There are no secrets in a village. By dinnertime, almost everyone knew that Felix Thorne had dislocated Bowman Golding’s arm. He was at home, howling like a pig being slaughtered, so it was hard not to know.

"AHH... It hurts like hell..."

Bowman Golding lay on the bed howling, his left arm still stuck in an awkward position. He was sweating bullets from the pain. Sherman Golding and Mandy York also looked a mess. Plenty of people had seen them on their way back, and some had even come forward to "show their concern," which mortified them.

Jethro Golding also heard about the incident. He was the main pillar of the Golding family and was also relatively close with Sherman Golding’s family. Sherman’s father, Jean Golding, and Jethro were paternal cousins, sharing the same grandfather. Phoenix Golding’s father, Silas Golding, was also a paternal cousin from the same generation, though their branch of the family was more distant. However, Phoenix herself was very close to Sherman’s family.

Ultimately, almost every household in Millstone Peak was related by blood or marriage. Aside from a few families with different surnames, it was basically just two large clans. If any branch of the Golding family ran into trouble, the others would stand up for them. The same, of course, was true for the Thorne family.

Jethro Golding rushed over to Sherman Golding’s house and heard Bowman’s pig-like squeals from a distance. He couldn’t help but frown. ’What a disgrace.’

"Third Uncle."

Sherman Golding and Mandy York rose to their feet in unison, greeting him respectfully. All three members of the family were bruised and battered. Not a single one had escaped unscathed.

Jethro Golding snorted coldly and went to check on Bowman. He had run with the Beggars’ Sect in the past and knew a thing or two about martial arts. One look told him that Felix Thorne hadn’t been ruthless; he had merely dislocated the joint.

POP!

With a quick pull and a push from Jethro Golding, Bowman screamed even more wretchedly, his cries audible throughout the village. Sweat poured off him like rain, soaking his clothes. He lay paralyzed on the bed like a pile of mud, not moving a muscle. Mandy York’s heart ached for her son, and her hatred for the Thorne family was bone-deep. She wished nothing more than for that whole family to die a miserable death. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Explain everything to me from start to finish. Don’t add any of your own embellishments, just tell me the honest truth."

Jethro Golding’s face was grim. He shot a glare at Mandy York, who looked like she was about to speak. He had no desire to listen to his nephew’s wife’s bullshit; not one word in ten from her was true.

Sherman Golding shivered. He was more afraid of Jethro Golding than his own father and didn’t dare try anything clever. He confessed everything honestly, growing more and more embarrassed as he spoke. Now that he had calmed down, he too felt that what he’d done was despicable, and he hung his head in shame.

Jethro Golding’s expression darkened further, and he kicked out at him. "You’ve completely disgraced the Golding family! A grown man like you, trying to steal land cleared by a child! You eat the food of men but don’t act like one! You deserved to be taught a lesson by Felix Thorne!"

Sherman was completely in the wrong on this. There was no way to justify it. Jethro had originally planned to go and argue with Byron Thorne, but hmph, ’Forget it. We’ve lost too much face!’

"Third Uncle, the Hawthornes are outsiders. What right do they have to clear land in our Millstone Peak? We weren’t in the wrong," Mandy York muttered, still feeling wronged.

Jethro Golding sneered. "Outsiders? Then why would Felix Thorne stand up for the Hawthornes? They’re relatives of Byron Thorne! Even when you beat a dog, you have to consider its master. By openly trying to steal the Hawthornes’ land, you were slapping Byron Thorne in the face. On top of that, you hit his precious darling. You’re lucky Felix Thorne didn’t beat you to death!"

’Even a little girl like Tang Xiaonan knows to protect the Thorne family’s reputation, yet this family is dumber than pigs. They can’t see the reality of the situation, and they still have the gall to feel wronged?’

"But Byron Thorne never cared if the Hawthornes lived or died before," Mandy York retorted, still unconvinced.

"If he didn’t care, would the Hawthornes be able to work for the production brigade? Settle down in Millstone Peak? Get a share of the brigade’s grain? Is your head stuffed with straw? You can only see what’s right under your nose!"

Jethro Golding glared at Mandy York in disgust. ’Those two sisters are both fools,’ he thought. ’It’s a good thing Iris married into the Thorne family. If both of them had come to plague the Golding family, we’d never have a day of peace.’