A crowd had already gathered at the edge of Lin Hai’s family plot.
Li Erleng, in his early thirties, was bare-chested, arms crossed, staring at Lin Wen with a contemptuous look on his face.
“Hey, Old Man Lin, don’t be so ungrateful. So I took a sliver of your land, what’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, exactly! Damn, what a cheapskate! Making a fuss over such a tiny bit of land!”
“This stubborn old man is just asking for trouble.”
“Damn it, I’ll go smash all his windows later, you old fart!”
A few village ruffians dressed in flashy clothes behind Li Erleng chimed in, their voices dripping with sarcasm.
“Old Lin, just let it go.”
“Yeah, let it go. We can’t afford to mess with these people.”
“Better to swallow your pride and stay safe, Old Lin. Look at these guys, do they seem like the type to compensate you?”
Several villagers came forward, trying to persuade Lin Wen.
Lin Wen stiffened his neck, a look of stubbornness on his face, the wrinkles trembling slightly with anger. Standing face to face with Li Erleng, who was a good head taller, he showed no fear.
“Li Erleng, I’m telling you, if you don’t compensate me today, I won’t let this end!”
“Not let it end? Hah!” Li Erleng’s face was full of disdain. “Old man, don’t be so damn ungrateful, pushing your luck.”
“I’m telling you, Li Erleng, others might be afraid of you, but I’m not! My son Xiaohai knows Town Chief Huang. If you don’t compensate me today, watch out, or I’ll have my son report you to him!”
Li Erleng’s expression changed slightly. A while back, there was indeed some rumor that this old man’s son, the one in university, seemed to know Town Chief Huang.
If it were before, Li Erleng wouldn’t have cared, but yesterday he heard from his second uncle, who was the village chief, that this Town Chief Huang might be promoted to Party Secretary.
If he became Party Secretary, that would make him the top official in the town. Offending the top official was never a smart move.
Damn it. Guess I’ll let this old man off easy this time.
Li Erleng cursed under his breath and pulled a crumpled 20-yuan note from his pocket.
“Damn it, we’re all fellow villagers here. Don’t say I, Li Erleng, am unreasonable. Take this 20 bucks as compensation for your land.” Li Erleng slapped the 20-yuan note directly onto Lin Wen’s weather-beaten, dark face.
“20 bucks?” Lin Wen let out a bitter, angry laugh. “You give that to beggars.”
“Hey, old man, don’t be so damn greedy! It’s 20 bucks, take it or leave it.” Li Erleng shot Lin Wen a fierce glare and turned to leave.
Lin Wen couldn’t just let him go.
“You stop right there. If you don’t give me fair compensation today, you’re not going anywhere.” Lin Wen grabbed Li Erleng by the arm.
“Get your damn hands off me!” Li Erleng flung his arm, nearly sending Lin Wen stumbling.
“Damn it, you’re asking for it, aren’t you?” Li Erleng shoved Lin Wen in the chest, pushing him back several more steps.
“Erleng, we don’t want the compensation anymore. Old man, come home with me.” Song Qin hurried over.
“You stay out of this!” Lin Wen’s stubbornness flared up again, pushing Song Qin aside.
“Li Erleng, if you don’t compensate me today, I won’t let this end!” Lin Wen charged again.
“Get the hell away from me!” Li Erleng shoved Lin Wen, making him stumble again.
“What are you gonna do if it doesn’t end?” Li Erleng continued to push Lin Wen around.
“Believe I won’t kill you, you old bastard!” Before Lin Wen could even steady himself, Li Erleng shoved him again.
With a heavy thud, Lin Wen fell backward, landing flat on his back in his crops.
“Dad!!!” Lin Hai let out a heart-wrenching cry.
From far away in his car, he had seen a large man repeatedly pushing and shoving his elderly father.
His father’s weathered face, dark skin, stooped frame, and graying hair were right there before him, getting closer and closer, closer and closer!
But Lin Hai’s heart sank lower and lower, heavier and heavier!
