Chapter 346: Chapter 209: Breakdown! The Nurse Is Grinding Tofu—You Call That Chivalry?_2
"Fuck you! Is this one word? You’re damn seeking death!"
Seeing the two sides about to start a fight, Ning An swiftly darted into the crowd, managing to hold both parties back with the help of another group of villagers.
"What’s going on here? Can any of the villagers explain this?"
Looking at the two groups ready to brawl, Ning An felt a headache coming on.
Ning An actually knew these people quite well; they were all from the surrounding villages. When he was young, he’d eat at various villagers’ homes with his master, and many of them had familiar faces.
Moreover, since Ning An’s master was respected in the surrounding villages and handled matters impartially, whenever there was a dispute, villagers would come to Changchun Temple for mediation.
Everyone knew Ning An as well, and since he was also fair in handling matters, even after the old Daoist went traveling, they still used this place as a mediation hall.
Soon, among the villagers helping to hold back the fight, an elderly man stepped forward. Ning An recognized him too; he was Grandpa Hua from Stone Village.
"Xiaoning, here’s what’s happening."
Grandpa Hua pointed at a middle-aged man on the left side of the crowd, "His name is Zhang Qiang."
Then pointed to a slightly younger man on the right side, "His name is Wang Baosheng."
"Zhang Qiang claims that during last year’s New Year, Wang Baosheng came to his house asking to borrow 150,000 yuan, and now, two years later, he wants it back."
"But Wang Baosheng adamantly insists that Zhang Qiang is talking nonsense, claiming he never borrowed any money from him, and that Zhang Qiang is trying to extort him."
"So the two of them are both sticking to their stories, each accusing the other of lying, which led to this uproar."
After hearing Grandpa Hua’s explanation, Ning An was quite surprised.
These days, people are still arguing over such matters?
Surely, they would have written an IOU at the time, no?
"Show me the IOU."
Ning An turned to Zhang Qiang and extended his hand.
It shouldn’t be difficult; just show the IOU and everything will become simple.
But then the next moment.
"There’s no IOU."
Zhang Qiang’s face darkened, biting his back teeth, "Not only is there no IOU, but there’s no transaction record either; I gave him cash directly at the time."
Damn!
Ning An exhaled, feeling utterly defeated!
Man, are you kidding?
No IOU, no transaction record, no tangible evidence; what are we playing here!
Ning An calmed himself, first observing the two men’s attire.
Zhang Qiang wore typical rural clothes: a cheap T-shirt, fifty-yuan market shorts, and a pair of faded sneakers.
In contrast, Wang Baoqiang, though also a villager, radiated sophistication from head to toe: hair styled intentionally, brand new clothes labeled Nike, and nearly-new Adidas sneakers.
From the looks of it, it wasn’t Wang Baoqiang who owed Zhang Qiang money, but the other way around!
Compared to the limitless opportunities in cities, the paths in rural areas are far fewer.
Apart from working outside, most rely on the land, growing some crops and fruit trees to make a living.
The smarter ones might organize with a few friendly households to manage a greenhouse, earning more than if they worked tirelessly alone.
Yet even so, whether working externally or these clever folks, the income for ninety-nine percent of people is only five to six thousand yuan per month, around seventy-eight thousand yuan a year if not spent.
150,000 yuan means a robust rural worker would have to save for two years without spending a penny.
Putting aside whether Zhang Qiang could even save that amount, when he finally did, would he just lend it out like that? And without an IOU, how absurd.
The live-stream viewers just came back from watching a buzz about circumcision, and now there’s another juicy topic here, instantly turning them into keyboard judges.
"Zhang San has his reasons, Li Si his own; this makes things challenging for me! Beat them both fifty times, they surely will confess!"
"Good, good, you little brat. If you were in ancient times, you’d be a dog official causing harm to people; you’re useless! Show some respect!"
"Judging from their attire, I’m inclined to lean towards Wang Baoqiang, but Zhang Qiang wouldn’t grab onto Wang Baoqiang without reason, surely there’s something deeper here."
"Officer’s wise; please turn right. There’s the Tiger-Headed Guillotine, kindly put your head through and spare the brothers the trouble."
"Such matters are tough, tough, tough. Let’s quietly watch the process, not give Brother Sect Leader wrong ideas."
"..."
Seeing things getting tense again, Ning An promptly gestured invitingly.
"Villagers, it’s hot outside; let’s move inside for a chat."
Having said that, he exchanged a glance with Grandpa Hua, indicating him to lead neutral villagers, each bringing a few, inside the temple.
Truthfully, regarding such conflicts between villagers, everyone knows how these things go.
Like today, you may have no issues, but the troubles might come tomorrow, and Changchun Temple would have to make a judgment.
So, upon hearing Ning An’s words, though they might wish to deliver a punch to the other side, it was difficult not to give Ning An some face, entering the temple coolly one after another.
Ning An led everyone into a side hall, took several stools from a woodshed, and distributed them.
With so many people, serving tea wasn’t practical, so he took two cases of bottled water from storage to distribute among them.
"Villagers, don’t hold back, treat this place like your home."
"Brother Ma, you seem to have bulked up over the past six months. Have you taken a liking to some girl?"
"Grandpa San, don’t keep such a stern face, it makes you look fierce. When you get home, don’t blame your grandson if he cries and won’t let you hold him."
While easing the atmosphere, Ning An was swiftly calculating the useful information in his mind.
Concerning the income of nearby villagers, he’s quite familiar — a robust worker earns about seventy thousand yuan a year, while women make less, around two or three thousand yuan.
Not to mention whether Zhang Qiang could bring out that 150,000 yuan, but if one lends money nowadays, it’s done grandly, even seeking notarization to seal the deal.
No matter how close they were before, they surely wouldn’t skip writing an IOU!
Even with brothers, accounts must be clear!
If there’s no IOU, any other evidence that might indirectly prove Zhang Qiang lent the money would help.
But judging by Zhang Qiang’s statement earlier, he probably consulted a lawyer, lacking any evidence in his favor, otherwise, it wouldn’t have erupted like this.
This left Ning An a bit troubled; with no evidence at all, even the Jade Emperor couldn’t tell if his claim is true or false!
The live-stream viewers also found it somewhat bizarre.
"With neither direct nor indirect evidence, just relying on your own words, even if Zhang Qiang’s statement is true, no court would dare rule in his favor."
"By comparing their attire, I seem to feel that it’s Zhang Qiang who owes Wang Baoqiang 150,000 yuan. Of course, this is judging by appearance; don’t take it seriously, everyone."
"Alas, my thoughts are actually the same as yours. At least, looking at it now, it seems quite bizarre."
"..."
While the viewers in the live stream felt perplexed, Ning An was no different.
However, before Ning An could think of what to say next, Wang Baoqiang suddenly stood up, pointing at Zhang Qiang, and cried out to Ning An:
"Little Daoist, please judge fairly; this guy’s gone mad with poverty!"
"He suddenly claims I owe him 150,000 yuan. I’m a decent person and didn’t argue with him, but he wouldn’t relent and just attacked me; see the marks he left on my arm."
"For such a ruffian, we can’t let him get used to this bad behavior! Someone will teach him a lesson sooner or later."
Wang Baoqiang flipped his arm, revealing indeed multiple red marks.
Ning An didn’t comment on this, but simply waved his hand for him to first sit down.
"Zhang Qiang, please tell your side now." Ning An frowned, staring at Zhang Qiang, who appeared honest but was now exceptionally angry, and sighed:
"If you don’t provide any evidence, even the ancestors can’t judge whether what you say is true or false."
