"This is our tree! You steal our fruit and now you're acting tough?"
The man shouted, and a crowd of villagers came running. In an instant, they had the Ling family completely surrounded.
The villagers were armed with hoes, carrying poles, and bamboo staffs.
The scene instantly grew tense, and the atmosphere became a standoff.
Ling Zhenkang, a lifelong soldier, stepped forward to reason with them, but he was cut off before he could even speak.
Just as he opened his mouth, an old man in a gray cloth shirt shouted over him, accusing them of being outsiders.
"Shut it, you old coot! You steal our fruit and hit our people. If you don't pay up today, none of you are leaving!"
"Just because you say it's yours, that makes it yours? This mountain belongs to the state, and the trees are managed by the forestry bureau. What gives you the right to call the shots? Besides, you dared to shake the tree so hard with a child in it. If he'd fallen, could you have taken responsibility?"
