Li Zhuo stamped his feet hard against the fallen crimson gates of the estate. The wood creaked under his boots, and the two large bronze ring-knockers rattled noisily.
All the estate servants and handymen had gathered at the scene, armed with cudgels. Hearing that bandits had broken in, they had initially felt some trepidation. But upon seeing that the intruders were merely a few teenage boys, they all relaxed, thinking to themselves: *In a moment, just a few blows with our clubs will be enough to lay these wet-behind-the-ears brats flat on their backs.*
Among the crowd was a man in his forties with a thin mustache and shifty, rat-like eyes—Old Huang, the estate steward. When Old Huang arrived, he saw his young master lying on the ground, wailing and covered in blood. Hearing the doorman insist they were bandits, yet noting the thirty or forty estate servants and handymen present, he immediately regained his confidence and sneered, "Where did these reckless ruffians come from, daring to run wild in the Wu Estate? Why don't you surrender immediately and save yourselves!"
Chapter 20