Qin Huairu strode aggressively into the front courtyard. Before she even reached Li Anquan's doorway, she saw Li Anquan sitting right in front of his house on a chair he had brought outside.
It looked as though he was waiting specifically for her to come make trouble!
For some reason, a twinge of guilt flickered in her chest, but she steeled herself in the end—after all, Bang Geng's crying still echoed right behind her.
Bang Geng and Xiaodang followed closely behind Qin Huairu as they returned to the front courtyard once more.
At the same time, Bang Geng began shooting his mouth off.
"Mom, go and beat him up! He just kicked me! All I wanted was a little bit of his fish, why is he so stingy?!"
By now, Qin Huairu had arrived right in front of Li Anquan and opened her mouth to question him.
Instead of answering, Li Anquan stood straight up, grabbed Bang Geng by the collar, and delivered a resounding slap across his face.
Stunned by the blow, Bang Geng stood frozen, while Qin Huairu immediately grabbed Li Anquan and shoved him backward!
Qin Huairu was an adult, after all, and her strength was on par with Li Anquan's current physique.
Pushed back two steps, Li Anquan wore an icy expression.
As for Qin Huairu, even though it was her own child who had just been hit, a wave of panic washed over her, prompting her to speak first.
"Li Anquan, what are you doing? Are you bullying us because there's no man in our house? Why did you hit Bang Geng?"
Bang Geng's crying and shouting had long since drawn the attention of others in the Courtyard, and many people came out to watch the commotion.
Among them were Lou Xiaoe from the back courtyard, several aunts from around the compound, and Sun Dongmei.
With a cold look on his face, Li Anquan watched as Li Dujuan, who had been washing dishes inside the house, hurried to the doorway. She stood timidly beside her older brother, looking frightened.
"Brother, are they going to bully us again?"
Li Anquan stroked his sister's head and carried the chair back inside the house.
"Dujuan, wait inside for a moment. From now on, no one will ever be able to bully the two of us again!"
Hesitating slightly, Li Dujuan wanted to stay close to Li Anquan, but he continued reassuringly, "Listen to your brother. The likes of them are no match for me. Once I deal with them, I'll take you out to play this afternoon!"
Seeing Li Anquan act so arrogant and dismissive, Qin Huairu felt her face burn with humiliation."Li Anquan, didn't you hear me talking to you?"
Li Anquan turned around and glared fiercely at Qin Huairu. "Qin Huairu, if you can't raise Bang Geng properly, I can help you do it!"
"They say if a son is not taught, the father is to blame. Since he just lost his father, I can step in and be a father to him!"
Li Anquan held back nothing. He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu were both bad news, and they had bullied him before!
Qin Huairu was so angry her eyes welled up with tears. She reached out, her body trembling. "You—how can you say such things!"
Li Anquan, however, couldn't have cared less.
"If you speak to me properly, I'll reason with you."
"This time, I must teach Bang Geng a lesson. Remember, this is my home!"
"He broke into my house and charged right into the room. If anything goes missing, it’s on him. I wonder if you could even afford to pay me back for what I have!"
"There are plenty of thieves these days, and regardless, I saw Bang Geng enter my house with my own eyes!"
Every word Li Anquan said carried a threat, but it was also true that Bang Geng was in the wrong for barging into his house.
Qin Huairu trembled with rage, gritting her teeth as she glared daggers at Li Anquan.
"You're threatening me! Even if my Bang Geng went to your house, he wouldn't steal anything!"
The surrounding neighbors pointed and whispered at the two arguing. Lou Xiaoe and Sun Dongmei stood together nearby.
Lou Xiaoe, showing no restraint, threw in a sarcastic remark.
"That’s hard to say. Just two days ago, your Bang Geng came to steal eggs from my house. I caught him red-handed, and he ran off with the eggs!"
Qin Huairu couldn't hide her embarrassment. "Lou Xiaoe, this has nothing to do with you. Bang Geng didn't take anything from his place today. Li Anquan hit my son, and that is his fault!"
