Seeing Li Dongmei relenting, Da Niu held up his hand, showing five fingers.
"Five hundred? For biting you, you want five hundred yuan? Why don't you just rob someone?" Li Dongmei's eyes widened, and she exploded.
Little did she know that Da Niu's next words made her even more unsettled: "Who said five hundred? It's five thousand, not a cent less.
You call me heartless? Look at my hand, it's still bleeding. The wound is so deep that for the next ten to fifteen days, I definitely won't be able to exert any strength.
If I can't exert strength, I can't work. If I can't work, I can't earn money. So the losses should be compensated by you, right?
Five thousand yuan, and that's me being generous because we're from the same village.
If it were someone from another village, they wouldn't settle for anything less than ten thousand yuan!" Da Niu spoke with conviction.
But Li Dongmei trembled with anger, calling it sheer banditry: "I don't have five thousand yuan. It was just a bite, I'll let you bite me back, and we'll be even!"
Da Niu looked at her as if she were an idiot: "Why would I bite you? If I don't want five thousand yuan and instead bite you, wouldn't that mean my brain is rusty?
Enough with the nonsense, hurry up and pay, otherwise I'll call the police right now. Everyone is watching!"
Li Dongmei was on the verge of tears: "You're bullying me, a woman. Just a bite and you're demanding the moon.
It's just a bite that drew blood and broke the skin, not a bone injury. How can you not work?"
"Stop your blubbering. I'm not your husband, I won't be soft-hearted.
Where did the fierceness go when you bit me earlier? You wouldn't let go even if it meant death. If Liu Yifeng hadn't rushed over, you would have torn off a piece of flesh.
Now you're scared, isn't it too late?"
The other villagers chimed in, "Exactly. When you bit him earlier, you were fierce, and you wouldn't let go no matter what.
Now that you hear about compensation, you say you're being bullied. That's too shameless."
Li Dongmei's tears fell like rain. She didn't know how to handle the situation, but she couldn't possibly come up with five thousand yuan for compensation.
At this point, Liu Yifeng spoke up: "Da Niu, since this started because of me, I'll take responsibility.
However, five thousand yuan is indeed an outrageous demand. Even if you went to the hospital for a check-up and got some medicine, it wouldn't cost a thousand yuan.
I can give you three thousand. The extra two thousand can be considered for your nourishment."
Da Niu was still insistent: "Three thousand is still a bit too little, isn't it? Even if my bones aren't injured, look at my hand. I'll inevitably be in pain, and I don't know how many days I'll have to suffer.
Five thousand yuan, and we'll be even."
Liu Yifeng was not someone to be easily pushed around: "You know Sister Li's financial situation. She couldn't even afford this much if she sold herself.
Although this happened because of me, it's not directly my fault. Even if you call the police, they won't hold me accountable.
Giving you three thousand is because I can't bear to see you injured for nothing.
And honestly, even if you call the police, Sister Li won't go to jail. The compensation the police might award could be even less. Think carefully, do you want three thousand yuan, or do you want to involve the police?"
After hearing Liu Yifeng's words, Da Niu was at a loss and looked to his mother for her opinion.
Da Niu's mother felt that three thousand yuan was a lot, equivalent to her hard work for three months. She nodded.
Da Niu then agreed to Liu Yifeng's proposal: "Alright, three thousand yuan it is. But you have to pay me on the spot, otherwise, what if you deny it after you leave?"
"Don't worry, I'll give you every cent. And I ask everyone here to be a witness, so Da Niu can't demand money from you again later," Liu Yifeng said, still feeling a bit uneasy.
He then asked Da Niu for paper and pen and wrote a letter of commitment for him to sign.
The meaning was that Liu Da Niu was bitten by Li Dongmei, and Li Dongmei agreed to compensate him three thousand yuan. From then on, if Liu Da Niu had any physical problems, they would have nothing to do with Li Dongmei, and he could not trouble her.
Seeing the money, Da Niu signed immediately.
Liu Yifeng collected the letter of guarantee and handed it directly to Li Dongmei: "Sister Li, please keep this. If he demands anything else from you, report it to the police and let them handle it."
Li Dongmei looked at Liu Yifeng apologetically: "Yifeng, I'm truly sorry to make you pay for me!"
"It's nothing. But in the future, don't do such foolish things again, and don't do anything in my name. Otherwise, the villagers will misunderstand our relationship again." He said this to make it clear to Li Dongmei that he didn't want any romantic involvement with her.
Li Dongmei accepted the letter of commitment and nodded slightly, understanding Liu Yifeng's unspoken meaning.
Everyone present also understood that Liu Yifeng did not want any entanglement with Li Dongmei.
It seemed they truly had no relationship, or perhaps Li Dongmei was the one with unrequited feelings.
But it was understandable. After all, Liu Yifeng was now the youngest, most capable, and wealthiest man in their village.
Who wouldn't want to marry him and have a good life?
Especially for a widow like Li Dongmei, who had two children to care for. Most men wouldn't dare to marry her.
Li Dongmei naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to attach herself to Liu Yifeng.
Even these older women, if they were twenty years younger, would surely have given Liu Yifeng admiring glances.
Then, Liu Yifeng took out his wallet, counted out thirty red banknotes, and handed them to Da Niu: "I'm giving you this money. I hope you can control your tongue and stop spreading gossip behind people's backs.
Whether it's me snatching a girlfriend from my brother, or my relationship with Sister Li, those are all baseless rumors.
I'm making myself clear today: from now on, if I hear even a single word of such rumors, I will report it to the police.
Spreading rumors is a crime punishable by imprisonment. Think carefully about it."
He looked at everyone with an expressionless face.
The crowd felt a pang of guilt under his gaze and dared not reply.
Da Niu took the money and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I definitely won't talk nonsense anymore.
But it's true, with your excellent conditions, what kind of woman can't you find? Why would you be interested in a widow like Sister Li?"
His words were a bit hurtful, and Li Dongmei's face turned pale.
"We're all from the same village, so don't speak so harshly.
Who would want their husband to pass away at such a young age? Honestly, I admire Sister Li. Her husband has been gone for so many years, yet she's never considered remarrying, and she's taken care of her in-laws and her children without them losing both a father and a mother. She's already very admirable.
And yet she still has to endure such slander and insults. Don't you think what you're doing is too much?" Liu Yifeng said.