A clamor of voices erupted, filled with endless complaints and constant criticism. They griped about everything Chen Qi had done, relentlessly attacking his character and cursing him nonstop. From his actions to his very being, they even cursed his ancestors eighteen generations back. They embodied the very image of shrews screeching in the streets, a performance executed to perfection.

While cursing, they also demanded Chen Qi hurry to forgive them, insisting he withdraw the lawsuit and drop all charges. All the blame was heaped onto him.

Chen Qi's face turned crimson from the verbal assault. Looking at the crowd, he wanted to argue back. But he realized... he simply couldn't out-talk them. The combat prowess of this group of women was astonishing. He would say one sentence, and they would retort with a hundred, unleashing a torrent of curses without a single repetition.

Ten minutes later, Liu Mei and the others, having vented their fill, gradually calmed down. Staring at Chen Qi's flushed face, Liu Mei asked, "Can you withdraw the lawsuit and issue a letter of forgiveness now?"

Chen Qi, who had been trembling with anger, suddenly burst out laughing. He scoffed, "You storm into my home to cause trouble, and you still expect me to withdraw the lawsuit? Is this how you ask for a favor?"

"Your husbands blocked my doorstep for a whole day and night, trapping us inside. Did they even consider then that we're from the same village? I'm telling you, since I've called the police, I have no intention of forgiving!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Mei glared at Chen Qi, her emotions flaring. "You!" she seethed, then threatened, "Let me tell you, if our husbands go to jail, your family won't have an easy time either!"

"What? You still want to cause trouble?" Chen Qi retorted, unafraid, and sneered.

That single sentence instantly startled Liu Mei and the seventy or eighty women behind her. The precedent set by their husbands... was a stark warning. If they repeated such actions, they might also be locked up. At that point, their families would be 'reunited' indeed—all behind bars. Their households would then lose their able-bodied laborers and sources of income, facing utter ruin.

"There are plenty of ways to punish your family; we don't need to get ourselves locked up to do it!" Liu Mei retorted, staring at Chen Qi and huffing coldly, showing no sign of weakness.

Living in the same village, their group of seventy or eighty women had plenty of ways to deal with Chen Qi's family. Disputes over water for farmland, manipulations of land division policies, obstructing house renovations, and so on... With just a little meddling in these matters, they could make life in the village unbearable for Chen Qi's family. Even his children at the village elementary school would find themselves constantly constrained and at the mercy of others. And none of these tactics were illegal or criminal.

Chen Qi listened to Liu Mei's threats, his expression growing colder. The situation he had dreaded... had finally materialized. Offending Chen Daoguang's family... meant they had antagonized nearly half the village. Living a normal life here in the future would be almost impossible.

"Chen Qi, considering we're all from the same village, we don't want to push things to the extreme," Liu Mei said, her tone softening slightly. Seeing Chen Qi remain silent, she thought she might have persuaded him and continued, "Just give us your word. If you withdraw the lawsuit and issue your forgiveness, we'll still look out for your family in the future."

But Chen Qi took a deep breath and said coldly, "You've already pushed things to the extreme."

"I'll state my position clearly right here, right now: I will absolutely not forgive in this case!"

"Besides, it's useless coming to me. I didn't file the lawsuit; the court initiated the prosecution based on my police report. I don't have the authority to withdraw it."

Having said his piece, he slammed the door shut with a BANG, leaving Liu Mei and her group standing outside, staring at each other in dismay.

They were utterly dumbfounded. Seventy or eighty of them had come; they had tried threats, they had tried coaxing. Yet Chen Qi remained impervious, yielding to neither pressure nor persuasion. He still refused to forgive and had even concocted a flimsy excuse about not having the authority to withdraw the suit.

Yet, facing the firmly shut door, they didn't dare make any rash moves. Perhaps in the past, they might have dared to smash it. But after everything that had happened in the village recently... they no longer dared to do anything so outrageous. Smashing doors, blocking entrances, causing a public disturbance... any of it could very well land them in jail too.

The legal case, however, was proceeding normally.

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