Chapter 883
Surrender
Yue Feng and Xiao Tao have been friends since childhood, and their tacit understanding far exceeds that of ordinary people. When communicating, they can understand each other with just a glance, a word, or even a slight difference in tone of voice.
Yue Feng said "Stop fighting," but his tone didn't mean to calm things down. He was just afraid that things hadn't gotten serious enough.
Xiao Tao accurately grasped his older brother's thoughts. Seemingly reckless, he shook off Yue Feng's arm and continued to huff and puff as he kicked Da Qiang's buttocks.
"Brother, we can't let him off so easily! We guys stay up all night to organize the autumn harvest protection and also hunt for some food to improve our lives. It's not easy for us!"
San Dan is usually honest and never causes trouble, but this scoundrel is full of bad ideas.
This isn't just playing with San Dan; this is using San Dan to wreak havoc on the entire Xing'an Village, young and old!
Xiao Tao became more and more excited as he spoke, and towards the end, his tone rose, almost as if he were shouting at the top of his lungs, as if afraid that the villagers in the distance wouldn't know what was going on.
As it turned out, Xiao Tao's actions were quite effective, and the villagers who heard the truth immediately began to whisper among themselves.
The Zhou family already had a very polarized reputation in the village, and now that they've done something bad, they've completely cemented their reputation as a bad seed.
Seeing that the time was right, Yue Feng pulled Xiao Tao aside and said, "Stop hitting him. If he does something bad, the government will deal with him. But if he hurts someone, it's also against the law!"
San Dan, help Da Qiang up and wipe the dirt off his face!
San Dan witnessed Xiao Tao brutally beating up Da Qiang, who had been bullying him, and knew that Yue Feng was giving him face, so he behaved very obediently.
"Hey, Secretary Yue, just tell me what to do and I'll do it. This time I'll definitely listen and not cause any trouble!"
San Dan helped Zhou Xueqiang up, looked at his bruised and swollen face with some disdain, and then symbolically wiped his face with his sleeve.
Xiao Tao knows how to beat people up. Even though Zhou Xueqiang got a good beating, apart from a bruised face and sore body, he was fine.
"Li Mingtao, Yue Feng! I'm going to report you to the commune! You instigated your henchmen to deliberately beat me!!"
Zhou Xueqiang's flesh was mangled but his mouth remained intact. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, clearly showing he hadn't been subdued by the beating.
Upon hearing this, Yue Feng laughed instead of getting angry.
If the other party were to beg for forgiveness and admit their mistake in a very humble manner, Yue Feng would not be in a good position. After all, this kind of thing could be a big deal or a small deal. If it really escalated to the commune level, it would be inappropriate for someone from the same hometown to be labeled. Therefore, most of what Yue Feng said earlier was just to scare the other party.
Now, things have gotten out of hand. Xiao Tao seized the opportunity to beat him up, and Zhou Xueqiang is now defiant.
"Fine, go ahead and sue! There are so many men, young and old, who can all testify to what happened today!"
In my capacity as the Party Secretary of Xing'an Village, I hereby solemnly announce!
Zhou Xueqiang disobeyed the village committee's arrangements and management, and maliciously disrupted the autumn harvest protection campaign, which seriously affected everyone's harvest results!
After making a mistake, they still refuse to humbly accept criticism and education, stubbornly refuse to change their ways, and refuse to admit their mistakes!
Zhou Xueqiang's shareholding is hereby cancelled!
He will be disqualified from participating in any village-organized activities from now on! He will also be disqualified from any opportunities to recruit Party members or activists within the village for the next three years!
Tomorrow I will personally report the situation to my superiors. Then I'll see who can still twist the truth!
Despite his young age, Yue Feng has already gained recognition among the villagers through his own hard work and abilities.
The announcement of this punishment immediately relegated Zhou Xueqiang from a promising young man in the village to a small group that was not well-liked.
When Zhou Xueqiang heard Yue Feng say that, he snorted coldly: "It's just a little bit of wild boar meat. If you don't want it, then don't! I don't care!"
From now on, if there are any such hard jobs in the village, I won't come even if you beg me.
"You got a lousy secretary position just because of your father-in-law's connections, look at you! You dared to instigate Xiao Tao to hit me, and even dared to let him kill my ass? I'm not convinced!"
"You fucking have a death wish!"
Before Yue Feng could speak, Xiao Tao rushed forward again.
At this moment, Xiaowen and Xiaowu were even faster than Xiaotao.
One of them grabbed a stick used for carrying pigs and started hitting Zhou Xueqiang on the head.
This time, it wasn't like before when he looked like he was beaten badly but wasn't actually seriously injured.
Xiaowen's first blow was aimed at the opponent's head, smashing a gash into the scalp, and blood gushed out immediately from the exposed wound.
The three brothers worked in perfect unison and gave Zhou Xueqiang another beating, leaving him covered in blood.
