Chapter 186: A Brawl? Who's Afraid of Whom?

Gu Xixi glanced at Chen Dafu, knowing he deliberately said that for Gu Erye to hear.

She nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, although we didn't catch him red-handed earlier, he just admitted to stealing himself—didn't you all hear that?"

The hired workers all expressed their willingness to serve as witnesses.

Gu Erye's face flushed then paled; he regretted speaking so clearly in his anger.

Today he came to the wheat field to cause trouble; venting was only part of it—his real aim was to extort a hefty "loss fee" from Gu Xixi.

He tried striking first, reasoning amiably, and threatening—all three tactics failed.

Thinking of his own losses and hearing Gu Xixi threaten to sue him back, Gu Erye, panicked and furious, resorted to his last resort.

"Oh no! Help!! Gu Xixi is beating someone!!"

Gu Erye shouted at the top of his lungs, then slapped his thigh and rolled onto the ground.

"He hit someone! Help!! Gu Xixi, relying on her wealth and power, ignores kin and elders, bringing her hired hands to beat this old man!"

This wheat field had already been trampled flat, the ground turned up with mud.

Gu Erye rolled in the half-wet mud, getting dirt all over his body and face, his clothes and hair a mess.

Gu Xixi, Chen Dafu, and the others watched coldly, with no intention of stopping him.

Chen Dafu said, "Master, this old fool has no other tricks—he can only throw a tantrum and roll around."

Gu Xixi calmly watched Gu Erye's performance, remarking, "Making such a commotion, he surely wants to summon the villagers to back him up."

However, Gu Xixi was no newcomer; she knew most villagers were reasonable.

So she wasn't afraid of Gu Erye escalating the matter.

If worse came to worst, she could still turn to the Qing Tian County magistrate's office.

After the previous magistrate died, the new one would either be General Ho's man or Mu Nan Zhao's man.

The new magistrate is surely honest and strict, and will surely judge according to the law.

Gu Erye rolled while howling and wailing, as if he were truly being beaten in the wheat field.

Gu Xixi quietly instructed the workers, "Step back a few paces, give him room to roll."

After everyone stepped back from Gu Erye, Gu Xixi thought a moment and added, "Put down your tools; don't hold them, just set them at your feet."

Chen Dafu cautioned, "Otherwise, if we move the tools elsewhere, people might see and think we really beat this old man, which we couldn't explain."

Gu Xixi, however, looked toward the wheat field's edge and said, "We can't take them away; leave them here—they might come in handy later."

The workers exchanged glances.

Gradually, villagers began to gather.

Hearing the chatter, Gu Erye wailed even louder, "Don't hit me! The old man just takes the used buckets to rinse and water the fields—why would you ruthlessly want to beat me to death!"

"Xixi! I may be your second uncle, after all—whether I've done you favors or not, we're still family!"

Chen Dafu frowned and sent two young workers to check the situation at the field's edge by the main road.

He glanced again at Gu Xixi, seeing her stern, silent expression, as if she were waiting for something.

Not long after, one of the young workers pushed aside the wheat stalks and hurried back.

"Bad news! Besides the onlookers now, a large crowd has come up the road, all armed, looking fierce—clearly they mean trouble!"

The Gu Erye lying on the ground paused his movements, a triumphant smile spreading across his face.

Then he bellowed, "Help!! Gu Xixi set a trap with fake fertilizer to ruin my wheat harvest—this year my whole family will starve! I merely sought an explanation, yet she beat me; is she trying to wipe out my line?"

Chen Dafu and the others looked at Gu Xixi.

Though the master had not yet spoken, they, though anxious, managed to stay composed.

"Master, they're so many and arrived so fast—they must have planned this in advance."

"These people likely intend to exploit the chaos; if they really start smashing things, our wheat field will be in danger."

"Master, tell us what to do—we'll follow your orders!"

Gu Xixi surveyed the surroundings, her expression solemn, and said, "Come, follow me to the main road to meet them."

The wheat will be ready for harvest soon; even if a fight breaks out later, we can't fight in the field.

Gu Xixi took the lead, stepping toward the field's edge.

Chen Dafu signaled the others; they all picked up the tools from the ground and, without hesitation, followed Gu Xixi's steps.

As expected of the master—earlier not letting them put the tools away was surely foresight of this moment.

And those sturdy fellows of ours aren't pushovers—if anyone today tries to mess with the wheat field, they'll first have to answer to our hoes!

Gu Erye rolled around a few times, opened his eyes, and saw no one nearby.

He got up, looked around, shifted his gaze, crouched low, and began to inch his way out through the wheat stalks.

His goal wasn't yet achieved, but he couldn't just give up now.

Gu Xixi had already led her people onto the main road.

Qin Dasao pushed through the onlookers, running over with an iron hoe in hand, panting, "Glad I made it in time—I just heard the Gu family folks were coming to cause trouble here, so I rushed over."

"My husband went to inform the village chief; he'll be here shortly."

"If a fight breaks out, the more people we have on our side, the better."

Even though it was a tense moment, Gu Xixi looked at Qin Dasao and smiled, "Thanks."

"Having a friend like you, willing to fight side by side with me, is my good fortune."

Qin Dasao blinked, then shyly punched Gu Xixi lightly, "How annoying! Why say such things?"

By then, the troublemakers had approached, led by Gu Daye, Gu Erye's sons and daughters-in-law.

The rest of the crowd were strangers to Gu Xixi.

According to the villagers' chatter, these people included relatives from neighboring Gu Clan villages and various in-laws from the marriage families.

At a glance, there were at least forty or fifty people, each holding a weapon.

Gu Xixi couldn't help but sneer.

The two old men had clearly planned this for a long time.

Who knows what favors they promised others to get all the relatives near and far to come help!

They stopped about ten paces away, staring at Gu Xixi, and her side refused to back down.

Chen Dafu waved his hand, leading all the hired workers to stand before Gu Xixi in a line.

Everyone wore grim faces, planting their hoes in the ground, presenting the aura of one man holding the gate against ten thousand.

Gu Daye's eldest son, Gu Youfu, gave a glance to the person beside him.

Gu Erye's sons understood and spoke up: "Niece Xixi, I heard my father was beaten in your fields—where is he now?"

My father is so old—if anything happens to him, we won't let this go!

That's your second grandfather—you actually dare to lay hands on him; you've rebelled against heaven!

Gu Xixi looked at them, her red lips curling as if she'd heard something amusing.

You haven't even seen the person—how can you be sure I hit him?

Or perhaps...

Her gaze darkened—"Is all this something you plotted ahead of time?!"