I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

On the mountainside behind Shimo Village in Huairou, Chen Qing stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at the villagers, young and old, busy on the hillside. The women squatted on the ground, bending over to clear weeds and pebbles; the men, with hammers and chisels, were breaking stones and leveling the ground, the clanging sounds rising and falling, a scene of bustling activity.

This was a task assigned to him by Li Jing'an, and Chen Qing dared not be careless in the slightest. He was focused on doing the job well so that he could gain credit in front of Li Jing'an.

"Cadre Chen, you've arrived so early! Why don't you rest more and recharge your energy?" Village Party Secretary Jin Fusheng jogged up to Chen Qing, his face plastered with a fawning smile, his tone extremely humble, his back hunched over, not daring to straighten up even a little.

Chen Qing glanced at the obsequious old man before him, inwardly scoffing: This old codger is quite adept at currying favor. His face remained impassive, his tone carrying a hint of official authority: "How could I possibly be uneasy about something Director Li entrusted to me? Delaying the project is a responsibility no one can bear."

Jin Fusheng quickly bowed and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, Cadre Chen is right, you've worked hard! Did you rest well last night? Are you satisfied with your accommodation? If there's anything you're not happy with, just let me know, and I'll arrange it for you right away!"

Chen Qing didn't respond immediately, his gaze wandering, still immersed in the smugness of the previous night. He wasn't savoring anything else, but rather the thrill of power he wielded. Frankly, compared to his wife Zhou Yufei, Yu Feng in the village was far inferior in both looks and demeanor. Years of farm work had roughened her hands, and she was several years older than him. But what he truly indulged in wasn't Yu Feng's service, but the feeling of wielding power and dominating others. Yu Feng's submissive and defiant demeanor last night made him feel like the master of this land, a feeling he couldn't resist.

Seeing Chen Qing lost in thought, Jin Fusheng didn't dare to disturb him. He could only wait cautiously to the side. After a while, he tentatively asked, "Cadre Chen, what would you like to eat for lunch? I'll arrange it for you. Would you like a chicken or some meat? Just tell me, and I'll get right away!"

Chen Qing then came to her senses, pulled herself together, glanced at the obsequious Jin Fusheng beside her, and said indifferently, "No need for that trouble, just get a fish. I haven't had fish in a long time, I'm really craving it."

"Fish?" Jin Fusheng's face instantly showed a troubled expression. He said with a bitter face, "Cadre Chen, it's so cold, and there are no fish for sale at the market. Where am I supposed to get you any fish? This is really difficult!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing's eyes narrowed instantly, a dangerous glint flashing in them, and his tone turned cold: "You're really stubborn! A living person won't die from holding their pee, will they? Isn't there a reservoir and river right next to the village? Why not just send someone to break the ice and catch fish?"

"Cadre Chen, this really won't work!" Jin Fusheng was sweating profusely, waving his hands repeatedly. "The ice is so thick; breaking through it to catch fish will be time-consuming and laborious. Even if we cast the nets now, we won't have time for lunch!"

"You haven't even tried, and you already know you won't make any fish?" Chen Qing suddenly raised his voice, his tone full of reprimand. "You can't have this negative thinking! I'm having fish for lunch today, and I want to see if my words carry any weight in this Stone Mill Village!"

Seeing the aggressive look in Chen Qing's eyes, Jin Fusheng panicked and dared not argue further. He could only meekly agree, "I'll go right away. I'll arrange for people to break the ice and catch fish. I'll make sure you have fish for lunch!"

Chen Qing chuckled with satisfaction, turned around, and glanced at the villagers working. Suddenly, his brow furrowed, and he pointed at a thin figure, sternly rebuking, "What's wrong with that person? Everyone else is carrying two or three stones at a time, but he's only carrying one, dawdling like that. Is he trying to slack off?"

Jin Fusheng looked in the direction he was pointing, and immediately put on an embarrassed smile. He quickly explained, "Cadre Chen, that's my third son. He's always been weak and has been teaching in the commune for years. He's never done this kind of heavy physical work before, and he's just not strong enough."

"Oh? A teacher, huh?" Chen Qing raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming increasingly stern. "Since you're a teacher, you should set a better example for the villagers!"

After saying that, he yelled at the third son of the Jin family, "Third son of the Jin family, what are you doing! Are you slacking off? Hurry up and move a couple more stones! If I see you only moving one again, I'll show you what happens!"

