Before Xia Tao could react, several dark figures pounced on him like hungry wolves! Their speed caught him completely off guard.
In his panic, he could only act on instinct, grabbing one of the men tightly and throwing a powerful punch. However, this punch only slightly blocked the opponent's attack.
Immediately afterwards, he was pressed firmly to the cold, hard ground by the surging crowd.
He had learned a little bit of martial arts from his younger sister, but there was no time to use it now!
Xia Tao felt as if he were in the midst of a raging storm, with countless fists and feet raining down on his body and head.
Someone even ruthlessly strangled his neck, making his already dazed head, caused by the violent impact, even heavier and making it increasingly difficult for him to breathe, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat.
Just as his consciousness was fading and he was about to faint, a deafening shout suddenly came from afar: "What are you doing?"
Unfortunately, the roar did not stop the group's violence.
On the contrary, upon hearing this rebuke, they seemed to become even more frenzied, and the force with which they struck increased.
However, despite being in chaos and pain, Xia Tao still keenly sensed that the person who had roared had quickly taken action and begun to fight back against the thugs.
Gradually, the punches landing on him were no longer as fierce and powerful as before, but slowly lost their force.
"Cough cough...cough cough cough..." Xia Tao coughed with difficulty, trying to expel the stale air stuck in his throat, while gasping for breath, trying to inhale more oxygen.
Just then, another exclamation rang out: "Taozi? How could it be you?"
Wu Xiangdong was shocked to see that the disheveled person lying on the ground was Xia Tao.
Xia Tao finally managed to stop coughing, and then he spoke with difficulty in an unusually hoarse voice: "Cough cough... Brother Xiang Dong, it's you. You just got back?"
Wu Xiangdong frowned, brushing the dust off his clothes as he replied, "I just came back from running errands in the county town, and I just happened to be passing by here! Who are these people?"
As he spoke, he glanced down at the thug lying unconscious on the ground.
In the fierce conflict just now, Wu Xiangdong, with his agile skills, successfully knocked one of them unconscious with just one move.
The rest, seeing the situation was not good, were so frightened that they ran away without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Xia Tao, panting heavily, wiped the large beads of sweat from his forehead and said with a wry smile, "Sigh, these are all those coal thieves from before. I don't know what tricks they used to release them so quickly."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on the unconscious person on the ground. After a brief pause, he continued, "However, this guy lying on the ground looks a bit unfamiliar. I don't think I've seen him before."
Wu Xiangdong's eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully examined the unconscious person on the ground once more.
This person does look somewhat familiar. Could he be one of the troublemakers from the next brigade?
He didn't hesitate, turning to look at Xia Tao and asking with concern, "How are you? Can you still walk by yourself? Should I take you to the village doctor for a checkup?"
Xia Tao quickly waved his hand, forced himself to stand up, stretched his legs a few times, and said, "Don't worry, Brother Xiang Dong. Luckily you arrived in time, otherwise, even if I wasn't beaten to death by these bastards, I'm afraid they would have strangled me with ropes!"
Although Xia Tao's face was still pale, his mental state had improved significantly. It seemed that apart from a few minor superficial wounds, he had not suffered any major injuries.
It was that group of people from earlier; they clearly wanted him dead.
Wu Xiangdong looked him up and down a few times to make sure he was really alright before they parted ways.
...
At this moment, Xia Wan was earnestly telling Xia Jianguo about the important information she had obtained yesterday, and both of them had a somewhat solemn expression.
However, at that moment, a soft yet clear knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Hearing the sound, Xia Jianguo, who was sitting in a chair, looked puzzled: "Is that your brother back?"
Xia Wan, who was standing to the side, shook her head and casually replied, "Probably not, my brother just left not long ago."
As she spoke, she slowly stood up and walked towards the door, saying as she went, "I'll go see who it is."
As Xia Wan reached the door, before she could even open it, she heard Xia Jiandang calling from outside: "Big brother, I've brought you food! Taozi, Xia Wan, open the door quickly..."
The voice was overflowing with undisguised joy; just hearing it once was enough to deeply feel how happy the speaker was.
Hearing this, Xia Wan, who was standing behind the door, raised her eyebrows slightly. Bringing food to her father?
I'm a little hesitant to eat this food!
Despite her doubts, she reached out without hesitation and gently turned the lock to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Xia Wan's eyes were immediately drawn to Xia Jiandang's smiling face and the large bowl he was holding tightly in his hands.
Xia Wan's gaze quickly swept over the bowl, then she looked up, stared directly into Xia Jiandang's eyes, and asked, "Third Uncle, what are you doing?"
With a faint smile on his face, Xia Jiandang said to Xia Wan in a gentle and honest tone, "Xiao Wan, have you eaten yet? I specially brought some food for your father."
As he spoke, he gently moved the bowl he was holding forward a little further, as if afraid the other person wouldn't see it.
Xia Wan slightly curled the corners of her lips, revealing a polite yet distant smile. She then moved aside to make room and said softly, "Third Uncle, it's already this late. We've already had breakfast. Please come in. My father is inside."
Just as Xia Wan went out to open the door, Xia Jianguo had already managed to sit in his wheelchair and slowly moved into the yard.
At this moment, when he saw Xia Jiandang carrying a bowl to bring him food, he was somewhat surprised: "Third brother, you're here! We've already had breakfast."
Xia Wan, who was standing to the side, saw all of this.
She realized that her father hadn't yet suspected there was something wrong with the food.
She turned and went into the house, brought out a stool and placed it in front of Xia Jiandang. With a beaming smile, she greeted him warmly, "Third Uncle, please don't stand there, sit down and rest your feet. Why did you suddenly decide to bring my father food today? Aren't you afraid my grandma will scold you?"
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