Yue Feng just watched coldly, without saying a word.
This kid is courting death; he even said things like he got his position as secretary through nepotism.
The fact that he could openly contradict others in this situation means that his thoughts must have come to him much earlier than recently.
This provocative behavior towards village-level management personnel is extremely egregious. If Yue Feng backs down now, the troubles will only increase.
Of course, letting a few hunting team members beat someone up is not something to be proud of, and strictly speaking, its nature is debatable.
Seeing Zhou Xueqiang knocked down with a few blows, his head and face covered in blood, and lying silent, the villagers from the Zhou family who were relatively close to him couldn't hold back any longer.
"Secretary Yue, please pull him away! Even if Daqiang is ignorant, he doesn't deserve to die! If this continues, he'll be seriously injured!"
Seeing that the time was right, Yue Feng took a few steps forward and stopped Xiao Tao and the three brothers, Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu.
"Get him a wet towel to wipe it off, then take him to the township health center by motorcycle! Treat the injury first!" Yue Feng said calmly.
Xiao Tao curled his lip dismissively: "Just let the village barefoot doctor take a look! He's not that delicate! If he keeps spouting nonsense, I'll beat him up!"
"If he really dies, I'll pay with my life!"
Although Xiao Tao's words sound a bit far-fetched, they are definitely his most genuine thoughts.
Xiao Tao absolutely could not accept that Yue Feng dared to question his identity and status in the village in front of so many villagers.
No matter the consequences, if the line is crossed even once, Xiao Tao will definitely retaliate. He doesn't care what others think of him! Xiao Tao knows perfectly well how Yue Feng treats his brothers.
Beating someone twice in front of the villagers is definitely beyond the necessary limits of punishment, and further escalating the conflict would be going too far.
Yue Feng glared at Xiao Tao: "Just go when I tell you to! Put everything else aside for now!"
If there's a concussion, or any other fracture or injury, get them admitted to the hospital. I'll cover the medical expenses later!
"profound!"
Xiao Tao reluctantly agreed, turned around and went back to get his motorcycle. The group helped the dazed Zhou Xueqiang onto the motorcycle and took him to the township clinic.
Those who started the fight and those who got beaten up temporarily left the village office, and the crowd in the small square fell into a brief period of noise.
Yue Feng felt that his reaction just now was a bit excessive, but he didn't have a better way to deal with it.
Xiao Tao and Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu stood up for him, and he had already done so. However, he lacked experience in how to handle the aftermath.
At this moment, Wang Jianguo, who had been silent at the gate, walked up to Yue Feng, winked at him, and then turned and went into the house.
Yue Feng understood immediately and followed him into the house. He had been the village secretary for two years and wasn't the type to tolerate his underlings bullying the villagers.
On the contrary, he organized well-drilling teams, set up mountain product purchasing points, organized villagers to carry out pilot breeding projects, and used his personal connections to secure a lot of agricultural input benefits for the village.
To be fair, Yue Feng has definitely done a lot of good things for the villagers since he became the village secretary!
Today's situation is somewhat beyond his ability to handle.
Fortunately, his father-in-law, Wang Jianguo, was also present. Having served as the village secretary for so many years, he must have his own insights.
As Yue Feng entered the room, Wang Jianguo said in a low voice, "You went a bit too far today!"
Yue Feng responded, "I definitely didn't hold on tight enough! Dad, what do we do next?"
"The Zhou family will definitely cause trouble in the village tomorrow, and they will make a big deal out of the fact that Zhou Xueqiang was injured!"
"Xiao Tao, Xiao Wen, and Xiao Wu, who took the action, are all core members of your hunting team! You can't escape the responsibility for condoning your hunting team members beating up the villagers!" Wang Jianguo said with a very clear mind.
"Hmm, the Zhou family can do it! What should I do? Should I go to the township government to explain the situation?" Yue Feng asked.
"Explaining the situation is not enough to solve this problem. If the Zhou family unites to cause trouble and demand an explanation, the commune will also be in a big headache!"
The core issue of this matter today is that, as the village secretary, you have no law enforcement authority and can arbitrarily beat people!
Even if a villager does something wrong, you cannot hit him, let alone injure him with a weapon!
Fortunately, you remained rational and didn't take action yourself! There's still room for maneuver!
"What do we do next?" Yue Feng continued to ask.
Wang Jianguo said very decisively, "Let Xiao Tao, Xiao Wen, and Xiao Wu, who took action, turn themselves in! Let's seize the initiative first!"
"If I ask someone at the police station to put in a good word, and the fight didn't result in serious injury, at most I'll get a few days of administrative detention. I'll just be the minimum number of days in jail—good food and drink, no real suffering—but then I'll be completely free!"
"This……"
After hearing his father-in-law's advice, Yue Feng immediately frowned.
