Chapter 446: Chapter 446

From afar, I saw a group of disheveled villagers at the door, some holding sticks, some holding hoes, but most of them were barehanded, all poised for confrontation.

The situation looked troubling, as if they were going to cause a stir. It seemed dangerous, prompting Wan Chu’er to quicken her steps.

At the front were the parents of Zhang Xiaoqiang, their necks stretched and spittle flying as they loudly argued with the armed sentry on duty.

Someone with sharp eyes saw Wan Chu’er and a soldier approaching and shouted loudly in the direction of Wan Chu’er.

Then the crowd became even more agitated, and the parents of Zhang Xiaoqiang began to shout as well.

"It’s her, it’s that stinking woman who beat up my son."

"And she kidnapped Xiao Huaili, that kid from our village."

Wan Chu’er quickly reached the door. She didn’t rush to speak. Standing inside the family area behind the two sentries, she silently watched the villagers before her.

The father of Zhang Xiaoqiang yelled, "You wench, you think you can just beat up my son and run away? Do you think being a military family gives you the right to beat people? Dream on if you think you can bully Huangjia Gully!"

It was quite something for Zhang Xiaoqiang’s father to escalate the matter to the level of Wan Chu’er bullying their whole village, which certainly compounded the issue.

The mother of Zhang Xiaoqiang also said, "If you don’t satisfy us today, we won’t leave. Think the army is so great? Does being in the army give you the right to beat people?"

Wan Chu’er still remained silent. There were too many people on the other side, all with loud voices, and now was a time of heightened emotions. To speak would be a waste of effort. At the same time, she also quietly reassured the sentries, asking them to wait.

Among the crowd of villagers, she noticed that the most boisterous were the parents of Zhang Xiaoqiang. A few of them seemed uncertain and were only following the commotion, while the majority were there just to watch the excitement.

After all, entertainment was scarce in the mountain village. Encountering such a major event naturally drew people to observe keenly, ready to relish the spectacle.

After Zhang Xiaoqiang’s parents yelled for a while, they noticed that Wan Chu’er didn’t respond at all, just standing there silently watching them, making no sound.

But this silence had its own imposing presence, causing everyone to become cautious.

Gradually, the noise from outside the door lowered, and the villagers of Huangjia Gully quieted down. Zhang Xiaoqiang’s father glanced back at his fellow villagers, who were now standing back and watching carefully, then shouted at Wan Chu’er:

"What’s the meaning of this? Staying silent won’t do you any good."

This time, Wan Chu’er took a step forward and made a downward pressing motion with her hand. Everyone watched her move, stunned, and looked at Wan Chu’er in confusion.

"First, I did not kidnap Xiao Huaili. Xiao Huaili broke his arm, and I brought him to the military district clinic for treatment. Once his arm is casted, by tomorrow I will send him back to you... to... Huangjia Gully village."

Wan Chu’er spoke loudly, although she did not look at Zhang Xiaoqiang’s parents, but rather all the villagers, especially the village chief.

"Second, at the time, Zhang Xiaoqiang was on top of Xiao Huaili, beating him. The children from this village can testify. My daughter tried to stop Zhang Xiaoqiang and was pushed to the ground by him. During the chaos, Xiao Huaili’s arm was broken. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

To save him, I had no choice but to grab Zhang Xiaoqiang and toss him onto a nearby pile of grass. The grass pile was half a meter tall, and falling on it wouldn’t cause any injury."

Wan Chu’er’s voice was calm and unhurried as she explained the situation. Although she didn’t raise her voice like the villagers, one couldn’t help but feel compelled to believe and trust her.

In fact, many people in the village were familiar with Wan Chu’er, as the arrival of any outsider in the village was always news. And Wan Chu’er, with her exceptional demeanor, clearly hailed from the city and had a pair of generous twins to boot.

Among this group were also parents of children who had played with the twins, and the adults were always aware of the candies their children received from them. They had even encouraged their kids to spend more time with the twins.

They also knew that Wan Chu’er was related to the military and obviously wealthy. How could she be interested in Xiao Huaili, a nobody’s child? Even if she were to really pick a child from the village, many villagers would ponder sending their own children to her, believing that it would be better to follow Wan Chu’er, the city person, than to herd sheep in the village.

But Zhang Xiaoqiang’s parents were not among these people; they were lazy idlers and shrews who had stumbled upon such an opportunity and were not willing to let it go easily. They had to squeeze some tangible benefit out of Wan Chu’er, like money.

So, right after Wan Chu’er finished speaking, Zhang Xiaoqiang’s dad spat out and interjected:

"Nice talk, but my son is hurting all over now, and who knows what lingering issues he might have later. You have to take responsibility!"

Wan Chu’er responded indifferently, "What do you want?"

"Compensation!" Zhang Xiaoqiang’s mother immediately shouted.

The surrounding villagers suddenly perked up; they actually knew that Mr. and Mrs. Zhang were relentless in their pursuit only with the aim of extorting money.

However, even after Wan Chu’er clarified the situation, Mrs. Zhang still bluntly revealed her motive. Money, a sensitive matter indeed, naturally concerned everyone.

Wan Chu’er’s expression remained unchanged, "How much money do you want?"

Everyone immediately shifted their gaze from Wan Chu’er to the Zhang Family, all wondering to what extent Mrs. Zhang would make a ridiculous demand.

The Zhang couple apparently hadn’t expected Wan Chu’er’s reaction. Could it be that Wan Chu’er, not wanting to be bothered, really intended to pay them off? That would be too easily manipulated.

The greedy couple exchanged glances, and finally Zhang Xiaoqiang’s father clenched his teeth and said, "Ten Thousand Yuan!"

The villagers behind gasped, and someone couldn’t help but curse, "Zhang Gouzi, your wife isn’t even worth Ten Thousand Yuan if you sold her, yet you dare to ask for such an amount, you dog!"

Mrs. Zhang angrily turned and cursed back at the people behind her, "It’s none of your business, shut your damn mouth!"

Those people just couldn’t stand to see others do well. They were determined to get Ten Thousand Yuan from Wan Chu’er, the gullible person, and make them green with envy.

After all, Wan Chu’er looked like someone with money, and it was said that those in the military were all very wealthy.

Some villagers couldn’t hold back their anger and spoke up, "Everyone knows that your house is a den of scoundrels. Zhang Xiaoqiang was still jumping around just now. You’re trying to swindle the liberation army, aren’t you afraid of being dealt with?"

"Go, go, go... what’s it to you, just go already." Mr. and Mrs. Zhang turned and started shooing people away, fearful that the villagers might ruin their plan. But the villagers weren’t so easily dispersed; the show was not over yet.

Hearing the unreasonable demand of Mr. and Mrs. Zhang, Wan Chu’er still kept her composure, but a hint of disdain flickered in her eyes. She quietly observed the villagers’ reactions and waited for the crowd in front of her to quiet down again before speaking.

"Ten Thousand Yuan isn’t enough; I’ll give you Two Hundred Thousand!"

The crowd suddenly didn’t know how to react, and they all looked at each other in bewilderment.