Chapter 32: “Don’t Hit My Brother!”

As soon as word spread that Guo Lizheng’s family had come looking to make trouble for the Scholar, the entire threshing ground stirred.

Almost all the able-bodied men in the village were working at the threshing ground. With livestock helping out, the men didn’t have to grind grain and were doing lighter tasks like turning and drying the harvest. The women had gone home to tidy up and bring lunch.

When Yan Xiangheng came running with the news, not only the young and strong but even old men with walking sticks were fuming and ready to go.

What the heck!

That’s our Scholar! A kind-hearted and good man! Your kid got beaten up and you don’t even know by who, and now you’re pinning it on the Scholar? Even saying it was Yan Lao’er who instructed an ox to kick him? Nonsense!

This was plain bullying!

A whole crowd surged towards the Yan Family courtyard.

And of course, the kids flocked wherever the action was hottest. At the moment, the commotion at the Yan Family was livelier than the threshing ground, and kids ran over shouting and laughing.

“Dad, Second Uncle, hurry up! If you’re late, there’ll be no fight left!”

“Er Ya, we’re here to rescue you!”

“Charge! Let’s beat up the bad guys!”

……

Guo Lizheng hadn’t completely lost his head yet. Yan Lao’er wasn’t important—a beating wouldn’t matter. The key was Yan Daya.

As long as they seized Yan Daya, they’d have control over Scholar Yan, and the whole family.

“All of you, get inside and find her! Grab that Yan Daya!” Guo Lizheng shouted.

Yan Lao’er grew anxious, grabbed the sickle by the door, and held it in front of him.

“I dare anyone to try!” His eyes flashed with fury as he swept his gaze over everyone.

“My brother is a Scholar, a man with official status, not like you mud-legged peasants who have to bow and scrape in front of a magistrate! His name is registered at the yamen! Out in the world, people greet him as Scholar Master.

Today if you dare break into my house, my Yan Family will fight you to the death!”

There was no way Yan Lao’er would let them inside. With Daya’s temperament, if they really dragged her out, she wouldn’t survive!

Yan Huaiwen had thought himself calm and collected, but at this moment he was shaking with rage.

“My second brother’s words are my words!

Anyone who dares step forward today will be an enemy of the Yan Family!

No end but death! Blood for blood!”

The people Guo Lizheng brought were intimidated by the brothers. They’d just come to rough someone up and snatch a girl. Why was this being talked about like life and death?

Yan Lao’er was wielding a sickle while they were all empty-handed!

Yan Yu had already pulled her mother and Sister Daya into the house.

Sensing danger, she hurriedly called for Daya to help push a cabinet to block the door.

While pushing, she said, “Mom, just sit tight. It’s fine. Big Brother went to the threshing ground to call for help.”

Li Xuemei was sweating at the forehead. How could she sit still? But in front of Daya, she forced herself to stay calm.

“If they dare break into our Yan Family home, they’ll have to answer to all the villagers. I’m not worried about anything else. I just fear your dad won’t hold back and end up hurting someone too badly.”

Yan Yu thought to herself: Mom, you’re really bold to say that. My dad’s all talk, no action.

If you peek through the window, you’d see him holding the sickle like he’s ready to spill blood, but look closer and his legs are shaking.

“Who dares! Who dares!” Yan Lao’er waved the sickle, growling, “I’ll fight you all to the death!”

Yan Lao’er: Waiting… waiting… anxiously waiting!

Why weren’t reinforcements here yet?!

He had clearly seen Eldest Nephew run off to call for help.

Wuwuwu! If he survived this, he’d make sure to train that kid’s running speed. He was way too slow!

If they didn’t show up soon, his Second Uncle wouldn’t hold out!

Yan Huaiwen was utterly moved by his brother’s stand!

At the critical moment, only a true brother had your back!

Yan Lao’er was really going all in!

Pumped with brotherly pride, he stood shoulder to shoulder with his younger brother and shouted:

“Father and son fight side by side, brothers go to war together!

Tian You, your big brother stands with you!”

Yan Lao’er glanced at his brother, nearly crying.

Bro! Couldn’t you at least bring a weapon?

You’re coming in bare-handed, making it really hard for your little brother here!

When the fists started flying, guess who they’d hit first…

Just as Yan Lao’er’s emotions were wildly churning, the villagers he’d been waiting for finally arrived!

“Scholar! What’s going on?”

“Whatever the issue, no one bullies our Scholar!”

“If it’s a fight, let it be with us!”

Yan Lao’er finally relaxed, and in that instant, dropped flat on the spot.

Old Yan: …

Guo Lizheng’s gang: …

Yan Lao’er himself was dumbfounded. This was embarrassing. He’d been so heroic just moments ago, and now he looked like a coward.

Blushing with shame, he decided to go all in, raised his voice, and shouted, “Don’t touch my brother! Come at me! Even ten-on-one, I’m not scared! I’ll fight you all to the death!”

But this outburst only made things worse.

The village men, thinking these guys had laid hands on their Scholar, exploded with fury.

Having just benefited from the Scholar’s help, these honest men’s eyes turned red.

They charged like madmen, grabbing whoever they could and pummeling them.

“That’s for touching our Scholar! That’s for touching our Scholar!”

People arriving later couldn’t even tell what had happened—just saw the front group tangled up in a mass brawl with outsiders.

With sheer numbers, the villagers had the clear upper hand. Some were unsure whether to join in, but just then they heard Yan Lao’er shout at the top of his lungs: “Don’t hit my brother… Bro, run!”

That did it.

Everyone went berserk, fists and feet flying at the outsiders.

In the chaos, bullies like Guo Lizheng—normally feared for his thuggery—took the worst of the beating.

Even he couldn’t tell who had hit him—he took countless punches and even got knocked down with a flying kick. Fortunately, he was tough enough to scramble onto the ox cart and flee, not even looking back for his own men.

The others had long given up, calling everyone grandpa and begging for mercy.

“Drive them out of the village! If they dare come back, we’ll break their legs!” Panting heavily, Village Chief Luo finally arrived, putting an end to the one-sided brawl.

Luo’s second son led a group to escort them out of the village, standing guard at the entrance for a while before returning.

Yan Huaiwen looked at the villagers who had come to help, his heart swelling with warmth.

“Today, I thank all of you for your help! Huaiwen is deeply grateful.” He bowed sincerely.

“Scholar, we can’t accept that. It’s what we should do.”

“Thinking they could bully our village, trying to snatch people—beat them up, of course!”

“How could we stand by while someone bullied our Scholar? Might as well spit on the heads of all our Village Elders!”

Everyone chimed in with one voice—helping the Scholar was a matter of duty.

Yan Lao’er: “We’ve beaten Guo Lizheng today. He’ll surely come looking for revenge. How’s everyone’s grain grinding going?”

Well, he’d just been stirring the pot a little earlier… really hadn’t expected the villagers to be this fired up.

They’d sent those thugs running with their tails between their legs—serves them right!

Village Chief Luo was now a little uneasy too. Guo Lizheng wasn’t easy to deal with. Today, they’d only won because he’d brought too few people. “Almost done. Just a few more households left to grind. We’ll finish by noon.”

“Bro, then we…” Yan Lao’er looked eagerly at his brother.

“We leave at dusk today.”

———

Li Xuemei: I was worried your father would get badly beaten.

Yan Yu: My dad is a master of tough talk!

Yan Lao’er: That fall was totally not on purpose… I just had to stir up some hate to cover the shame~

Old Yan: So this is the kind of brother you are!!!

(End of Chapter)