Chapter 07: Don’t You Deserve to Know?
The real estate and property are different from other things. They can only be taken with the consent of the owner. The reason why the entire Ye family mobilized is probably to use their sheer numbers to intimidate Ye Zhou into giving up the house and land. Unfortunately for them, they are facing a different Ye Zhou now. Among the people present, no one understands human nature better than him. The people of the Ye family are nothing more than a group of peasants who rely on their elders and numerical advantage to bully others. They definitely wouldn't dare to escalate the situation to the point of causing harm, at least not openly.
As Ye Zhou's gaze swept across everyone present, the mockery in his eyes deepened. He wasn't the least bit intimidated by their show of force. "If you want my house and land, fine. But that would only happen if you kill me and Xiao Huan here today."
Ye Zhou's voice wasn't particularly loud, but it reverberated heavily in the ears of everyone present. As expected, several members of the Ye family flinched, their attention on Ye Zhou increasing.
"You think I'm afraid to beat you to death, you little shit?"
After a brief moment of shock, with no time to ponder how the usually weak Ye Zhou became so resolute, the old lady rolled up her sleeves and moved forward to slap him. Ye Zhou's gaze turned cold.
"Ouch... you fucking son of a bitch..."
"Mom... Ye Zhou, what are you doing? She's your birth..."
"Ye Zhou, let go of Mom, please..."
"Ouch, he's going to kill someone, Ye Zhou is going to kill someone..."
Just as the old lady's slap was about to land, Ye Zhou suddenly sidestepped, evading her attack. At the same time, he used a clever move to grab the old lady's hand and twist it behind her back. From somewhere, he produced a brand-new sickle and held it against her neck. The old lady screamed in terror, and the others could no longer maintain their formation. They looked at him with nervousness, panic, and fear, and the room descended into chaos.
"Xiao Zhou, let go of your grandmother. If it wasn't you who tripped your aunt, we could have talked it out slowly. Do you really want to cause casualties?"
Ye Zhou's uncle, Ye Daniu, furrowed his brow and stepped forward, his words filled with reproach that he couldn't hide. Holding the old lady hostage, Ye Zhou sneered and said, "What if casualties do occur? You deliberately framed and framed us, forcing us, brothers, into a corner. Ye Daniu, don't talk to me about birth and uncle. You don't deserve to know, do you?"
If he had any intentions, he would have stepped forward earlier. Why wait until now? Fortunately, he had been cautious when he entered earlier and discreetly put the newly bought sickle into his storage space. Otherwise, with his fragile and vulnerable 'body' that could be blown away by a gust of wind, who knows how badly the old man would have beaten him.
Being called by his full name by his own nephew, who was in his fifties, immediately darkened Ye Daniu's face. However, he couldn't refute it and could only clench his fists, glaring fiercely at him while his tall figure trembled with anger.
"Little brat, who do you think you're talking to? Ye Daniu is not a name you can call..."
"Ouch..."
"If I hear you say another word, do you believe today next year will be your old hag's death anniversary?"
Ye Daniu was filled with discomfort and anger, but it didn't mean everyone else felt the same. Zhang Yuzhen, in a fit of anger, was about to step forward, but Ye Zhou didn't give him a chance to speak. He swiftly sidestepped and used a clever maneuver to grab hold of his grandmother's hand, twisting it behind her back. From somewhere, he produced a brand new sickle and pressed it against her neck without hesitation. The sharp blade instantly cut through the surface of her skin, causing blood to appear. The old lady cried out in pain, and her struggling body began to tremble uncontrollably, wetting her lower half.
"You...you..."
Seeing this, everyone from the Ye family was shocked. Even the usually arrogant and spiteful Ye Bao'er pointed at him with trembling fingers. Half the day passed, and she still couldn't come up with a counterargument. As Ye Zhou had anticipated, these people were typical bullies who were afraid of strong resistance. His ruthlessness truly frightened them.
"What do you want? Release my...my mother."
The smell of urine faintly permeated the air as they looked at the fresh blood on the old lady's neck. Ye Daniu no longer cared about his anger and his voice trembled. In the rural areas of this era, filial piety towards the elderly was deeply ingrained, which was one of the reasons why the old lady always relied on her status to oppress others.
"Release her? And then you'll keep coming to my house causing trouble every few days? It's not that easy. Ye Daniu, and all of you, since we have torn our faces today, let's tear them completely. Send someone from your family to the village office and bring the village head and secretary here. Let them help us write a document severing all ties between me, Xiao Huan, and your family. We'll have no further contact even in death. Every person from the Ye family, including Ye Xiaoyu, must sign and stamp it. As long as you can do that, I'll release this old hag. How about it?"
"Ah..."
Ye Zhou asked, "How about it?", but his hand trembled, bringing the sharp sickle even closer to the old lady. She screamed in pain, and her body trembled like a sieve. Ye Daniu and his brothers' hearts were instantly on edge.
"Fine, fine, we agree. We all agree. Please don't harm my mother anymore."
