Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

"Shanlin, what are you laughing at?"

Li Cuihua's smile froze, and she scolded him irritably.

"I laugh at you two fools who don't know your own limitations, you really think you're something special."

Zhao Shanlin, leaning on a thick wooden stick, limped forward two steps, his bloodshot eyes filled with undisguised mockery.

He stared at the two people on the kang (a heated brick bed) as if they were two arrogant toads.

"One is a spineless old codger who was kicked out of the run-down county granary and doesn't even have a place to stay; the other is a stupid countrywoman who can't read a single word and whose brain is full of mush. You two are such useless pieces of trash that you can't even muster half a brain, yet you have the audacity to think you can overpower Zhao Shanhe?"

Wei Baoguo's face darkened, and he adopted the air of an elder, reprimanding, "Shanlin, I am now your rightful stepfather. All these methods I've devised are ultimately for your future well-being, aren't they?"

"Don't give me that arrogant attitude of yours, you city official!"

Zhao Shanlin spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm on the ground without any politeness, staring at him as if he were a joke: "You can't even control your own sons in the city, letting them get thrown into this 'childless pit' like dead dogs, and you still want to control Zhao Shanhe?"

Wei Baoguo's sore spot was hit, and his old face turned a deep purplish-red. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly insisted, "No matter how powerful he is, he's still just a peasant from the countryside! These days, the country is about policies and laws, not about who has the strongest fist!"

"Oh."

A hoarse, sneer escaped Zhao Shanlin's throat.

His lips moved, and he was about to say that Zhao Shanhe had just come out of the Red Star Machinery Factory a while ago, and the village had already spread the word that the living devil had even brought down the real high-ranking officials in the city who had connections everywhere. You think you can touch him with just a broken letter?

However, Zhao Shanlin suddenly shut his mouth before he could finish speaking.

A thought suddenly flashed through his dark mind: Why should I enlighten these two idiots?

What if Zhao Shanhe's true abilities are revealed and those two old geezers are scared out of their wits and dare not cause trouble? If they don't court death, where else can I find amusement in this dark, dreary, and miserable house?

He lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the twisted and frenzied pleasure in his eyes.

Ever since that night when Zhao Shanhe broke his leg and he was maimed by those two vicious dogs, Zhao Shanlin's life had been completely ruined and there was no hope left.

As for revenge, he doesn't even dare to think about it now.

Zhao Shanhe's ruthless methods had long ago shattered his courage along with his broken leg.

My elder brother is now incredibly powerful; he's a towering tree that a useless nobody like me can't possibly provoke.

Now, the younger sister has vanished without a trace, and the second brother is nowhere to be found. This family, which used to be able to get by, has long since fallen apart.

In countless sleepless nights filled with pain, Zhao Shanlin's resentment had long since shifted its focus.

He no longer hated Zhao Shanhe, but the old woman with a fierce face in front of him, Li Cuihua!

If it weren't for her being such a terrible mother, torturing her eldest son like an animal since he was a child, how could her originally diligent and honest older brother have been driven into the ruthless and heartless man he is today?

If he hadn't forced his elder brother away, with Zhao Shanhe's current ability to make a lot of money, Zhao Shanlin could have lived a life of luxury even if he stayed at home like a useless person every day. Why would he have ended up in this miserable state, neither human nor ghost?

It's all that damned old vile woman's fault!

Since my life is already ruined, let's all go to hell together.

Zhao Shanlin gripped the wooden stick tightly in his hand, his chapped lips curving upwards into a sickly sneer.

He suddenly had a strong urge to watch a play.

He wanted to see how these two self-righteous old fools would excitedly try to knock on the door of the King of Hell with their ridiculous schemes, only to end up dead without a complete corpse.

"Okay."

Zhao Shanlin leaned back against the doorframe, his entire body disappearing into the dim shadows. His voice was light and airy, carrying a chilling submissive quality: "Since my stepfather is so capable, then my mother and I are counting on you to show your power in the county. When you kill Zhao Shanhe and divide the family property, don't forget to give me a bite to eat."

After saying that, Zhao Shanlin, leaning on his cane, limped back to his dark inner room like a ghost, and slammed the broken wooden door shut.

