By the time he got home, the sky had completely darkened.
In the yard, the tense group of people finally let out a sigh of relief after a day of worry.
Er Gouzi said, "Zhu Zi, what happened?"
"If you hadn't come back, I was about to grab my gun and go fight that bastard Zhang Jingyang."
Liu Tiezhu waved his hand: "It's a long story. Let's eat first."
After the meal, everyone sat around the stove to warm themselves by the fire.
"Zhu Zi, did Zhang Jingyang give you a hard time?" Second Uncle asked.
"He didn't make things difficult, but that bastard still holds a grudge over me hitting his father-in-law."
"Judging by his reaction, this isn't over," Liu Tiezhu said.
Hearing this, Second Uncle and Big Brother immediately furrowed their brows.
Zhang Jingyang was the highest-ranking official in the area. He could find any excuse to crush their family.
"Zhu Zi, what do we do now?"
Liu Tieshan was nervous, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Big Brother, don't worry. Zhang Jingyang probably won't retaliate in the short term," Liu Tiezhu said.
Won't retaliate in the short term?
Second Uncle paused, then asked, "So, Zhang Jingyang took the bait?"
"Yeah, he's already taken it."
"I forced him to swear a public oath in front of everyone."
"To save face, he won't do anything to our family for a while."
Liu Tiezhu recounted everything that had happened at Liu Jingshun's house.
"Hahaha, Zhu Zi, you're something else."
Er Gouzi burst out laughing after hearing the story.
Making Zhang Jingyang swear to eat shit—only Liu Tiezhu could come up with that.
"Zhu Zi, we still need to watch out for Zhang Jingyang."
"That bastard is sneaky. He won't strike openly, but what about behind the scenes?" Second Uncle warned.
Liu Tiezhu nodded: "Second Uncle, I'll keep an eye on him."
"Right now, the silver ingots and pearls we used as bait are all in that bastard's hands."
"Given his character, he'll definitely try to cash them in."
"When the Tiangang Village bandits investigate, they won't let him off easy."
Gouzi said, "How long will it take for the Tiangang Village bandits to finish their investigation?"
"What if Zhang Jingyang has already left by then? Won't our silver and pearls be wasted?"
"Gouzi, don't underestimate these bandits."
"I'll bet that once Zhang Jingyang cashes those items in, the bandits will hear about it within three days."
"Since they've planted informants in the village, they definitely have them in the town too."
"Once those silver ingots and pearls surface, the bandits will get wind of it quickly."
"With valuables worth nearly a hundred thousand, even if Zhang Jingyang is the militia leader, the bandits will demand an explanation," Liu Tiezhu said.
The reason he had Zhang Jingyang take the fall was precisely because of his position.
Once Zhang Jingyang and the bandits clashed,
neither side would have time to bother with the villagers.
That would give him the breathing room to do more.
"Zhu Zi's right. I hope Zhang Jingyang cashes those treasures soon," Liu Tieshan said.
"That bastard will cash them in quickly," Liu Tiezhu said with certainty.
"Zhang Jingyang has seventeen men with him. The daily food consumption is a huge expense."
"With his habit of eating and drinking lavishly, the allocated funds won't last long."
"I estimate he'll cash those items within a week."
"Once the bandits come knocking, we'll be safe."
While they were discussing how to guard against Zhang Jingyang, a plot was also brewing against them.
At Liu Yangshan's house,
Zhang Jingyang and Liu Changhai sat in the main hall, with the half-dead Liu Yangshan lying on the bed.
"Old Liu, I've already arranged things regarding Liu Tiezhu hitting you."
"Soon, you'll see that kid Liu Tiezhu get shot."
Zhang Jingyang smoked a cigarette, showing no respect for Liu Changhai on his face.
Even so, Liu Changhai didn't dare show any displeasure.
He picked up his water pipe, took a few puffs, and turned his gaze to Liu Yangshan on the bed.
"Jingyang, do you think this was really the bandits' doing?"
The voices of the two men that night sounded familiar to him, and he didn't think they were from Tiangang Village.
Zhang Jingyang exhaled a puff of smoke and asked, "Old Liu, are you saying you don't think it was the bandits?"
Liu Changhai nodded: "The two who came that night—their voices sounded familiar to me."
"Besides, their actions didn't seem like they were after loot. It felt more like revenge."
"Moreover, they only robbed my house. I don't think those two were real bandits."
Zhang Jingyang asked, "Didn't the village say the bandits fired shots?"
"And they ran off because they were afraid the villagers would call the militia?"
Liu Changhai said, "That's just what was spread around."
"The bandits did fire shots that night, but they shot into the air."
"If they were really there to ransack the village, why would they fire shots unless absolutely necessary? Wouldn't that give themselves away?"
"If I were a bandit, I wouldn't do that."
"So, they fired into the air deliberately to cover up some secret."
Liu Changhai was clearly sharp. In just a few sentences, he had thoroughly analyzed Liu Tiezhu's scheme.
Zhang Jingyang paused, realizing his father-in-law's reasoning made sense.
Coming back to his senses, Zhang Jingyang asked, "Old Liu, who do you think is impersonating the bandits?"
"Judging by height, I think it's Liu Tiezhu and Liu Er Gou."
"But they don't have rifles, so..."
Before Liu Changhai could finish, Zhang Jingyang waved his hand to cut him off.
"Whether it's them or not, I won't let it slide."
"Just wait and watch the show tomorrow. I'll take down that bastard Liu Tiezhu first, then slowly deal with the rest."
"I hear the two women in their family are top-notch. I love women like that."
Zhang Jingyang grinned, his smile lecherous, completely indifferent to how Liu Changhai felt.
The next day, someone from the Economic Cooperative came to Liu Tiezhu's house.
They informed him to report to the cooperative in an hour to present the family's harvest for the year.
The cooperative was the economic system for the nearby villages, established in 1975.
Every year around the New Year, each village had to send a family representative to the cooperative to report the year's harvest.
Upon receiving the notice, Second Uncle and the others were puzzled.
"Zhu Zi, could this be a trap?"
"In previous years, any family member could go as a representative."
"What's going on this year? Why did the cooperative specifically name you?" Second Uncle said worriedly.
Liu Tiezhu said, "We haven't offended anyone at the cooperative. It probably isn't a trap."
"It's broad daylight, and everyone from the village will be reporting."
"Even if the cooperative wanted to set me up, with so many eyes watching, they couldn't pull anything off."
Second Uncle thought it over and found it reasonable.
After breakfast, Liu Tiezhu headed to the cooperative.
When he arrived, he found the large hall empty except for the Women's Director, Li Minrong.
"You're Liu Tiezhu, right? Come with me."
Li Minrong said, then walked into the office on the right side of the hall.
Liu Tiezhu was puzzled but followed her in.
Once he entered, Li Minrong locked the office door.
Under Liu Tiezhu's bewildered gaze, she yanked open her collar, exposing a large expanse of pale skin.
"Rape..."
"Liu Tiezhu, you beast..."
Liu Tiezhu's face went pale, and he felt like the sky was falling.
That bitch was framing him.