Chapter 142 Ominous Portents

Over on Liu Dongju’s side, seeing that Nai Xinru had already retreated to the shoe store while her mother-in-law Li Qing continued to hurl loud abuses, she finally could not bear it any longer. After asking Zhao Dongkui, who had just hurried back, to keep an eye on Little One and Little Doudou, she stepped forward, grabbed Li Qing, and pulled her toward the kitchen. "Mom, would you please stop yelling? Are you not ashamed enough yet?"

"What shame is there for me to feel? If it weren't for this widow Nai Xinru making a scene, could my son Wuliang have been taken away by the police station?" Li Qing struggled fiercely to break free from Liu Dongju's grip, but the next second, a resounding slap landed across her face.

With a crisp crack, the blow left her utterly dumbfounded, frozen in place and momentarily speechless.

Only then did she realize that Zhao耿, usually quiet and easy to bully, was far more terrifying than a demon when provoked.

Startled, Liu Dongju released her grip on Li Qing. "If you love making scenes, go ahead and carry on! I’m washing my hands of this. As for whether your Zhao Wuliang lives or dies from now on, don't come looking for me!"

These were not merely angry words; she truly felt that Li Qing, as a mother-in-law, was completely unreasonable.

After all, the widow Nai Xinru had known Zhao Wuliang for less than a few days, and frankly speaking, they hadn't even slept together yet. How could anyone possibly pin the blame for his arrest on Nai Xinru?

Hearing Liu Dongju speak thus, Li Qing grew even more furious and temporarily let Zhao耿 off the hook. "Since when is it your place to meddle in my family's affairs?"

"You!!!"

Those words pierced straight through Liu Dongju's heart. With a resentful glare at Li Qing, she turned on her heel, headed back to the backyard, and began packing her bundles.

Since Li Qing still refused to treat her as one of their own after all this time, there was no point in remaining in the Zhao household.

Seeing matters escalate to this point, Zhao Dongkui panicked immensely. "Mom, how can there be someone like you in this world? If you don't want to live a peaceful life yourself, do you want to ruin your son's family as well?"

"Listen to me! If Dongkui leaves because you drove her away today, I will never acknowledge you as my mother again!" Zhao Dongkui was driven out of his mind by anger; otherwise, he would never have dared utter such words.

Zhao耿 saw the situation clearly and bore no grudge against Zhao Dongkui, knowing that things could not be allowed to deteriorate any further. He hurriedly rushed into the backyard.

Seeing this, Little One tearfully followed behind them.

Li Qing wanted to argue further with Zhao Dongkui, but she was stopped by Village Chief Zhao, who had just rushed over. "Can't you keep the peace for once? How can you blame Dongju and Nai Xinru for the crimes Zhao Wuliang committed?"

"If I don't blame them, who else should I blame?" Li Qing retorted unreasonably.

Yet, out of respect for the Village Chief, she did not dare raise her voice this time.

"You! If I had my temper from decades ago, I’d beat the life out of you!" Village Chief Zhao rolled up his sleeves. "Just think about it: the crime Zhao Wuliang committed happened three years ago. Dongkui and Dongkui had barely even met back then, right? How could you pin that on them?"

"As for Nai Xinru, her son was just born three years ago, and she didn't even know your Zhao Wuliang! Under those circumstances, what does his arrest have to do with her? Use your brain for once, will you?" The Village Chief looked exasperated, his anger flaring up as he spoke. His eyes bulged with fury, as if he might strike her across the face if she dared talk back.

Once Li Qing fully grasped the meaning behind his words, she stood frozen in shock.

She was not a fool after all, and the Village Chief's reasoning was entirely sound.

Why on earth had she been blaming the widow Nai Xinru for the major crime Zhao Wuliang committed three years ago?

Because at that time, they hadn't even known each other!

At this realization, panic seized Li Qing. She hurried toward the backyard and, seeing that Liu Dongju had already packed her bundles and was holding Little One in her arms, fell to her knees in desperation and burst into tears. "Daughter-in-law, I beg you not to leave! It was my fault earlier, my mind was clouded by greed!"

"Step aside!" Remembering the insults she had just endured, Liu Dongju felt a bitter ache in her chest and could not hold back her own tears.

At that moment, Little One broke free from her hand, tearfully kicked Li Qing, and cried out, "Grandma, you're so bad! Why did you scold Mommy? She didn't do anything wrong, the uncle did!"

