Chapter 28
"What's going on?" A few women hurried over upon hearing the commotion.
A man wiped his face, steadied himself, and pointed at Liu Laizi’s house. "Fang Zichen is in there beating someone up!"
"What? How is Liu Laizi screaming so badly? Should we go in and check? What if he kills someone?"
"Good riddance if he dies," a young woman said. "At least he won’t harm anyone else."
"Is he here to vent anger for Zhao Ger?" an old woman nearby chimed in. "This man is tougher than Ma Wen."
More and more onlookers gathered, and the news quickly spread.
Zhao Ger was hoeing in the yard when Zhou Ger came rushing in from outside.
"Zhao Ger, something terrible has happened!"
Zhao Ger nearly hoed his own foot.
"What is it?"
"Fang Zichen is at Liu Laizi’s place… he… he’s about to be beaten to death!" Zhou Ger panted, his words stumbling.
Zhao Ger’s mind went blank, and his body swayed. Zhou Ger quickly steadied him. "Zhao Ger, what’s wrong?"
"You’re saying… my… my husband is about to… be beaten to death?"
"No! It’s Liu Laizi!"
"…Then it’s fine," Zhao Ger said.
Zhou Ger: "……"
Liu Laizi is about to be beaten to death, and that’s fine?
Is the yamen run by your family?
[Yamen (衙门, yámén]: the governmental headquarters of a local officials (e.g., magistrates) in imperial China, combining judicial, administrative, and residential functions]
Killing someone lands you in jail!
When Zhao Ger and the others arrived outside Liu Laizi’s house, the howling inside had just stopped.
A crowd had already gathered outside.
As soon as Zhao Ger arrived, the crowd automatically made way for him.
"Zhao Ger, hurry and stop your man. Liu Laizi’s been screaming for ages. If this keeps up, he might really die."
Zhao Ger’s heart tightened, and he immediately moved toward the yard.
Just then, voices came from inside the house.
The people outside had been holding their breath, listening intently, so they heard everything clearly.
"Still dare to do it again?"
Zhao Ger paused. It was Fang Zichen’s voice, but it sounded different—unfamiliar, cold.
"N-no, I won’t!" Liu Laizi had lost three teeth, his speech badly slurred. "I-I really didn’t touch him yesterday!"
"I know you didn’t. That’s the only reason you’re still breathing." Fang Zichen crouched down, gripping Liu Laizi’s chin, his expression unreadable. "Do you know why I’m beating you?"
"B-because I harassed Zhao Ger."
"Right."
"But… but I didn’t touch him!"
"Just having the thought is enough to deserve a beating." Fang Zichen tightened his grip, and Liu Laizi felt his jaw dislocate from the pain. The icy voice continued, "Zhao Ger is my fulang, the person in my home, the father of my son, my chosen partner. No one is allowed to lay a finger on what belongs to Fang Zichen. If you dare even think about it, you deserve to die."
"If you had touched him yesterday, I would’ve chopped off your fingers one by one. Anyone who hurts him will pay with their life."
Fang Zichen patted Liu Laizi’s face in warning. "This is the first time, so I’ll let you off. If there’s a next time, breaking your legs will be the least of your worries. Understood?"
"Understood, understood!"
Everyone around turned to look at Zhao Ger. He pressed his lips together, lowering his head, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was in his throat. Fang Zichen’s words echoed in his mind.
He is my fulang, my partner. Anyone who hurts him will pay with their life.
Zhao Ger’s eyes suddenly stung, but he forced the tears back.
Zhou Ger nudged him with an elbow, whispering enviously, "Does your man always talk like this?"
"N-no…"
When Fang Zichen finally emerged, a wooden stick resting lazily across his shoulders, his entire demeanor reeked of a rogue. He ignored the crowd gathered outside, and when the waist-high gate got in his way, he kicked it open.
Everyone: Did the gate offend you too? Kicking it on the way in and now on the way out? Poor gate.
Zhao Ger: This attitude is even more Liu Laizi than Liu Laizi himself.
When Fang Zichen spotted Zhao Ger, he immediately lowered the stick, looking slightly awkward. "Zhao Ger? What are you doing here?"
Zhao Ger’s expression had returned to normal. "I came to call you home for noodles." He studied Fang Zichen carefully. There were no visible injuries, and his clothes were clean and tidy, as if he’d just gone out for a stroll. Still, he couldn’t help asking, "Are you alright?"
"Why wouldn’t I be?"
Fang Zichen wanted to sling an arm over his shoulder but thought better of it in front of so many people. He lowered his hand and leaned in to whisper, "I’m unbeatable in Xiaohe Village. Don’t worry!"
Zhao Ger hesitated. "You didn’t have to come here. I’ll just be more careful in the future."
"You can’t stay on guard forever." Fang Zichen shrugged. "I beat him up so he’ll piss himself at the sight of you from now on. Let’s see if he dares to lay a finger on you again."
Mid-conversation, the village chief came panting over, followed by a few others. "Fang boy, you… you got into another fight?"
Another?
As if I'm always out picking fights all the time!
"Fight might not be the right word," Fang Zichen said. "Teaching a lesson fits better."
"Isn’t it the same thing? Stop playing with words."
"Fine, call it a fight if you want." Fang Zichen shrugged. "What are you here for? If you’re worried about me, you can head back. If you’re here to speak up for Liu Laizi, you can head back too. He’s no good, and what I did was for the sake of all the women and gers in Xiaohe Village. Nothing to criticize here."
Village Chief: "……"
"But you can’t just go around hitting people!" the village chief said.
Before Fang Zichen could reply, Aunt He cut in, "Exactly. There should be reasoning first. You can’t just resort to violence right away."
The village chief’s expression darkened.
Fang Zichen didn’t respond immediately.
Just seeing Aunt He put him in a bad mood.
He, the Third Young Master of the Fang family had labored in the fields for the first time in his life, only to be given a few rotten sweet potatoes in return. Though he had somewhat walked into it willingly, seeing her now still left a bad taste in his mouth.
His tone turned sharp.
"Reasoning? What reasoning? If you love reasoning so much, why stay in Xiaohe Village? Why not go out and enlighten the masses?"
Aunt He: "……"
"I—"
"You what? Don’t talk if it’s not your problem. Do you have daughters or ger? If Liu Laizi ever harasses your daughter, and you can still sit down and reason with him, then come talk to me, alright?" Fang Zichen didn’t bother sparing her any face. "If it doesn’t concern you, don’t pretend to be righteous."
Wang Damei, unaware of the history between them, just felt that Fang Zichen seemed to have a particular grudge against her sister-in-law.
Seeing Aunt He’s awkward expression, she tried to mediate. "Fang boy, your auntie didn’t mean it like that. You misunderstood."
"Misunderstood? Is it that she can’t speak properly, or that I can’t understand?"
Wang Damei smiled. "Your Aunt He just isn’t very good with words."
"Then she should talk less." Fang Zichen waved at Zhao Ger. "Let’s go. Time to eat."
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