Chapter 05: Crushing the Hooligans, First Encounter and Getting Tricked
Dongquan Village is located in Hegu Town, Tianhai City. It is considered a relatively remote and poor village. In the past, there wasn't even a road, but a few years ago, the town mayor suddenly ordered the town government to contribute half of the funds, while the remaining half was raised by the villagers to build a small road. Although it was called a small road, it was actually a muddy path hastily dug out for vehicles to pass through, without even a paved asphalt base. On rainy days, it would become muddy.
As for why the high-ranking mayor suddenly showed such intimacy towards Dongquan Village, that is something only a few people know.
Dongquan Village is only a few miles away from the town, and it takes about half an hour to walk there. On the first, third, and fifth day of each week, there is a market in the town, and all the villagers from the entire Hegu Town gather there. The town has been developed quite well, and many villagers with active minds and houses along the street have opened their own shops and businesses. To facilitate everyone, a vegetable market was specially built, although it was simple, it was convenient for villagers to sell their home-grown vegetables, chickens, and ducks.
"Brother Liu, I'm sorry, but you know my current situation. If I continue to stay here, it will only make it difficult for you. It wouldn't be good if it affects your business."
Today is not a market day, and it's already past noon, so there aren't many people in town. Ye Zhou first took his little brother to the restaurant where he worked. The restaurant owner, Liu Wenlong, is only twenty-three years old and didn't receive much education, but he has great respect for educated people. That's why he was willing to employ the previous host who seemed to have no skills at all.
"It doesn't matter whether it affects or not. Xiaozhou, you are just too polite."
Liu Wenlong is tall and sturdy, giving off a strong and imposing presence, but he appears to be honest.
"Brother Liu is kind-hearted, and I can't take advantage of you, right? Let's leave it at that. I still need to take my brother to buy something."
Saying that, Ye Zhou prepared to leave. Liu Wenlong is a good person, and if possible, he would like to be friends with him. But he doesn't have the luxury of time to cultivate such friendships right now.
"Ah... why are you so stubborn, kid? Fine, wait a moment."
Seeing that, Liu Wenlong was also at a loss. He called them back and went behind the counter to take out twenty yuan and handed it to him. "Take it, this is your salary for the first half of the month. My restaurant's business is just so-so, I can't help you much, but as a person, I have to rely on my conscience. I can't eat your salary with a guilty conscience. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, don't forget to come to your brother. I'll do what I can to help. If I can't, we can discuss it together. Don't shoulder everything alone."
He actually feels sorry for him. At the age of seventeen, he has already suffered so much.
"Well then, thank you very much, Brother Liu."
Unable to refuse his enthusiasm, and considering that he is indeed in need of money, Ye Zhou simply no longer refused his kindness. After all, he can repay him in the future if he finds a way.
The two brothers bid farewell to Liu Wenlong. Ye Zhou then wandered around the town based on the memories of the previous host, getting a general understanding of the town's situation. Finally, he took Ye Huan and headed towards a shop that sells agricultural tools and seeds. The shop owner is a middle-aged man who appears to be in his fifties, sitting lazily by the door due to the lack of business.
"Young man, what do you want to buy? I have the most complete collection of agricultural tools, seeds, and fertilizers. Come in and have a look."
Seeing them approaching, the shop owner warmly greeted them.
"I want to buy some seeds. What kind of vegetable seeds do you have here?"
Ye Zhou led his brother into the shop. The shop was plain without any decoration, just two rows of simple shelves with bags of fertilizers stacked against the walls.
"I have all kinds of vegetable seeds here: cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, rapeseed, watermelon. Which seeds are you looking for?"
The shop owner brought them to a shelf and gestured while saying that he had personally tasted all these vegetables, but he didn't recognize every type of seed. He didn't want to be taken advantage of as an ignorant customer. Ye Zhou pretended to ponder for a while and then said, "Then give me a portion of all the seeds. Also, I need a set of small-scale agricultural tools. Please calculate the total cost, sir."
He touched the thirty-five yuan in his pocket1 and wondered if it would be enough.
"Alright, young man, please wait."
Seeing this, the shop owner smiled widely and turned around to attend to their request. Meanwhile, Ye Zhou looked around the shop and noticed a corner filled with withered flower branches, including roses and orchids. Without hesitation, Ye Zhou raised his head and asked, "Sir, are these flower branches unwanted?"
"They're no longer needed. Those flowers all died. My son brought them back, thinking that city folks would like them. He believed they would bloom and someone would appreciate them. But who knew they couldn't survive. I was actually planning to throw them away after closing the shop."
From the shop owner's tone, it was evident that he felt somewhat resentful. It seemed he had put a lot of effort into those flowers.
