Reborn in 1981, starting by smashing my iron rice bowl.

"Stay home and don't go out!" Liu Weidong instructed Wang Shujuan in a deep voice, then frowned and walked out, taking the wood-chopping knife leaning against the door with him.

When Liu Weidong opened the courtyard gate, he saw Zhao Baojun's mother, Li Chunhong, cursing outside.

This old woman was a notorious shrew in the village, always finding fault even when she was wrong. Today, her son had been beaten, so of course she was even more unforgiving. She spewed out a torrent of foul language, as if the place under her nose wasn't her mouth, but rather a latrine at the village entrance.

Upon seeing Liu Weidong emerge, Li Chunhong launched into an even more tirade, even bringing up his deceased parents.

In rural areas, people respect the dead, and it's really going too far to insult someone's deceased parents. Even the villagers who were watching the commotion secretly shook their heads, feeling that Li Chunhong was being extremely inappropriate.

Liu Weidong didn't waste any words with the old woman; he grabbed his machete and charged at her.

Li Chunhong wasn't afraid at all. Pointing to her own neck, she shouted, "Come on, if you've got the guts, do it here..."

However, Liu Weidong didn't linger in front of the old woman at all. He went straight to Zhao Baojun and started punching and kicking him.

Zhao Baojun asked his mother to stand up for him, and was smugly watching Liu Weidong get his comeuppance, but then he got beaten up again, leaving him completely stunned.

Having vented his anger, Liu Weidong coldly said to Li Chunhong, "If you dare to utter another curse, I'll beat up Zhao Baojun. Anyway, we're from the same village, we'll have plenty of opportunities to settle scores with him. I mean what I say!"

If Liu Weidong were to lay a hand on Li Chunhong, that old woman would definitely throw a tantrum on the spot.

After all, no matter how much you argue, a young man hitting an old woman is never in the right. But Liu Weidong hit Zhao Baojun, so it was a fight between two men, and no one would say he was wrong.

Liu Weidong's actions immediately left Li Chunhong speechless, and she really didn't dare to curse anymore. She said fiercely, "You beat my Baojun like this for no reason. I'm going to sue you and put you in jail!"

Wang Shujuan, who had been eavesdropping behind the courtyard gate, grew anxious and quickly mustered her courage to come out and say, "Wei Dong didn't attack Zhao Baojun for no reason, it was clearly..."

"Enough!" Liu Weidong shouted, interrupting Wang Shujuan. He looked at her coldly and said, "You have no right to speak here. Go back now!"

Wang Shujuan meant well, but Liu Weidong publicly reprimanded her, making her feel extremely wronged, and tears welled up in her beautiful eyes.

Her pitiful appearance captivated many grown men. Even Zhao Baojun, who had just been beaten, stared at her intently, wishing he could devour this beautiful woman whole.

Only Liu Weidong remained completely unmoved, frowning as he said, "What are you all standing there for? Let's go!"

Helpless, Wang Shujuan could only go back. Even so, she was still worried about Liu Weidong, fearing that he would really go to jail.

Liu Weidong was well aware that as long as Wang Shujuan told the truth, even if Zhao Baojun didn't go to jail, he would definitely be fine.

However, this was a rural area in the early 1980s, where rumors could really kill! If this got out, how could Wang Shujuan live in the village afterward? With her gentle and introverted personality, if she were constantly being gossiped about behind her back, she might very well take her own life just like in her previous life!

Therefore, Liu Weidong would rather use other methods to resolve this matter than allow Wang Shujuan to reveal the truth.

In fact, Li Chunhong already knew why her son had been beaten and guessed what Liu Weidong was worried about, which is why she dared to bring Zhao Baojun to cause trouble.

Seeing that Liu Weidong wouldn't let Wang Shujuan tell the truth, the old woman was even more convinced that her guess was correct. She said to him fiercely, "This isn't over. I'm going to go to the village chief with Baojun right now to settle this. If the village chief doesn't care, we'll go to the police station. You just wait and see!"

In rural areas during the early 1980s, the concept of the rule of law was still very weak. After villagers got into fights, their first thought was not to call the police, but to go find the village chief.

After Zhao Baojun and his mother finished speaking, they hurriedly went to find the village chief, Wang Deli, and the villagers who had come to watch the commotion gradually dispersed.

Everyone is saying that Liu Weidong has really messed with Li Chunhong, that shrew. He'll be lucky if he doesn't die, or at least suffer a lot.

Wang Shujuan, who was behind the door, was extremely worried as she listened to the discussions of the crowd, feeling that she had dragged Liu Weidong down with her.

In contrast, Liu Weidong remained very calm. After closing the courtyard gate, he frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you to stay at home? Why did you go out and spread rumors?"

Fearing that Liu Weidong would attack her again, Wang Shujuan took several steps back and said cautiously, "I went out because I was afraid you would be arrested. I really didn't mean to disobey you."

Seeing Wang Shujuan's timid appearance, Liu Weidong couldn't bear to get angry at her anymore. He sighed and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Go find the village chief now and resolve this matter. Stay at home and don't go anywhere, understand?"

"Oh, I understand!" Wang Shujuan quickly agreed, looking incredibly obedient.

However, after Liu Weidong left, a hint of doubt appeared on Wang Shujuan's pretty face. She felt that he was a little different today.

Liu Weidong wouldn't have been this amiable before; if you disobeyed his orders, you'd definitely get a beating. But today, not only did Liu Weidong not lay a hand on her, he even comforted Wang Shujuan with a few words, which really made her feel a little uneasy.

Amidst the pointing and whispering of other villagers, Liu Weidong quickly arrived at the home of village chief Wang Deli.

Wang Deli's family owned the only two-story house in the village, which was quite a feat in the early 1980s, demonstrating his economic power. Back then, nobody knew why the village chief's family was so wealthy. It wasn't until the mid-1990s that everyone realized—this old man had been embezzling village funds!

However, for Liu Weidong now, Wang Deli's greed is to his advantage, and he can take advantage of this to get out of his current predicament.

Wang Deli was somewhat displeased to see Liu Weidong arrive empty-handed.

Zhao Baojun and his mother had already come by, so Wang Deli knew that Liu Weidong had come to him to settle things.

Since they're asking for my help, why come empty-handed? Even Li Chunhong brought two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes! This young man is so inconsiderate!

Wang Deli had already thought this way, so naturally he didn't give Liu Weidong a friendly look. He frowned and spoke in an official tone: "Weidong, I already know what happened. Young people are too impulsive. How could you hit someone so casually? As the village chief, I must handle this matter impartially. You should go back and wait for the village's decision!"

Wang Deli was clearly trying to pin the blame on Liu Weidong, but he didn't panic at all. Instead, he calmly asked, "Village Chief, how much do you think a regular worker position in a machinery factory is worth?"

Wang Deli frowned and asked, "Why are you asking this?"

Liu Weidong said calmly, "Village Chief, you know I have a job opening at the machinery factory. But I don't want to work in a factory, so I plan to give it to Brother Jianguo!"