Chapter 83
At the Ma family, Guaizai was beaten every two or three days. Zhao Ger, feeling guilty as a parent for not being able to protect Guaizai well, could not bring himself to voice any more blame at that moment.
He was holding Guaizai and just about to say something when a commotion arose from the street. Before Zhao Ger could even see what was happening, a cold, menacing voice rang out.
"Who dares to touch my son? Get out here..."
The crowd automatically parted to both sides. Old Man Wu poked his head out and saw a handsome, tall young man leading a group of people storming in from the street with aggressive momentum.
The young man had an astonishing presence, his entire being radiating a chilling coldness. The people behind him were all burly and fierce-looking.
If the leader who helped Guaizai earlier seemed like he was looking for trouble, then ignoring Fang Zichen's extremely flamboyant and sharp appearance, his aura was like that of a fierce, menacing butcher carrying a large knife, entering a pigpen to cause trouble, his face full of 'don't talk to me, or I'll cut you down' attitude.
Everyone was stunned.
The surroundings fell into silence for a moment.
Zhao Ger was stunned for a moment. It wasn't until Fang Zichen approached with a furrowed brow that he snapped out of it.
Fang Zichen was so anxious he could barely catch his breath.
Merchants love socializing. Since childhood, Fang Zichen's adoptive father told him, 'With friends all over the world, you'll have nothing to fear wherever you go.' Plus, with his silver tongue, adept at speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts, he could chat with anyone. After working at Zuixiao Restaurant for several months, Fang Zichen had become thoroughly acquainted with everyone in town who had any power or face.
His appearance was outstanding, his temper good, he looked refined and extraordinary, but he was also eloquent, able to chat about anything, humorous and witty, so many people loved to call him brother.
From the time Zhao Ger started making and selling blood sausage, he had already greeted the boss of West Street, asking him to look out for Zhao Ger. He never expected this boss to be so unreliable, actually letting someone bully his son.
When he received the news, Fang Zichen was doing accounts. Upon hearing that his son was about to be beaten, he snapped the writing brush in half with sheer force.
Guaizai is so small, Ma Xiaoshun could already overpower and beat him. If two grown men were to beat him...
He'd be at least half dead if not half crippled.
It happened to be lunchtime. The boss managing the gambling den was eating in the main hall with his men. Upon hearing about this, he immediately called his subordinates to follow.
In these times, the legal system was imperfect. As long as people did not beat someone to death, the authorities generally would not intervene. Even if they did, the offender would at most spend a few days in jail and pay a fine—punishments that were neither severe nor effective.
The townsfolk looked down on the villagers. Sometimes, during minor disagreements that arose while selling goods, the townsfolk would often resort to kicking and beating the villagers.
Fang Zichen hurried along, his mind racing through terrifying images of Guaizai's possible condition. Was his face already bruised and swollen? Were his tiny arms and legs broken? Was he crying out, screaming for his father?
Fang Zichen was extremely anxious, he had even already thought about where to bury those two bastards.
Gasping for breath, he looked around, the chill in his eyes almost tangible: "Where are they?"
The people around didn't dare breathe heavily. Seeing him look over, they silently stepped back.
Guaizai, who had been hanging his head, immediately brightened upon hearing Fang Zichen's voice.
"Father~"
He rushed towards Fang Zichen and tightly hugged his leg.
Guaizai wanted praise, wanted kisses. He let go, hopping anxiously as if stepping on hot coals, eager to tell Fang Zichen about his heroic deeds moments ago.
He opened his arms and said, "Father, hug."
Fang Zichen didn't speak or hug him. Instead, he crouched down, lifted Guaizai's clothes, and took off his pants. Seeing his little belly white and his bun-sized butt round and plump, with no signs of beating, he finally relaxed and picked Guaizai up.
"You scared me to death."
Guaizai was happy to see Fang Zichen, giggling constantly like a hen that had laid an egg. A child's skin was smooth and tender, like soft tofu. Fang Zichen especially loved rubbing cheeks with him.
After doing it a few times, Guaizai thought this was an expression of love. Immediately, he hugged Fang Zichen's neck and rubbed his face against him.
"Guaizai helped grandpa just now," Guaizai said. "Father, is Guaizai awesome?"
Zhao Ger walked over and pinched his little butt.
Fang Zichen patted Zhao Ger's hand: "You scumbag, what are you doing touching our son? If you have the guts, come at me later." Ignoring Zhao Ger's wide-eyed stare, he turned to Guaizai and said, "My son is really great, knowing to be helpful."
Zhao Ger recounted what had just happened. Guaizai had shown a bit of a tendency to be a bully—a fox borrowing a tiger's might, not knowing his place, and throwing his weight around. He said, "You're going to teach our son bad habits."
[狐假虎威 (hú jiǎ hǔ wēi): lit. A fox borrowing a tiger's might; fig. A weak person who uses a powerful ally’s reputation to intimidate others]
"How is that possible!" Fang Zichen touched Guaizai's forehead: "You are gentle and kind, hardworking and considerate. And I am a descendant of a family with a century-old reputation for virtue. With two such exemplary role models standing before him every single day, how could he possibly learn any bad habits? The very idea is a joke!"
Zhao Ger always did the cooking, but he loved to claim credit partway through the process. When it came to raising their son, he also loved to claim credit partway.
"Besides, the son I've raised, having fed him shit and given him piss to drink, is bound to grow up upright and kind. Even if he grows crooked, I have ways to bend him straight again."
[喂他吃屎喝尿 (wèi tā chī shǐ hē niào): lit. feeding him shit and giving him piss to drink; fig. to have gone through the extremely difficult, messy, and thankless tasks of raising a child from infancy]
Zhao Ger stared with wide eyes, fighting for Guaizai's human rights: "You're the one who feeds our son with shit and piss?"
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