The third son of the Jin family trembled with fright. He gritted his teeth, picked up two large stones, and staggered forward.

Chen Qing then turned to Jin Fusheng, her tone displeased as she rebuked him: "Old Jin, your family is really hopeless! This whole thing started because of you, and instead of setting a good example, you're all slacking off and trying to get away with it. It's just too dishonest!"

Jin Fusheng's face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly looked around, and seeing that no villagers were paying attention, he lowered his voice and pleaded in a tearful tone, "Cadre Chen, please stop! We absolutely cannot let anyone else in the village know that this happened because of our family! If everyone finds out, we won't be able to stay in the village anymore! Please, have mercy!"

Seeing Jin Fusheng on the verge of tears, Chen Qing raised his head, glanced at him contemptuously, and a smug smile curled at the corner of his lips. He slowly said, "Then do your job well and do what I asked you to do perfectly, to my satisfaction and to Director Li's satisfaction. As long as you obey, no third person will know about this, understand?"

Jin Fusheng bowed his back and nodded his head like a pestle being pounded, repeatedly agreeing without daring to voice any objection.

Just then, an accident occurred. Jin's third son, who was moving stones, slipped and lost his balance. The two stones in his arms flew out and crashed heavily to the ground. He also fell heavily to the ground, wincing in pain.

Upon seeing this, Chen Qing's face immediately darkened, and he was about to unleash a torrent of curses. But just then, a woman rushed over, carefully helped the third son of the Jin family up, and patted the dirt off his body.

Chen Qing's gaze fell on the woman, and he immediately forgot his anger. He turned to Jin Fusheng and asked, "Who is that? Not working, yet she has the nerve to help someone? She's got some nerve!"

Jin Fusheng replied cautiously, "Officer Chen, that's my third son's wife. People from the countryside don't know the proper etiquette, so please don't take it personally."

"Oh?" Chen Qing stared at the woman with interest, sizing her up and down, his eyes filled with ill intent. "I noticed her earlier; she was just over there pulling weeds and picking up pebbles, dawdling. Your family is all the same, always trying to slack off. I think it's necessary to give your family a good lesson and reform their thinking!"

Jin Fusheng was terrified, and hurriedly bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Officer Chen, it's my fault for not disciplining her properly. I'll go and scold her right away and make her work properly!"

Chen Qing waved his hand to stop Jin Fusheng, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "No need. How about this, I won't come over this afternoon. Have your third daughter-in-law come to the brigade headquarters to see me alone, and I'll personally give her some advice and a good talking-to."

"This won't do, Cadre Chen! Absolutely not!" Jin Fusheng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he almost knelt down, pleading desperately, "Please, have mercy on her! She's just a rural woman, she doesn't understand anything!"

Chen Qing's smile vanished instantly, his eyes turning cold and fierce as he stared at Jin Fusheng, saying each word clearly, "What? Didn't you hear what I just said? I'll remind you one more time: if you don't satisfy me, you know perfectly well what the consequences will be!"

Chen Qing was too lazy to even glance at the pathetic figure beside him, bowing and begging for mercy, completely helpless—Jin Fusheng was trembling all over, his head almost drooping to his chest, looking terrified and ready to be beaten or scolded. Chen Qing found it tiresome to even look at him again.

He slowly turned around, put his hands behind his back, and looked up at the villagers who were working hard on the hillside. A vengeful and vicious smirk appeared on his lips. The next second, he opened his mouth and started pointing and cursing at the people on the hillside, pouring out a torrent of foul language, each word filled with pent-up resentment.

"You fucking..."

"Your father..."

"Damn it..."

"Your wife..."

All the filth, insults, and harsh words that others had hurled at him a few days ago were now returned to him without a trace, splashed onto the heads of these villagers.

As his arrogant shouts echoed across the mountainside, and he saw the villagers, angry but unable to speak out, heads bowed and shoulders hunched, Chen Qing felt an unprecedented surge of exhilaration welling up from the bottom of his heart, a sense of comfort permeating every pore of his body. The unbridled arrogance and swagger that came with power were displayed to their fullest extent at this moment.

Even as he got into the heat of the argument, a barely perceptible sense of regret still crossed his mind.

If... Captain Zhang were also among this group of people on this slope...