"Tingting..." Hearing those words, Li Qing was consumed with remorse. She raised her right hand and began slapping her own face repeatedly, stopping only when her cheeks were swollen.

Seeing this, Zhao耿 dropped to his knees before Liu Dongju as well. "Daughter-in-law, please stay for the sake of these old bones of mine! This family cannot function without you!"

"Dad..." Liu Dongju reached out to help Zhao耿 up, but the next second, a wave of nausea hit her. Unable to suppress it, she covered her mouth and ran into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with Dongju?" Village Chief Zhao immediately asked Zhao Dongkui, who stood nearby.

"I... I don't know!" Zhao Dongkui hurried after Liu Dongju.

A female villager who had been watching the spectacle chimed in, "Village Chief, can't you even tell? Dongju is perfectly healthy, yet she suddenly starts retching—she must be expecting!"

"That's right! This morning I saw her retching a few times while drawing water by the well. She's definitely pregnant!" a short, plump young bride added.

At these words, the bustling courtyard fell instantly silent.

Li Qing was utterly dumbfounded, for her dearest wish had always been for Liu Dongju to bear another child!

If it turned out to be a boy, that would be even better.

No one would ever mock their family as having no heirs again.

With this thought, Li Qing scrambled to her feet and sprinted quickly toward the kitchen.

Seeing this, the Village Chief knew that this farce would undoubtedly end with Liu Dongju's pregnancy. With a faint smile, he pulled out his dry tobacco pipe and walked away.

He was so confident because Li Qing held deep-rooted patriarchal views; her previous mistreatment of Liu Dongju stemmed entirely from the fact that her firstborn had not been a son.

Now that Liu Dongju was pregnant again, Li Qing's attitude would inevitably shift.

As for whether Liu Dongju would forgive Li Qing's past behavior, that was beyond his control.

After all, these were family matters, and squabbles were nothing out of the ordinary.

Yet of one thing he was certain: Liu Dongju would never leave now.

Because no matter what, Liu Dongju still had to consider Zhao Dongkui's feelings...

...

Ningshi Village.

Among the tiered paddy fields stretching out at the foot of Old Tile Mountain.

A dozen villagers carrying hoes stood along the field ridges, staring at the blazing sun overhead with splitting headaches.

The source of their distress was that the irrigation channels in Ningshi Village had not been properly repaired after the New Year.

And now, the time for rice seedling transplantation and irrigation had arrived, bringing the problem to a head.

A major problem at that.

Clearing the irrigation channels in a short period seemed practically impossible.

Seeing Liu Dazhao arrive at the foot of Old Tile Mountain with a hoe on his shoulder, the dozen villagers exchanged glances and hurried forward to greet him.

Wang Daoxiang even pulled out a precious pack of Changsha cigarettes he usually saved for himself, stepped forward, and handed one to Liu Dazhao. "Team leader, with the irrigation channel in this state this year, why didn't you report the situation to Village Chief Wang?"

"Reporting it does damn well nothing." Liu Dazhao reached out and took the cigarette. "You know as well as I do that when the channel was being repaired, your eldest brother, myself, Zhang Damao, and the others couldn't even get a meal at noon. This isn't a private matter, it's public business. Since it's dragged on this point, what can I do?"

"Then how about we go find Village Chief Wang right now and figure out a solution?" suggested a thin villager.

"It's useless, he's not home." Liu Dazhao gave a helpless, bitter laugh.

"It's the height of the busy farming season, where could Village Chief Wang possibly be?" Wang Daoxiang asked, puzzled.

The surrounding villagers looked equally confused.

After all, in the past, Village Chief Wang would always be home leading the villagers in farming and transplanting seedlings, helping to resolve practical problems.

This was no trivial matter; it concerned the yearly food supply for nearly a thousand villagers in Ningshi Village.

Should people starve to death, Village Chief Wang would bear a massive crime.

"Don't ask anymore. Village Chief Wang was taken away by superiors from higher up; rumor has it he's in trouble over his personal conduct." Liu Dazhao sighed softly. "As for irrigating these fields at Old Tile Mountain, we can find another way—we can go to Donglong Reservoir and open the floodgates. As long as we talk things over with the Dong brothers, it should be fine."

"The problem is that the seven Dong brothers are all notoriously difficult to talk to!" Wang Daoxiang voiced his worry.

The other dozen villagers wore equally grim expressions.

The reason for their apprehension was that the seven Dong brothers all lived right on the embankment of Donglong Reservoir.

