“What? You actually went and fought someone?”
Seeing that neither Song Wei nor Lin Zhen appeared angry and instead looked a bit curious, Heidan finally let out a breath of relief.
Song Wei asked, “How did the fight start? Who did you fight?”
Heidan scurried over to Song Wei and leaned on her leg, looking as pitiful as a little puppy.
“It was Dahu, old lady Niu’s grandson. He tried to snatch my sugar painting and candied hawthorns.”
In truth, Heidan had fought with pent-up resentment from past grievances. He hadn’t forgotten how Dahu had bullied him before.
Lin Zhen asked, “Did you win?”
Heidan sniffed. “I couldn’t beat him by myself. Dahu’s taller, fatter, and way stronger than me. But I punched him in the eye and even bit him once! Later, I called for help, and they all helped me fight him.”
The group of kids who had followed Heidan into the yard stood there covered in dirt, with some sporting bruised faces and watery eyes from the pain. But their attention was fixed on the straw dummy in the yard, which was decorated with sticks of candied hawthorns and intricately shaped sugar paintings.
Heidan hadn’t lied—his home really did have more sweets!
Heidan fiddled with his fingers nervously. “Sister Song, I promised them that if they helped me fight, I’d give them candied hawthorns and sugar paintings.”
Song Wei and Lin Zhen: …
They hadn’t expected the pre-fight warning to turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Still, they didn’t hesitate. Song Wei took down the candied hawthorns from the dummy. There were eight kids in total, and she handed each one a bright red stick of candied hawthorns.
With their sweet rewards, the kids quickly stopped crying. Even the bruised ones were grinning from ear to ear, flashing their teeth as they enjoyed their treats.
As the kids happily munched away, Song Wei called them over and began whispering to them, strategizing.
Lin Zhen listened in from the side, his expression gradually shifting to one of sheer astonishment.
You can actually do that?!
Meanwhile, Liu Guifen and a group of angry parents arrived, leading the way with their crying, injured children.
A kid stationed at the road quickly spotted them and bolted toward Lin Zhen’s house, candied hawthorn in hand.
“They’re here! Sister Song was right—they really came!”
“Quick, hide the half-eaten candied hawthorns!”
“Lie down! Everyone, lie down!”
At the gate, Liu Guifen yelled as she shoved it open. “Lin Zhen, get out here! Is this how you teach your kids? Look what they did to my boy!”
But as soon as she stormed into the yard, she froze, completely stunned.
Inside, the yard was filled with children sprawled across the ground, wailing dramatically.
“My head hurts so bad! Mom, did I get hit so hard I’ve gone dumb?!”
“My eye! Dad, come look at me! Dahu and his gang beat me so badly!”
“My leg’s broken! I can’t walk—it hurts too much!”
“My nose! It hurts so bad!”
Lin Zhen’s yard was a scene of pure chaos, with children rolling around on the ground, crying as loudly and pitifully as possible.
Song Wei stood in the center, holding a stick. She glared at the newcomers with righteous fury.
“Well, well, I hadn’t even planned to come after you, but here you are, marching right up to my door!”
Some villagers, curious about the commotion, craned their necks to peer inside.
They were met with a shocking sight—and familiar voices.
“My boy! What happened to you?!”
“Gouzi, my grandson! What’s wrong with your eye? Let Grandma see!”
“Niuwazi, my son!”
The yard erupted in cries of distress from parents.
Before Liu Guifen’s group could process what was happening, the injured children began tattling, revealing everything Dahu and his gang had done.
The floodgates opened, and grievances poured out.
“Dahu once stole my New Year’s cake!”
“He took my wild fruit and threatened to beat me if I told anyone!”
“Dahu and his gang stole my egg—my grandma left it for me, and I didn’t even get to eat it!”
Liu Guifen and her group stood dumbfounded.
This wasn’t going at all how they had imagined.
“So, Liu Guifen, your son’s the village bully, huh? And you’ve got the nerve to say he was the one being bullied? Serves him right!”
“Your whole family’s rotten. The old ones are greedy and unreasonable, and the young ones are just as bad. I thought your Dahu was just well-fed, but turns out he’s been fattened on the things he stole from our kids. Shameless!”
Amid the escalating chaos, Song Wei quietly pulled Heidan aside to join Lin Zhen. The two watched the drama unfold, thoroughly entertained.
Lin Zhen handed her a stick of candied hawthorn, the biggest one he’d saved.
“Thanks,” Song Wei said, taking a bite. She handed it back. “Want some?”
She was so engrossed in the show that she didn’t notice Lin Zhen smiling like a fool as he held the half-eaten treat.
In the yard, the angry shouting of parents filled the air.
Rural women in Northeast China weren’t known for being timid, and they weren’t about to hold back.
“Your son’s a spoiled brat, Liu Guifen! You’ve got some nerve saying our kids bullied him when he’s the one always causing trouble!”
“Kids fight, sure, but your Dahu’s been stealing and bullying for ages!”
“Exactly! Your boy is the troublemaker here, and he’s got no one to blame but himself!”
The yelling soon escalated into physical scuffles.
Song Wei sighed. “Has the fire brigade—I mean, the brigade leader—arrived yet?”
Her plan had been to stage the kids as injured victims, making it impossible for Liu Guifen’s group to pin blame on them. If a fight broke out, she’d at least have the moral high ground to intervene.
But things had spiraled out of control. It seemed like everyone was taking the opportunity to settle old scores.
“Nope,” Lin Zhen replied flatly.
One or two people fighting wasn’t an issue, but with so many involved, things could get messy fast.
Song Wei kept a sharp eye on the chaos, stepping in whenever she saw someone getting too rough. She also made sure to pull the kids out of harm’s way, gradually bringing some order to the scene.
“EVERYONE, STOP!”
A voice boomed through the yard, deep and commanding like thunder, carrying an unmistakable authority.
But it wasn’t the brigade leader.
All eyes turned toward Lin Zhen.
Standing tall with a cold expression, Lin Zhen exuded an intimidating presence. His years of military service and leadership were evident, silencing the crowd.
“Let go of each other. Everyone, stand up straight.”
Those who had been pulling hair and tearing clothes instinctively obeyed, releasing their grips and stepping back.
Song Wei emerged from the crowd, carrying two kids under her arms.
“If you want to fight, fine, but there are children here! If someone gets hurt, you’ll regret it!”
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