The villagers finally stopped beating Liu Daming when his cries of pain grew fainter.
His body was already a mass of bruises and purple marks. He lay curled on the ground, trembling like a shrimp, a pitiable sight.
"Why did you poison them?" Er Zhu's cold voice made Liu Daming shiver. He wanted to speak, but a flicker of terror in his eyes made him remain silent.
"Speak quickly! If you don't, we'll beat you to death!" Er Zhu wasn't angry, but the villagers had lost their patience, especially those who had initially supported Liu Daming. Dammit, this was tantamount to slapping their faces! How would they face Er Zhu or continue living in Shiliu Village from now on? This guy was simply detestable!
Some villagers, growing angrier as they thought about it, walked up and kicked Liu Daming several times. But now, Liu Daming was like a dead man, utterly incapable of fighting back.
"It was Li Xiaoming from Lijia Village. He said that if I poisoned all the livestock, he'd marry his daughter to me, and without any betrothal gifts." After a long while, Liu Daming, lying on the ground with vacant eyes, slowly spoke. The situation had reached this point; if he didn't speak, he would die! His own death didn't matter, but Li Xia would marry someone else. This was something he absolutely could not tolerate!
Hearing Liu Daming's confession, the scene fell silent, and the villagers' anger subsided by half. Liu Daming and Li Xia, Li Xiaoming's daughter, were deeply in love. However, Li Xiaoming, disdaining Liu Daming's poverty, had repeatedly sabotaged their marriage, even driving Li Xia to attempt suicide multiple times.
"But... why would this guy want to poison our livestock? Does he have a grudge against our village?" After a long pause, a villager suddenly remembered something and questioned with a look of suspicion. The other villagers also shook their heads in confusion. Only Uncle Liu and Er Zhu understood. This guy was seeking revenge! Revenge for being humiliated at the auction. Revenge for not being able to buy a single head of livestock!
"A village head with a heart smaller than a needle's eye! He's truly a disgrace to the town!" Uncle Liu said through gritted teeth, his brow furrowed. He then turned and left, leaving the bewildered villagers behind.
"Everyone, disperse. I will handle this matter." Seeing Liu Daming's despair, Er Zhu waved his hand, telling everyone to leave without revealing the reason. Although the villagers were confused, they didn't press the issue when Er Zhu said he would handle it. Since Er Zhu said he would handle it, they knew he would do so properly. They just had to wait for the news.
"Er Zhu, I'm sorry. I was foolish. It's all my fault!" As Er Zhu was about to leave, Liu Daming, on his knees, ran over and grabbed Er Zhu's leg. The young man, in his twenties, cried like a child.
"Er Zhu, please don't mention this, okay? If Li Xiaoming finds out, then Li Xia and I are completely finished!" After crying for who knows how long, when Er Zhu felt his pants soaked with tears, Liu Daming suddenly looked up, his eyes full of tears as he pleaded.
"Er Zhu, I beg you. If you promise me this, I'll be your ox or horse!" Seeing Er Zhu remain silent, Liu Daming held tighter to Er Zhu's leg, tears streaming down his face.
"Don't worry, lovers will eventually be united!" Looking at Liu Daming's pained expression, Er Zhu's heart softened. He nodded heavily, promising. Unrequited love was a regret, and he would help if he could. Besides, the ranch hadn't suffered any real losses.
"Thank you, Er Zhu! Thank you!" Seeing Er Zhu's confident demeanor, Liu Daming, forgetting to wipe his tears, repeatedly kowtowed to Er Zhu, his heart filled with complex emotions. He should have revealed the matter earlier; then, such a disaster wouldn't have happened! The more Liu Daming thought about it, the more remorseful and guilty he felt, and his kowtowing grew louder.
"Alright, Brother Liu, you go back. I'll handle the rest." Seeing that Liu Daming's forehead had already begun to bleed, Er Zhu helped him up. Liu Daming tried to resist, but he found it impossible! Er Zhu's strength was too immense! After many expressions of gratitude, Liu Daming left the ranch. The sky gradually brightened.
After breakfast, Er Zhu drove to Lijia Village. Meanwhile, Li Xiaoming, unaware of all this, was happily holding his phone, waiting for good news from Liu Daming.
"Your father, can you really do this? Won't this be illegal?" Aunt Li, while tidying the table, asked worriedly, seeing Li Xiaoming's obsessive behavior.
"Illegal? We're not killing people, and besides, it's not me doing the killing!" Li Xiaoming's face darkened, and he kicked the table fiercely, his eyes full of anger. Seeing Li Xiaoming angry, Aunt Li dared not say anything more and scurried back to the kitchen. How could his prestigious village head's daughter marry a poor wretch like Liu Daming! Now, there was a perfect plan to kill two birds with one stone; how could he let it pass! When all the livestock died, Liu Daming would go to jail, and Wang Er Zhu would lose everything. What a great outcome! Thinking of this beautiful scenario, Li Xiaoming's anger instantly dissipated, and his face broke into a smile.
"Li Xiaoming!" Just as Li Xiaoming was lost in his beautiful fantasy, a cold voice suddenly interrupted his pleasant dream. Li Xiaoming looked at Er Zhu standing at the doorway, a flicker of shock in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. So what if he knew the truth? The livestock were dead anyway, and he was destined to pay this time!
"What? You Wang Er Zhu can humiliate me, but I, Li Xiaoming, can't get revenge?" "Aren't you rich? Aren't you fond of showing off? I'll see how you show off now!" Li Xiaoming bristled, looking at Er Zhu with a smug and provoking expression, his eyes full of mockery. The memory of the last auction made Li Xiaoming furious enough to go mad! In his entire life, he had never suffered such humiliation! You dared to show off and flaunt your wealth in front of him? Then he would make you bankrupt!
"It's good that you admit it. I've already called the police." Watching Li Xiaoming's near-maniacal state, Er Zhu remained calm. He shook his phone and spoke slowly. Calling the police was, of course, a bluff. It wasn't that he was afraid of Li Xiaoming, but he didn't want to escalate the matter. After all, he had promised Liu Daming that he would help the lovers be together.
"Heh, calling the police is useless. You have no evidence, so the police can't arrest me!" Hearing Er Zhu mention the police, Li Xiaoming not only wasn't scared but became even more arrogant. He kept operating his phone, but just then, a picture sent by a stranger enraged him! Those livestock weren't dead! That was potent arsenic! It hadn't killed the livestock! This was too incredible!