Li Jianjun was not about to indulge him. Thinking of a way to teach this guy a proper lesson, he stepped forward to meet him head-on.
He certainly wasn’t going to coddle Jia Dongxu. With a few swift, decisive movements, he sent Jia Dongxu crashing to the ground.
"Aaaah!" Jia Dongxu shrieked in pain.
"My son! Help! Someone help! He's killing people! Murder!"
Seeing this, Mrs. Jia completely lost her composure. She felt that Li Jianjun was truly detestable; not only had he beaten her grandson, but now he had attacked her son as well. After screaming, she tried to lunge at Li Jianjun, but one glance at his icy expression stopped her cold. Terrified, she collapsed onto the ground, rolling about and throwing a tantrum like a shameless rogue.
Just then, Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, and Liu Haizhong rushed over.
"Stop!" Yi Zhonghai shouted. "Li Jianjun, it’s you again? Why are you hitting Banggen?"
Yi Zhonghai looked at Li Jianjun with a grim expression. He had never really appreciated Li since he arrived a few years ago, which was why he always protected the Jia family. Even if he had felt a flicker of regret earlier that afternoon, he had already chosen to put it out of his mind.
"First Uncle? You’re finally here! If you’d come any later, my son would have been beaten to death by this bastard!" Mrs. Jia cried out. "You have to stand up for our Jia family!"
"That’s right, First Uncle! Look at how badly my son and I have been beaten! Why don't you hold a communal meeting and give him a good lesson?" Jia Dongxu scrambled up from the ground and urged.
Yi Zhonghai turned a dark glare toward Li Jianjun. "Li Jianjun, what is going on? Why did you hit them? If you don't give me a proper explanation, we’re calling a full-court meeting."
"Finished? If you’re done, then it’s my turn to speak," Li Jianjun said with a shrug. He continued, "Everyone, why did I hit Banggen? Take a look at what he did—sneaking into my house in the middle of the night to steal food. Doesn't that deserve a beating?"
He looked at them coldly; he despised these unreasonable people.
"Nonsense! When did I steal your fruit?" Banggen shouted. He hated Li Jianjun to his core, but he knew he could never admit to what happened tonight, no matter what.
"Li Jianjun, did you hear that? My Banggen said he didn't steal your fruit!" Mrs. Jia shrieked. The onlookers were confused, unsure who was telling the truth, so they kept quiet and watched the show.
Li Jianjun gave a cold laugh. "Is that so? Why don't you all look at what Banggen threw up after I hit him? And his pockets are bulging—it’s the exact fruit from my house."
The crowd looked over. Sure enough, they saw bits of fruit amongst the vomit, and his pockets were indeed bulging. Someone reached in and pulled out two pieces of fruit—they were identical to the ones they had seen Li Jianjun eating earlier that evening.
Suddenly, the neighbors cast disgusted glances at Banggen. The boy was truly revolting; he really had been stealing from others. Banggen panicked, but he still stubbornly insisted, "I didn't! I didn't steal anything. I just saw that he had plenty of fruit left over, so I thought I’d help him eat some. Li Jianjun, don't be so ungrateful for my good intentions."
"That’s right! My grandson was just being kind. Li Jianjun, stop making trouble!" Mrs. Jia chimed in.
Li Jianjun found the situation almost amusing. He couldn't believe how thick-skinned this family was to spout such nonsense. He wondered where they even found the courage to say such things.
"First Uncle, why don't we hold a full-court meeting to resolve this? What do you think?" Second Uncle Liu Haizhong suggested. He was craving the authority of his position, having not chaired a meeting in a long time.
"No need. It's just a small matter; why call a meeting?" Yi Zhonghai refused immediately. He had figured out that Banggen was clearly in the wrong—sneaking into someone else's house was inexcusable. His biggest surprise was that Li Jianjun had actually taken action, and so violently at that. With this in mind, he turned to Li Jianjun with a sullen face.
"Li Jianjun, I think this whole thing is trivial, so why make such a scene? You've already hit them, so you've had your revenge. I'll make them pay you some money, and we can just let this matter rest."
Before Yi Zhonghai could even finish, Mrs. Jia couldn't hold back. "First Uncle? Why should our family apologize? Look at my son and grandson—they’re the ones who got beaten! He is just a—"
Before Mrs. Jia could finish, Yi Zhonghai barked, "Shut up! Don't say another word." He was frustrated with her. He was trying to downplay the incident for her, and she still dared to talk?
Sure enough, Li Jianjun spoke up. "This matter will not be settled that easily. Banggen sneaking into my house in the middle of the night has caused me a great deal of distress; a beating is the least he deserves. I demand thirty yuan in compensation and a formal apology, or I am going straight to the police."
Li Jianjun stared coldly at the Jia family. He found them utterly repulsive.
"What? You want thirty yuan?" Mrs. Jia was incensed. Thirty yuan! That was more than Jia Dongxu’s entire monthly salary. This was daylight robbery!
"Is that so?" Li Jianjun remained unmoved. "If you say one more word, I'm adding another ten." He wasn't going to let them walk all over him; if he didn't show some steel, they’d think he was an easy target.
"You..." Mrs. Jia was furious, but before she could start cursing, Jia Dongxu grabbed her. He realized Li Jianjun wasn't bluffing.
The rest of the crowd was in an uproar. They hadn't expected Li Jianjun to be so ruthless—asking for thirty yuan over a couple of pieces of fruit?
"Li Jianjun, isn't that a bit much? You know the Jia family is having a hard time. Look at how many people there are, with only one person working. Can't you ask for less?"