The argument between the two naturally drew the attention of others. An elderly man in his sixties stepped right up to them and began scolding Yan Fugui.
"I must say, you look like a decent man, and you're even a people's teacher! How can you have the nerve to take advantage of a child? The poor kid's mother just passed away, and you have no shame bullying him!"
Hearing someone speak up for him, Li Anquan turned to look at the old man and cupped his fists in salute. "Old sir, thank you for standing up for justice!"
Realizing that Li Anquan was dead set against giving the job to his family, Yan Fugui had no choice but to settle for second best. Looking at Li Anquan's catch, he said with utter shamelessness, "Li Anquan, if you won't give me the job, you can at least give me a fish, right? There are only two of you at home, and you've caught so many fish you can't possibly eat them all. How about giving me one to take home?"
The more Yan Fugui acted this way, the less inclined Li Anquan was to give him anything! He never knew when to stop taking advantage of people! Knowing full well he'd just be taken advantage of, how could Li Anquan let him get away with it? He'd rather throw the fish away!
"Why should I give you any of my extra fish? Have you ever given my family a single thing?"
"I'd rather throw them away than give them to you! What good would it do me to give you one? You'd just talk behind my back and curse me anyway!"
Li Anquan shrugged, looking thoroughly infuriated. Yan Fugui stopped asking; knowing he wouldn't get a fish, he was ready to drop all pretenses!
"Li Anquan, you always call me stingy, but you and your little sister caught all these fish and can't possibly finish them, yet you won't share them with anyone! And you have the nerve to call me stingy? Is anyone stingy-er than you?"
He threw Li Anquan's own words back at him, but did Li Anquan care about these fish?
A man needs his face, and a tree needs its bark! Hearing Yan Fugui's nagging, Li Anquan sneered. He picked up his string of fish, untied a nearly two-pound carp that he had caught first, and turned to the old man who had just spoken up so righteously for him, handing over the fish with a bright smile.
"Old sir, someone here says I'm stingy! So I suppose I need to prove myself. Take this fish—consider it a token of friendship between us!"
A kindness received as a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring. The old man's righteous words had certainly won Li Anquan's favor! A single fish meant nothing to him, but the blow it dealt to Yan Fugui was satisfying indeed!
Yan Fugui had begged for a fish, and he refused him. Yet he handed that same fish over to a total stranger. It was a wonder Yan Fugui didn't drop dead from rage; his face flushed crimson, and he stamped his feet in frustration on the spot!
The old man stared blankly at the fish in his hands. He had initially wanted to decline—his family lacked nothing, and fishing was merely a hobby. But he found this young Li Anquan quite interesting! From overhearing their argument just now, he had already gathered that the boy before him was now an orphan with neither father nor mother. The middle-aged teacher had clearly tried to take advantage of him, yet the child hadn't given an inch, throwing every insult right back. The old man was thoroughly impressed by his backbone!
Moreover, Li Anquan had a way with words and wanted to be friends across the generational gap. After a brief hesitation, the old man nodded and accepted.
"Alright, young man, I'll take advantage of this kindness! Be sure to come back tomorrow. Since we're friends now, I'll have to give you a return gift."
Li Anquan smiled and nodded. "Old sir, I'll definitely be here tomorrow! I'll be looking forward to your gift. You should move your spot over here right next to mine, too. I've got plenty of fish here—maybe you'll haul in a few big ones yourself!"
The old man, Wei Jianye, had recently retired. He had a son and a daughter, both married and holding important positions, leaving him with only two hobbies: fishing and playing Chinese chess! Wei Jianye was usually too stern; very few people dared to speak to him, and aside from his old comrades in arms, he didn't have a single friend!
Meeting this little fellow today had put the old man in a good mood, and he was already racking his brain trying to think of a suitable return gift. Seeing Li Anquan's enthusiasm, the old man hauled his camp stool over and sat right beside him to continue fishing.
Trembling with rage, Yan Fugui pointed a shaky finger at the old man and the boy, completely losing his mind.
"Li Anquan, your grandfather and your father were both cursed to death by you, and your mother was no different! How else do you think you and your sister ended up as orphans with no parents?!"
"And as for you, old man, I advise you to stay away from him. Watch your step when you walk, lest you end up following him to an early grave. He's got the curse of the lone star!"
Li Anquan's expression darkened, and he stood right up. Beside him, Wei Jianye also furrowed his brows in deep displeasure. Although Li Anquan was only eleven, coupled with his newly acquired physical attributes, he could certainly scrap with a weakling like Yan Fugui!
"Yan Fugui, I can let go of whatever you say about me—I can just treat it like you passed gas. But don't you dare drag anyone's family into this!"
"I can swallow a lot of things, but today? You and I aren't finished!"
Even though Li Anquan was half a head shorter than Yan Fugui, he charged straight at him like a vanguard. Startled by the fierce momentum, Yan Fugui instinctively stepped back in a panic. But before he could retreat far, Li Anquan was already upon him, leaping up and planting a kick squarely in Yan Fugui's waist!
Yan Fugui went down with a grunt. Pressing his advantage, Li Anquan straddled him and grabbed him by the collar with both hands!
"Yan Fugui, this is what you get for running your mouth!"
Furious as he lay on the ground, Yan Fugui reached out and pointed a trembling finger at Li Anquan's face. Li Anquan snatched his finger right out of the air and bent it back with force!
"I didn't hold it against you when you pointed at me earlier, but you're supposed to be a people's teacher! Didn't anyone teach you it's rude to point at people like that?"
With that, Li Anquan delivered a hard punch straight to Yan Fugui's stomach. By now, Yan Fugui was completely beaten and utterly defenseless!
Though defeated, Yan Fugui refused to lose face. "You just wait, Li Anquan! You can forget about going to school from now on—how dare you beat up a teacher! I'm reporting this straight to the school administration!"
Li Anquan couldn't care less. He didn't think much of what the current school had to teach anyway, and had actually been planning to drop out for a while.
Having won a total victory—and with Yan Fugui inadvertently helping him arrange to drop out—Li Anquan stood up and dusted off his hands. "Get lost already! Unless you're looking for another beating!"
Yan Fugui had taken a kick and a few punches, but they had all landed on his stomach, leaving his face unmarked. Li Anquan had deliberately used his modern understanding of anatomy to ensure he inflicted maximum pain without leaving visible bruises.
After all, Yan Fugui had three sons and a daughter, and his eldest, Yan Jiecheng, and second son, Yan Jiefang, were both considerably older than Li Anquan. With his current strength, Li Anquan wasn't ready to take on either of them!
Still, Yan Fugui had too much pride to seek help from his sons over getting beaten up; after all, it would completely ruin a father's dignity!
Gritting his teeth in resentment, Yan Fugui climbed to his feet, brushed the dirt off his clothes, narrowed his eyes, and spat out a parting threat.
"Li Anquan, you little bastard, just you wait!"