If the Dong family had officially bid on and contracted Donglong Reservoir and refused to let water out, that would be one thing.

The trouble was that Donglong Reservoir now belonged to the public.

In times of drought, logic dictated that anyone should be able to open the floodgates to irrigate their seedlings.

Yet the seven Dong brothers acted like local tyrants, treating Donglong Reservoir as their private property.

Not only did they forbid villagers from releasing water to irrigate their crops, but they wouldn't even allow anyone to walk along the road on the embankment.

They might show some restraint toward the tough-minded, but if they encountered someone meek, all seven brothers would gang up and beat the trespassers until they fled crawling and begging for mercy.

This was no exaggeration, but the bare truth.

As the village leader of Ningshi Village, Liu Dazhao naturally knew this inside story.

Seeing the dark expressions on the villagers' faces, he forced a reassuring smile and explained, "Don't worry, this time the seven Dong brothers won't be seizing Donglong Reservoir anymore, because two days ago, they were taken away along with Village Chief Wang."

"Really or not?" Wang Daoxiang asked doubtfully.

The other villagers likewise wore looks of astonishment.

Such a major incident was something they surely would have heard about.

"If you don't believe me, come with me to Donglong Reservoir and see for yourselves!" Liu Dazhao said crossly.

"True!" Wang Daoxiang nodded in agreement.

Seeing that there was nothing else pressing today, he took the lead and headed toward Donglong Reservoir.

Liu Dazhao glanced at the cracked, parched farmland, then set off alongside the dozen villagers toward the reservoir.

...

Donglong Reservoir was the largest reservoir in Zhangmu Township, without exception.

Compared to the Daoluo Reservoir in Ningshi Village, its surface area was at least ten times larger.

It bordered Old House Village to the east, Ningshi Village to the west, and served as one of the primary water sources for all the farmland in Daohua Village.

Because of its massive expanse, no one dared to bid on contracting it for fish farming.

Consequently, it had remained idle.

Yet it contained plenty of large fish, though no one dared to catch and sell them.

Naturally, in the early 1980s, people lacked the proper tools for large-scale fishing anyway.

Liu Dazhao, Wang Daoxiang, and the group of villagers followed the mountain path and soon appeared atop the embankment of Donglong Reservoir.

Finding not a single ghost of a shadow around the homes of the seven Dong brothers on the embankment, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Didn't I tell you? Those seven brothers won't be returning anytime soon." Liu Dazhao smiled as he lowered the hoe from his shoulder. "No more nonsense, I'm going to open the floodgates. Wang Daoxiang, take a few men and clear out the irrigation channels. Don't slack off this time—you're working for your own families after all. If the work isn't done properly and the seedlings dry up, don't blame anyone else."

"You got it!" Wang Daoxiang rolled up his sleeves and led seven or eight villagers to begin clearing the channels.

Liu Dazhao did not idle either. Accompanied by three villagers who were strong swimmers, he walked down the steps to the shore of Donglong Reservoir, preparing to dive in and open the gates.

Right at that moment, a harsh shout rang out: "What are you lot doing?"

Liu Dazhao turned to look, and upon recognizing Dong Tianchui, the eldest of the seven Dong brothers, he froze in astonishment.

Truth be told, he hadn't expected Dong Tianchui to have returned.

Just as he was about to reason with him, the three villagers beside him scattered and fled in a flash.

Wang Daoxiang and the others clearing the irrigation channel saw the other six Dong brothers appear behind Dong Tianchui, accompanied by several local thugs. Panic seized them instantly; instead of standing united with Liu Dazhao or even calling out to him, they turned and ran the moment they regained their senses.

The more timid ones even abandoned their hoes behind.

This sight infuriated Liu Dazhao.

Initially, he had wanted to run away immediately too.

Unfortunately, Dong Tianchui and his six brothers surrounded him in the blink of an eye.

With no other choice, he feigned composure and shouted, "What do you think you're doing, Dong Tianchui?"

"Hmph! You have the nerve to ask what I'm doing? Don't you know this Donglong Reservoir belongs to the Dong family? Did I give you permission to open the floodgates?" With that, Dong Tianchui raised his fist and lunged at Liu Dazhao.

In his mind, unless he taught Liu Dazhao a lesson, the other villagers would continue to think the seven Dong brothers were pushovers.

