Subduing the Village Bully

"Was it you who bullied my mother?"

Faced with Hong Dafu's stern voice, Wei Donglai smiled with unusual delight.

The villagers around them all wondered if there was something wrong with the young man's head.

He could still smile at a time like this.

Wei Guoqing had been worried too, but now he was baffled by Wei Donglai's smile.

"Donglai, how can you still smile?"

"Relax, Dad!"

With that, Wei Donglai shielded Wei Guoqing behind him and faced Hong Dafu head-on.

"What the hell are you grinning at? I asked you a question. Are you deaf?"

Wei Donglai picked at his ear. "What did you just ask?"

"I asked if you were the one who bullied my mother."

"If I said your mother bullied me, would you believe me?"

"Like hell I'd believe you!"

"There you go, then. Why waste so much breath? Aren't you going to fight?"

Hong Dafu stared at him in surprise, wondering why the man opposite him wasn't following the usual script.

He had actually told Hong Dafu to attack.

Wasn't he afraid?

Or did he have something to back him up?

Wei Donglai's reaction had left Hong Dafu unable to figure him out, and he suddenly felt less sure of himself.

The three lackeys behind him didn't care what Hong Dafu was thinking and immediately started shouting.

"Fuck, how dare you talk to Brother Fu like that?"

"Are you asking for a beating?"

"Brother Fu, want us to take him down?"

Hong Dafu's eyes darted around for a while. He suspected Wei Donglai might have some backing.

"Kid, who do you run with?"

Wei Donglai laughed. "What? Trying to find out who's behind me? I can tell you I don't run with anyone, so you can fight without worrying."

"Damn it, Brother Fu, this kid's too cocky. Let's get him."

With that, the three young men charged at Wei Donglai.

Seeing this, Wei Donglai's expression turned cold, and he went straight to meet them.

The young man who had been the first to shout launched a flying kick at Wei Donglai.

Wei Donglai lunged forward, dodged the flying leg, and slammed into his chest.

The young man had barely been airborne for two seconds before he landed hard on his backside, several meters away.

The other two young men were immediately frightened by the sight.

But how could Wei Donglai let them off? He closed in on them, using both fists and feet, beating them until they scurried away with their hands over their heads.

Only then did the surrounding villagers realize that Wei Donglai's combat power was truly off the charts. His strength was frightening too; he had nearly swung the two young men around in circles.

They finally understood why Wei Donglai had been smiling earlier. With combat power like that, he was bound to crush them.

In less than two minutes, all three were lying on the ground.

Hong Dafu couldn't help swallowing. He was glad he hadn't acted rashly just now.

Whether or not this kid had any backing, Hong Dafu couldn't beat him.

Facing Wei Donglai now, Hong Dafu couldn't help feeling nervous. His fists were clenched so tightly they were nearly dripping water.

"Do you still want to fight?"

At Wei Donglai's question, Hong Dafu quickly shook his head.

In the face of overwhelming force, being obedient was the smartest choice.

Wei Donglai was very satisfied with Hong Dafu's reaction. "Good. Since we're not fighting, let's reason this out."

"My dad had been drinking, and your mother wasn't watching where she was going. Both sides were at fault, so we're even. Isn't that right?"

"Right, right!"

"Right, my foot! Your dad was clearly the one who bumped into me!"

The old woman wanted to keep arguing, but Hong Dafu grabbed her.

"Mother, don't get me into trouble!"

The old woman looked furious. "Are you even my son? How can you be such a coward?"

"I don't want to be a coward either, but I have to be able to beat him! If I get hurt and end up in the hospital, will you pay the medical bills?"

The old woman looked at the three young men still lying on the ground and immediately fell silent.

Seeing this, Wei Donglai prepared to settle the matter quickly.

"Although we're even, the fact is that your things were broken. I'm a reasonable man, so I can compensate you."

He pointed at Hong Dafu. "How much do you say I should pay?"

"You... you decide."

Wei Donglai didn't stand on ceremony. "Fine, then I'll pay you five yuan!"

The old woman jumped up and down. "Didn't you just say you'd give me ten?"

Wei Donglai looked at her and said sternly, "In a moment, I won't even want to give you five."

"Dog..."

The old woman was so angry she began to curse, but Hong Dafu covered her mouth as soon as she opened it.

"Five yuan it is!"

Wei Donglai took five yuan from his pocket and handed it to Hong Dafu.

Then he turned and called to the somewhat bewildered Wei Guoqing, "Dad, let's go."

Wei Donglai led the way, and Hong Dafu hurriedly pulled the old woman aside to clear a path for him.

The old woman grabbed the flesh at Hong Dafu's waist and gave it a fierce twist, making him yelp. "Mother, you're being way too rough!"

The old woman took two deep breaths. "If I hadn't pinched you, you'd have smothered me to death."

Hong Dafu looked a little embarrassed. "I just wasn't paying attention."

Seeing that Wei Donglai had already left the crowd, the old woman hurried after him and shouted, "Give me back that Buddha statue!"

Wei Donglai shook the Guanyin statue in his hand. "When a person's heart is wicked, worshipping Buddha is a waste. I paid for this thing."

With that, Wei Donglai walked away without looking back.

Watching the father and son recede into the distance, the old woman stamped her feet in resentment, clearly unwilling to let the matter go.

She held out her hand to Hong Dafu. "Give me the money."

"Mother, I need this money. I'll pay you back in a couple of days."

"What do you need it for? Are you going to gamble it away again? Give me the money right now."

"Mother, I have something to do. I'm leaving."

With that, Hong Dafu slipped away. The old woman's short legs couldn't have caught him even if they'd thrown sparks.

The old woman was dumbstruck as she watched her son leave with the compensation money.

When she came to her senses, she stamped her feet and cursed. Still unable to vent her anger, she sat on the ground and wailed.

The three young men on the ground were slowly coming around by then, but they were dumbfounded too when they saw that Hong Dafu was nowhere in sight.

They were the ones who had stood up for him, the ones who had been hurt, and, in the end, the ones who had been abandoned.

What sin had they committed to deserve this?

The villagers saw that the show was over and slowly dispersed.

Still, the aftertaste of this affair was something they could savor at their leisure.

After what had happened, Wei Guoqing had clearly sobered up.

Now he walked with a spring in his step, steady and sure.

"Donglai, why did you pay them five yuan just now?"

Wei Guoqing hated to part with those five yuan.

When they went fishing at sea, if they caught the cheap stuff, they needed at least seven or eight jin just to sell it for five yuan.

"Dad, losing money wards off disaster. If we'd really gotten into an argument with that old woman, it would've been a real nuisance. Besides, we're in another village. It wouldn't have looked good if we hadn't paid a single cent."

"Even so, there was no need to give her five yuan. One or two at most."

Wei Donglai pointed at the Guanyin statue in his hand. "Let's just say it was for the bodhisattva."

"Pah, pah, pah! Don't mention money in front of the bodhisattva. Show some respect."

"Then what should I call it?"

"Incense money!"

"So now you don't think I gave too much?"

"You brat, you've learned to tease me, have you?"

Wei Donglai dodged his father's slap and ran quickly ahead.

As he ran, he looked back. "Dad, if we don't hurry, Mom will scold us when we get home."