activa-t Chapter 473: Shameless Scoundrel
Chapter 473: Shameless Scoundrel
Pei Yan gritted his teeth in anger and said, "You shameless bunch, don't even think about getting a single penny from us!"
Ouyang Tuoba clenched his fists tightly, ready to make a move at any moment.
Li Wan'er was so angry at the villagers' selfishness and Zhang San's wickedness that she burst into tears: "How could you do this? Xiao Xiao came to help you, but you repay kindness with enmity!"
However, the villagers completely ignored their anger and accusations, and continued to make a fuss, forcing Fang Xiaoxiao to hand over the money.
At this moment, the village was filled with an atmosphere of greed and evil, making people feel extremely oppressed.
Fang Xiaoxiao turned pale with anger, tightly gripping Li Wan'er's hand as she turned to leave. Seeing this, Zhang San immediately stepped in to block her way, his expression like that of a greedy dog eyeing a piece of meat it was about to devour, unwilling to let go.
Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba glared angrily, about to make a move. But Zhang San shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, this is bullying! Beating people in broad daylight!" As he shouted, he slyly observed the reactions of the crowd, looking as shameless as could be.
The villagers started offering their opinions, trying to smooth things over. Some said, "Don't be impulsive, let's talk this out." But their eyes were fixed on Fang Xiaoxiao, seemingly urging her to quickly hand over the money and settle the matter. Others said, "Miss Fang, just give Zhang San some money, so that no one can suffer." They completely disregarded right and wrong, only thinking about quickly resolving the immediate trouble and getting something for themselves.
Finally, Fang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, took out ten taels of silver from her pocket, threw it to Zhang San, and said, "Take this money and don't bother me again!"
Zhang San took the silver, weighed it in his hand, and said with a face full of dissatisfaction, "Is that all? Miss Fang, are you trying to fob me off? It should be at least a hundred taels!" His greedy eyes were fixed on Fang Xiaoxiao, as if he wanted to plunder all the money on her.
Upon hearing this, Pei Yan flew into a rage and roared, "Don't push your luck!"
Ouyang Tuoba could no longer hold back and rolled up his sleeves, ready to rush up and teach Zhang San a lesson.
Just then, the village chief appeared leisurely. He had a large belly and an arrogant, self-important look on his face. Before Fang Xiaoxiao and the others could explain the truth, the village chief waved his hand and said, "Stop arguing. Zhang San is from our village, Miss Fang, please be more understanding." He was clearly biased towards Zhang San and his group.
In order to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible, Fang Xiaoxiao had no choice but to swallow her pride and grit her teeth to give Zhang San another hundred taels of silver.
Zhang San took the silver, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile, and nodded repeatedly, saying, "That's more like it." His greedy expression was nauseating.
However, when the villagers saw that Fang Xiaoxiao had taken out so much money, they were not satisfied, but became even more greedy.
“Miss Fang, you can’t just leave like this, you have to come to our house for medical treatment!” a villager shouted.
“Yes, let’s go to my house first, my old man is dying!” another villager shouted.
"Why should we go to your house first? My child still has a high fever!"
The villagers fought and scrambled, each revealing their selfish nature. They surrounded Fang Xiaoxiao, shouting and arguing, their faces twisted with greed, as if Fang Xiaoxiao were their lifeline, and they would not give up until they had her.
Looking at these frenzied villagers, Fang Xiaoxiao felt a deep sense of despair and helplessness.
At this moment, the village chief finally stepped forward, waving his hands and shouting, "Stop arguing, be quiet!" The villagers then calmed down a bit and stopped being as noisy as before.
Fang Xiaoxiao originally thought the village chief would uphold justice and resolve the chaos for them. However, the village chief cleared his throat and said, "Go to my house first; my family's affairs are the most important!" The villagers, though angry, could only suppress their rage, as the village chief still held considerable authority in the village.
Zhang San and the others replied obsequiously, "Of course, the village chief is the most important person, these people should go to your house first."
Fang Xiaoxiao wanted to refuse, saying, "Village chief, this is not appropriate. Let's follow the order of first come, first served."
The village chief's face darkened, and he said, "Miss Fang, since you've come to our village, treating everyone is an act of kindness. As the village chief, I've worked hard for the village, and now my son is seriously ill. Can you just stand by and watch him die? If you refuse, then you have no compassion and no morals!"
This moral blackmail left Fang Xiaoxiao with no choice but to agree, and she sighed helplessly.
The group followed the village chief to his house, where they saw his son lying on the bed, his face purple and his breath weak. The village chief said urgently, "Quick, Miss Fang, take a look at my son."
Fang Xiaoxiao rushed forward to check, and after examining him, her expression turned serious. She said, "Village chief, your son has been poisoned."
Upon hearing this, the village chief hurriedly asked, "What kind of poison? Can you cure it?"
Fang Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, "Village chief, I don't know what kind of poison it is yet. We need to observe and diagnose it further."
Upon hearing this, the village chief's face flushed red with anger, and he pointed at Fang Xiaoxiao, cursing, "What? You don't know? Aren't you a highly skilled doctor? I think you're just a charlatan with no real ability! If you can't cure my son today, give me a hundred taels of silver, or I'll report you to the authorities and make you regret it!"
Fang Xiaoxiao was so angry at the village chief's unreasonable attitude that she trembled and said, "Village chief, you can't be unreasonable. I have tried my best."
Pei Yan and Ouyang Tuoba couldn't help but say, "Village Chief, you've gone too far!"
The village chief, however, wouldn't listen and continued to press Fang Xiaoxiao relentlessly.
Just then, Li Wan'er noticed something amiss. She walked to the bedside, observed carefully, and said, "Village Chief, your son's poisoning is probably not accidental; it seems like someone did it on purpose."
The village chief's eyes widened, and he roared, "Nonsense! Who would dare harm my son?"
Li Wan'er calmly said, "Village Chief, please don't get agitated. We need to find out the truth. There might be some conspiracy behind this."
The village chief fell into deep thought, unsure of what to do.
Fang Xiaoxiao seized the opportunity to say, "Village chief, we will do our best to help you find the cause of the poisoning and cure your son, but you can't wrong us like this."
The village chief hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll trust you one more time. If you can't cure him, none of you will escape!"
Fang Xiaoxiao and her friends were inexplicably forced to stay in the village by the village chief. The village chief declared menacingly, "If you can't cure my son, don't even think about leaving this village!"