Liu Dazhao had once served as a signal soldier; although his martial skills weren't extraordinary, he was quick on his feet and dodged Dong Tianchui's punch with ease. Seeing the other Dong brothers moving in to attack him as well, he dropped to the ground, rolled away in a panic, scrambled up the embankment, and bolted for his life.

Yet before he had run even three meters, he was nearly struck by a jeep.

The driver of the jeep cursed loudly and stepped out.

Recognizing Liu Dazhao, the driver paused in surprise and asked, "Brother, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah! Aren't you supposed to be transplanting rice seedlings at home today?" asked an attractive woman in an Industrial and Commercial Bureau uniform as she stepped out of the jeep.

She was none other than Zhang Xiangjun, heading toward Liu Xing's home.

The jeep driver was Director Wu.

To reach Liu Xing's house as quickly as possible, they had taken a shortcut.

Behind them, Niu Lianfang drove up in another jeep, followed by four sedans.

As for who was sitting inside, Liu Xing would surely know.

But Liu Dazhao had no clue!

Taking in the scene, he stood dumbfounded. "You... where are you people headed?"

"To your house," Zhang Xiangjun replied with a smile.

"That's right." Director Wu reached out and patted Liu Dazhao's shoulder. "Why were you running away in such a panic just now?"

"Don't even mention it, those seven Dong brothers..." Frustration boiled over in Liu Dazhao. He pointed toward the dozen figures lurking beneath the embankment of Donglong Reservoir and said, "They act like local tyrants, claiming Donglong Reservoir belongs to their family. If I hadn't run fast just now, I'd have been beaten to a pulp."

"What?" Director Wu placed his hands on his hips and glared at the seven Dong brothers beneath the embankment. "Have you lost your minds? You were only released yesterday, and today you're causing trouble again?"

"Indeed, Donglong Reservoir belongs to Zhangmu Township. Since when did it become the private property of you seven Dong brothers?" Zhang Xiangjun chimed in indignantly.

Hearing this, the seven Dong brothers lowered their heads in sudden terror.

Realizing he could no longer bluff his way through, Dong Tianchui offered a nervous, fawning explanation: "It was all a misunderstanding just now, a genuine misunderstanding! I didn't know Liu Dazhao was your brother!"

"By your logic, if anyone came to Donglong Reservoir to release water for their crops and had nothing to do with me, you'd beat them up?" Director Wu's anger flared up. "Listen to me carefully: go straight to the Donghe Police Station and confess your wrongdoing right now. If you don't go, when I'm free, I'll make sure you regret it."

"Don't do this!" Dong Tianchui's face crumpled in despair.

Seeing this, his six brothers stopped arguing with Director Wu. Obediently climbing up the embankment, they endured a brief scolding before scattering in all directions and fleeing.

Poor Dong Tianchui had no alternative. With a heavy heart, he walked home, fetched his bicycle, and pedaled off toward the Donghe Police Station.

Knowing Dong Tianchui wouldn't dare cause further trouble, Director Wu let out a breath of relief and turned to Liu Dazhao. "Brother, opening the floodgates by yourself won't work. Need a hand?"

"No need." Liu Dazhao offered a grateful smile. Under Director Wu's watchful gaze, he descended the embankment toward the sluice gate.

Seeing that the water was rather deep, he stripped off his shirt and trousers and plunged headfirst into the water.

With a loud splash, water erupted, sending ripples spreading outward.

Liu Dazhao's figure quickly vanished beneath the surface.

Director Wu, Zhang Xiangjun, Niu Lianfang, Ding Lan, and the others did not leave immediately.

Instead, they waited quietly until they saw Liu Dazhao resurface, at which point they breathed easier.

To their surprise, not only was Liu Dazhao a strong swimmer, but he had actually caught a carp weighing around two catties.

"Oh! Looks like I'm in for a treat today," Director Wu joked.

"Then help take it back with you." Liu Dazhao held up the carp and tossed it onto the embankment.

Director Wu caught it in a hurry, tied its gills with marsh grass, and said, "Brother, be careful down in the water! I'll drive ahead now. Once I get to your house, I'll send other villagers over to help clear the channels."

"Got it!" Liu Dazhao wiped the water from his face, turned around, and dove back beneath the surface.

"Sigh! Being a farmer is hard work," Director Wu sighed. Handing the carp to Zhang Xiangjun, he turned and walked back toward the jeep.

As they drove slowly across the embankment of Donglong Reservoir, none of them noticed that a section of the embankment's base had been hollowed out by the currents, separated from collapse by mere bricks...