The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 245 We Demand Freedom!_1

Birds chirped outside the window, awakening Li Qing, who was still sound asleep.

He groggily opened his eyes and glanced at the time.

Damn!

It’s already half past eight?

Li Qing instantly became alert and hurriedly climbed out of bed.

He had been too wild with Auntie Caili the previous night, resulting in yet another morning overslept.

Moreover, his back was a bit sore.

After putting two eggs in the pot to boil, Li Qing quickly washed up.

After breakfast, he set off into the mountains without delay and began his daily exhausting trek.

Any task can become dull and tedious when done for too long.

But Li Qing wished he could run even more every day.

This was all money!

Only now, finding a village without a buyer was indeed very difficult.

As soon as he returned from the mountains, Li Qing was blocked by Tang Jianmin at the doorway of his house.

"Qingzi, you have to help us out; I’m at my wit’s end!" Tang Jianmin said to Li Qing with a bruised and swollen face.

"Uncle Tang, what happened to you?" Li Qing asked in shock.

Tang Jianmin’s face was covered with pockmarked wounds, small ones the size of a dot and large ones as big as a fingernail.

"Ah..." Tang Jianmin sighed deeply, his face in his hands, "It’s embarrassingly ridiculous when spoken of."

Li Qing invited Tang Jianmin into his house and poured him a glass of water, saying, "Uncle Tang, whatever it is, take your time."

"This, your auntie scratched me," Tang Jianmin lamented as he sat on the sofa, "Ever since she came back from the village meeting, she’s been acting abnormally. She stopped working in the fields, stopped doing the chores at home, and even stopped cooking meals."

"It would be fine if she just stopped, but she keeps nagging at me, complaining about the hardships she’s endured all these years raising our children and slaving away for our family. I got impatient and asked her, so if you’re not doing anything now, what exactly do you want to do? And then... look at this, she gave me a good scratching!"

Though a serious matter, Tang Jianmin’s way of explaining it almost made Li Qing burst into laughter.

"Uncle Tang, this... domestic issues, how can I help?" said Li Qing with a troubled expression, "I can try to persuade my auntie, but it might not work."

"No, I want you to go talk to that woman, Qin Wenjun. She’s rotten to the core!" Tang Jianmin bellowed angrily, "Stirring up trouble in other people’s families—for what benefit to her? And all that talk about gender equality, what a load of crap!"

Li Qing furrowed his brows, "Uncle Tang, about this... I have no say in the matter!"

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to persuade her, but that woman could easily rebut him with a few highfalutin words.

After all, she had that status.

"Qingzi, it’s not just me in the village who’s been beaten by a woman; there are many who have beaten their wives." Tang Jianmin spoke mournfully, "You’ve managed to find ways to deal with Hu Youyu and Old Kong the Third; you surely must have a trick up your sleeve for this woman. Think of something quickly!"

"If things keep going on like this, the village will truly descend into chaos. Don’t believe me? Go out and listen for yourself. Almost every household is either fighting or arguing. I don’t know what kind of potion Qin Wenjun has fed these women, but they all seem to have gone mad."

"They just look for faults, and if you ask them what exactly they want, none can give you a clear answer."

Li Qing had heard about this issue the previous night.

"Uncle Tang, I’ll think of something," Li Qing said after a moment’s thought, "You should also speak to Secretary Qin and see where she stands on this. It would be best if she could hold another meeting to clarify things."

When Tang Jianmin saw Li Qing nod, he looked at him with gratitude, nodding continuously and saying, "Alright, alright, let’s approach this from two sides. You think of a plan quickly, and I’ll go probe that woman’s intentions first."

"That little girl, she’s practically trying to kill us!"

Tang Jianmin sighed and shook his head as he left Li Qing’s house.

Li Qing hesitated for a moment but then followed, heading to Han Mei’s house.

Before he even got close, Li Qing heard a buzz of chattering voices, seemingly bustling with activity.

Looking into the yard, my goodness, there were eleven or twelve women sitting inside.

Not only were Yu Lan and Wu Xingxing there, but even Qin Wenjun was also present.

The group was huddled together, engaged in a lively discussion.

Seeing this, Li Qing didn’t enter but instead called Han Mei from outside.

"What’s up, Qingzi?"

"Sister-in-law, can you come out for a moment?"

Li Qing spoke briefly and then hung up the phone.

After a short while, Han Mei came out, "Why aren’t you coming in?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Li Qing gestured towards the yard with his chin, "With that crowd, how dare I go in? I’m afraid they would beat me up!"

"What are you talking about? Why would they beat you up for no reason?" Han Mei said in an annoyed tone, "I’m busy right now, so if you’ve got something to say, make it quick."

Li Qing pulled Han Mei to the back of the house, "Sister-in-law, what are you all actually doing there?"

"You mean inside there?" Han Mei asked.

Li Qing nodded.

"Nothing much, just a grievance airing conference," Han Mei said with a light laugh.

Li Qing’s face slightly changed, no wonder then.

The worst thing between people is comparison.

So many women coming together to air grievances, they’d go home looking for faults afterward.

"Sister-in-law, have you heard about anything happening in the village lately?" Li Qing asked, looking at Han Mei.

Han Mei gave Li Qing a once-over, "What’s gotten into you today? I’ve just taken on this village matter, and with the daily meetings, I’ve been so busy I’m spinning. I haven’t had the mind to find out what’s been happening in the village."

"Tang Jianmin just came to see me, his wife beat him up, scratched up his whole face!" Li Qing said gravely, "And he isn’t the only one, there’s been a lot of men beaten by women, and women beaten by men these past few days."

"Sister-in-law, don’t you think this is problematic now?"

"We, as small families, are already disadvantaged in this village, and by holding these kinds of meetings, you’re only stirring up more conflict. Pushed too far, something bad could happen."

"Now it’s quarreling, fighting; what’s next? Divorce, or a family ruined?’

Han Mei stared at Li Qing with a stern face, "What are you talking about? All we are doing is to make you men treat the women in your families better, not to order them around like mules."

"I haven’t seen any improvement, only deterioration," Li Qing said with gravity.

"Sister-in-law, if you don’t believe me, just ask around in the village, and don’t be so preoccupied with holding these meetings."

"From my point of view, what you’re doing is creating opposition between men and women, and if this continues, the consequences will be serious. If families are torn apart, there’s no way to remedy the situation, and moreover, you and Auntie Yu Lan will definitely become targets for the village people!"

Han Mei’s expression immediately grew solemn, "I just heard from a few of them that they were beaten by their men, I didn’t realize it was this serious. I’ll go take a look."