After I got home, I got a catfish weighing three or four jin and put it in a woven plastic sack.
When I arrived at Wang Jun's house, he was stunned to see the catfish. In those days, a fish like this was incredibly valuable. I lied and said that the last time I went to the county town, I saw someone selling live catfish. They didn't require ration tickets and weren't expensive, so I bought a few to raise back home. I brought one over for him to try.
Wang Jun knew how hard this fish was to come by. There was a major drought this year, and all the water had dried up, so where would any fish come from? But his family hadn't eaten fish in a long time, so he didn't make a big fuss, and he called Uncle Wang over to drink with us.
At dinner, there was white rice on the table and a big pot of catfish stewed with tofu. Just looking at it made your mouth water.
Wang Jun got the drinks going. He also asked about Qiao Yuanzhong. He said that although Qiao Xin had paid the compensation, he was definitely still holding a grudge. All the officials in Qiaojia Village were named Qiao. In the future, they would inevitably make trouble for me.
But I didn't see it that way. This time, Qiao Yuanzhong had to go to jail. No matter how vicious the Qiao family was, they wouldn't dare to murder or commit arson. I just had to be careful.
Wang Jun said that for injuring someone and giving them a concussion, a sentence of a year or so wouldn't be a problem. He could even be locked up for three years.
Hearing this, I looked around, then leaned in and whispered my plan into Wang Jun's ear, hoping he would help me.
When I left, it was already dark. Wang Jun walked me out the door. He walked with me until I was out of sight.
When he got back home, his heart was still pounding. He saw that his uncle was still there, looking thoughtful, and he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his brow. He glanced nervously at his uncle.
"Look at you, so spineless. He dared to say it, so why don't you dare to do it? I think his idea is excellent. You might as well give it a try. It's not like you have anything to lose anyway."
As soon as Uncle Wang said this, Wang Jun nodded repeatedly. Sometimes when an opportunity presents itself, you really have to seize it. If this plan succeeded — he suddenly grew excited.
I returned home to see my father angry. When I asked, I found out that Luo Wenxin had run into Qiao Yuanzhong's older brother, Qiao Yuanjun, at the village entrance. The man had stopped him and hurled abuse, saying our family had extorted the Qiaos' life savings. The two of them nearly came to blows. Luckily, there were many villagers around to pull them apart. Otherwise, Luo Wenxin might have been badly hurt.
I put on a stern face and gave my father a scolding. "That underground river beneath our house — our days of getting rich and living well are just around the corner. Your life is precious. Is it really worth tangling with that worthless lot?"
I told him that on this matter, he had to listen to me. I have my own plans.
He wanted to argue, but after my mom, Li Shufang, shot him a glare, all he could do was sulk. After all, I was the one who discovered this underground river. Their son had a plan. Listening to him was the right move.
That night, Luo Wenxin kept muttering. He said the family had spent a lot of money this time, and maybe we should go sell some more fish. I said we weren't going for now. There's something more important to do tomorrow. Besides, we need to get the courtyard wall fixed right away. That's a big deal, too. I have my own ideas.
At a critical time like this, someone is definitely paying attention to my family, especially the Qiao family. It's more reliable to win Wang Jun over first.
The next day, when I was heading to the township, Qiao Xin's face was horribly grim. The way he looked at me, it was like he wanted to eat me alive. If there were a few more troublemakers like me in the village, he wouldn't be able to get any work done. When Chen Shuhong was recording my work points, she was deeply worried for me, afraid that Qiao Xin would retaliate against my family later.
Not long after I left the village, I ran into Wang Jun driving his donkey cart. He had come specially to wait for me.
On the way, Wang Jun asked me, "Are you sure about this? How sure?"
"More than seventy percent sure. If you cooperate, eighty percent will be enough," I said with a determined look on my face.
This made Wang Jun's heart burn with excitement. He looked at me, still a bit hesitant. After all, the things I said yesterday were a little hard to believe.
"When the time comes, just listen to me. You have nothing to lose anyway," I let out a laugh.
On the road, Wang Jun and I quickly reached an agreement. Wang Jun was quite familiar with the township government. He asked around about Qiao Yuanzhong's case and introduced me to the person handling it.
I reported to the staff that the Qiao family hadn't stopped causing trouble even after paying the compensation. Yesterday, they even blocked my father on the road and threatened him. I made my intentions clear. I would absolutely not settle with Qiao Yuanzhong. He must be taught a lesson he'll never forget.
This case was a bit serious. The township staff quickly gave us an answer. It looked like Qiao Yuanzhong would be sent to the county for trial this time. And Wang Jun said he was familiar with this kind of thing. He would take care of it, and told me to just wait for news.
Sure enough, the day after I returned to the village, news started to spread. Qiao Yuanzhong had been sent to the county. They said he was going to be sentenced. Hearing this news, the Qiao family completely panicked.