Chapter 1: A hatred as deep as the sea!

In the depths of winter, snowflakes drifted down slowly, covering the entire Ningyang County.

Seventeen-year-old Lu Fan, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt at the crossroads. His gaze was dull as he watched the fellow villagers coming to pay their respects, only able to kowtow in a mechanical fashion.

His younger sister, Lu Yao, stood by his side, wearing mourning garments, sobbing silently, expressing endless sorrow and helplessness.

Lu Fan saw it all, and it pained his heart. Recalling his mother's dying instructions, he secretly swore to himself that he must take good care of this sister who was all he had left in the world.

People came and went in the courtyard. The old Party Secretary was in charge of the arrangements, and the villagers all came to help—this was the custom in Ningyang; no matter how busy they were, everyone would rush back for a funeral in the village.

Suddenly, Lu Fan saw two nauseating figures approaching. He stood up abruptly; one could never kowtow or bow to beasts!

"You are not welcome here!" His voice was cold as ice, and Lu Fan's eyes were filled with hatred.

The old master of the Le family sighed and said, "Xiao Fan, we are from the same village. We came to offer incense for your mother, burn some paper, and pay our respects to show our sincerity!"

Lu Fan still coldly spat out one word: "Get out!"

Le family's fourth son wouldn't have it and started cursing, "You little bastard, don't you dare be ungrateful! If you dare to be disrespectful to the old master, watch out, I'll beat you!"

"Xuezhi, that's enough!"

Looking at Lu Fan's clenched fists, the bulging veins, and his man-eating eyes, Le Jialin, old and shrewd, suddenly felt a chill. Enemies should be reconciled, not tied tighter!

So he said, "Xiao Fan, what happened to your father was the Le family's fault. We really shouldn't have laid hands on him over that bit of homestead land. I regret it to this day! But the court has ruled, and we have voluntarily paid compensation; the matter is in the past. We are all from the same village, and I watched you grow up. To show our apologies, I can cover all the expenses for your mother's funeral, ensuring she is laid to rest with dignity. How about that?"

Le Xuezhi was unwilling and said, "Dad, why? His old man died of illness, not because we beat him to death. We were kind enough to give 5,000 yuan back then, doing all we could. Does this son of a bitch show any gratitude?"

Seeing Lu Fan's eyes glaring with rage, Le Xuezhi cursed, "What are you looking at? Can you eat me alive?"

Le Jialin was furious. No matter what, one could not cause trouble at someone else's funeral. He walked up to Le Xuezhi and kicked him, cursing, "You son of a bitch, get the hell back!"

"To hell with it! Lu Fan, don't give me that defiant look. I'm telling you, whatever you've got, bring it on, I'll take it!" After saying this, he strode away.

Lu Fan stood firmly at the door, blocking it; he would not let anyone from the Le family step inside his house.

Ten years ago, the countryside was very wild. His father had a verbal altercation with the Le family over a homestead, which then turned into a brawl. But the Le family was a powerful and influential clan in the village, with many people on their side.

His father was outnumbered and was brutally beaten by the three Le brothers—Le Xueli, Le Xuezhi, and Le Xueliang. He lay in bed for two months before he could get up, and from then on, he was left with a chronic illness.

Back then, fighting in the countryside was common. The police station's handling was to punish both sides equally, because Le Xueli was a clerk at the township government, while his father was just an ordinary worker at the forestry farm.

In the 90s, medical conditions were poor, and the hospital didn't provide a diagnosis for his father's condition, so the matter was left unsettled.

A year later, his father died in depression. Everyone knew it was related to that fight, but Le Xueli had already become a Deputy Town Head, and the Le family's eldest and second sons were officials in the city and county. His second uncle and mother had complained a few times, only to be arrested by the police station. In the end, the perpetrators remained at large!

The blood feud was etched in his heart. Lu Fan thought about revenge every moment, but he was helpless against the Le family, who could cover the sky with one hand.

After his father passed away, the family had no choice but to move back to the village from the town, relying on his father's funeral money and two mu of land to make a living. The mother and her two children depended on each other.

In recent years, his mother had become ill from overwork. Small ailments turned into major illnesses, but she couldn't bear to spend money on treatment because she had to support the two children's schooling—this was her husband's dying wish. Consequently, she left her two lonely, helpless children behind, leaving only dilapidated walls and the 10,000 yuan she had saved through extreme frugality!

After growing up, Lu Fan had countless thoughts of murder and arson, but he never went down that path of no return. Now, he couldn't take action, because he still had a young sister. The heavy burden of responsibility and hatred pressed on the shoulders of a 17-year-old, leaving Lu Fan lost and confused, not knowing where the road led.

There is a saying in the countryside: "The filial son's head, flows through the whole village."

