Chapter 69: Wang Erlaizi and Wei Qingzhi Stirring Up Trouble

Xie Zhao didn’t even have time to make sugar water. He grabbed the spoon and shoved it straight into the middle-aged man’s mouth.

Although the man had passed out, his body’s survival instinct forced his mouth open, and he hungrily swallowed the brown sugar.

Xie Zhao handed the spoon back to Xie Tian and said, “Go pour a cup of warm water and give it to him to drink. Then check if the wontons at home are all gone. If not, cook ten for him. If they are, make noodles! Hurry!”

Xie Tian ran off in a hurry.

Meanwhile, Xie Cheng and Xie Zhao supported the middle-aged man from both sides, helping him over to the Eight Immortals table. Xie Cheng then pushed two long benches together so the man could lie down on them.

Xie Tian brought over a bowl of water to feed him.

The middle-aged man drank the warm water bit by bit. His eyelids fluttered, and he finally showed signs of waking.

Xie Zhao heaved a heavy sigh of relief.

He walked to the doorway, frowning as he looked at Liu Cuihua and Wang Erlaizi. “Auntie Liu, what’s going on?” he asked. “Why are you fighting right in front of my house?”

These days, fighting in front of someone else’s house was considered bad luck, especially during the New Year.

Seeing Xie Zhao now, he was practically the God of Wealth to Liu Cuihua. She quickly explained the situation in short order.

“This has nothing to do with me, Second Nephew Xie! I just couldn’t stand what Wang Erlaizi was doing. I’m doing a good deed here! I’m just speaking up for justice! Every debt has its debtor, so if you’re going to be angry, don’t get angry at your Auntie Liu! Otherwise, I’d really be dying of an injustice!”

It turned out that Liu Cuihua had come to deliver river snails.

Over the past few days, she had delivered them the most frequently and in the largest quantities, but today, she had run right into this mess the moment she arrived!

That Wang Erlaizi had actually kicked Teacher Wei right in the chest, sending him falling straight to the ground!

And looking at the broken basket Wang Erlaizi was holding in his hand…

Wasn’t that the very same basket she had spared for Teacher Wei before?

It turned out he was robbing him of the river snails!

Liu Cuihua had a decent relationship with Teacher Wei and couldn’t bear to watch him get bullied. That was why she had rushed over in a fury to scold Wang Erlaizi up and down.

Having said her piece in one breath, she turned her eyes to Xie Zhao and rolled them. “Second Nephew Xie, everyone in our village has Wang Erlaizi’s number! Just a while ago, he was locked up for a few days for stealing Old Zhao’s chicken! Don’t believe a single word out of his mouth! He’s a bad egg to the core!”

Hearing this, Wang Erlaizi immediately took offense.

He craned his neck, his eyes red with anger, looking like a ruffled rooster as he shouted, “Who are you calling a bad egg? Who are you calling names? I’ve already served my time and been reformed, yet you’re still discriminating against me! Believe it or not, I’ll sue you!”

As he clamored, the onlookers from Shishui Village finally lost their patience and stepped forward to condemn him.

“Wang Erlaizi! If you had any guts, you wouldn’t bully Teacher Wei! You’re a real piece of work! How could you snatch the river snails he worked so hard to gather? This is infuriating!”

“Exactly! How old is Teacher Wei? He’s old enough to be your father! You little bastard, causing trouble the moment you get released!”

“Give those river snails back to Teacher Wei! Otherwise, we won’t be polite to you!”

Wang Erlaizi was taken aback. He shrank back slightly, his arrogance instantly deflating.

After all, he was afraid of the crowd.

But then he looked at the basket of river snails in his hand. There had to be at least ten-odd catties in there!

That was six or seven yuan!

He couldn’t bear to part with it!

“Hmph! No matter what you say, I gathered these myself! Do whatever you want!”

With that, Wang Erlaizi sat flat on the ground, crossed his arms, and tilted his head back, looking completely impervious to reason.

Inside the courtyard.

Wei Qingzhi had finally woken up.

His face was sallow and sickly, his stomach cramping from hunger. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, as if he might pass out again at any moment.

However, the warm water and brown sugar Xie Tian had fed him had gradually cleared his head, though it also made him more acutely aware of the gnawing hunger and cramping pain in his stomach.

“Out… outrageous!”

Trembling, he pointed a finger at Wang Erlaizi. His face flushed red as he struggled to find the words, but he couldn’t think of any harsh insults. In the end, he could only squeeze out a rather weak rebuke: “Truly a pack of petty thieves! Shameless!”

Xie Zhao: “…”

“Save your breath, sir. I’ll handle this,”

Xie Zhao said, turning back to Wei Qingzhi.

Wei Qingzhi was panting after saying just those few words, exhausted by anger and hunger. Hearing Xie Zhao’s words, he finally calmed down a little.

Clutching the basket tightly, Wang Erlaizi shouted at Xie Zhao, “Hurry up and weigh them! I want my money now. I’m waiting to cash this in so I can buy food!”

He was number one at playing the rogue.

Who could outplay him?

Hmph.

Once something was in his hands, did they really expect him to spit it back out?

No way!

He didn’t believe the police would bother showing up over such a small matter!

Besides, did these river snails have a name written on them?

Would they call out to recognize their owner?

Just because Wei Qingzhi claimed they were his, did that make it so?

Bah!

No way!

Xie Zhao smiled, staring at Wang Erlaizi. “Things taken by force are stolen goods. I don’t buy them.”

“Which of your eyes saw me snatch them? Do you have evidence before you start running your mouth?!”

“There isn’t a speck of mud on your pants. You dare claim you gathered these river snails yourself?”

Xie Zhao shrugged, then added, “Everyone in our village marks their baskets with their names. Are you sure this basket is yours?”

Wang Erlaizi glanced down and indeed saw the character “Wei” written on the handle.

He stiffened his neck and fell silent, but he still stubbornly refused to return the river snails.

Xie Zhao continued, “The sentence for theft isn’t that heavy, but robbery is a much more serious crime. I heard of someone who got thrown in prison for over a decade just for robbing three yuan. He was beaten half to death in there.”

He dragged out his words, letting out a sigh as he looked at the basket of river snails in Wang Erlaizi’s hands with a touch of pity.

“This basket must be worth seven or eight yuan, right? You might even qualify for a firing squad. After all, you’re a repeat offender, so they’ll have to crack down on you with a harsher sentence!”

What?!

Wang Erlaizi’s eyes went wide!

It was that serious?

He was filled with doubt and fear, his face turning pale. He had done time in prison before, and it was not a pleasant experience!

He had indeed heard that robbery and repeat offenses carried harsher sentences. But to take a bullet over a single basket of river snails?

Wouldn’t that be a massive loss!

But was he really supposed to hand back the money he had already pocketed?

He was unwilling to accept it!

A fierce conflict raged in his mind. After a long moment, to everyone’s utter astonishment, Wang Erlaizi suddenly leaped up, grabbed the basket, and rushed out to the edge of the pond. Then, with a violent heave, he threw the basket, river snails and all, right into the water.

“Fuck your mother! If you want me to give them back, go fish them out of the pond yourselves!”

With that, he bolted, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Everyone: “?”

That punk had gone too far!

Wei Qingzhi stood up in a fit of rage, but his head spun so violently that he collapsed right back onto his seat.

“Wretch! A mere wretch!”

He cursed in fury.

The villagers looked at one another, completely bewildered.

Wretch?

Wrench?

What the hell was that?