His own brothers stood up for him to vent his anger and uphold his authority and reputation as the village secretary, but in the end, they had to turn themselves in and take the blame for him.
Even though Yue Feng rationally told himself that this was the most suitable plan, he still couldn't accept it emotionally.
"Think clearly. If you do this, and Xiao Tao and the others resort to violence, it will just be a personal conflict."
They were the main gunners in this hunting expedition. Their hunting and autumn protection operation was disrupted, and they couldn't help but lash out in anger. This is understandable, and it makes sense both logically and emotionally.
If the other party is at fault, at most they'll both get a 50/50 slap on the wrist, and some medical expenses will be paid. It doesn't amount to a crime, so there won't be any criminal record.
If you take the blame upon yourself, the nature of the situation changes completely.
Because of the conflict over protecting farmers' autumn harvest, you condoned your underlings beating up villagers!
Even if the township leaders want to favor you, they have much less room to maneuver in this kind of situation!
And that's not all!
You've only been a secretary for less than a year now, which is also at a disadvantage in terms of timing!
After such a heinous incident, if someone in the Zhou family is knowledgeable and persists in filing lawsuits, there is a chance they could bring you down!
Zhang Junhong had always coveted the position of village secretary, and only became the village head with little real power by compromise.
If the Zhou family unites with them and adopts a unified stance, the landscape of our Xing'an Village will be completely transformed!
Yue Feng remained silent for a full five seconds before sighing helplessly, "Alright, Dad, I understand!"
"There's still time! We need to inform all the villagers beforehand! At the very least, when Uncle Hat asks, the villagers on site won't be in the wrong wind direction!"
"Okay! I'll do it!"
Yue Feng readily agreed, strode out of his father-in-law's north house, and returned to the small square outside the village office to begin implementing the plan as instructed by his father-in-law. He contacted familiar villagers to coordinate their statements.
……
On the other side, the Zhang brothers and Xiao Tao took Zhou Xueqiang to the township health center and went straight to the emergency room.
The person had injuries on their face and body, and the on-duty doctor immediately took them into the observation room.
Outside the observation room, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, and Xiaotao, the three brothers, all had mixed feelings.
Xiaowen, who is usually the most rational, frowned as he watched the doctors bustling around in the observation room, then turned to look at his younger brother and Xiaotao.
"Xiaowu, Xiaotao, I want to discuss something with you!"
"What's wrong? Just say it! What's there to hide?" Xiao Tao asked belatedly.
Xiaowen said, "We acted impulsively today. It's not wrong to use force, and we should have beaten him, but we shouldn't have used a stick!"
Zhou Xueqiang has been hospitalized with a head injury, and Feng Ge must be under a lot of pressure!
"We've already fought, so what's the worst that can happen? We can just pay compensation!" Xiao Tao said nonchalantly.
Xiao Tao's true thoughts were that his older brother would take care of things if anything happened.
In Xiao Tao's mind, his older brother Yue Feng was an omnipotent being. It was just a fight, not like he killed anyone. It was a small problem!
Xiaowen shook his head: "If you listen to me, wait for the results from the emergency room. If there's nothing seriously wrong, the three of us will go straight to Uncle Hat and turn ourselves in!"
"Turn yourself in? Chief Wang of the police station is on friendly terms with Brother Feng, do we really need to?"
Xiao Tao reacted as if he had heard an unbelievable joke.
"The Zhou family won't let this go so easily after being beaten and injured!"
Many able-bodied members of the Zhou family, upon hearing the announcement over the village loudspeaker, did not attend; they only sent a few representatives to fulfill the obligation.
If Zhou Jianguo and the others were there tonight, things definitely wouldn't be like this!
If we assaulted someone and the blame is pinned on Brother Feng, claiming he ordered the beating, then Brother Feng's hard-earned position as village secretary will be in jeopardy!
It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow! We need to think one step ahead!
"Turning yourself in will only get you a few days of detention, nothing more than a day off!"
After Xiaowen finished speaking, Xiaowu, who had been silent all along, chimed in, "I think my brother is right!"
If we fight and turn ourselves in, it'll only mean a few days in jail. We won't have a criminal record or suffer any harassment! That way, Brother Feng can handle things without any worries!
Even if the Zhou family wanted to cause trouble, whether they went to the commune, the township, or even higher levels, they couldn't threaten Brother Feng!
Hearing the Zhang brothers say this, Xiao Tao spat on the ground and made up his mind.
"Then we'll do as you two say! If we're going to turn ourselves in, we'll! We'll stay in there for a few days, and if that means no one in the village will dare to talk back to Brother Feng, it'll be worth it!"
Well, before Yue Feng could even finish listening to his father-in-law's advice and open his mouth to his brothers, the Zhang brothers and Xiao Tao, the three core members of the hunting team, had a quick meeting and made their decision, bypassing Yue Feng entirely. (End of Chapter)