"I see. Can I have them, sir? My yard is empty, and I want to try if I can revive one or two of them to decorate it."
He needed a comprehensive experiment for his space, and these flowers weren't heavy.
"Sure, take them. It saves me the trouble."
The shop owner happily packed the seeds and brought out a set of agricultural tools from behind the counter, including a small hoe, shovel, and sickle. "That will be twenty-one and a half yuan. Let's make it twenty for you. Is there anything else you need?"
Considering that ordinary workers only earn a little over a hundred yuan a month, twenty yuan was not a small amount.
"No, that's all, sir."
Ye Zhou took out twenty yuan and handed it to the shop owner. He gave the bag of seeds to Ye Huan to hold while he carried the bundle of agricultural tools. Just before leaving, he didn't forget to pick up the flower branches that the owner had already packed. The shop owner warmly escorted them to the door, saying, "Young man, don't forget to take care of my business in the future."
Ye Zhou didn't say anything, just turned and smiled before nodding. If the seeds turned out well, he would definitely come back. On the other hand, he didn't want to be taken advantage of.
Buying the seeds and agricultural tools had cost more than half of their family's belongings. It would be a lie to say that he didn't feel a pang of heartache. All his assets amounted to only thirty-five yuan. However, while passing by a stall selling cloth shoes, Ye Zhou still took out five yuan each and bought a pair of cloth shoes for himself and his brother. He skipped buying clothes for now since he couldn't afford them yet. Afterwards, he bought five kilograms of rice, leaving less than ten yuan. Compared to Ye Huan, who was delighted, Ye Zhou felt a painful throb in his heart. He wished a big pile of money would fall from the sky and crush him.
"Brother, are we going to have white rice for dinner? That's great! It's been a long time since I had hot steaming white rice."
On their way back home, Ye Huan was happily hopping and skipping, oblivious to the pained expression on his older brother's face.
"Yes, white rice, and braised chicken."
No one could see the glint that flashed through Ye Zhou's eyes when he mentioned braised chicken.
"Braised chicken? Where do we get chicken from?"
Ye Huan was puzzled, blinking his eyes in confusion.
"Cough... don't ask too many questions, little brother. I promise you'll have braised chicken tonight."
Afraid of being inadvertently exposed by his younger brother, Ye Zhou blushed and put on a serious expression. Could he mention that he had his eye on several old hens from the Ye family's house? No, he couldn't.
"Oh."
Although he didn't get an answer, Ye Huan obediently nodded his head. The two brothers continued walking, chatting and laughing.
"Oh, look who it is! It's Ye Zhou from Dongquan Village. Last time, you dared to report to the police station, causing my brothers and me to spend two days in jail. Big brother has been looking for you everywhere."
Just as the two brothers were panting and about to return to the village, a group of five or six rough-looking young men, all in their twenties, emerged from the trees on the roadside and blocked their path. Ye Huan was frightened, his small body stiffening. Ye Zhou stepped forward, using his own body to shield his brother. From their conversation, it was easy to tell that these were the same thugs who had harassed and attempted to assault them a few days ago.
"What do you want? You want to spend more time in jail, don't you?"
As he spoke, Ye Zhou set down the things in his hands. Taking advantage of their distraction, he discreetly picked up half a brick, hiding it behind his back. His peach blossom eyes sparkled like two dark, calm pools, devoid of any warmth, as he stared at the leader of the group.
"You, brothers, beat him until he doesn't recognize himself... Ah!"
Clearly, they hadn't expected him to be so audacious with his words. The man grew furious and shouted for his companions to teach Ye Zhou a lesson. But before he could finish his sentence, Ye Zhou swiftly lunged forward, bringing down the brick upon his head, smashing it open like a watermelon. The man let out a howl of pain that resembled the screams of a slaughtered pig, echoing through the entire street. The other thugs were dumbfounded, momentarily forgetting to react.
Ye Zhou, however, didn't stop there. Ignoring the blood streaming down the man's face, he kicked him to the ground and straddled him, raising the blood-stained brick and mercilessly striking him again and again. A series of fierce actions shocked the other thugs into forgetfulness.
It was their actions that had angered him. He hadn't even sought revenge for indirectly causing the death of the original owner. Yet, they had the audacity to appear before him. Damn it, if he couldn't kill them, he would write his name backward.
"I'm scared, big brother..."
Frightened and slow to react, Ye Huan rushed forward and hugged his waist. Ye Zhou regained some rationality, dropping the brick and crouching down to embrace him. "It's okay, little Huan. Remember, when dealing with people like them, we have to be more ruthless and vicious than they are, or else we'll always be bullied."
