Ye Chen was enjoying his fried rice and didn't notice anyone taking pictures of him from the roadside.
Just then, a middle-aged man with a scar on his left cheek came toward the stall, cursing as he went.
It was none other than Yang Qiufang's husband and He Qiaoqiao's father, He Du.
"Yang Qiufang, you stinking bitch! So it really is you two. Did you think I wouldn't find you just because you ran off here?" Greed and savagery gleamed in He Du's eyes. He looked at Yang Qiufang as if she were a money tree.
The moment Yang Qiufang saw He Du, she panicked. Her face went pale, and her eyes filled with terror.
He Qiaoqiao saw He Du too, and couldn't help trembling all over, her eyes filled with both hatred and fear.
"Qiaoqiao, run!" Yang Qiufang secretly slipped the money pouch from her pocket to He Qiaoqiao, then told her to take the money and run.
The pouch held He Qiaoqiao's tuition and all their savings. If He Du got his hands on it, they'd be done for.
He Qiaoqiao grabbed the pouch and took off running.
Watching the scene unfold, Ye Chen furrowed his brow. It was clear He Du had come looking for trouble.
"You little money pit, you think you can run? Stop right there!" The moment He Du spotted the pouch, his eyes lit up. Without a second thought, he chased after He Qiaoqiao.
Yang Qiufang hurried forward to stop him. "That's Qiaoqiao's tuition. You can't take it to gamble!"
"Get lost! You useless old hag. You gave birth to a little money pit like her. Girls are going to marry into someone else's family sooner or later, so what's the point of sending her to school? And you even ran away with that little money pit. I'm your husband, and the money you earn is mine..."
He Du shoved Yang Qiufang aside.
Yang Qiufang fell to the ground, knocking over a small table.
He Qiaoqiao had already run a long way, but when she saw that Yang Qiufang hadn't run with her, she was afraid her mother would get beaten and hurried back.
"Here, take the money. Take it all. Just go, and don't come back..." He Qiaoqiao threw the pouch to He Du, then hugged Yang Qiufang and began to cry.
He Du picked up the pouch from the ground and said smugly, greed written all over his face, "I'm the head of this family. This money should be under my control anyway. Don't come back? Dream on. In life, you're mine; in death, you're my ghost..."
"Qiaoqiao! I told you to run, didn't I? Why did you come back? We need to save this money for your education. We can't let him gamble it away..." Yang Qiufang shoved He Qiaoqiao aside and threw herself at He Du, trying to wrest the pouch from him.
That pouch held He Qiaoqiao's future—and their hope of making it through.
When He Du saw Yang Qiufang trying to take the money, he swung his fist and punched her hard.
Yang Qiufang groaned. Her left eye immediately swelled up and turned black and blue, but she still clung tightly to the pouch.
Seeing Yang Qiufang get hit, He Qiaoqiao's eyes reddened. She rushed forward and bit He Du hard.
He Du yelped in pain and kicked He Qiaoqiao viciously.
He Qiaoqiao was knocked to the ground. Clutching her abdomen, she curled up in pain.
He Du raised his fist and started pummeling Yang Qiufang again, his eyes full of menace. "You stinking bitch, let go! Let go!"
At the sight, Ye Chen sprang to his feet.
He Du was no man at all. He'd never once come to help them, and now he'd shown up just to take their money and beat his wife and daughter.
He couldn't drink that pork rib soup for nothing.
Ye Chen was about to go help when someone beside him grabbed him and held on tight.
"Kid, stay out of this. It's obviously a family matter. Couples fight and make up all the time; it's perfectly normal. If you get involved, you'll only make things worse and get yourself into trouble," the man advised.
Ye Chen shook off the man's hand and snapped, "Let go. Domestic violence isn't a family matter."
"Hey... Why are you sticking your nose into other people's business? Why won't you listen?" The man stamped his feet in frustration.
The other people at the stall saw the fight break out and couldn't enjoy their late-night snacks anymore. Afraid of getting dragged into trouble, they stopped watching and scattered.
Inside the car, Gao Zuo was getting excited. Why was that guy holding Ye Chen back? Let Ye Chen get in there! Let them fight! Better yet, let them smash up Ye Chen's face and leave him crippled.
Ye Chen stepped forward and grabbed He Du's hand as he was about to keep beating Yang Qiufang. "Stop!"
"Don't stick your nose into my business, you busybody! I'm teaching my wife a lesson. What's it to you? Get lost, or I'll beat you too," He Du snarled at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen held on to He Du's hand and shot back angrily, "You know she's your wife, so why are you hitting her? A man's hands are for making his way in the world, not for hitting his wife. Only a pathetic loser hits his wife."
Yang Qiufang looked at Ye Chen with tear-filled, reddened eyes, gratitude plain in her expression.
Ye Chen gave Yang Qiufang a look, signaling her to get farther away so she wouldn't get hurt when they started fighting.
After Ye Chen had been beaten so badly while saving Su Ningwei that his head split open, he'd signed up for self-defense classes, just in case.
It was only amateur training, but it should be enough to deal with someone like He Du, who had never trained and was relying entirely on brute force.
"You motherfucker, who are you calling a pathetic loser? I'll cripple you today!" He Du had been hit where it hurt. He let go of the pouch with his other hand and swung at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen turned his head to dodge He Du's punch, then countered with a punch of his own.
He Du had hit Yang Qiufang's left eye just now, hadn't he?
Ye Chen's punch sent He Du stumbling back several steps. He clutched his left eye, grimacing in pain as he cursed Ye Chen and his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Yang Qiufang seized the chance to snatch the pouch and hold it tight against her chest.
Seeing that He Du was no match for Ye Chen, Yang Qiufang let out a sigh of relief and hurried to check on He Qiaoqiao. "Qiaoqiao, are you okay?"
He Qiaoqiao clutched her stomach and shook her head at Yang Qiufang. "I'm fine. Mom, how are you? Brother Ye will be okay, right?"
"I'm fine, Mom's fine. You silly girl, didn't I tell you to take the money and run?" Yang Qiufang held He Qiaoqiao close, her heart aching for her. It was all her fault for being too useless to control He Du, and for letting He Qiaoqiao suffer alongside her.
"What does money matter compared to you? If we lose it, we can earn more." He Qiaoqiao answered, all the while looking anxiously toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen lifted his leg and kicked He Du hard in the stomach.
He Du had kicked He Qiaoqiao in the stomach just now, hadn't he?
He Du crashed into several tables and fell to the ground in pain, clutching his stomach and crying out over and over. Even so, he kept cursing without pause.
"Shut up! Say another word and I'll knock your mouth crooked!" Ye Chen straddled He Du and pinned him down, keeping him from getting up and hurting anyone again.
Seeing he couldn't beat Ye Chen, He Du had no choice but to shut his mouth.
"Auntie Yang, call the police!" Ye Chen turned and shouted to Yang Qiufang.
Yang Qiufang hurriedly picked up her phone and tapped 110. But just as she was about to place the call, she glanced at He Qiaoqiao and hesitated.