At this, Bang Geng grew anxious. "Mom, he just hit me! Didn't you see? You need to hit him for me! Beat him to death! Why wouldn't he give me his fish? On what grounds did he refuse to let me eat it?"Bang Geng stood nearby, fueling the flames with his exaggerations. The onlookers around them quickly grasped what was happening. It was clearly another case of Bang Geng trying to shake someone down for handouts!
While other families in the Courtyard might have given him a little something out of pity for a widow and her orphans, Li Anquan was in an even more miserable state than the Jia family! He had only two children left to support, yet here was Bang Geng, bullying them and trying to take advantage!
Li Anquan stepped forward, and Bang Geng quickly shrank behind Qin Huairu. He wasn't stupid—he knew that when Li Anquan dealt with him, he really laid hands on him!
Like a mother hen, Qin Huairu pulled Bang Geng tightly behind her. "Li Anquan, what are you doing now? Are you still trying to lay a hand on him? Right in front of me? You already hit Bang Geng earlier; you owe me an explanation!"
A cold sneer appeared on Li Anquan's face.
"You want an explanation? Fine! Tell me what you want, and we’ll do exactly that."
Qin Huairu was caught off guard. Had Li Anquan really backed down so quickly? But his next words made her face turn a dozen different shades.
"However... Qin Huairu, let me tell you this: from now on, every time your family sits down to eat, I’ll take a basin of waste from the latrine and dump it right into your dinner bowl!"
"Your Bang Geng’s filthy, thieving hands reached for my fish, which is why I hit him."
"Is he a thief who resorts to force if he doesn't get what he wants? You’ve raised a robber."
"If anything, you should be thanking me! If I hadn't stepped in, your Bang Geng would be looking at a robbery charge!"
Li Anquan’s words were crude and stomach-turning, but with people like this, if you are gentle and soft-spoken, they only take it as a sign that you are easy to bully.
Seeing Qin Huairu fall silent, seemingly hesitant, Li Anquan flashed a wicked grin. He looked every bit like a classic villain.
"Qin Huairu, what are you going to do? I can pay his medical expenses, but I guarantee your family won't get to eat a single peaceful meal from here on out!"
"And let me tell you, if Bang Geng ever comes into my home again, things will inevitably go missing, and you can prepare to pay for them. Furthermore, every time he shows his face, I’ll beat him again!"
Qin Huairu’s eyes turned red with rage, and she looked ready to cry from the injustice of it all. She reached out, pointing at Li Anquan with a feigned, delicate vulnerability.
"You... how could you be like this? Bullying me so heartlessly!..."
That act worked perfectly on He Yuzhu, but in front of Li Anquan, he only curled his lip in disdain.
"Qin Huairu, stop putting on that weak act for me. I’ll tell you straight: no compensation! If you don't like it, we can head to the Public Security Bureau—my house seems to have had a few things go missing recently anyway."
Li Anquan held all the cards. Defeated, Qin Huairu’s eyes grew misty with tears, while Bang Geng continued to howl from behind her.
"Mom, hit him! Go on, hit him!"
Seeing that Qin Huairu had no intention of attacking, Bang Geng was seething with frustration. He shook off her hand and bolted away. "I... I don't like you anymore! I told you to hit him, and you wouldn't!"
With that, he sprinted straight out of the Courtyard.
His younger sister, Xiaodang, stood frozen in place, but Qin Huairu was far more worried about her son. She couldn't handle this situation anymore, and Bang Geng’s departure gave her the perfect excuse to flee. Frantically, she chased after him, calling out, "Bang Geng, don't run! Wait for me!"
As the farce ended, First Aunt and Third Aunt returned to their own homes. Sun Dongmei waved at Li Anquan. "Anquan, well done. If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back too; I still have dinner on the stove!"
Li Anquan nodded with a smile. However, Lou Xiaoe seemed hesitant, looking as if she didn't know how to begin as she walked up to him, struggling with her words.
Li Anquan looked at her with confusion. Xu Damao’s family lived in the back courtyard, and he hadn't had much contact with Lou Xiaoe.
Lou Xiaoe forced a smile at him.
"Anquan, I have something I need to talk to you about. Could we go inside your house to discuss it?"