80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches

Chapter 381 - 379: Let’s See If You Dare

SMACK! Liu Guozhi slapped the table hard, glaring at Zhang Yazhen and Lin Lan’s group. "Quiet!" he bellowed into the microphone. "This is the team assembly hall, not a barnyard! Why don’t you come up on stage and do the talking?"

Startled by Liu Guozhi’s roar, Zhang Yazhen immediately fell silent.

Yang Liying and Li Guizhi pulled Lin Lan back down into her seat.

The hall fell quiet.

Zhang Yazhen, who had been pulled into a seat by Zhang Jun’s wife, scowled and glared viciously at Lin Lan. Lin Lan, in turn, kept a wary eye on her, guarding against an attack from behind.

Liu Guozhi looked down at the team members with a grim expression. "Don’t think that just because the land is contracted out to households now, you can run wild without any sense of organization or discipline."

"Every family needs to mind its own business and rely on its own hard work to prosper. If anyone dares to cause trouble, and the team can’t handle you, there’s still the local police station and the Public Security Bureau."

One of the team members below scoffed, "The troublemaker is sitting right under your nose! Why don’t you hand her over to the authorities?"

Liu Jinbao whipped his head around, his sinister gaze fixed on the direction the voice had come from.

But someone, unafraid of causing trouble, spoke up anyway. "The land’s all contracted out, but he still loves to blow everything out of proportion. The team isn’t distributing grain anymore, so we don’t have to worry about him holding things over our heads. Who gives a damn about him!"

Seeing the murmuring from the crowd growing more and more inappropriate, He Xianghua smiled and said, "Team Leader, why don’t you start by talking about the homestead plots?"

Liu Guozhi shot him a look. "Look at them. Are they giving me a chance to speak? They’re all having a grand old time chattering away down there. Maybe we should just give them our seats and let them come up here and say their piece!"

He Xianghua grinned. "Maybe everyone’s just a bit excited since it’s been a while since our last meeting. Let’s all be quiet now and listen to the Team Leader."

"Yeah, no more chatter! Team Leader, hurry up and tell us about the homestead plots! I’m hoping to build a couple of rooms to rent out!"

At that, the crowd finally went silent.

Liu Guozhi watched the crowd for a moment before leaning into the microphone. "The commune held a meeting," he began. "From now on, any team members building new houses will be allocated a plot of land based on the number of people in their household."

"Furthermore, the team will be remeasuring and recording the area of all existing homestead plots. Any members whose plots exceed the regulated size will be required to pay a supplementary land use fee. This is a directive from the higher-ups, and we expect everyone’s cooperation."

"Team Leader, what’s this ’land use fee’? Is it expensive?"

Once he finished speaking, the crowd surged forward, peppering him with questions all at once.

With the hall buzzing with activity again, Lin Lan stood up and turned to face Zhang Yazhen. "You vile woman, you’d better make yourself clear. Where exactly did you see my people being light-fingered? Whose things did they steal?"

Zhang Yazhen glared at Lin Lan with a sullen face. "I never said they stole anything. I just said you brought all these outsiders to live next to us. In the future, if something goes missing, who’s going to take responsibility?"

Yang Liying immediately shot back, "The Xiong family migrated here from elsewhere too! How come no one’s going around saying your family are outsiders who are going to steal things?"

"You—" Zhang Yazhen was speechless. She stared at Yang Liying for a moment before finding a rebuttal. "My family was relocated here by the commune! We have official household registration here. It’s not the same as those people of hers."

Lin Lan sneered. "You’re such a shallow, petty creature. Your mind is so full of shit that everything you look at turns to shit."

Just then, Yang Meihua walked in from outside and pointed at Zhang Yazhen. "I heard you with my own two ears! You were telling someone to put their things away securely and to be wary of those ’people from the mountains.’ You’re a grown woman! Don’t you understand that while you can eat the wrong food, you can’t just say whatever you want?"

Li Guizhi chimed in, "Exactly. Uncle Lin and his family aren’t drifters. They’re running a legitimate business. What right do you have to go around slandering them?"