The inherent values were deeply rooted, but the Lu family was weak in Langcha Village. Among the older generation, there was only his second uncle, Lu Bin, and in the whole courtyard, only two cousins were wearing mourning clothes, which was very desolate.

Du Wenlong, who had returned from fetching water, couldn't stand it and ran to Lu Fan's side, saying, "Brother Fan, let me be the filial son!"

Lu Fan shook his head and said, "Chouchou, I appreciate your kindness, but it's not according to the rules."

"To hell with the rules! We are brothers. It's only right for me to wear mourning clothes for Auntie."

"Forget it, go do your work. We may be poor, but we have our pride. We must have backbone; don't let the villagers make a joke of us."

"Alright, Brother Fan, then I'll go attend to the 'musicians'."

Before long, Yang Minghao, Ceng Ming, Liu Jin Zhu, and Su Xiaoyi—partners who grew up wearing open-crotch pants together—returned carrying a small tree, which was used to make the "soul-guiding banner" and the "mourning staff."

These brothers, busy running around, provided great comfort to Lu Fan, whose heart was like dead ashes.

Soon after, his father's old friend Zhou Zhengbang arrived with his daughter Zhou Tianhui and son Zhou Jian to pay their respects. Lu Fan kowtowed respectfully three times.

Zhou Jian squatted down and said, "Brother-in-law, tell me what I can do, just order me."

Zhou Tianhui blushed and turned her head, remaining silent.

Zhou Zhengbang coughed and said, "Xiao Fan, we'll go inside to help. After we see your mother to the mountain, your uncle has something to discuss with you. Here is 500 yuan, take it first!"

"Uncle, no need."

"I told you to take it, take it. There are many places where money is needed for a funeral."

Zhou Tianhui's face turned deathly pale in an instant, and deep helplessness welled up in her heart.

The whole village knew that she and Lu Fan had been betrothed since birth. Rural people were very feudal, and Zhou Tianhui had long considered herself a daughter-in-law of the Lu family, feeling an inexplicable closeness to Lu Fan, whom she had played with since childhood. Yet, her father was calling off the engagement at this critical juncture, making her feel very ashamed and inexplicably sad, but she couldn't say a word.

Lu Fan understood Zhou Zhengbang's intentions. The man had hinted several times, both openly and covertly, that he wanted to break the engagement. A person must have dignity while alive; one must have backbone.

Now that his parents were gone, Lu Fan could make his own decisions, so he wouldn't humble himself. He took the 500 yuan straightforwardly and said, "Thank you."

Then he glanced at Zhou Tianhui, and a wave of sadness surged again. 500 yuan, cutting off the ties of affection, leaving only memories; from now on, may we never meet again!

"Brother Fan... I'm going to help!"

Lu Fan didn't even lift his head. His final dignity had been trampled upon; he was like a walking corpse without a soul.

County Party Committee Secretary Guo Mingxiong was conducting research on the implementation of the party member commitment system in the county. Zhouchuan Town Party Secretary Wang Hongtao accompanied him, arriving at Langcha Village, Chengguan Town, at four in the afternoon.

The group was grand and imposing. Wang Hongtao did not seek the limelight and stayed at the back of the procession, because the greatest political achievement was his own.

Passing by Lu Fan's house, Wang Hongtao swept a glance with his peripheral vision and felt that the filial son kneeling at the door looked very much like his student. He still had deep feelings for the only class he had ever taught.

After confirming, Wang Hongtao walked straight over and asked, "Lu Fan?"

Hearing the incredibly familiar voice, Lu Fan suddenly lifted his head and indeed saw his most respected teacher, the Teacher Wang who was both strict and meticulously caring for everyone!

Wang Hongtao asked with concern, "What happened at home?" He knew this child came from a single-parent family and had paid close attention to this quiet student when he was teaching the class.

"Teacher Wang, my mother... she..."

Indeed! Poor child!

"Lu Fan, please accept my condolences! Is this your sister? You are the pillar of the family. A man must be fearless and brave; you must be strong and face life with courage!"

In an instant, Lu Fan dropped all his pretenses, and hot tears gushed out, "Teacher Wang, I..."

"Child, don't cry. Everyone experiences joys and sorrows, partings and reunions. Although there is endless helplessness and heart-wrenching pain, life must go on. Be strong, this is life! Take me inside to pay my respects. If you have any difficulties in life in the future, come to your teacher."

The helpless child led Wang Hongtao to the mourning hall, crying all the way. Looking at his mother's portrait, a sense of sorrow shrouded the funeral.

Before leaving, Wang Hongtao left one thousand yuan and repeatedly urged Lu Fan to come to him if he had any difficulties.

At this moment, Lu Fan deeply branded Wang Hongtao's departing back into the depths of his soul. ===== CHAPTER 2 =====