The male supporting character was actually myself.

"I understand! Anyone who dares to go out and talk nonsense, I'll break their legs!" The blond-haired man's eyes lit up, and when he looked at Jiang Chen, who was dressed in a fashionable outfit, it was as if he were looking at a god of wealth appearing.

Money and food—this is the dream come true for so many people!

Others also expressed their stance and even swore an oath to ensure that no one would know.

"Okay, you guys wait a minute." Jiang Chen found the key to the middle room, opened the door, and went inside. When he came out again, he was carrying two buckets of white paint. "Let's start working today. First, paint the whole room. I'll inspect it this afternoon. If it's done well, I'll pay you your monthly salary of one yuan in advance."

The four thugs were very excited. Big White and Brush excitedly discussed which room to start with.

The yellow dog followed closely at Jiang Chen's feet, never leaving his side. When he walked, the dog followed; when he stopped to talk, the dog squatted to the side, sticking out its tongue and hissing.

Chapter Nineteen: The Four Thugs

“Two yuan a month for each person!” Green Bean Eyes noticed that He Jiangchen wasn’t in the yard and whispered to his companion, “Where do you think he got the money? Did he really get it from selling grain?”

"Who cares about him! As long as he keeps his promise and gives us the money every month, whether it's robbery or theft is none of our business!"

"That makes sense! But if you ask me, it definitely wasn't the money from selling the grain. Everyone in the village knows that He Gousheng took all the grain."

"Where did he get the money? And he skipped over cents and dimes right away, starting with a dollar."

"You don't understand, do you? I heard my grandma say that the reason He Jiangchen is so good-looking is because he has the most beautiful mother in the whole area! His mother's ancestors were very wealthy. At their richest, they used horse-drawn carts to transport silver dollars, dozens of carts full!"

"Even if their ancestors were rich, wouldn't everything have been divided up? How could they possibly leave anything for them?"

"His mother was an educated woman, very smart. She was married into the poor He family because of her bad class background. He Jiangchen's grandparents favored their youngest son. After their eldest son got married, they separated from the family and lived on their own, taking nothing but a mountain of debts with them."

This family business was built entirely by the couple themselves!

His father was capable, and his mother was good at planning. If they hadn't died young from illness, they would definitely be one of the top families in the village now!

Such a clever scholar, do you think she wouldn't have some inventory on hand? Maybe she sold something valuable before to cover up her bad debts.

"So, in your opinion, He Jiangchen was just young and pretending to be stupid before, enduring humiliation? Now that he's young and strong and not afraid of thieves, he sold off the good things passed down from his ancestors and became a rich man?"

"That's really hard to say! Putting everything else aside, look at the clothes he's wearing, they must have cost seven or eight dollars! Even the wealthiest family in the village wouldn't buy such expensive clothes for their wedding!"

"I was thinking of taking a dollar and running away without paying back the money, but it seems that not only can I not run away, I also have to work hard, that's the only way to go in the long run..."

…………

The four men whispered amongst themselves as they worked, convinced they had figured out each other's secrets. They eventually reached a consensus: they couldn't offend the God of Wealth, so they had to work hard for him to earn more money!

"Dinner's ready. Go outside and fetch some water to wash your hands." Jiang Chen pretended to rummage around in the kitchen for a while, then brought out a wooden bucket full of a large pot of vegetables. In his other hand, he carried a clean bamboo basket containing fluffy white steamed buns and brand-new bowls and chopsticks.

The enticing aroma quickly filled the empty room. He put a spoon in the wooden tub and called the others to wash their hands and eat. Then he scooped a few spoonfuls of meat and vegetables and put a steamed bun in the big bowl that the yellow dog was given.

"You ate too much earlier, so eat less this time."

"Wang Wang Wang!"

The yellow dog seemed to understand human nature, barking obediently twice and cautiously sticking its head out to eat the white steamed bun.

"Holy crap!" Upon seeing this, the blond-haired man's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that he had indeed stumbled upon a golden opportunity today!

Let alone the surrounding villages, even in the county town, who among the wealthy would be willing to feed their dogs white flour buns?

That's a waste of food! People can't even eat white flour buns all year round. If this guy isn't out of his mind, he must have made a fortune!

Many restless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but when he recalled the ferocity of the other party in the fight, he immediately backed down.

