Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

There are no secrets in a small village; the slightest disturbance can be known throughout the village, let alone the barking of all the dogs last night.

The next morning, Wang Guizhi opened the courtyard gate and started sweeping. Aunt Zhang from across the street came out and complained to Wang Guizhi:

"My dog ​​suddenly started barking in the middle of the night last night. I was about to hit it when I realized that all the dogs in our village were barking. This barking was so annoying, it was almost as loud as a stray cat in heat."

"That's right, Aunt Zhang. I sat up half the night. Wenshui and Xiaofang couldn't sleep either. Only Shouyi in our family can sleep soundly. I guess he's the only one who didn't hear it."

"How could I not hear it? I'm not deaf. This is just howling and barking."

Chen Shouyi happened to come out of the house and joined the group chat.

"Takae, I'm going to go to the small stage to inquire, do you want to come along?"

Aunt Zhang suggested.

"I'm not going. I don't like crowds."

"Alright then, I'll tell you what interesting things I've heard when I get back!"

After saying that, Aunt Zhang dashed off towards the small stage.

Wang Guizhi glanced at her husband and said worriedly:

"The howling I heard last night sounded like a wolf. Do you think there might actually be wolves in the village?"

Chen Shouyi chuckled:

"How could that be? Although we are in a mountainous area, these are just small hills, nothing like the deep forests of Northeast China. Where would wolves come from?"

"Back when our father was alive, there were wolves and leopards in Black Fox Valley and Tiger Valley, but that was a long time ago. Now, besides pheasants and rabbits, even foxes are rare in the mountains. Don't overthink it."

When Wang Guizhi heard what the man said, she thought it made sense.

When Aunt Zhang arrived at the small stage, there were already quite a few people there, gathered in twos and threes discussing the event.

The largest group was the loudspeaker group led by Aunt Zhao.

Aunt Zhang listened to this and that, and finally chose to stand behind Aunt Zhao.

Surrounded by everyone, Aunt Zhao raised her voice with a sense of pride:

"You guys, no one knows better than me. And you even heard some old man from so-and-so say that wolves have entered the village? That's bullshit!"

When my grandfather was alive, he was the most famous hunter in the surrounding villages. He had hunted down all the wolf cubs long ago.

I've figured this out. It's very simple: someone went to Jiming Mountain last night and was scared back by the wild dogs there.

This morning I heard that two people were injured while running away. I think they've been staying home these past few days to recover.

How utterly despicable! Committing trouble in the middle of the night on land contracted by Shouyi's eldest son—he deserved to be bitten to death by dogs!

Aunt Zhao cursed and swore, her emotions running high, and she stood on her moral high ground to deliver a final verdict on the matter.

As for any other opinions, Aunt Zhao immediately retorted them.

For Aunt Zhao, anyone who dares to challenge her expertise is insulting her character!

However, for Aunt Zhao, she has only done half of this task so far. The other half is that she and her group of old friends are keeping a close eye on the people on the street.

They believed that no clue could escape their few big, watery eyes.

This caused quite a stir. The villagers, fearing suspicion, would make sure to walk around in front of the loudspeaker girls' group whenever they had a chance.

Aunt Zhao and her friends enjoy these moments the most.

At this moment, Chen Shouxin was at Hou Erzhu's house. The two old men were terrified and firmly believed that they had been possessed by an evil spirit.

Hou Erzhu's elderly mother was worried about her son, so she took chopsticks and stuck them into the water to call out to them, hoping to break them.

It's often said that if you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't. Sometimes, psychological suggestion can be quite effective.

After the old lady called out to them, Chen Shouxin and Hou Erzhu felt much better instantly. They vowed never to go to that damned Jiming Mountain again, even if there was gold buried there.

The mental illness was almost cured, but the body was really in pain. Hou Erzhu twisted his ankle, and Chen Shouxin twisted his back.

Chen Shouxin knew that Hou Erzhu usually liked to sleep in late, so seeing his drowsy appearance, he got up to say goodbye.

When he got to the street, he found it was surprisingly lively.

The men formed a loose line and walked past the stage one by one.

And clearly, Aunt Zhao and her old friends were sitting on the stage.

Usually, it's the men who judge the women. Has the sun risen in the west today? Why are a bunch of men being chosen by the women?

Chen Shouxin was furious when he saw these shameful guys. They really brought shame to us men.

He endured the back pain and prepared to leave.

But what the men were talking about was like a rope binding his legs.

He understood. So, anyone who couldn't get past Aunt Zhao would be suspected of causing trouble at Jiming Mountain and being chased by dogs.

Holy crap, this is really like a court hearing!

Chen Shouxin was furious, but he had no choice but to quietly walk towards the back of the line.

But who was Aunt Zhao? She spotted Chen Shouxin at a glance and started shouting in her loud voice:

"Isn't that keeping your promise? Did you know that someone went to cause trouble on the barren mountain your nephew contracted last night?"

When all eyes turned to him, even Chen Shouxin, with his thick skin, couldn't quite handle it.

But he was always a carefree and irresponsible person, and he had quite a reputation in the village, so he put on his usual nonchalant attitude and said:

"Hey, I only heard about it this morning. I didn't sleep well last night because the dog kept barking all night."

"Come here, trustworthy one! We're not going to eat you, are we? Why are you standing so far away!"

Chen Shouxin felt a surge of hatred in his heart. He gritted his teeth, endured the back pain, and tried his best to walk over in a normal posture.

The men in line immediately erupted in chaos. What the hell was so special about Chen Laosan? He just cut in line as soon as he arrived.

Seeing people challenging her authority, Aunt Zhao instantly stood up and shouted at the crowd:

"Whoever shouts the loudest is the most suspicious, I know that trick inside and out. Trying to fish in troubled waters, damn it! Did I tell you to line up? You came here voluntarily!"

Seeing that Aunt Zhao had lost her temper, the men, partly because they didn't want to argue with a woman, and partly because they knew they were no match for Aunt Zhao in a real fight, all fell silent.

Chen Shouxin thought to himself, "Do you think I want to cut in line? Anyone who wants to cut in line is a son of a bitch." He forced a smile at Aunt Zhao and said:

"Sister, you guys are pretty busy today."

"Hey, it's all because your nephew Wenfeng got sabotaged. I don't know who spread the rumor that I had to interrogate him. Who wants to do such a thankless task? This rumor is killing someone!"

"However, on the other hand, if someone who usually loves to wander around suddenly stops going out these past few days, then they're definitely suspicious. Don't you think so, Chen's third son!"

"Yes, yes, what you said is absolutely right!"

"Chen Wenfeng is your own nephew, so you should be the one to lead the condemnation of those who did bad things. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, that's right!"

"I haven't seen you yelling at me!"

"Ah, I'll curse, I'll curse..."

While cursing himself, Chen Shouxin cursed Aunt Zhao a thousand times in his heart.

In a corner of the stage, Chen Wenfeng and Zhou Zhiming watched the farce unfold, unable to stop laughing.

The wicked must be punished by the wicked!

But Chen Wenfeng was too busy watching the excitement to notice that someone was spying on them from a distance—or rather, someone was staring at Chen Wenfeng.