"Oh, look, the Zhao family finally has a man back. What a pity, though—he'll just be bullied away soon enough!"
"Bai Guang is nothing but a thug. If you borrow money from him, the interest snowballs. Sigh, poor Wang Cuilian, she’s been swindled into a corner!"
"These bastards run rampant, taking advantage of everyone. Just because his father is the village chief, people are too scared to say a word even when they're furious."
Amidst the chorus of grumbling and curses, Bai Guang felt no shame; on the contrary, he wore them like a badge of honor. He said triumphantly, "Let me tell you, I have the IOU right here. You can’t deny it even if you try!"
Turning back to the villagers outside the gate, he barked, "If any of you dare to wag your tongues, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Though there were many villagers, they were cowed by the village chief's intimidating influence and fell silent immediately. Bai Guang looked truly majestic, holding Sanhe Village in the palm of his hand. His lecherous gaze landed on Wang Cuilian once more, and his right hand curled into a fist in the air. Everything was under his control.
With a sobbing, pleading voice, Wang Cuilian argued, "That’s not what you said back then! You said I only had to pay back twenty-five thousand after two years! How did it turn into forty-five thousand?"
Her hands, clutching Zhao Tiezhu, were trembling, and her soft body pressed almost entirely against his back. Having lost all her strength, her tears fell in torrents, soaking Zhao Tiezhu’s shirt. "Give me a little more time. I’ll sell the vegetables, I’ll sell the house, I’ll sell everything to pay you back!"
As she wept, she leaned completely against Zhao Tiezhu. This man had become her only pillar of support.
"That dump of a house you live in? Someone died in it—who would dare buy that?" Bai Guang sneered. "And with your immature vegetables, how much money could you possibly make? Just take my suggestion and go to Honglangman. You’d definitely become the top star there! I’ll even be your first customer, and I’ll count that as eight thousand toward your interest!"
As he spoke, he circled around Zhao Tiezhu, his eyes shimmering with a strange light as they fixed on Wang Cuilian. Wang Cuilian’s body shuddered involuntarily. Seeing the look in Bai Guang’s eyes filled her with an inexplicable panic, as if the sky were collapsing. She knew full well that Zhao Tiezhu had no money; he had been sending back a few tens of thousands of yuan a year to his grandfather, so there was no way he could have any savings.
She cried out, "I won't go! Even if I die, I won't go!" Her heart was cold as death; she was ready to end it all. These people wouldn't let her live.
Bai Guang burst into laughter. "Wang Cuilian, you can’t even die if you want to! Who do you think you owe money to?"
"That’s right! A life for a life, pay back your debts!"
"Grab her! Take her away!" Dou Bi and Wang Wei rolled up their sleeves, ready to step forward and seize her.
Zhao Tiezhu, having finally finished transferring all the money from his loan apps, said coldly, "Let's see who dares to touch my sister-in-law."
His roar stunned the three men instantly. Feeling the softness behind him and the wetness on his shirt, his heart ached as if being sliced by a knife. His sister-in-law had clearly spent that money on the Zhao family, yet she was the one bearing the brunt of other people's oppression.
He gently patted the pale, slender hand on his arm and said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. This is just a small matter; I’ll handle it."
Seeing him fiddling with his phone in silence, Bai Guang had assumed he was a coward who didn't dare to stand up for himself. But now, startled by the sudden roar, he felt his authority challenged and immediately berated him: "Damn it, you high-flying student, do you really think you’re some kind of savior?"
After mocking him, he cursed viciously, "Get the hell out of the way! Otherwise, I’ll break your leg!" He had been caught off guard when he was pushed aside earlier, but this time, he was certain he could teach him a lesson.
Zhao Tiezhu stared at him coldly. "I’m not afraid to tell you: I have a tumor in my brain, and I don’t have long to live. I don’t mind taking a few people down with me before I go! If you’re not afraid to die, then let’s see this through to the end! Son of a bitch, do you have the guts?"
Zhao Tiezhu took a large stride forward and swung a palm across Bai Guang’s face.
*Smack!*
The furious slap stunned the three men. They were able to run rampant in the village only because they were bullies and others were afraid to offend them. But bullies fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who have nothing to lose! Who would risk their life against a man who only had a few months to live?
The slap caused Bai Guang’s face to swell instantly, and two teeth went flying out. Having completely lost face, Bai Guang was not about to let it go. He roared, "Did I ask you two to come here to watch a show? Hit him! Beat him to death, send him straight to Dongshan!"
Dou Bi and Wang Wei hesitated for a split second, then grinned hideously as they walked toward Zhao Tiezhu. He was only one man—even if he was fighting for his life, could he really take on three people? Impossible!
The villagers outside the courtyard shook their heads as they watched the scene unfold.
"It's over. Zhao Tiezhu is going to be crippled; they won't even give him a chance to fight for his life!"
"Bai Guang broke Old Zhu’s leg, and in the end, didn't it just get swept under the rug? Zhao Tiezhu is finished."
"Even though the kid is the village’s college student, he’s no good at fighting!"
Knowing the kind of people Dou Bi and his partner were, the villagers sighed, losing interest in watching further. The two men raised their fists, aiming for Zhao Tiezhu’s stomach and head. Having spent their lives brawling and bullying, they did so without a shred of hesitation.
*Thud! Thud!*
Their fists landed on Zhao Tiezhu as if they had hit a piece of worn-out leather, lacking the usual impact. Just as they were stunned, Zhao Tiezhu struck back, swinging both hands in a rapid barrage of slaps across their faces.
*Smack! Smack! Smack!*
A rapid-fire series of slaps left their faces swollen like pig heads, their eyes nearly shut. It was fast and brutal, offering no room for retaliation.
Seeing this, Bai Guang roared and lunged forward, aiming a kick at Zhao Tiezhu’s stomach, hoping to knock him over. However, he was met with the same treatment—a fierce, stinging slap.
*Smack, smack, smack!*
Zhao Tiezhu didn't aim anywhere else, focusing entirely on slapping their faces. No matter how they dodged or ran, they couldn't escape his palm. In the end, the three of them huddled in the corner of the gate, crouching on the ground and shielding their heads, not daring to move. Each of them had taken at least twenty slaps; their mouths were torn, their heads were buzzing, and they were wailing in agony.
People inside and outside the gate watched the scene in shock.
"So, Zhao Tiezhu really isn't afraid to die. He's completely offended Bai Guang now."
"Damn, these three are pretty pathetic, three-on-one and they get beaten this badly?"
"Turns out they're just soft persimmons who only know how to bully the rest of us!"
"Sigh, the Zhao family is truly finished. How can one person hold it all together?"
Compared to the chatter of the villagers, Wang Cuilian felt mostly concern. She was worried that Zhao Tiezhu might actually kill them, but fortunately, he stopped his assault. She hurried over and said, "Tiezhu, don't do anything foolish!"
Zhao Tiezhu gave her a bright smile and said, "Sister-in-law, don’t you worry. From now on, I will protect you. I will never let anyone bully the Zhao family again!"
That single sentence left Wang Cuilian's heart trembling, her cheeks flushing red. The feeling of being protected by a man was truly wonderful.
Zhao Tiezhu turned his gaze back to Bai Guang, his voice turning cold. "Bai Guang, take out the IOU and let me see what's written on it. You dared to scam my sister-in-law—if I find out you did, I’ll finish all three of you off right here today!"
Though he had borrowed over seventy thousand, he wasn't going to be foolish enough to hand it over blindly. He understood the principle of paying back debts, but being cheated? That, he would absolutely not tolerate.