, polite, and always willing to help anyone in need. Moreover, he had died while saving others. Compared to the Wang family’s bullying and domineering ways, the Village Chief privately leaned more toward the Lin family.Before long, Lin Qinghe arrived."Grandpa Village Chief, you sent for me?"The Village Chief nodded and spoke gently, "Wang Erlang says you beat him up. I called you over to ask if this is true."Lin Qinghe did not answer immediately, but turned to look at Wang Erlang instead. Seeing his face covered in bruises, almost unrecognizable from his original appearance, she couldn't help but feel puzzled. When she had struck him, it didn't seem this severe.Seeing her remain silent, Wang Erlang grew impatient and pointed at her, saying, "Don't you dare deny it. The injuries on my face were caused by you."He already felt the pain, but his father thought it wasn't enough. After enduring all this, if Lin Qinghe got off scot-free, he would feel utterly cheated.Lin Qinghe grinned at him but turned to the Village Chief and said, "I did indeed cause his injuries.""See, see! She admitted it herself. This matter can't just be dropped. Erlang is injured so badly, there must be compensation, or this isn't over," Butcher Wang insisted, refusing to back down."This matter does need to be discussed properly. You only know I hit Wang Erlang, but do you know why I did it and what he did?" Lin Qinghe's sharp gaze fixed on Butcher Wang.Hearing this, Butcher Wang felt uneasy. Why hadn't Erlang explained the whole story clearly? It was also his own fault for being too eager to sever Mrs. Su's ties with the Lin family without asking more questions.The Village Chief grew tense and quickly asked, "What did he do?""My younger siblings and I set a trap in the back mountain and caught a rabbit. Just as Qingmiao was about to grab it, Wang Erlang pushed her to the ground and snatched the prey. Qingmiao is just a child—she scraped her hands and sprained her ankle on the spot. Qingbai was kicked in the stomach by him and nearly passed out from the pain. Everyone knows Qingbai has always been frail."As she spoke, her cold gaze turned to Wang Erlang. "How could you lay hands on such young children?"She then looked back at the Village Chief and continued, "Qingsong tried to protect his younger siblings and fought with Wang Erlang. But as a child, how could he be a match for Wang Erlang? If I hadn't arrived in time, the three of them might have been beaten to death without anyone knowing."The Village Chief's breathing grew heavy. Wang Erlang was known for his violent temper, and in a fit of rage, he might truly resort to deadly force. It was entirely possible that he could have beaten the three children to death."How are the children now?" the Village Chief asked."Qingsong is better off—he's older and knew to dodge. Qingbai and Qingmiao have already been examined by Doctor Zhao and are currently taking medicine."Butcher Wang listened to their exchange, growing increasingly annoyed that they were ignoring him and his son, who were standing right there. "We can't just listen to your side of the story. Erlang, you tell us what happened."Wang Erlang was about to make excuses when Lin Qinghe swiftly turned her head and glared at him fiercely. "If you dare not take responsibility for what you did and refuse to admit it, you're a coward."Provoked by her words, Wang Erlang stiffened his neck and retorted, "Who's a coward? That's right, I did it. I dare to take responsibility for my actions."A cold smile tugged at the corner of Lin Qinghe's lips.Butcher Wang tried to stop him, but it was too late. Was this kid stupid? Provoked by a few words, he admitted everything. He didn't even want to acknowledge this as his son—so foolish, with none of his own flair.The Village Chief took another look at Lin Qinghe, thinking this child truly had a clever and quick-witted air about her. It suddenly struck him that even if Lin Dazhuang were gone, with Lin Qinghe as the eldest sister, raising the younger children to adulthood wouldn’t be too difficult.With the simple-minded boy’s admission, Butcher Wang realized his hopes for the day were unlikely to be fulfilled, let alone gaining any advantage from the Lin family. He glared fiercely at Wang Erlang, then chuckled dryly and said, “Village Chief, since this is all a misunderstanding, let’s leave it at that. My son and I will head back now.”

Eldest Sister of a Farming Family: Managing the Household, Farming and Opening Shops