Chapter 388 Gong Wenliang Prepares to Face Death
Many people shared the same thoughts as Wen Mei, especially when they thought about the village head also enjoying a good life. They felt unbalanced, wondering why newcomers to the village were housed separately from them.
Some even approached the brothers Gong Wenxing and Gong Wenliang to inquire about the village head's whereabouts.
Gong Wenxing was disgusted by their tone and ignored them. However, others interpreted this as the brothers, Gong Wenxing and Gong Wenliang, keeping their options open for themselves.
Soon, verbal altercations escalated into physical fights. As a son-in-law, He Weimin naturally couldn't stand by, and Zhang Aiguo could only step in to help.
Other close relatives of the Gong family also joined in. What started as a few people fighting quickly turned into a brawl, with men in one group and women in another.
Team leader Ji Songlin had just returned from another cave and, before he could even change his wet clothes, was so angered by the chaos that he almost had a stroke.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
But one voice was like a damp firecracker, completely ineffective.
"Husband, you should go call Gong Aidang over. After all, he's in charge of the Gong family now. It's difficult for us Ji's to take sides."
Ji Songlin's wife advised him. Their Ji family was not as numerous as the Gong family, and after the merger of several villages, they were even less likely to get involved in conflicts between different surnames.
Ji Songlin, having no other recourse, plunged back into the heavy rain.
When Gong Aidang heard that his cousins were being bullied, he was furious. With a wave of his hand, he rallied all the strong men of the Gong family.
"Let's go, I want to see who dares to bully our Gong family."
Zhang Aiguo, seeing the situation spiral out of control, shielded his wife and Gong Suier behind him. He gripped a thick stick, ready to swing at anyone who approached. They were already bloodthirsty.
Zhang Yuan, on the other hand, had fled long ago, not even minding her two children. In her heart, she actually wished for the situation to escalate, hoping her elder brother-in-law would reveal their in-laws' location, saving her from eating such meager rations every meal.
Gong Aidang stormed into the cave and saw Gong Wenliang beaten to the ground. He immediately kicked the person next to him, sending them sprawling.
"Beat them soundly!"
Ji Songlin ran in behind him, intending for Gong Aidang to resolve the issue, not to make the fight more brutal.
"What should we do? Stop fighting."
Who had the time to listen to Ji Songlin's attempts to intervene? Many people had already sought shelter from the rain, unwilling to be implicated.
However, the Gong family had more people, and they quickly suppressed the chaos by force.
Gong Aidang helped up his injured cousins, his eyes burning with hatred towards the troublemakers.
"Each of the instigators will have one hundred work points deducted to compensate the injured today."
"Why?"
"Exactly! If Gong Wenxing had told us where the village head was, would there have been a fight?"
Gong Aidang finally understood. They were trying to implicate his uncle. Who gave them the audacity!
"Why? Because you were looking for trouble. Why are you looking for the old village head? He's no longer the village head, as you all know."
"The old village head went off to enjoy life with the new villagers and doesn't care about us anymore. He said he's quitting, and we didn't agree."
Gong Aidang was so amused he almost laughed. These were the very people who always caused trouble and slacked off. They were always at the center of every incident.
"Your agreement or disagreement is useless. Want to be part of our Gong family? Want to be my uncle's grandson? Telling us is useless. We have plenty of descendants in the Gong family."
Gong Aidang circled the subdued individuals without consulting anyone.
"Clear out one cave for these troublemakers. From now on, you'll stay on your own. If you dare approach any other cave, you'll be beaten. Let's see how long you can last."
"This is unfair, and you don't have the right."
"Exactly! We are also people of Bai Rong Brigade. We can live wherever we want."
Gong Aidang didn't give them any further chance to argue. He had them tied up and dragged away, along with their families.
"Pray that this disaster doesn't end. When the sky clears, I will personally escort you for re-education."
At this moment, Zhang Yuan, drenched, ran in. It was clear her objective hadn't been met, and she mentally chided these people for their uselessness.
Hesitantly, she approached Gong Aidang and whispered.
"Brother Aidang, perhaps finding my father-in-law could save everyone's lives."
Gong Aidang abruptly turned and glared at Zhang Yuan, the troublemaker from his uncle's family. Her entire family had been torn apart by her, and now she wanted to disrupt the entire brigade.
"Gong Wenliang, come here."
Gong Wenliang limped over to his cousin. He saw Zhang Yuan but acted as if he didn't.
Gong Aidang observed everything. He whispered a few words in his cousin's ear and then left. He had his own wife to deal with, and if one beating wasn't enough, he'd give her more.
Zhang Yuan was inwardly complaining about Gong Aidang, thinking he only protected that old man and didn't consider what everyone would do without food.
But before she could finish her complaint, she was slapped to the ground. After hitting the ground, she was met with a barrage of fists and the pain that followed.
Ermao and Sanmao were already terrified, both hiding behind Fan Wenli. Fan Wenli disdainfully moved aside, as she disliked these two brats equally.
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
"Gong Wenliang, you only hit your wife. What a useless man!"
"Wenliang, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please, don't hit me anymore."
The cave was filled with Zhang Yuan's miserable cries. Gong Wenliang remained silent the entire time. His heart had turned to stone, and he no longer wanted to tolerate things for the sake of his children.
Gong Wenliang even resented his two sons, who were like Zhang Yuan, feeling they were proof of his life's failure.
"You want to find my father? I'll take you there myself."
This was the only sentence Gong Wenliang spoke. He dragged Zhang Yuan out.
Gong Wenxing saw something was wrong with his younger brother and, after giving Fan Wenli some instructions, followed him out.
Fan Wenli couldn't even stop her husband. She glared unhappily at Ermao and Sanmao behind her. With him gone, she still had to look after these two brats.
"Go guard your belongings. If someone steals your food, I won't care."
Gong Wenxing quickly caught up to his younger brother, grabbed him, and shouted into the heavy rain.
"Wenliang, what are you doing? You don't even know where our parents are!"
Gong Wenliang continued to drag Zhang Yuan forward, appearing ready to perish together.
"Wenliang, don't do anything foolish. If your wife is no good, we can divorce her and remarry. Don't forget you still have children, and your parents still need you to see them through to the end."
Gong Wenliang looked up at the sky as he walked, but the rain was too heavy for him to even open his eyes.
"Big brother, please tell Mom and Dad I'm sorry. It's my fault for not marrying well, for being weak and unable to control my wife, for not educating our two children properly. This is all my own doing, so let me end it all myself."