He Yongqiang recalled how he had recently been chased into a vegetable field for his life. Looking toward Wu Yingxiong, he said coldly:
"It wasn't just throwing rocks at people. He chased me with a knife like a madman, shouting that anyone who bullied that girl would be hacked to death."
The village chief took a drag from his cigarette and looked at Wu Yingxiong. "Big Treasure's father, what do you have to say?"
Wu Yingxiong rubbed his lower back, which still hurt, his face full of frustration. "I can't control that fool anymore. He even dares to hit me now. Last time, I only hit him a few times, but they grabbed knives and beat me up badly. My back's been hurting so much that I haven't even been able to work in the fields these past few days."
Hearing her husband say that, Zhang Damei grew anxious. She quickly tugged at his clothes and explained with an ingratiating smile:
"Well, Chief, I'll go coax my Big Treasure back. He isn't a bad person. He's just rather simple-minded and easily deceived."
"Fine. Go coax him back, then we'll go corner them." Since they were all from the same village, the village chief gave her some leeway.
"But Chief, how are we supposed to corner them? We need some sort of plan, don't we?" Wu Yougen truly couldn't think of any solution.
These past few days, he hadn't been idle. He had tried using medicine, beating her, and even luring that girl to the back mountain, where he had placed traps for wild animals. Yet none of it had worked against that wretched girl.
She was the first person he had encountered in all these years who left him completely helpless and gave him such a headache—and she was only