Chapter 396: Harm to Others and Oneself (2)
Chapter 396: Harm to Others and Oneself (2)
Wang Dali's wife and her companions returned from the city in tears. When curious villagers asked about their plight, the clever ones quickly deduced the reason. They were left unsure whether to laugh or sympathize.
Wang Dali and his group were not fools. Upon hearing the story, they quickly realized what had happened. But besides cursing the doctors for being mercenary and unethical, they could do nothing but resentfully send their wives back to the city with money to honestly hire a doctor. They were the pillars of their families; if they were crippled, it would be disastrous.
When Yang Bao heard about this, his anger was rekindled. It was one thing to lose face within the village, but to disgrace themselves outside was intolerable. What would outsiders think? If these people continued to tarnish the village's reputation, future generations would find it increasingly difficult to marry.
With this in mind, Yang Bao made a decision. That very day, he invited more than a dozen respected elders of the village to his home to discuss formulating village regulations. He planned to wait until Wang Dali and the others' injuries had stabilized before punishing them according to these new rules.
To avoid Mo Yan’s misunderstanding, Yang Bao explained his plan to her, and she readily agreed. Rather than letting Wang Dali and his group exploit their injuries to garner villagers' sympathy and avoid severe punishment, it was better to wait until they had recovered and then punish them according to the village regulations. This would serve as a warning to others and enforce the new rules.
Formulating village regulations was no easy task. Every rule and clause needed careful consideration and deliberation, which would take some time.
Initially, Wang Dali and his companions were anxious about being reprimanded. However, as days passed without any action from the Mo family or the village head, and since no one in the village knew about their extortion attempt, they relaxed and focused on healing. Wang Dali even boasted from his bed, spitting venomously that the Mo family was useless and wouldn't dare touch him. Even if Mo Qingze returned and found out, he claimed he wouldn't be afraid.
However, their respite was short-lived. These families had little money to begin with, and the daily costs of medicine and treatment soon drained their resources. When the money box was nearly empty and their injuries only partially healed, the villagers started blaming each other. They regretted following Wang Dali's instigation, which had left them with nothing and drained their meager savings.
“It’s all Wang Dali’s fault! If not for him, we wouldn’t have had such thoughts and ended up like this. He should pay for our medical expenses!”
As their frustrations grew, and their last bit of money was exhausted, one villager finally couldn't hold back and began secretly urging the others to demand compensation from Wang Dali.
With someone stirring the pot and seeing the potential benefit, others quickly agreed: “Yes, it’s all Wang Dali’s fault. He should pay us back. If he refuses, we’ll expose the whole affair and see how he faces the village.”
Initially skeptical villagers soon joined in, and a group of them stormed Wang Dali’s house, demanding compensation for their medical expenses.
“Compensation? Ha, dream on!” Wang Dali, enraged, sat up in bed and glared at them. “I didn’t force you to come. Why should I pay? If you hadn't agreed back then, I wouldn’t have gone into the mountains. If anyone should pay, it’s you!”
Feeling justified, Wang Dali got off the bed and boldly demanded money from the others: “I spent hundreds on treatment and even pawned my mother’s silver bracelet. I won’t ask for much—just three hundred coins from each of you.”
The villagers were shocked by his audacity and someone angrily shoved him: “You shameless fool! You got us into this mess and still dare ask us for money? You should just die!”
That push proved disastrous!
Wang Dali fell to the ground, his face pale, clutching his right leg and screaming in pain: “Ah! My leg, my leg is broken! It hurts so much!”
Seeing that Wang Dali wasn’t faking it, the villagers panicked and backed away, afraid he might hold them responsible. The villager who had pushed him stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what had happened.
Just then, Wang Dali’s wife, who had heard the commotion from the living room, burst in. Seeing Wang Dali writhing on the ground, she rushed to his side, wailing: “Oh, my dear husband, what happened to you?”
Wang Dali, drenched in sweat from the pain, pointed at the villager who had pushed him and threatened: “You’ve made my injury worse. If I end up crippled, I’ll kill your whole family.”
The villager, initially feeling guilty, flared up in anger: “Ha, try it! Someone like you should have been mauled to death by the tiger that night!”
This remark was like a spark to a powder keg. Before Wang Dali could react, his wife sprang up and attacked the villager, scratching and clawing at his face: “You’re the real menace! Your whole family is a plague! How dare you curse my husband? I hope you die childless!”
Such a curse was unbearable for anyone.
“You wretched woman, how dare you curse my child! I’ll kill you!”
The villager, losing his temper, shoved Wang Dali’s wife away and slapped her hard, leaving her dazed and bleeding from the mouth.
Seeing the situation escalating, someone rushed out to find Yang Bao, hoping he could quell the conflict before it got out of hand…
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