"Help! There's a thief! Beat the thief!" After kicking Chen Tianming over, Longgen ran to the shop entrance, shouting and waving his arms like a madman, his voice booming.
"Long Fool, stop yelling!" Chen Tianming snapped, still scrambling to his feet, trying to shut Longgen up.
Longgen sneered inwardly, cursing, You old dog, trying to screw my woman and telling me to shut up? You're dead meat!
"Help! Anyone there? A thief's stealing! Come quick!" Longgen kept shouting.
Chen Tianming's face turned livid. He knew Longgen was a fool, clueless about everything. Such people were easy to handle but also the worst to deal with—stubborn as hell. With all this yelling, he'd draw the whole village—men, women, young, and old.
"Wah… wah…" Shen Lijuan crouched by the shelves, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Cry for what? I didn't even screw you! Damn it!" Chen Tianming stood, pulling up his pants, cursing.
His luck was rotten. Soaked with water first thing in the morning, he'd thought he'd get a taste of the widow, only to be kicked by a fool, scraping skin off his face, and now branded a thief!
Adjusting his pants, Chen Tianming was about to bolt when people appeared at the shop door.
"Little Long, what's going on? thiefs? Bandits? Where? And your aunt?" Li Sanshui rushed over, carrying a pole.
Li Sanshui was the village's renowned strongman. Short but packed with dark, bulging muscles, he was explosive with strength. Well-liked and respected, he had a lot of clout.
"Little Long, what's with the yelling? Who'd steal this early?" Another man approached, also carrying a pole—Wei Wenwu, the village head, sly as a rat and a bit lecherous. Longgen knew he'd had his eye on Aunt Shen for a while.
"Thief! thief in the shop!" Longgen stammered. "Quick, catch the thief! My aunt… my aunt got beaten by the thief…"
"What?" Wei Wenwu roared. "Daring to bully a woman? I'll kill the bastard. Come on, Sanshui, let's take this dog down!"
The two charged in, poles raised, swinging wildly.
"No… no, stop! It's me, Chen Tianming, ouch!" Chen Tianming clutched his head, yelping. "Damn it, stop, it's me!"
Chen Tianming was furious. Was it that hard to get a little action? He'd planned to cover his head and run—such gossip wouldn't do him any favors, especially if his tigress of a wife found out. She'd castrate him!
But before he could reach the door, two poles came crashing down!
He knew if he didn't identify himself, Li Sanshui and Wei Wenwu might beat him to death.
"Huh, that voice sounds familiar," Wei Wenwu muttered. "Ah, it's Chief Chen!"
"Chief Chen?" Li Sanshui stopped, frowning, piecing it together. Likely, Chen Tianming, that old pervert, got bold and tried something with Shen Lijuan. They argued, and Longgen mistook him for a thief.
Chen Tianming rubbed the two lumps on his bald head, glaring at Wei Wenwu and Li Sanshui, ready to explode. But more villagers arrived, so he covered his head and prepared to leave.
Wei Wenwu, Chen's subordinate, fawned, "Sorry, Chief Chen. Safe travels…"
"Hmph!" Chen Tianming snorted, his face red with embarrassment. Wasn't this just public humiliation?
"Wah, wah…" Shen Lijuan still sobbed in the corner, heartbroken.
More villagers gathered, pointing and whispering. Everyone could see what happened, but no one dared speak—Chen Tianming was the village chief, after all!
Bang!
Longgen moved, launching a flying kick at Chen Tianming's back.
"Oof!" Chen Tianming howled, falling face-first. Before he could get up, someone straddled him, pounding the lumps on his head.
"Beat the thief! This is the thief! The thief bullied my aunt! Beat the thief!" Longgen rode Chen Tianming's back, swinging fists wildly. They seemed random but always hit the lumps dead-on, freakishly precise!
"Ouch, ouch… Long Fool, get off! I didn't bully her, ouch!" Chen Tianming wailed.
Longgen acted deaf, pummeling away.
"Little Long, stop! Get up!" Wei Wenwu stepped in, pulling Longgen off.
Still fuming, Longgen didn't want to blow his cover, so he stood, glaring at Chen Tianming, shouting, "Thief! thief! Bullied my aunt!"
Chen Tianming lay on the ground, too ashamed to face anyone. Normally, no one would believe Longgen—everyone knew he was a fool. But Shen Lijuan's tattered clothes in the shop didn't lie. A fool couldn't rape his aunt, so it had to be Chen Tianming.
"Alright, alright," Wei Wenwu took charge, waving his hand. "Sanshui, Goudan, take the chief home. Everyone else, disperse!"
"Hmph!" Li Sanshui snorted disdainfully but, with Goudan, helped the groaning Chen Tianming up.
With the village head's word, the crowd gradually scattered.
"Little Long, Chen's not a thief. Stop shouting. Go check on your aunt and stop causing a scene, got it?"
Longgen nodded and headed into the shop. Behind him, Wei Wenwu's mocking voice rang out.
"A fool's luck, huh? An idiot paired with such a fine widow. Shame he's impotent… what a waste…"
Longgen heard it, sneering inwardly. Mocking me, huh? Fine, I'll make sure you, old Wei, wear a green hat! Isn't your daughter-in-law Cuifen? I'll screw her for sure!
"A-Aunt, the thief's gone. Don't cry," Longgen offered a tissue.
Shen Lijuan kept sobbing, head down, shoulders shaking.
"Aunt, don't cry…" Longgen said again.
"Little Long, ugh! Why'd you hit him?" Shen Lijuan looked up, worried. "We're in for trouble now."
Longgen knew what she meant but played dumb. "Aunt, isn't it good to beat thiefs?"
"Ugh!" Shen Lijuan sighed heavily, wiping her tears, suddenly resolute.
"Little Long, pack up. We're leaving. Chen Tianming won't let us off!"
Longgen shook his head, his expression turning serious.
"Aunt, why leave? What can Chen Tianming do to us? Don't worry, I'll make sure he dies ugly!"
Shen Lijuan froze. When did Longgen speak so fluently? His tone was different too.
"Aunt, everyone saw today—Chen Tianming tried to force himself on you. If anything happens to us in the village, suspicion falls on him! He's just a village chief. Is he bigger than the township head? The town mayor? The county magistrate?"
Shen Lijuan's eyes widened. Longgen wasn't a fool anymore.
If he wasn't a fool, then last night… Her face flushed red.
"Little Long, you… you… your brain's not…"
Note:- The term 'Village head' refers to a position formally appointed by a government while 'Village chief' denotes a more traditional, hereditary role or based on established customs.