His son was right there, yet he could only watch as his old father was pushed and shoved, step by step, by a burly man, until he was finally knocked to the ground.
Lin Hai’s eyes instantly turned red.
SCREECH! The sharp sound of tires locking up.
Lin Hai threw open the car door and jumped out.
“Dad!” Lin Hai rushed over and helped Lin Wen, who was still on the ground, to his feet.
“Dad, I came too late!” Tears streamed down Lin Hai’s face.
SCREECH! Another sharp screech of brakes!
Bald Qiang got out of the BMW and headed straight for Li Erleng.
He had seen what happened from inside the car, so he understood immediately.
“The hell you!” Before Li Erleng even knew what was happening, Bald Qiang punched him square in the face, then kicked him over onto his back.
“Qiangzi, beat him within an inch of his life!” Lin Hai roared in anger.
Bald Qiang didn’t need Lin Hai’s order; he had already pounced on him and was landing a flurry of fierce kicks.
“Whoa, who the hell are you? Let go of Brother Erleng!”
“Stop hitting him, you hear me!”
A few punks behind Li Erleng quickly pointed at Bald Qiang and shouted.
A couple of them even started to move forward, wanting to rescue Li Erleng.
But when they got a look at Bald Qiang – shaved head, tattoos, thick gold chain – he was clearly someone from the underworld.
These punks were fine bullying honest farmers in the village, but when faced with a real tough guy, they didn’t dare step up and immediately chickened out.
So, apart from shouting some empty threats from the sidelines, none of them dared to go near.
This left Li Erleng in a bad way. Before long, Bald Qiang had beaten him until his mouth and nose were bleeding, and his whole body was twitching.
One quick-witted little thug secretly called a few of the younger Li family members.
Meanwhile, Liu Xinyue quickly got out of the car.
“Uncle, are you alright?” Liu Xinyue hurried over to support Lin Wen, asking with concern.
Lin Wen was stunned, wondering where this fairy-like young lady had come from, calling him Uncle.
Song Qin, however, saw clearly that this girl had gotten out of Lin Hai’s car, and her heart suddenly lit up.
But before she could ask any questions, a group of bare-chested young men, armed with clubs and sticks, came charging over menacingly from the opposite direction.
Li Erleng, lying on the ground, perked up immediately when he saw them.
“Third Brother, come save me quick!”
“Save you, my ass!” Bald Qiang kicked him in the mouth, knocking out his front teeth.
Seeing so many people coming, Song Qin was terrified.
“Xiaohai, tell your friend to run! And you, take this girl, get in the car and drive away, now!”
Lin Hai stared coldly at the oncoming crowd and shook his head.
“Mom, don’t be afraid. Your son is back. Before, you and Dad were the trees that sheltered me. Today, your son will raise a canopy of protection for you both!”
With that, a cold glint flashed in Lin Hai’s eyes, and he stepped forward.
“Qiangzi, get behind me!” Lin Hai called Bald Qiang to his side.
Although Bald Qiang had some fighting skills, the other side had too many people, and they all had weapons. He could handle two or three, but any more than that, and Bald Qiang would definitely get hurt.
Bald Qiang had stuck up for him, his master, so Lin Hai naturally wouldn’t let him take the risk.
Bald Qiang also knew his limits. He gave Li Erleng two more vicious kicks, then moved behind Lin Hai.
He wasn’t worried about Lin Hai at all; after all, his master was a martial arts expert.
“Fuck your mother! You dare hit my second brother? I’ll fucking kill you today!” This group rushed over, first helping Li Erleng up. The young man at the front pointed at Lin Hai and shouted aggressively.
Before Lin Hai could respond, the sudden roar of a car engine sounded in the distance, and a cloud of dust, like a sandstorm, came sweeping rapidly towards them.
Everyone turned to look, wondering what was inside the dust cloud.
SCREECH! Another sharp screech of brakes.
As the dust settled and they could clearly see what it was, everyone was stunned.