He Gousheng is so greedy and cunning. He has plundered He Jiangchen a lot over the years, but this half-grown kid has managed to endure so much humiliation and keep the treasures hidden so well that no one has discovered them.

No wonder he spoke so righteously in front of the villagers today, denying the fact that he was being manipulated and exploited by his own uncle. It turns out he was paving the way for spending money openly and legitimately in the future!

Huang Mao knew he couldn't match or beat Huang Mao's cunning.

You think you're scheming against someone, but who knows what other tricks they might have up their sleeve for you!

Huang Mao looked at the steaming white steamed buns and meat dishes, and swallowed hard, thinking that with his limited abilities, he should just obediently follow behind others and be their lackey.

At least they can at least get enough to eat and drink.

The four hooligans, who had only been able to eat such a sumptuous big pot of food since they were young, were so hungry that their mouths watered. They ran out, scooped up a ladle of water from the water tank, washed their hands clean, and then ran back into the house.

"Brother Chen, is dinner ready?" The beady-eyed boy thoughtfully closed the door behind him.

Another young man, who was as thin as a skeleton, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Wow...it smells so good! There's so much meat in it! Brother Chen, did you cook this yourself? I didn't smell anything before!"

"Hehe, will Brother Chen get to eat this every day at noon after working for you?"

The aroma of the food was even stronger in the slightly dark room with the door closed, and no one cared that the heat made the already hot group of people sweating profusely.

Everyone stared intently at the large pot of food in the wooden bucket, rubbing their hands together excitedly.

"Don't just stand there, get your rice and eat quickly." Jiang Chen was pleased to see that they were all behaving well.

A thug isn't scary; what's scary is a thug who doesn't obey.

Those who are ungrateful and even try to bite back are beyond saving.

It seems they aren't so bad, but they're forced by circumstances to make a living. If they can pass the test in the next few days, the farming will be handed over to them, and I'll enjoy a comfortable rural life, drinking tea and walking my birds.

Having received the definite order, Huang Mao filled a bowl to the brim and handed it to Jiang Chen. Only then did he begin serving rice to the other underlings, trying his best to ensure that everyone's bowl had meat, vegetables, and soup.

"Snoring~ Snoring~"

Soon there was no more noise in the room. The four thugs sat on the floor, each holding a bowl in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, eating heartily without caring that it was hot.

The blond guy kicked the skinny guy next to him who was making the most noise while eating, yelling, "Just eat, stop smacking your lips!"

"Mmm..." The other person's mouth was full, and when reminded, they couldn't speak, so they mumbled a couple of sounds to indicate that they understood.

If it weren't for the fact that this body was so lacking in oil and had an instinctive craving, Jiang Chen's soul, which came from a world with abundant food, wouldn't actually be very enthusiastic about eating rice.

Therefore, he squatted to the side and ate slowly and deliberately, which made him appear very elegant in front of the four people who were wolfing down their food like a whirlwind.

"Brother Chen, let me get you another bowl!" Huang Mao was the most observant. Seeing that the food in his bowl was almost gone, he quickly put down his own empty bowl and reached out to get another bowl.

He waved his hand and refused, saying, "No need, I'm full. The rest is all yours, eat slowly and don't rush."

"Thank you, Chen Guo!"

"Thank you, Brother Chen!"

…………

The group ate heartily without any regard for etiquette. Seeing that there was still half a bucket of stew left in the wooden tub, they ate even faster.

As the saying goes, a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. These young men in their early twenties are at the age when they are growing strong and can eat a lot. In addition, they can only eat two meals a day without any oil or fat to fill their stomachs. They have an excessive obsession with being full.

The oily soup in the wooden bucket was completely gone, and the four of them finished it off with the last of their steamed buns. The bucket, bowls, and chopsticks were all cleaned up as if they had been washed.

"Burp~ I'm so full, it feels so good!"

"I've even taken my belt off, I can't even squat down."

"What a spineless coward! Burp~ He can't even bear to leave a single bite of something delicious, burp~"

"Third brother, you eat the most, that's enough, we're all the same."

"Phew~ I'm sleepy after eating..."

"Sleep my ass! Hurry up and get the dishes done!" Yellow Hair kicked the little guy who was scratching his neck and lying down. "Brother Chen feeds us so well, not so you can just eat and sleep. Try to finish painting the whole house this afternoon, don't even think about dawdling."

