: Trying to Play Tough on Me?

Qian Cheng and Zhang Changtian immediately went out to look for the person.

The snow hadn't completely melted, and the road was still muddy and covered in ice.

Zhang Changtian walked in a hurry and slipped several times, so Qian Cheng quickly helped him up.

On the way, Qian Cheng finally understood that Deng Jingshu treated livestock in the surrounding villages and towns, and her medical fees were always on credit. It was easy for conflicts to break out when she went to collect the debts at the end of the year, but this time the one who made the move was the most domineering of the debtors, the man named Wang Shoujun and the woman named Sun Xinghua.

"Wang Shoujun's family raises four pigs. The market is good this year, so they shouldn't be short of money," Zhang Changtian said, panting. "But he's arrogant and thinks your master's wife, being a woman, is easy to bully."

Qian Cheng didn't say anything, but he quickened his pace.

Upon arrival, we found a fairly tidy brick and tile house at the west end of the village.

The sounds of a woman crying and cursing, and a man shouting, came from the courtyard.

Qian Cheng pushed open the half-closed courtyard gate and saw Deng Jingshu standing in the middle of the courtyard, her cotton-padded coat collar torn, two bloody marks on her face, and she was trembling with anger.

Wang Shoujun was a tall, burly man, weighing at least 180 pounds. He was wearing a black cotton-padded jacket stained with oil and standing with his hands on his hips, looking fierce. His wife, Sun Xinghua, was sitting on the ground, slapping her thigh and wailing, "You think you can drive me to my death just because we owe you a little money?! I can't live like this anymore!"

When Deng Jingshu saw Zhang Changtian and Qian Cheng arrive, her eyes reddened, but she still forced herself to say, "What are you doing here? I can handle this."

"Deal with what?!" Zhang Changtian's anger flared when he saw the injuries on his wife's face. "Wang Shoujun, are you even a man? You owe money and then resort to violence?"

Wang Shoujun glanced sideways at Zhang Changtian, then at Qian Cheng, and sneered, "Carpenter Zhang, this is none of your business. Your wife came to collect a debt, and she was being rude. My wife couldn't stand it, so what's wrong with a woman tearing at someone's clothes a little?"

"Torn?" Qian Cheng took a step forward, staring at Wang Shoujun. "The mark on my teacher's wife's face was scratched by your wife, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Xinghua cried even louder: "She started it by cursing! She said it was my pigs' fault for getting sick! She cursed my family to be ruined!"

Deng Jingshu's lips turned white with anger: "I was saying your pigsty isn't clean and people get sick easily! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Qian Cheng finally understood. The public security situation was much worse than it would be later. The village didn't care about the rule of law. For them, might makes right. They would only start talking about the rule of law when they couldn't win a fight.

He suddenly laughed.

Wang Shoujun was taken aback by the laughter.

The next second, Qian Cheng rushed over and kicked out with his leg!

That kick was delivered with all his might.

Although Qian Cheng was not a proper worker, the original owner of this body was always out on the move and had plenty of strength.

In addition, Qian Cheng, who had lived two lives, knew the principle that in a fight, the one who strikes first gains the upper hand, while the one who strikes later suffers the consequences.

Before the other party could react, he kicked Wang Shoujun in the stomach!

"Ouch!" Wang Shoujun cried out in pain as his sturdy body was kicked and he staggered back a few steps before falling hard into the snowy mud.

Qian Cheng gave him no time to react, rushing forward and kicking him several more times, specifically targeting the thickest parts of his body.

Thighs, buttocks, and sides of the waist.

The kick made Wang Shoujun curl up in pain, howling loudly.

"Qian Cheng! Are you crazy!"

Sun Xinghua screamed and lunged forward, reaching out to grab Qian Cheng's face.

Qian Cheng dodged to the side, grabbed her wrist with his other hand, and kicked her in the back of the knee.

Sun Xinghua cried out and fell to the ground.

"You think you're so tough, huh?" Qian Cheng cursed as he kicked, "Keep being tough! Let's see if you're still so tough, or if I'll kick you to death, you son of a bitch!"

