Chapter 126: Let’s See Who Dares

It had to be said—Li Dahai had a few tricks up his sleeve to have become the village chief. The tactic he was using against Lin Meng right now was the exact same one Lin Meng had used on him yesterday. First, rally the vulnerable villagers to his side. Then, take the moral high ground to pressure Lin Meng.

This maneuver instantly riled up the crowd.

"Lin Meng, since you’re in the wrong here, just pay Cuimei some compensation."

"Exactly! You’ve contracted so much land, so you must be loaded. Don’t tell me you’re not even willing to part with this little bit of money?"

"Even if you’ve made something of yourself and struck it rich, you still can’t be unreasonable."

Voices of dissatisfaction rang out one after another.

"Xiaomeng, why don’t we just pay her some money and be done with it?" Seeing the situation turning against Lin Meng, Li Wanrong panicked and wanted to settle the matter financially.

Lin Meng’s expression darkened. "Stepmother, have you thought about it? If we pay Liu Cuimei, everyone else will see that they can make money just by throwing a tantrum. Will our family ever have a day of peace again?"

Realizing this, Li Wanrong’s face paled.

"Fellow villagers, I don’t care how you see me, but I will absolutely never admit to something I didn’t do," Lin Meng declared, facing the crowd to state his stance clearly. "If Liu Cuimei really fell ill from taking my medicine, I wouldn’t just compensate her; I would take full responsibility to the very end.

"But she has no proof. Even if I’m rich, or even if she dies right here on my doorstep, I won’t cough up a single cent."

He knew very well that if he paid up today, jealous people would undoubtedly use the exact same method to extort him in the future. People always said country folk were pure and honest, but only those who actually lived in a village knew that was just on the surface. The reality was that they despised you when you were poor, and resented you when you were rich.

Many of the onlookers right now hadn’t even bothered to consider whether the accusation was true or false. Instead, they all felt that since he was so wealthy, even if it was a lie, what was the harm in paying up? It wasn’t like he would miss the money!

Therefore, he had to establish his principles today to save himself from future trouble.

Hearing such harsh words, Li Dahai sneered inwardly. He thought, "This guy is digging his own grave!" Aloud, he said, "Lin Meng, we’re all from the same village. Aren’t you going a bit too far with those words?"

Lin Meng remained expressionless. "I’m just telling the truth."

Seeing this, Li Dahai figured the time was ripe and discreetly shot Liu Cuimei a meaningful glance.

Liu Cuimei immediately began wailing. "You all see it, don’t you?! This guy has money but refuses to compensate me! He even said he’d let me die on his doorstep! He’s practically driving me to my grave!"

"Cuimei, don’t get worked up just yet," Li Dahai offered a few words of hypocritical comfort. "I will definitely get you justice in this matter." He then shouted indignantly, "Fellow villagers, I think you all know what’s going on in your hearts! This is entirely a case of Lin Meng using his newfound wealth to bully people!

"No matter what, we have to teach him a lesson today! Since he refuses to pay, we have no choice but to smash his village clinic!

"I assume no one has any objections to handling it this way?"

None of the onlookers objected. In fact, some even began trying to persuade Lin Meng.

"Lin Meng, just hurry up and pay the money. You’re so rich now; you won’t miss this little bit."

"It’s just a little bit of money. You shouldn’t be so stingy at a time like this."

Listening to these voices, Lin Meng couldn’t even be bothered to acknowledge them.

"All right, nothing you say will work," Li Dahai declared. "Lin Meng has made it perfectly clear that he thinks your lives are completely worthless.

"We must make him pay the price today! Only then will he understand that in the village, he has to follow the village’s rules!"

Li Dahai was incredibly smug. He was finally experiencing the rush of manipulating the crowd, just like Lin Meng had done yesterday. It felt absolutely exhilarating! Seeing that everyone around him was on his side, he hesitated no longer and called Li Dabiao and his thugs over.

Once they had all gathered, Li Dahai spoke with righteous indignation. "Lin Meng, you never had a medical license to begin with. Now that your treatment has harmed someone, you refuse to admit it. Today, on behalf of all the villagers of Taohua Village, I’m going to smash your clinic to pieces!"

With that, Li Dabiao and his gang gripped their clubs and marched toward Lin Meng’s house.

"I’d like to see you try!" Lin Meng blocked the doorway, his fearless gaze sweeping over them.

Li Dabiao sneered. "Lin Meng, I suggest you obediently step aside. You’re the one who sparked public outrage today. Even if you manage to beat us down, the rest of the village will just swarm in and tear your house apart!"

Li Dahai barked from the sidelines, "Fellow elders and villagers, I’m tearing down his clinic for everyone’s sake! Otherwise, more people will definitely be scammed in the future. Am I right?"

"Since it’s a place that harms people, it should be torn down!"

"That’s right! If we don’t tear it down, even if we know better, people from other villages might still get tricked."

"Tear it down! It has to be demolished!"

Many of the onlookers loudly voiced their agreement, clearly the type who loved watching a spectacle and didn’t mind seeing things escalate.

"Y-You all..." Li Wanrong’s eyes turned red. She had never expected the usually amicable villagers to turn out like this.

Lin Meng also frowned slightly. The situation was indeed getting a bit thorny.

"Do it!" Li Dabiao ordered with a savage grin. He led his men as they charged toward Lin Meng’s house, eager to vent their frustrations.

But right at that moment, a loud VROOM echoed through the air. The intense roar of an engine drew everyone’s attention. They watched as a luxury car drove straight over and parked by the side of the road. Immediately after, a handsome young man wearing a suit stepped out.

"Who is this young man? He actually drove a car here. You can tell at a glance that he’s rich!"

"He looks a bit unfamiliar. Could he be a distant relative of someone’s family?"

The surrounding crowd began to murmur, utterly awestruck by the luxury vehicle. After all, Taohua Village was notoriously impoverished. Even though society at large was highly developed, very few families here could afford a car. Coupled with his attire and aura, anyone could tell the young man was a wealthy city dweller.

"Divine Doctor Lin, what’s going on here?"

The young man was none other than Guo Lin, who had come to pick up Lin Meng to treat his mother. He had waited at the village entrance for a long time but hadn’t seen Lin Meng arrive. Thus, he had asked a villager for directions to Lin Meng’s house and driven straight over.

But the moment he stepped out of his car, he was startled by the scene at Lin Meng’s doorstep and quickly pushed his way through the crowd.

"It’s nothing. Just ran into a little trouble," Lin Meng said, shaking his head. He kept his eyes locked on Li Dabiao and his crew.

Hearing this and taking one look at the glares of the surrounding mob, Guo Lin instantly understood the situation.

He thought, "Fuck, these people want to beat up Divine Doctor Lin! He is my lifesaver! My mom is still waiting for him to treat her. If something happens to him, it’ll be a disaster!"

Thinking this, Guo Lin completely blew his top. He stepped directly in front of Lin Meng, shielding him. "Motherfuckers! You all think you can rely on your numbers to bully Divine Doctor Lin, huh? As long as I’m standing here today, let’s see who dares to lay a single finger on him!"