While speaking, Ye Zhou gave a stern look at the man lying on the ground, howling in pain. It was unfortunate for him to be the first captured. Ye Zhou believed in capturing the ringleader first, shooting the bird in the flock. Who asked him to look like the boss of those people? He had no problem with that; he liked to fight against bullies and tyrants, especially all kinds of bosses.
"Okay."
Nuzzling against his neck, Ye Huan nodded as if he understood. Neither of the brothers noticed the military off-road vehicle parked behind them. A tall and sturdy man, wearing an old-fashioned iron gray suit that hugged his nearly 190-centimeter-tall solid body, pushed open the car door and stepped out. His slightly longer hair, compared to a crew cut, appeared somewhat messy, but it complemented his sharp and handsome facial features, giving off a hint of arrogance. His sharp black eyes, as sharp as a blade, swept over the situation in front of him. The thin curve of his lips showed a trace of interest. This kid seemed unremarkable at first glance, but when he turned fierce, he was more sinister than anyone else.
In fact, he had witnessed most of what had just happened. Ye Huan's sudden ferocity had startled him, but he hadn't expected a man who looked so slender from behind to unleash such powerful combat skills. This trip back to his hometown seemed like it wouldn't be boring after all.
"The brick is quite effective."
Picking up the blood-stained brick from the ground, the man said, half-jokingly.
Ye Zhou cautiously looked at him while holding his brother. Honestly, the man was handsome, but in a different way from his own soft and delicate appearance. The man's handsomeness belonged to the type of masculine charm that men possess. As a gay man, it would be a lie to say that he was not moved when suddenly confronted with such a high-quality handsome guy. In reality, he did have a momentary fascination, but that was all. At this moment, he wasn't in the mood for such things. Moreover, his intuition told him that the man in front of him was not someone to mess with.
"What do you want?"
His captivating peach blossom eyes remained calm without any ripples. The man raised an eyebrow slightly, and his interest deepened. But in the next second…
"Ahh..."
The man swung the brick he was holding and struck the head of the groaning thug on the ground. The thug let out a scream and instantly slumped, unconscious. The man chuckled, "I'll clean up for you. Just tell me your name."
Although the man seemed friendly, Ye Zhou knew better than anyone that he had already dug a pit and was waiting for him to jump in. The injuries he had inflicted on the thug earlier seemed frightening, but they were just superficial wounds. Even if the police were called, he could claim self-defense and get away with it. Moreover, those thugs already had a bad reputation, and they had recently harassed him. He was confident that he would be fine. However, the man immediately knocked out the thug with a single swing of the brick. Without even looking, Ye Zhou knew how forceful his attack was. If he refused to comply, he would probably be held responsible for the injuries, especially with the other thugs who had fled serving as witnesses.
Damn it, he had seen cunning people before, but never someone more cunning than him!
"I don't think I need your help. Besides, before asking someone's name, it seems like you've forgotten to introduce yourself."
Despite knowing the danger involved, Ye Zhou didn't show any signs of panic. He just looked at him with calm and piercing eyes. Only God knew that deep inside, he was roaring like a wild beast. Damn it, once he knew this man's name, he would definitely curse all of his female ancestors one by one.
"I'm Pan Xiangdong. Now it's your turn."
The man didn't seem surprised either, but his eyes grew hotter, and his interest became more intense. He liked Ye Zhou's appearance of having suffered a loss yet dared not complain.
"Ye Zhou, handle it properly."
Regardless of whether he had to bury the guy on the spot or do something else, Ye Zhou treated him like a servant. The unabashed interest in his eyes showed that he had no intention of hiding anything. Ye Zhou frowned in annoyance, too lazy to pay him any more attention. He pulled his frightened younger brother and picked up the things on the ground, ready to leave.
Pan Xiangdong raised an amused eyebrow, seemingly uninterested in getting entangled with Ye Zhou. With ease, he picked up the unconscious young ruffian and threw him into the backseat of the car. After sitting in the driver's seat, he leaned out and shouted, "Ye Zhou, we will meet again."
"Who the fuck wants to see your sorry ass?"
"Hahaha..."
As soon as he spoke, Ye Zhou remembered being tricked by him, and he immediately unleashed a rough shout. Pan Xiangdong burst into hearty laughter, as if all his accumulated frustrations had disappeared. His fiery tiger-like eyes watched the two brothers' figures for a long time.
"An interesting little thing."
Only after their figures disappeared completely did Pan Xiangdong chuckle, start the engine, and skillfully reverse the car in the opposite direction of Dongquan Village.
When the two of them first met, Pan Xiangdong had already tricked Ye Zhou. However, he seemed to have forgotten that debts would always be repaid in the world they lived in. Soon enough, he would discover who the true sorry ass was. Of course, all of this is a story for another time.
