Chapter 40: If You Give Them an Inch Today, They’ll Take a Mile Tomorrow!

Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, a chaotic scene was unfolding in Wang Erhu’s home.

Wang Erhu sat slumped on the ground in a daze, his trousers still soaked, a pungent stench of urine filling the air and making one’s head throb. His three lackeys were in a sorry state: one had a broken wrist, another’s throat was so swollen he couldn't speak, and the third was curled on the floor, groaning in agony, unable to stand.

"Brother Tiger... what are we going to do?" the fat man with the broken wrist asked with a mournful face. "That Xu fellow is a living hell-demon! Where are we going to get him a brick kang built within ten days?"

At the mention of the "kang," Wang Erhu shivered violently. He scrambled up from the floor and began pacing the room in agitation. Building a heated brick bed required bricks, mud, and a skilled mason—all of which cost money. The meager funds he scraped together from his usual petty crimes and scams were all spent on liquor; his pockets were emptier than his face was clean.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist onto the table, making the bowls and dishes clatter. "He’s forcing my hand! This is forcing me!"

His eyes darted around, a fierce glint flashing through them. "If we don't have money, we’ll go get some!" he gritted out. "Doesn't Zhang Lao'nian at the east end of the village have those ten-odd silver dollars he just got from selling a pig? It’s just an old man and a sick woman in that house. Tonight, we’ll go..."

"Don't, Brother Tiger!" The fat man turned pale with fear. "Zhang Lao'nian is an old resident of this village. If his house is robbed, the village chief will definitely get involved! Besides, that Xu fellow is watching us now. If he finds out..."

"The village chief?" Wang Erhu sneered with disdain. "That old geezer, Sun, only knows how to smooth things over. He can't do a damn thing!"

Despite his words, his arrogance faltered at the mere mention of Xu Feng. He knew how many eyes in the village were currently watching him.

"Then... what do we do? We can't actually go build him a kang, can we?"

Wang Erhu grabbed his greasy hair, lost in thought for a long time, until his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I’ve got it!" He slapped his thigh. "We won’t do it ourselves—we’ll make someone else do it!" He leaned in toward his three lackeys, lowered his voice, and revealed a sinister smile.

"Village Chief Sun Defa has always looked at that Xu Feng with dislike, hasn't he? A good-for-nothing who returned only a few days ago, and already he's hunting and cozying up to the Soviet army, stealing all the limelight. Old Man Sun must be fuming."

"We’ll go to the village chief! We’ll tell him that Xu Feng is throwing his weight around, relying on the Soviet army to bully us honest folk! If he can force us to build him a kang today, he’ll be forcing the whole village to build him a house tomorrow!"

"Right!" The fat man caught on. "This is killing with a borrowed knife! Old Man Sun cares most about rules and his own face; he’ll never tolerate an outsider like Xu Feng lording it over him!"

The more Wang Erhu thought about it, the better the plan seemed. He couldn't defeat Xu Feng, but Village Chief Sun Defa was a different matter. Sun had been the village chief of Laohegou for over twenty years; his roots were deep, and most of the villagers obeyed him. Once they incited the chief to mobilize the entire village against Xu Feng, no matter how good that fellow was at fighting, he couldn't possibly stand against everyone, could he?

"Let’s go!" Wang Erhu felt a surge of energy. "We’re going to find the village chief right now! Cry! We’ll cry at his doorstep! The more miserable we look, the better! I don't believe that old man can just stand by and do nothing!"

With that, he led his three "wounded soldiers," limping and supporting one another, toward the house of Village Chief Sun Defa.

...

Village Chief Sun Defa’s home was the most impressive residence in Laohegou. It featured blue-brick tiled rooms, a towering gatehouse, and snowy-white courtyard walls—a striking sight in a village predominantly made of mud-brick houses.

Sun Defa, in his early fifties, was thin and gaunt with a small goatee. He usually wore a semi-new gown and walked around the village with his hands behind his back, carrying the airs of a local squire from the old society. At that moment, he was sitting under the grape trellis in his courtyard, sipping tea from a purple clay teapot, his brow furrowed as he listened to the various reports about Xu Feng.

This young man, Xu Feng, was like a stone thrown into a pond, disrupting the "three-acre plot" he had managed for decades. First, he killed the mad pig and bought the villagers' hearts by treating them to meat. Then, he was taken away by the Soviets, only to return unscathed. Now, he had beaten Wang Erhu and his troublemakers like dying dogs. Each incident was beyond Sun Defa’s control.

And he hated nothing more than losing control. In Laohegou, he, Sun Defa, was the law and the heavens. If he pointed east, no one dared go west. But now, the villagers only whispered about Xu Feng, and the reverence in their eyes was something he, a village chief of twenty years, had never received. It made him feel an unprecedented threat.

Just as he was contemplating how to knock this arrogant young man down a peg or two, a heaven-shaking wail erupted from outside his gate.

"Village Chief! You must seek justice for us!"

"There’s no justice left! We can't go on living like this!"

Hearing the commotion, Sun Defa’s brow deepened. He set down his teapot, walked to the gate, and pulled the bolt. He was nearly amused by the sight before him. Wang Erhu and his three lackeys were sprawled on the ground at his doorstep, their faces bruised and swollen, wailing to the heavens.

Wang Erhu was even more dramatic, clutching Sun’s leg and refusing to let go, smearing snot and tears all over his clean gown.

"Village Chief! Look! Just look at what that Xu fellow has done to us!" Wang Erhu pointed at the fat man's broken wrist, accusing him with tears and sobs. "He’s relying on the Soviet army to act like a tyrant in our village, completely lawless!"

"Not only did he beat us, he forced us to build him a heated brick bed within ten days! If we don't, he says he’ll chop us up to feed the dogs! Village Chief, how is this any different from open robbery? If he dares to rob us today, he’ll dare to rob the whole village tomorrow! If you don't step in, our Laohegou village will be renamed Xu!"

Wang Erhu was a thug by trade, and his ability to turn black into white was top-tier. He made no mention of his attempt to steal from Xu Feng’s home, focusing entirely on Xu’s "tyranny" and "cruelty," while elevating the matter to a crisis for the entire village.

A crowd of curious villagers quickly gathered, pointing and whispering at Wang Erhu’s group. Sun Defa felt a wave of disgust looking at their pathetic state. But he knew better; although Wang Erhu’s story was embellished, it struck a chord with him. Xu Feng was indeed a threat. And Wang Erhu was the perfect blade to use against him.

He cleared his throat, forcefully pulled his leg from Wang Erhu’s grip, and put on a look of righteous indignation.

"Preposterous!" He slapped his thigh, his goatee twitching with rage. "When did it become time for an outsider to run wild in my Laohegou village? Let’s go! Come with me to find him! I want to ask him if he still acknowledges me as the village chief! And if he still has any regard for the rules of our Laohegou!"

Sun Defa raised his arm, and several villagers who were close to him immediately joined the clamor.

"Right! Let’s go find him!"

The group marched off in a grand, imposing procession, surrounding the "righteous" Sun Defa and the "grief-stricken" Wang Erhu as they headed toward Xu Feng’s home.