He kicked fiercely, his eyes even more menacing.

He had a reckless, fearless attitude, thinking, "I've already died once, what's there to be afraid of?"

These days, the more timid you are, the more others will bully you.

The more ruthless you are, the more others will fear you.

Sure enough, Wang Shoujun and Sun Xinghua were terrified by this scene.

Wang Shoujun covered his head and shouted, "Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! Give me my money back! Please give me my money back!"

Sun Xinghua cried until her face was covered in snot and tears.

Qian Cheng kicked them twice more before stopping, panting as he looked at Deng Jingshu and Zhang Changtian.

The two then realized what was happening and quickly stepped forward to pull him back.

"Alright, Chengzi, that's enough!" Zhang Changtian was actually relieved, but he still had to stop him out of politeness.

Deng Jingshu grabbed Qian Cheng's arm, her voice trembling, "Stop hitting him, what if something serious happens..."

At this time, more and more neighbors gathered outside the courtyard to watch.

They were all drawn by the cries. Some people peeked in, some whispered among themselves, but no one stepped forward. Wang Shoujun's family wasn't well-liked in the village to begin with, and now that they saw Wang Shoujun and his companion getting the short end of the stick, they were secretly delighted.

Wang Shoujun and Sun Xinghua helped each other to their feet, then sat down heavily on the threshold of the courtyard and burst into tears.

"This is outrageous!" Sun Xinghua slapped her thigh. "We get beaten up for owing a little money! Do you know how hard it is for us? We raise pigs from dawn till dusk, and at the end of the year we barely have any money left! And now, with the year-end approaching, we're being harassed by creditors! It's so miserable! We can't live like this anymore!"

Wang Shoujun, wiping away tears, said, "That's right! Your Zhang family is going too far! You brought people to vandalize and destroy things! I'm going to report you to the commune!"

Some onlookers scoffed, some shook their heads, but no one said a word. Who didn't know that Wang Shoujun's family had made a good price for their pigs this year? They were just pretending to be poor.

Qian Cheng watched coldly, then suddenly noticed a detail.

When Sun Xinghua cried, her eyes would always dart into the room, and her hands would unconsciously hide behind her back.

Wang Shoujun was also sitting in a position that blocked the doorway.

He quickly realized what was going on.

These two people hid the money in the house.

And judging from their guilty looks, they weren't hiding it very well.

Without saying a word, Qian Cheng bypassed the two men and rushed into the house.

"What are you doing!" Wang Shoujun suddenly stood up and tried to stop him.

Qian Cheng turned around and kicked him in the knee.

Wang Shoujun exclaimed "Ouch!" and sat back down.

Sun Xinghua also wanted to stop him, but Qian Cheng glared at her, scaring her so much that she shrank back and didn't dare to move.

Qian Cheng rushed into the room, which was a main room with tables and chairs. Against the wall stood an old double-door wardrobe. He went straight to the wardrobe, squatted down, and felt around underneath.

Sure enough, I touched something wrapped in a rag.

Pull it out and open it.

A stack of money.

Some are whole numbers, some are small, and they are tied together with rubber bands.

Qian Cheng counted it; it totaled fifty-two yuan.

He took the money and walked out of the house, and Wang Shoujun and Sun Xinghua's faces turned pale instantly.

"Master's wife," Qian Cheng asked Deng Jingshu, "how much do they owe you?"

Deng Jingshu glanced at the stack of money, then at the ashen-faced Wang Shoujun and his wife, and whispered, "Seven yuan. Last spring, we treated their pigs for plague, and we agreed to pay them back in the fall, but it's been dragging on until now."

Qian Cheng nodded, took out seven yuan from the stack of money, and handed it to Deng Jingshu.

Then I drew three more.

"What do you mean? Didn't you already take the money you owed?" Wang Shoujun immediately became furious when he saw that Qian Cheng had taken three extra yuan.

"Medical expenses? My teacher's wife's facial injury needs medicine and treatment, right? Three yuan is already a bargain for you."

"You!" Sun Xinghua exclaimed angrily, "You're robbing me!"