Chapter 502: This is my family's ancestral home

Yeah, these two aren't pushovers—Wang Xiaohu still has a brick in his hand.

Besides, he's on good terms with the police station—what if the cops take his side?

Uncle, why don't we just straight up ask for money? Ask for a little less and it's settled.

Put bluntly, they didn't come over any ancestral‑home issue; they just saw Ye Cheng getting rich and wanted to extort him.

According to them, having Ye Cheng pay each household ten thousand yuan would settle it.

Unexpectedly, they didn't even bring up the money matter and just ignored him.

Chen Houda's expression kept shifting, his eyes darting toward Ye Cheng now and then, trying to gauge what he meant.

But Ye Cheng was just there with a few people, smoking and chatting happily, which made him even more uneasy.

No good—we need to take the initiative.

He waved his hand to signal everyone to stop, then took two steps forward and pointed at Ye Cheng's group, saying,

"Ye Lao Er, look, we're not unreasonable—have each household pay us 5,000 yuan and we'll call it even."

Ye Cheng's mouth curled slightly, he gave a dismissive smile, and shook his head.

He didn't want to waste words on people like that.

Seeing Ye Cheng ignore him, Chen Houda grew anxious, stepped forward a few more paces, and said, "What more do you want for 5,000 yuan? This is our ancestral home!"

"Bullshit ancestral home!"

A blunt curse came from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned and saw Chen Jinhai rushing up from behind, out of breath and with a grim expression.

Seeing the village chief arrive, Chen Houda instantly brightened—Chen Jinhai had always sided with the Chen family, so his sudden appearance must be to back him up.

He forgot about Ye Cheng, hurried forward to greet Chen Jinhai, but before he could speak, Chen Jinhai pointed at his nose and started berating him.

"Uncle, what's this you're bringing people to cause trouble about? Ye Cheng rented land from the village and paid for it."

He went on, pointing at the dozen or so people and cursing, "What about you—don't you work at home? Don't you need to earn money? Why are you kicking up a fuss?"

"What business is it of yours if they run a restaurant?"

That tirade left Chen Houda dazed.

"What? When did you defect?"

Ye Guowei and Xiao Hu also looked astonished—Chen Jinhai had always opposed their family, so this sudden switch was surprising.

"A Cheng, did you give him money?" Ye Guowei asked quietly.

Ye Cheng shook his head, gave a faint smile, and said, "Brother, I'm not stupid—why would I pay him? He himself said he no longer wants to deal with the Chen family's mess."

When Ye Cheng rented the land before, Chen Jinhai had said the same thing; Ye Cheng had just listened then, but now that Chen Houda came causing trouble, he decided to give it a try and call.

To see whether Chen Jinhai truly was no longer backing the Chen family's affairs.

Chen Houda wiped his face, trying to clear his head—he could hardly believe that Chen Jinhai was today speaking up for Ye Cheng; something was off.

He cocked his neck to stare at Chen Jinhai, incredulous, and said, "Jinhai, you're actually speaking up for Ye Cheng now—did you take his money?"

In his view, only that explanation made sense.

Chen Jinhai snorted coldly, gave him a disdainful glare, and said, "Uncle, all you see is money—I, Chen Jinhai, have never taken a penny or favor from Ye Cheng; if I had, may I be childless."

That remark shocked everyone present.

Good grief, does it have to be said so harshly?

Ye Cheng also froze for a moment—Chen Jinhai seemed dead set on siding with him.

The atmosphere on the spot turned awkward instantly; since Chen Jinhai had said that, questioning him further would be inappropriate.

Chen Houda's eyes flickered as he looked at Chen Jinhai and said, "Jinhai, I'm not saying you definitely took a bribe—just look, this place is originally our ancestral home; disturbing our ancestral home ought to merit some compensation."

Chen Jinhai glanced at him lightly, didn't respond, but turned to the others and asked, "Do you all think the same?"

Although they were a bit wary of Chen Jinhai's authority, considering the money issue, a few of them weakly nodded.

Looking at this crowd before him, all they wanted was money, Chen Jinhai was furious beyond measure.

A bunch of good-for-nothings—seeing someone get rich, they don't think of working hard themselves, they just want to extort.

"Hmph!"

Chen Jinhai let out a heavy, cold snort.

"Uncle, this is your family's ancestral home, right?" Chen Jinhai asked Chen Houda with a hostile tone.

"Yes, it's my family's ancestral home—you know that." Chen Houda spread his hands, putting on an innocent look.

Seeing Chen Houda's shameless demeanor, Chen Jinhai's gaze turned sharp: "What's wrong with your ancestral home? Are you a celebrity or a leader that your ancestral home can't be touched?"

"And has your ancestral home blessed you? Look at you lot—each one dirt poor—what has it blessed you with? Blessing poverty?"

"Huh?"

Chen Jinhai suddenly raised his voice, startling everyone present into a shudder.

After serving as village chief for so many years, to say he lacks authority is impossible.

Now, when he lost his temper, a bunch of people immediately wilted, afraid to speak.

"If a tiger doesn't show its might, you treat me like a sick cat," Chen Jinhai said, his fierce gaze sweeping over them one by one.

"Listen up—Ye Cheng is building a restaurant; once it's up, people will come, they'll buy our goods, we'll all have money—this benefits the village, it benefits you lazy lot!"

"You still have the nerve to cause trouble!"

"Pah! You're throwing away your ancestors' old face!"

Chen Jinhai's tirade flowed freely; no one dared speak. Finally he swept his hand and said, "All of you, get lost! If I see you causing trouble again, don't blame me for being harsh—every household has times when they rely on the village."

Seeing Chen Jinhai truly angry, everyone glanced at Chen Houda, whose face turned pale—since Chen Jinhai wouldn't back him, he had no recourse.

He lowered his head and slunk away.

Once he left, the others couldn't stay either; they gave Chen Jinhai a dry laugh and then scurried off.

The originally noisy confrontation was resolved in an instant.

Clap-clap-clap!

A clear round of applause rang out.

Ye Cheng walked up from behind, smiling at Chen Jinhai, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "Village Chief, awesome—just a few words and you sent them packing."

Chen Jinhai looked at Ye Cheng, gave a self‑deprecating laugh, and said, "It's not about being awesome or not; I just rely on this old face."

After saying that, he glanced at the excavator behind Ye Cheng and the materials already bought, and asked with interest, "Lao Er, are you really going to run a restaurant?"

"Not a restaurant, it's a farm stay." Ye Cheng corrected.