Zhang Yazhen glared at Li Guizhi. "Stop trying to suck up to her!"

"Yazhen, let’s go. They’re rich and powerful; you can’t afford to mess with them," Zhang Jun’s wife said, pulling her toward the exit.

Lin Lan stepped forward, blocking their path. "You foul-mouthed, venomous creature. Dare to slander my family again, and I won’t let you off so easily."

Zhang Yazhen hadn’t expected Lin Lan to press the issue even after she had started to back down. "So what if you’re rich?" she yelled. "Does that give you the right to bully people?"

Lin Lan glanced at her with a smirk, then leaned in close to her ear and whispered menacingly, "Be careful when you go out at night. People with loose tongues tend to get them pulled out."

Zhang Yazhen looked up at her as if she were seeing a ghost. "You... you... you wouldn’t dare."

Lin Lan raised an eyebrow, her face filled with malice. "Try me." ’I really should throw a sack over this damn hag’s head and give her a good beating,’ she thought.

Seeing the terrified expression on Zhang Yazhen’s face, Zhang Jun’s wife quickly said, "Did she threaten you? We should report her to the police station."

Lin Lan pointed toward the main gate. "Go on, then. And while you’re there, be sure to ask what the penalty is for slander and defamation."

Her face ashen, Zhang Yazhen shook off Zhang Jun’s wife’s hand and stormed away.

Zhang Jun’s wife hurried after her. "Yazhen, what did that little widow threaten you with?"

Zhang Yazhen looked at her, her face filled with terror. "She told me to be careful when I go out at night."

Zhang Jun’s wife stared in shock. "What is she planning to do?"

Liu Jinbao had appeared behind them at some point. "Let me tell you, that little widow is seriously sinister. I suspect she’s the one who messed with me at the Construction Team’s cemetery."

Zhang Jun’s wife looked at Liu Jinbao. "Liu San, I thought you joined that brotherhood. Why not get some of your boys to take care of that little widow?"

"Hmph!" Liu Jinbao snorted. "Do I need you to teach me how to do my business?" With that, he stalked off.

"Huihui, let’s go see," Zhang Yazhen said, pulling her along as she chased after him.

The two of them caught up with Liu Jinbao at the head of a small bridge. Zhang Yazhen grabbed his arm. "Liu San, have you thought of a way to deal with the little widow?"

Huihui looked at Liu Jinbao. "That’s right, Liu San. Both our families have been horribly bullied by that little widow. Don’t you worry. If you have a plan, we’ll help you deal with her."

Zhang Jun had been beaten up by Lin Guoliang and his friends, which cost him his position as a sub-team leader. As a result, both he and his wife hated Lin Lan’s guts.

Liu Jinbao eyed the two of them for a moment, then grinned. "I have thought of one plan. The only question is, are you two brave enough?"

The two women looked at Liu San. "Just tell us. As long as we can get our revenge, we’ll do it!"

Liu Jinbao looked at them smugly. "I’ve thought of a plan that will not only let us get our revenge, but also earn us a little spending money."

Hearing this, Zhang Jun’s wife thought to herself, ’We can even make some money? Don’t tell me he’s planning to abduct the little widow and sell her? If it’s that... well, that’s going too far. I’d better hear what Liu San has to say before I decide anything.’

Zhang Yazhen looked at Liu Jinbao, pleasantly surprised. "Really? What’s the plan? Hurry up and tell us."

"That little widow’s clothing store is doing incredible business. I’ve been watching it for over half a month, and I’ve found a way to make some money off it."

Liu Jinbao paused, looking at the two women with feigned hesitation. "Actually, never mind. If I let you two in on it, my cut will be smaller."

Zhang Jun’s wife heard this and looked at Liu Jinbao. "Liu San, do you mean prying open the door and stealing clothes? That’s against the law. We wouldn’t dare."

Zhang Yazhen nodded. "Yeah, and I thought you had a great idea! After all that, you’re just talking about breaking in and stealing clothes. We wouldn’t dare do that. Don’t forget, Ye San is still in jail!"