Chapter 27: Slapping Tang Deyi Twice

"Dismiss me? Who among you has the right to do that?"

Listening to the villagers' shouts, Tang Deyi suddenly smoothed the snow off his clothes with an eerie calmness. He sneered, scanned the crowd, and finally locked his gaze on Chen Yuan. "Do you? Let me tell you, I became the village party secretary because my brother-in-law put me there! You, and all of you—what right do you have to remove me?"

"Who is your brother-in-law?" Chen Yuan did not flinch, meeting his gaze steadily.

"His brother-in-law is a bureau chief in the county."

A villager's reply acted like a bucket of cold water, dousing the crowd's fury. One by one, they retreated in fear. Chen Yuan, too, was momentarily stunned. He had not expected a man as incompetent as this to have such powerful backing.

Tang Deyi gloated, "What, scared? Come on then, dismiss me! A bunch of hillbillies!"

He then turned to Chen Yuan. "And you, Township Head, weren't you acting so tough? You kicked me as soon as you arrived—try kicking me again, I dare you!"

As he spoke, Tang Deyi stepped into Chen Yuan's personal space. Being a man within the official system, Chen Yuan did indeed harbor reservations once he learned about the influential brother-in-law. He wasn't afraid of losing his own position, but he was uncertain of the bureau chief's character. If the man targeted only him, he wouldn't care, but he feared the official might retaliate against the villagers, which would make Chen Yuan the culprit.

Patience is a virtue, they say. Chen Yuan decided to swallow his pride.

But just as the thought crossed his mind, a figure darted from his side and kicked Tang Deyi back into a snowdrift. Not stopping there, the man lunged forward and delivered two crisp, resounding slaps to Tang Deyi's face. The sound was clear enough for everyone present to hear.

"Tang Jiancheng, you son of a bitch! How dare you hit me! I’m going to kill you!"

Upon hearing the roar, the crowd finally recognized the man who had struck Tang Deyi: it was Tang Jiancheng. Hadn't he become increasingly spineless over the years after having so many daughters? How had he suddenly become so fierce? The villagers watched in astonishment.

"Kill me? Do you have the right? Do you?"

Tang Jiancheng’s words echoed with a familiar ring. A moment of reflection revealed that these were the very words Tang Deyi had just spoken; Tang Jiancheng had returned them in kind with remarkable speed.

"Tang Jiancheng, let me tell you, my brother-in-law is a county bureau chief. You dare hit me? Believe it or not, I’ll have my brother-in-law arrest your whole family!" Tang Deyi’s eyes were filled with malice.

"Pah! Others might be intimidated by your brother-in-law’s title, but me? A deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Bureau really doesn't scare me!"

Tang Jiancheng said this intentionally for Chen Yuan’s benefit. Sure enough, Chen Yuan’s worries vanished instantly. He had feared a powerful bureau chief, but a deputy director of the Animal Husbandry Bureau? What was there to be afraid of?

Chen Yuan immediately ordered the Daping Village security director, who had just arrived: "Lock him up and hand him over to the police station tomorrow! He neglected his duties and almost caused families to be destroyed; he must be severely punished!"

"Township Head, are we really locking him up? But his brother-in-law..." The security director looked worried.

Chen Yuan snorted, "I’m taking responsibility, what are you afraid of?"

Only then did the security director feel at ease and seize Tang Deyi. Tang Deyi struggled wildly, hurling curses, but no one paid him any heed. Seeing him arrested, the villagers felt a sense of long-awaited justice, and many even applauded.

With Tang Deyi gone, the disaster relief work had only just begun. There were still many elderly residents and impoverished households that needed to be persuaded and relocated, and Chen Yuan only had three people with him—hardly enough manpower. Fortunately, with the help of Tang Jiancheng and other villagers, they managed to cope.

Having seen the two houses collapse earlier, the remaining residents were much more willing to cooperate with the relocation requests. However, housing so many victims remained a major challenge. The village houses were small and already crowded; there was simply no room to take in extra people.

The snow had stopped, but the north wind howled, and the temperature seemed to be plummeting. With so many people, especially the elderly and children, they had to be sheltered and kept warm quickly, or they would freeze to death even if their homes didn't crush them.

"Jiancheng, what if we move them to the village office?" Chen Yuan asked.

Tang Jiancheng shook his head. "It won't work. That idiot Tang Deyi already gutted the place. He stripped everything that wasn't bolted down—even the windows are gone."

"Isn't that embezzlement of public resources?" Chen Yuan said furiously.

Tang Jiancheng sneered, "And what if it is? He has a bureau chief for a brother-in-law; who would dare report him?"

"Why didn't you report him?" Chen Yuan asked. "You were quite brave just now."

Tang Jiancheng smiled, leaned in closer, and whispered, "I was only brave because you were there. If it were just me, I wouldn't even dare speak loudly to him, let alone hit him. He’s sabotaged me before; I was just settling a personal grudge!"

"You..."

Chen Yuan seemed surprised by Tang Jiancheng's bluntness, but he didn't dwell on it. "Since the office is out, help me think—where else can we go?"

Tang Jiancheng didn't have many suggestions. The villagers' homes were too small, and it wasn't fair to force them to take in thirty-some victims. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him.

"I do have a place, though I'm not sure if you’d be willing to put them there."

"Where?" Chen Yuan asked urgently.

"The ice house next to my place. My family and I built it this afternoon."

"An ice house?" Chen Yuan paused, then urged, "Let’s go. Take me to see it."

Tang Jiancheng led Chen Yuan to the structure. Upon seeing it, Chen Yuan was overjoyed. The ice house looked a bit rough, but it was sturdy. The roof was supported by timber, and it was spacious enough to hold almost all the victims.

"Did you anticipate all this, which is why you built such a large ice house?" Chen Yuan stared intently at Tang Jiancheng.

Tang Jiancheng’s heart skipped a beat. Was there some divine intervention at play? Otherwise, why would he have had the sudden whim to build an ice house that afternoon? And such a large one? It was almost too coincidental to believe. He preferred to believe it was fate.

However, he couldn't tell Chen Yuan that. He laughed, "I wish I had that kind of foresight! I just cleared the snow off my roof at noon, and it was getting in the way. The kids hadn't been outside in ages, so I just called them over to build the ice house. My father and brother helped too; they live across from me."