Public security in the early 1990s was quite poor, and the streets were swarming with idle young punks.
Today, Wang Xiaofang and Zhang Rui had come down to the riverbank for a spring outing when they ran into Bu Erhu and his gang of thugs. These hoodlums couldn't pass the college entrance examinations and refused to work in factories, choosing instead to waste their days roaming the streets.
When Li Dabao heard what was happening, his eyes turned red. He had harbored a secret crush on Zhang Rui for a long time; how could he possibly stand by and let his goddess be bullied by street punks? Without a second word, he sprinted down the embankment slope and charged straight into the small grove of trees.
Wu Hua didn't even have time to call out to him and could only rush forward helplessly with the other friends.
Wu Hua knew this was the early 1990s—when protecting others, one had to protect oneself as well. He wasn't as impulsive as Li Dabao; he picked up a thick wooden stick before chasing after Li Dabao's retreating figure.
As soon as he entered the grove, he saw Li Dabao locked in a fierce struggle with a long-haired punk.
Without hesitation, Wu Hua brought his stick down hard on the punk's shoulder. With the soul of an adult inside, he knew how to pull his punches and avoided lethal targets like the back of the head. Hitting the shoulder would disable the opponent's ability to fight without causing catastrophic injury. Wu Hua had no intention of facing criminal charges right after his rebirth and ruining his new life.
Yet, even putting aside brotherhood, he couldn't just stand by and watch these punks ruin the girls' lives! Even if he had to live a thousand lives, a man could never lose his backbone!
The long-haired punk let out a miserable scream and staggered back, clutching his arm, only to be drop-kicked by Dabao, who had just clambered back to his feet. The punk rolled across the ground a few times and finally stopped after slamming into a tree trunk.
Hearing his companion's agonizing scream, Bu Erhu froze. He realized something was wrong, but he was too reluctant to let go of the prize he was about to taste.
While he hesitated, Li Dabao had already charged over and kicked Bu Erhu squarely in the face!
Bu Erhu let out a shriek as blood splattered from the sole of Li Dabao's shoe, and he tumbled away to the side.
Seeing that the other side had the numerical advantage and a fierce momentum, Bu Erhu's accomplices panicked. They let go of Zhang Rui and turned to run, but Wu Hua swept a stick across one of their shins. The punk stumbled and crashed to the ground, where Dashuang, Xiaoshuang, and the others swarmed him, raining blows and kicks down until he wailed for his parents.
It was only then that a shell-shocked Zhang Rui tightly embraced Wang Xiaofang and burst into tears, weeping as if her heart would break.
Seeing that the situation was under control, Wu Hua hurried over to stop the others, who were still fiercely beating the three punks. Teaching them a lesson was fine, but if they ended up causing severe injuries, it would ruin their own lives—it wasn't worth throwing it all away for a few thugs.
Bu Erhu and his two cohorts had been beaten quite severely, and seeing such a large crowd had terrified them. They hunched down, squatting on the ground in silence.
Wu Hua walked over to Zhang Rui. Once the young girl had calmed down a bit, he asked softly, "Do you want to call the police?"
Whether or not to report the incident was something Wu Hua had to leave to the victim; this was a choice for them to make.
Zhang Rui lowered her head in thought for a long time before whispering, "I don't want too many people to find out."
"Alright, I understand." Wu Hua stood up and delivered a resounding slap to each of the punks.
"We've noted this down. If you bastards ever dare pull stunts like this again, I'll have you thrown straight into the police station. My second uncle is Wang Qiang, the chief of the East District Police Station! Watch your steps!" Wu Hua threatened.
"Big brother, Big brother, we'll never dare do it again! Please show mercy and let us go..." Bu Erhu was truly terrified. He only had the courage to bully students; the thought of being dragged to the station scared him out of his wits.
"Get lost!" Wu Hua bellowed, and the three thugs scrambled away on all fours.
Wu Hua had everyone escort the two girls home, making them all swear not to breathe a word about what happened today.
As they reached her doorstep, Zhang Rui couldn't hold back her tears, repeatedly thanking Wu Hua and Li Dabao.
Everyone was in high spirits after playing the hero to rescue the damsels in distress. This youthful atmosphere filled Wu Hua with a profound sense of lightness. Letting his mind drift, he forgot he was an adult and joined his long-seen friends in a bout of wild, carefree fun.
When Wu Hua returned home, he found his dinner waiting under the mesh food cover on the table. His mother was still tidying up the kitchen, and her busy, familiar back filled him with a deep sense of warmth.
In his previous life, he had truly failed his parents. Every time he saw the look of disappointed hope in their eyes, a wave of profound guilt would wash over him.
He stepped forward, gently wrapped his arms around his mother from behind, and whispered, "Mom, you've worked hard..."
His mother's body trembled slightly. Her son was now a tall, handsome young man standing six feet tall; he hadn't acted this spoiled since he was a little boy. A warm current surged deep within her heart.
In this lifetime, I will never let my parents down again, nor will I ever let them look at me with disappointment. I will be their pride!
Wu Hua swore silently to himself.