“Little Fan! If you dare to do anything out of line, I’ll be the first one to not let you off. Hmph!” Zhao Rongrong glared at Lu Fan and shouted.
“That’s right! Little Fan! You can’t be reckless! Otherwise, I’ll beat your shoe soles until they’re rotten, believe it or not!?” Lu Changfu also yelled aggressively from the side.
“You… what are you doing? I really didn’t do anything. Besides… Li Jingjing is just a child!” Lu Fan said with a wronged expression.
“Uncle, Aunt! You… you misunderstand, I believe Little Fan isn’t that kind of person.” Liu Ruyan, who was about to question him, quickly stepped in to explain for Lu Fan upon seeing Zhao Rongrong and Lu Changfu’s demeanor. She didn’t want Lu Fan to actually get beaten.
“Ruyan! This kid needs to be taught a lesson. Bad habits are all cultivated through indulgence. You must not indulge him in the future!” Zhao Rongrong said with an air of righteousness.
“Yes! Ruyan! This kid needs someone to keep him in check, otherwise, he’ll get out of hand.” Lu Changfu added fuel to the fire from the side.
“Mmm! I… I’ll discipline him now!” Liu Ruyan’s pretty face turned red. This was the elders’ way of accepting her and handing Lu Fan over to her!
She reached out, grabbed Lu Fan’s ear, and dragged him into Lu Fan’s room.
“Hehe…”
“Heehee…”
Zhao Rongrong and Lu Changfu snickered. They were too fond of their own son to hit him. However, in front of their future daughter-in-law, they had to side with her and not let her feel wronged.
“Lu Fan! What’s going on? How did Second Senior Sister get lost?” Once in the room, Liu Ruyan didn’t press the matter of Li Jingjing but instead asked about Second Senior Sister!
“I released it.” Lu Fan then recounted the story of killing the wild boar king.
“That dangerous! Are you hurt?” Liu Ruyan asked anxiously after hearing the story.
“Don’t worry! I’m fine!” After Lu Fan finished speaking, he pulled Liu Ruyan into his embrace and suddenly asked, “Ruyan! Why aren’t you asking me about Li Jingjing?”
“Because I trust you!” Liu Ruyan replied.
“Thank you, Ruyan!” Lu Fan said, embracing Liu Ruyan with some gratitude.
…
“Let’s go, we’ll go out for a stroll…” Zhao Rongrong suddenly raised her voice and pulled Lu Changfu towards the door.
“Wh… what for! Where are we going for a stroll in the middle of the night?” Lu Changfu asked, somewhat confused.
“Stop with the nonsense! Let’s go!” Zhao Rongrong glared fiercely at Lu Changfu and dragged him out of the room.
“…” Lu Changfu only then came to his senses. Alas, a new house was indeed needed. The old house wasn’t soundproof, and they couldn’t always hide outside in the cold wind.
…
As dawn broke the next day, Lu Fan and Liu Ruyan got up and went to the foot of the back mountain to practice their skills! Recently, Liu Ruyan’s strength had been advancing by leaps and bounds. She already possessed the aura of a grandmaster, and her Jade Maiden Swordplay was practiced with great proficiency.
After training, they went to the peach grove to pick peaches, and along with the wild vegetables and herbs delivered by various households last night, they loaded them onto a truck and sent them to the county town and the provincial capital. Then, Liu Ruyan also drove to town to go to work.
“Lu Fan! Lu Fan…!” Before Lu Fan could return to the house, Wang Yan suddenly rushed into Lu Fan’s yard.
“Sister-in-law Wang Yan! What’s wrong?” Lu Fan stopped and asked urgently.
“Lu Fan! Ge Erlu is back. His wife planted a lot of ginseng, and Ge Erlu said that ginseng is very valuable, so he’s not letting his wife sell it to us. He said he’s going to the city himself to find a market.” Wang Yan said anxiously.
“Ge Erlu?”
Lu Fan frowned. Ge Erlu was in his thirties, a guy who was neither tough nor weak, but always acted tough. He was a good person when he could get an advantage, smiling all the time, but if he felt he was at a disadvantage, he would immediately turn hostile like a rogue and could even resort to violence despite good relations. The most crucial thing was that sometimes, when he wasn’t at a disadvantage at all, he would insist he was, then throw a tantrum and cause trouble…
That’s why the villagers called him Ge Erlu. They all avoided him. Even if they met him on the road, people would turn back, preferring to take a detour around a block rather than greet him, fearing they might accidentally provoke him!
Ge Erlu had gone out to work for the past two years, and the village had gradually forgotten about him. Recently, Ge Erhu’s wife, who was planting ginseng with Lu Fan, was too busy and called him back to help. Unexpectedly, the moment he returned, he claimed his family was at a disadvantage, refused to sell to Lu Fan, and wanted to find his own market to sell at a higher price.
“Let’s go, we’ll go take a look!” Lu Fan said, and then walked out with Wang Yan.
“Lu Fan! Speak nicely when you get there! Don’t fight with that brute!” Zhao Rongrong shouted worriedly from behind.
“Mom! Don’t worry, I know what to do!” Lu Fan replied.
“Brother Fan! Where are you going?” At this moment, Li Jingjing appeared at the main entrance. Seeing Lu Fan and Wang Yan coming out, she immediately ran over.
“Tch! You still dare to come? Didn’t your dad teach you a good lesson last night!” Lu Fan threw a peach at her, saying jokingly.
“Hmph! My dad never hits me. Besides, I told my dad that if Brother Fan took advantage of me, I would bring Brother Fan back to be his son-in-law! So my dad sent me again!” Li Jingjing took the peach and said with a smile.
“Holy…!” Lu Fan stumbled, almost falling over.
Ge Erlu was happily standing on the hillside he had claimed, looking at a large patch of ginseng. He heard that wild ginseng sold in pharmacies was worth thousands of yuan per plant, so he figured his large patch of ginseng would make him rich.
“Er Lu! This ginseng is all under contract with Lu Fan. If we sell it ourselves, Lu Fan won’t agree!” Ge Erlu’s wife said cautiously from the side.
“Damn it! This is my land. I can plant what I want and sell what I want. I don’t care if he agrees or not!” Ge Erlu curled his lips, went over, dug out a ginseng plant with his hand, and held it up. “I’ll take a ginseng plant to the city and see how much it sells for.”
“Ge Erlu! You can’t take this ginseng!” Suddenly, a voice called out. Lu Fan and Wang Yan appeared behind the two.
“Damn… you little brat! Do you think I’m an old woman, so easy to fool! This is my land. I can take whatever I want, and it’s none of your business how much I take!” Ge Erlu turned his head and saw Lu Fan, then curled his lips. This kid didn’t have much meat on him, just a tall frame.
“Hmph! Your wife signed the contract with me. I provided the seeds and technology. All the ginseng in this field must be sold to me at the agreed-upon price. Otherwise, you will have to compensate me for my losses. If you want to sell it yourself, you need to pay a ten-thousand-yuan loss compensation fee first!” Lu Fan said calmly.
“Ten thousand? Damn! Are you trying to rob me! Believe it or not, I’ll give you a cleaver!” Ge Erlu immediately became enraged. He then drew a cleaver from his waist and advanced towards Lu Fan.