Chapter Twenty: The Evil Gate

The four thugs knew perfectly well that with such good treatment, they could just go out on the street and everyone would be scrambling to follow He Jiangchen. They were incredibly lucky to have gotten on this bandwagon.

So while they kept saying they wanted to sleep, their bodies told a different story. Under Huang Mao's clear division of labor, one person went to wash the dishes while the other three continued to work on painting.

The "catching the thief" incident caused quite a stir for a while. It was the latter half of the summer afternoon break, and Jiang Chen figured that the village secretary probably hadn't started work yet, so he got up and changed the lock on his room door.

Meanwhile, the neighboring courtyard was lifeless and deserted.

With her hands and feet bandaged and her body covered in bandages and gauze, Qian Shuandi leaned against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking sullen and unhappy. Scattered on the kang were many clothes, quilts, and other items that had been stored away. At the far end of the kang was a large empty space, which was obviously where the camphor wood chest that had been returned had originally been.

"Mom, I'm starving! Why haven't you cooked yet?" He Yongqiang had more bandages on his head. The village doctor's skills were average, and the bandages on his head looked a bit messy and comical.

He huddled in the corner of the kang (a heated brick bed), leaning against a tattered quilt, and groaned, "My dad hit me really hard. The doctor said my condition is not good and I need to go to the big hospital in the county town. I feel dizzy and uncomfortable, and I want to eat!"

"I was smashing a dog!" He Gousheng muttered gruffly.

He Yongqiang, kicking his long legs, threw a tantrum, "Mom! Listen to what my dad is saying! He called me a dog!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Qian Shuandi was annoyed by what she heard. She pointed at the two good-for-nothing men and scolded them angrily, "Look at you two, you don't have a single bit of a man's manners! A grown man like you can't even beat a dog; and you, a grown man, if you're going to smash the dog, at least aim properly! Look what you've done to our son!"

"I finally managed to give your He family a son, your only male heir. If he dies, who's going to compensate me?!"

He Gousheng frowned and remained silent for a moment before lowering his voice and saying, "I feel like something's not right about this."

"What's wrong? You mean He Jiangchen?"

"I think that dog is fucking weird!"

He looked up at his wife and son, their clothes tattered and bandaged, covered in bruises, and his tone involuntarily became mysterious, “I feel something’s wrong with that courtyard, it’s too eerie!”

Take the whetstone, for example. I remember clearly aiming it at that yellow dog. It's supposed to fly in a straight line, how could it have veered off course and headed straight for the back of my son's head?

He Gousheng straightened up and gestured on the kang (a heated brick bed), explaining, "Even if it doesn't hit the dog from this angle, it can't fly that high and hit the back of its head. It will at most land on the ground. Also, did you guys feel that when we were at a disadvantage and tried to run away, we kept tripping for no reason?"

They practically broke my tailbone from that fall!

But I couldn't see anything tripping me up, on the contrary..."

"Yes! Now that you mention it, I remember!" Qian Shuandi's face turned pale and her voice trembled slightly. "There were two times when I fell, and I felt like something was pulling me from behind!"

He Yongqiang, belatedly realizing what was happening, paused for a moment before nodding, "And our clothes, no matter how much they were torn and pulled, even if a dog dug them out, they couldn't be this tattered. Don't you think there's something in that yard...?"

He didn't dare say the last word; just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

In backward mountain villages, there is never a shortage of topics for conversation about ghosts and spirits. You can find any old person and they can tell you a bunch of bizarre ghost stories. When the children in the village ran and played all over the mountains and fields, they also heard many mysterious ghost stories in their heads.

The superstitious and guilty family of three fell silent instantly.

He Gousheng's mind flashed back to his emaciated older brother's fragmented dying words, telling him to take care of his nephew out of brotherly affection... His brother's bulging eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly agape, his withered hands clenching tightly around himself...

He couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

The image of his older brother dying with his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace, still vivid in his mind, was still fresh in He Gousheng's mind. He could even imagine his hoarse voice roaring: "I will haunt you even as a ghost!"

Qian Shuandi was thinking about the same thing. She hunched her shoulders and recalled her strange encounter in the neighboring courtyard, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Is his aunt home?" Just as the family of three was scaring themselves, a familiar loud voice came from the yard.