The brothers were extremely anxious, with bubbles almost forming at the corners of their mouths. However, strangely enough, their wives didn't seem nervous. When you think about it, how could someone like the old lady treat her daughters-in-law kindly? Maybe their daughters-in-law wanted to kill her more than Ye Zhou did? They just didn't have the courage to act on it.
"My patience has its limits. Hurry up!"
With a stern gaze, Ye Zhou raised his voice to urge them.
"No need, we're already here."
The members of the Ye family stood frozen in place, unable to react. Suddenly, a deep and robust voice resonated from outside, and as Ye Zhou turned around while still holding onto his grandmother, he felt someone grabbing his thighs from behind.
"Wuwuwu... Brother... Big brother..."
Following the crying voice of Ye Huan, Ye Zhou lowered his head to look at him, and then shifted his gaze towards the two individuals who had entered the room. One of them appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with a petite stature and a face full of wrinkles. Despite that, his face was flushed, and his sunken eyes were sharp and piercing, as if he could see through one's soul with just a glance. The other person, around fifty years old, wore a navy blue Zhongshan suit. He had an average build, and upon witnessing the scene inside the room, his already dark complexion turned even darker.
According to the memories of the original owner, Ye Zhou knew that the older man was their neighbor, the retired veteran named Pan Lao. The other person was Wan Guoli, the village head and secretary of Dongquan Village.
As for why they had come, Ye Zhou could tell from Ye Huan's tearful appearance that he had secretly gone to the neighbors for help, and Pan Lao went to fetch the village head.
After a brief assessment, Ye Zhou handed the old lady over to Ye Daoniu, and then squatted down to embrace his younger brother. As he wiped away his tears and comforted him, he said, "Don't cry anymore. I'm fine. Village Chief and Grandpa are here. No one can bully us anymore."
Upon hearing his words, Ye Huan hadn't responded yet, but both Pan Lao and the village chief couldn't help but twitch their mouths. This guy, what bullying, it would be best if someone was bullying him!
"Mhm..." Ye Huan hugged Ye Zhou's neck, nodding with a choked voice. His trembling little body gradually calmed down. Ye Zhou smiled and gently stroked his back. However, nobody noticed the gaze filled with malicious resentment fixed on them. Hidden behind everyone from the Ye family, Ye Xiaoyu tightly clenched her fist, her nails digging deep into her flesh, leaving numerous small crescent-shaped wounds. Why? Why did everyone dote on that brat, Ye Huan? It was the same when their parents were alive, and now even their eldest brother was doting on him. She was his own sister, so why had he never shown any concern for her?
In the hearts of everyone present, there was probably a mixture of conflicting emotions, but no one paid attention to each other's thoughts. Pan Lao silently walked to the side, sat on a chair like a patriarch, while the village chief, with a gloomy expression, stepped further into the room. With a forceful slap on the old square table, his face, which wasn't pleasant to begin with, turned even darker.
"Bang!"
The square table, which was already unstable, shook a few times due to his forceful action. At the same time, the guilty conscience of the Ye family members also caused them to tremble. Satisfied with the reaction, the village chief spoke in a deep voice, "Speak up, what exactly is going on?"
The village chief wasn't stupid. They were all from the same village and knew each other well. Combined with the matter of the Ye brothers, he was quite familiar with the way the Ye family operated. In his personal opinion, he didn't think highly of them. Naturally, his sympathy leaned towards Ye Zhou, not only because Ye Zhou was always bullied, but also because Ye Zhou could read and had the potential to become the first person in their village to attend college.
"What else can it be? Village Chief Wan, didn't you see it just now? Ye Zhou is unfilial and tried to kill his own grandmother. Uncle Wan, you must support us!" Ye Bao'er, supporting the old lady, exclaimed dramatically before anyone else could speak up. They weren't idiots; this matter couldn't be concealed. Once it spread, the Ye family would likely become the target of public scrutiny. The only solution was to push everything onto Ye Zhou's head. After all, that bastard had already reached that point. It would be even better if they could push him to hang himself again.
"Oh? Ye Zhou, what do you have to say?" With a glance at the old lady's bloodied neck, estimating that the wound wasn't deep, the village chief shifted his gaze to Ye Zhou. From his expression and tone, it was evident that he didn't truly believe Ye Bao'er's words.
"Will you believe me if I say it?"
Not complying with the village chief's intention, Ye Zhou stood up, holding his younger brother and staring at him without blinking.
This version of Ye Zhou was undoubtedly unfamiliar to those who knew him. Not only the village chief, even the silently observing Pan Lao couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at him. However, he quickly averted his gaze as if that glance had never happened. No one knew what he was thinking, and no one knew why he was sitting there.
"You scoundrel! If I ask you to speak, you speak. Why all this nonsense? Believe me, I know exactly what's going on!" The village chief glared at him angrily, and if it weren't for his position, he would probably have burst out with curses. They say that being a county official is not as good as being a local official, but at least in Dongquan Village, he was the highest-ranking authority. When had anyone dared to question him like this? This brat was becoming less and less likable.
