I chose one of four options at the start, and I chose the number one clan in Lingnan.

Lin Ting closed the yellowed old account book.

My second great-uncle stood in front of the desk, sighing repeatedly.

"Grandpa, Lin Daqiang is too ruthless. Xiao Wei, a young man from our village, had three fingers severed by a conveyor belt while working at a sand plant last month."

Lin Daqiang refused to pay a single penny of medical expenses, instead accusing Xiaowei of damaging the machine and kicking him out of the factory. The second uncle tapped the ground with his cane, his eyes reddening.

"Xiao Wei has elderly parents and young children to support, and he can't even afford to buy anti-inflammatory medicine."

Those three sand quarries were making tens of thousands of yuan a day, all of which went into Lin Daqiang's pocket.

He's using our Lin family's resources to keep mistresses and thugs on the side.

Lin Ting stood up. He took the account book in his hand.

"Taking our own family's hard-earned money to feed dogs belonging to outsiders."

Lin Ting looked at his second uncle and said, "These three factories must be taken back today. The ancestral hall will be in charge of all the village's income."

Lin Ting strode out of the study.

Lin Fei, along with dozens of young men from the Zhongtang gang, were already waiting in the courtyard. They carried steel pipes and wooden sticks, and each of them had a look of anger on their face.

"Fei-zai, go to the village committee compound," Lin Ting ordered.

Dozens of people marched out of the ancestral hall in a grand procession.

The village committee compound of Tazhai Town is located at the eastern end of the town.

This is a three-story villa with white ceramic tiles on the exterior walls and an impressive wrought iron gate at the main entrance.

Compared to the dilapidated ancestral hall, this place looks like a nouveau riche's villa.

Two brand-new Mercedes-Benz sedans were parked in the yard, both with consecutive license plate numbers.

Second floor conference room.

The room was filled with smoke, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts and sunflower seed shells.

Lin Daqiang is in his fifties, with a large belly, wearing a silk short-sleeved shirt and a gold necklace as thick as a finger around his neck.

He was sitting with his legs crossed, playing cards around a table with four shirtless men.

These four men, with their arms covered in tattoos of blue dragons and white tigers, were notorious thugs in town.

Stacks of red 100-yuan bills were piled on the table.

"Brother Qiang, I heard that the newly elected patriarch got the county magistrate's son imprisoned?" A bald thug tossed out a pair of Kings and grabbed the money on the table to his face.

Lin Daqiang exhaled a smoke ring and threw the cards in his hand onto the table.

"He has no real ability. Zhang Yu just happened to be targeted by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection because he had a dirty job."

"That kid went to report me with a tattered envelope; it was just a lucky break," Lin Daqiang said with a disdainful look.

The bald thug counted the money: "So, will we still keep the accounts for our sand quarry for the ancestral hall to see in the future?"

Lin Daqiang flicked his cigarette ash and spat on the ground.

"What a load of crap! I'm the one who invested my money to build this factory. This kid in his early twenties thinks he can steal my business? If he dares to come here, I'll make sure he comes in standing up and leaves lying down."

"Bang!"

The solid wood door to the conference room was kicked open.

The door slammed heavily against the wall, making a loud noise.

Lin Daqiang was startled, and the cigarette in his mouth fell onto his crotch, burning him so much that he jumped up and frantically patted it off.

The four thugs grabbed empty beer bottles from the table and pointed to the door.

Lin Fei, gripping an iron rod, was the first to rush into the room. Dozens of men from Zhongtang surged in, completely blocking the spacious conference room.

The crowd parted to both sides.

Lin Ting walked into the conference room with the yellowed ledger in his hand.

He walked to the conference table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He threw the ledger in his hand onto the table with a "thud."

Lin Daqiang's face fell when he saw who it was. He waved for the four thugs to put down their bottles and then pulled out a chair and sat down again.

"Grandpa," Lin Daqiang chuckled dryly, "what brings you to my humble abode today? And with so many people, this entourage is quite intimidating."

Lin Ting leaned back in his chair and looked at Lin Daqiang.

"This is the village committee compound, the Lin family's territory, not your private casino," Lin Ting said.

Lin Daqiang leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs again.

"Grandpa, please speak frankly. I have a lot of things to deal with at the factory, and I'm very busy."

Lin Ting reached out and pointed to the account book on the table.

"Three sand quarries, using village land and digging sections of the village river, you've been in charge for three years. In those three years, you haven't paid a single penny to the ancestral hall."

Lin Ting leaned forward slightly.

"What's even more outrageous is that you hired young men from your own family to work in the factory, paid them the lowest wages, and then withheld their wages for six months."

Xiao Wei's finger was broken at the factory, and you haven't paid for his medical expenses. Let's settle this score today.

Lin Daqiang's face darkened. He took a cigarette from the cigarette pack on the table, lit it, and put it in his mouth.

"Grandpa, that's not how you settle accounts," Lin Daqiang said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Back then, I, Lin Daqiang, paid for everything from setting up the factory and buying the machinery to smoothing things over with the town officials. When the villagers came to work, I gave them a meal; that was an act of kindness."

Lin Daqiang tapped on the table.

"The reason for the wage arrears is that the factory is not doing well and is having cash flow problems."

Besides, I was the former village chief, so this factory should rightfully be under my jurisdiction. The ancestral hall is only for ancestor worship; what kind of nonsense is it to interfere in business matters?

Lin Ting looked at him.

"From today onwards, the factory is no longer under your control. Hand over the account books and official seal. The ancestral hall will take over all three sand quarries." Lin Ting issued the order.

The bald thug slammed the beer bottle he was holding onto the table, shattering glass shards all over the floor.

"Who do you think you are!" the bald man shouted, pointing at Lin Ting's nose.

"Brother Qiang is being kind by calling you 'Grandpa,' but if he didn't, you'd be nothing! You want to steal our money? You'd better ask the knife in my hand if it'll allow it!"

Lin Fei gritted his teeth and rushed forward in two steps.

He swung the iron rod in his hand in a wide arc and smashed it directly into the bald man's cheek.

The bald man screamed and fell to the ground, chair and all. He rolled on the floor, clutching his face, spitting out two bloody teeth.

Just as the other three thugs were about to make a move, dozens of Zhongtang men raised their steel pipes and took a step forward in unison.

The three thugs swallowed hard, stepped back, and dared not move again.

Lin Daqiang slammed his hand on the table. He stood up and pointed at Lin Ting.

"Lin Ting! Don't push your luck!" Lin Daqiang called him by his name directly, no longer bothering with any pretense of politeness.

"You really think you're some kind of local tyrant? Let me tell you, this sand quarry is my lifeline, Lin Daqiang's lifeline! Anyone who dares to touch it, I'll fight them to the death!"

Lin Ting sat in the chair, watching Lin Daqiang, who was in a rage.

"The Lin family has 100,000 mouths to feed, and you're using the Lin family's resources to line your own pockets and suck the blood of your clan. You have to hand over this factory whether you like it or not."

Lin Ting pointed to the bald head on the ground.

"Take your pack of bastards and get out of the sand quarry."

Lin Daqiang stared intently at Lin Ting, a cold laugh born of extreme anger.

Lin Daqiang braced his hands on the table, leaned forward, and shouted at Lin Ting.

"Grandpa, I respect you in terms of seniority, but when it comes to making money, this village is not for a young upstart like you to meddle in!"