Chapter 117: Splitting the Family (Part 1)

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Splitting the Family (Part 1)

In truth, none of the younger generation in Zhang Family Village had ever actually seen Zhang Damei hit anyone. But when it came to the legends surrounding him, every last one of them could rattle off several tales in a single breath. The name "Zhang Damei" itself was famous far and wide; there wasn’t a soul in any of the surrounding villages who didn’t know it. It had even become common for parents to scare their crying children at night with his name.

The people of Zhang Family Village were afraid of him themselves, but they were also proud of him when they were away from home. Everyone knew that while it was useless to try and rely on Zhang Damei’s influence, simply dropping his name was enough to keep even the most aggressive outsiders from daring to openly bully anyone from their village.

Rumor had it that Zhang Damei had practiced the Iron Sand Palm. A slap from anyone else might hurt, but a slap from him could be fatal.

What was even more terrifying was that while anyone else would go to jail for killing a man, he could get away with it--

The story went that in his youth, he had ventured out into the world, relying on his invincible Iron Sand Palm. During that unique era when the whole nation resisted foreign invaders, although he never fought on a real battlefield, a twist of fate led him to save a number of revolutionaries. It was said that among those he rescued, several became incredibly successful—some were even granted noble titles, and those who weren’t still became high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the Alliance.

According to the rumors, with such accomplishments, it should have been easy for him to win the favor of the powerful, secure a decent official position, and return home in glory. Unfortunately, the man had a foul temper and a loose tongue, constantly finding fault with everything he saw. He made enemies at a rate that was simply staggering.

You couldn’t be around someone like him for long. Anyone who spent too much time with him would be angered to death, only to be angered back to life again...

When Zhang Damei first returned to his poor, remote hometown, rumors of his past were spreading like wildfire. Plenty of people from his village and the surrounding area fell over themselves to suck up to him. However, they all quickly discovered that their flattery earned them nothing but a verbal lashing. After a while, who would bother trying to get close to him? The tide of gossip slowly turned, and people began to suspect that all the legends about Zhang Damei were nothing but tall tales.

Gradually, people began to mock and taunt him. It didn’t stop with him, either; other members of the Zhang family were dragged into it, often getting bullied and insulted for no reason. As this became more frequent, how could Zhang Damei possibly tolerate it? Finally, one day, he confronted one of the most arrogant punks. A disagreement quickly turned into a brawl, and in the chaos, Zhang Damei killed the man with a single slap.

The situation blew up. A man was dead, so what came next? Naturally, the police showed up, and everyone was taken down to the station for a "friendly chat." It’s been a life for a life since ancient times; even someone with a noble title couldn’t escape that fate, let alone someone without one.

Back then, Zhang Damei’s old mother cried so hard she nearly went blind. Of all her sons, this eldest one was her greatest source of pride. He had gone out to make his fortune and returned, not only providing her with a comfortable life she could never have dreamed of, but also allowing her to hold her head high among the villagers and enjoy the status of an "Old Feudal Lord." If her eldest son were gone, how could she maintain that prestige?

Seeing the old woman crying so wretchedly, Zhang Damei couldn’t bear it. Right in front of the police officers, he comforted her, "It’s alright. I’m a tough one to kill. I’m just taking a little trip to the station, and I’ll be back. Just wait. It won’t even be a few days. The same way they’re taking me away is the same way they’ll bring me back."

What an outrageous boast! Who could possibly believe that? Everyone who heard, including the police officers, was amused. They all muttered that the earlier rumors about Zhang Damei must have been fake after all...

But then, to everyone’s utter, jaw-dropping astonishment, not even three days later, Zhang Damei was indeed escorted home respectfully in a police car by the officers from the station. At the same time, a conclusion was reached in the case: the man’s death had nothing to do with Zhang Damei. The official cause was a sudden fatal illness.

Everyone was in an uproar. Naturally, the dead man’s family refused to let the matter rest. They raised a fuss several times and filed complaints everywhere they could, but it was no use against Zhang Damei. Then, for some unknown reason, the family suddenly went quiet and dropped the case completely. From then on, whenever people looked at Zhang Damei, their eyes held a strange reverence mixed with fear. ’He can get away with murder just like that? If I cross him someday and make him unhappy, will he just slap me dead? And would I die for nothing while he goes on, free as a bird?’

Many people thought this way, because no one could get a read on Zhang Damei. Did he have powerful backers or not? No one knew.

If you said he had no connections, then how could he have known in advance that he’d walk free, when anyone else would have had to pay for murder with their life? But if you said he did have connections, the man never contacted anyone from the outside, let alone pulled strings to help others, not even for the slightest benefit. He never married and had no sons of his own, but he wouldn’t lift a finger even when his own brothers and nephews came begging at his door. He wouldn’t just ignore them; if his family members got into trouble on their own foolish account, he wouldn’t get involved in the slightest. He stuck to his principles, even when his own mother threw a full-blown tantrum right in front of him.

Once it was clear that not a single benefit could be squeezed out of Zhang Damei, never mind outsiders, even his closest relatives stopped trying to bother with him or humor him. He, on the other hand, wasn’t the least bit upset; in fact, he was happy for the peace and quiet. As Zhang Damei aged, he grew to dislike crowds. After his mother passed away, he became a complete recluse, rarely even showing his face for clan matters.

If that was how he treated his own relatives, you can imagine how he was with outsiders—the incident that ended in a man’s death was proof enough. And yet, it was precisely after that murder that things changed. While people no longer tried to flatter and fawn over him, they also didn’t dare to cross him. As a result, they began to treat the rest of the Zhang clan politely as well...

Today, Zhang Dazhuang’s household was dividing the family property. He had no intention of trying to lure that great god out of his temple—he knew it would be a wasted trip. Although Zhang Damei was his older brother, the two of them were not particularly close; their relationship was mediocre at best. Aside from Zhang Damei’s foul temper, another reason was that Zhang Dazhuang himself was, deep down, a little too proud for his own good.

Zhang Dazhuang felt that since his older brother was so lukewarm toward him, trying too hard to get close would just make people laugh and assume he was after something. After all, rumor had it his brother had brought back a sizable fortune from his time away.

But today, hell must have frozen over. As if he knew they were dividing the property, his older brother actually showed up on his own and offered to serve as a witness. He was his own flesh and blood, and he had made the offer himself—how could Zhang Dazhuang turn him away? He had no choice but to accept.

As it turned out, having his older brother step in wasn’t without its advantages. At the very least, his second son and daughter-in-law seemed to be thoroughly cowed, which saved a lot of trouble. He cleared his throat twice and said, "Like I just said, from now on, you will each go and build your own houses. This old house will be left for your mother and me to live in. The same goes for the land. When it was originally allocated, it was done by headcount. Now that we’re dividing the family assets, we will divide it among you by headcount as well. You can’t have any objections to that, can you? Your mother and I have already discussed it. As long as we’re still able to work, we’ll handle our own food. Even when we get too old to work, we won’t ask either of your families for rations or a monthly allowance."