The outer room fell silent again, with only the whooshing sound of drafts.

Wei Baoguo sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the tightly closed, broken door, his gray eyebrows furrowed into a deep "川" (river) shape.

He had spent most of his life in personnel and procurement at his workplace, and his ability to read people and understand their intentions had long become second nature.

Although Zhao Shanlin's words just now sounded like he was admitting defeat on the surface, his tone and eyes revealed a sinister aura.

That wasn't reverence at all; it was like watching two unlucky souls about to be sent to their deaths in a mass grave!

Especially that last light, cold laugh, which inexplicably sent a chill down Wei Baoguo's spine.

Wei Baoguo's instinctive unease grew stronger and stronger.

He turned his head, staring at Li Cuihua, who was still lying on the kang (heated brick bed) dreaming of getting rich and grinning foolishly. He couldn't help but grab her arm and ask in a low voice:

"Cuihua, you third brother...did your brain get damaged along with your legs?"

Li Cuihua was immersed in the joy of moving into a big brick house when he pulled her aside. She curled her lip impatiently and said, "He's just a good-for-nothing coward! After his older brother beat him up and set the dogs on him, he lost his nerve. Now he's so scared that he wets his pants just from hearing his name. Why do you care about him!"

Something's not right.

Wei Baoguo's withered fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the broken bowl, his eyes filled with suspicion: "He was implying something just now! That kid's eyes were strange when he looked at us. Cuihua, tell me the truth, besides keeping a few rural vagrants under his command, does that Zhao Shanhe know any powerful figures he can't afford to offend? What earth-shattering things has he done that could scare Lao San into this state, neither human nor ghost?"

Wei Baoguo stared intently at Li Cuihua's foolish face, his tone turning stern: "You'd better tell me the truth! If you dare to hide anything from me and make me provoke you, I'd rather not get involved in this mess!"

Li Cuihua's arm ached from his grip, so she forcefully shook off his hand and rolled her eyes dismissively.

"What important figures could he possibly know? He's just a peasant who toils in the fields!"

Li Cuihua looked disdainful.

To reassure Wei Baoguo and get him focused on the front lines, she didn't hesitate to expose Zhao Shanhe's true colors: "He just got lucky, made a little money through some speculative trading in town. The gang he keeps are all idle thugs from the surrounding area, the kind who'll hang around for a pack of cigarettes a day! As for Shanlin..."

Li Cuihua curled her lip, her face full of disgust: "He's just a spineless coward! Ever since that night when Zhao Shanhe broke his leg and he got bitten by those two big wolfhounds, he's completely lost his nerve. Now he's a scaredy-cat, trembling all over and talking nonsense at the mere mention of Zhao Shanhe's name. He was just having a fit just now, and you actually took his words seriously?"

Wei Baoguo stared at her eyes with a hint of disbelief: "Is he really just a village bully with a bit of money?"

"Would I lie to you about something like this?"

Li Cuihua patted her withered chest and vouched, "If he really had some powerful connections, I'm his own mother, how could I not know? He's just a local thug who bullies people in this poor, remote village because he's rich. Outside of Kaoshan Village, who knows who Zhao Shanhe is!"

Hearing Li Cuihua's confident assurances, Wei Baoguo's tightly furrowed brows finally began to relax.

His inherent arrogance, typical of city officials, ultimately triumphed over that insignificant intuition.

Yes, even if a young man from the countryside gets lucky and makes some money, how much skill can he possibly have?

The third brother, Zhao Shanlin, was a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. It's only natural that he would be traumatized and terrified after his leg was bitten off by two vicious dogs in the middle of the night.

Having spent half my life working in the county government compound, I was actually intimidated by the sneer of a disabled country bumpkin. It seems the older I get, the more timid I become.

Wei Baoguo breathed a long sigh of relief, completely putting aside his last remaining concerns.

"OK."

Wei Baoguo put on his shrewd smile again and patted Li Cuihua's rough hand: "I'm relieved to hear you say that. Even if he can cause trouble in the village, once he gets to the county, in front of the government, he's just a paper tiger that can be easily punctured. Let's rest and recharge. Tomorrow morning, before dawn, we'll go to town to catch a bus straight to the county discipline inspection commission!"