Chapter 81 Lost Wages
She inquired along the way, whispering to people, "Have you seen my Ping'er?"
As soon as I turned the corner, I was confronted with this chaotic scene.
She was so frightened that her soul almost left her body, and her face turned deathly pale instantly.
She rushed over with small steps, her voice trembling and choked with sobs.
"My goodness! What's going on here! Your father isn't even here yet, and you two brothers are already fighting? Are you trying to kill each other?!"
She jogged forward, her steps unsteady.
But the two were fighting fiercely, throwing punches and kicks at her face, so she didn't dare get too close.
She only dared to stand three steps away, slapping her thighs, stamping her feet in frustration, her voice trembling.
"Stop! All of you stop! If you keep fighting, people will die!"
Lu Zhonghe's eyes widened in anger, his chest heaved violently, and he suddenly swung his arm, delivering a powerful punch that struck Lu Zhongping squarely in the eye socket.
In that instant, there was a muffled thud, and Lu Zhongping's head tilted to the side.
He staggered back half a step, and suddenly saw stars before his eyes.
His right eye quickly turned bluish-purple, and within the blink of an eye it swelled up high, with the eyelid everting.
Lu Zhongping covered his face, hissing and gasping for breath, his face contorted in pain.
He didn't even bother to rub his eyes, and forced himself to stand up straight despite the dizziness.
The next second, he gritted his teeth, his eyes fierce.
Suddenly, he took a deep breath, ducked, took a few steps, and kicked Lu Zhonghe hard in the stomach.
Lu Zhonghe was caught off guard and was kicked, letting out a muffled groan.
He leaned back suddenly, but before he fell to the ground, he instinctively reached out and grabbed Lu Zhongping's clothes.
With a "rip," the fabric tore, and the two brothers, still entangled, fell heavily to the ground with a "thud."
Li Fangfang stood to the side, her eyes wide, her hands frozen in mid-air.
He stood there, stunned, his head buzzing.
She looked at Lu Zhonghe lying on the ground, then at Lu Zhongping whose face was covered in injuries. Her lips trembled, and for a moment she didn't know which one to help first.
She was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead, she rubbed her heels on the ground, and her mind was in turmoil.
In that brief moment of hesitation, the two men on the ground had already scrambled to their feet.
Neither would back down, and they grappled again, exchanging blows.
The impact caused a nearby wooden stool to overturn and dishes to shatter into pieces.
Lu Zhonghe grew increasingly angry as the fight progressed.
He was the older brother, and he had always protected Lu Zhongping since they were little.
Now this younger brother dares to be so presumptuous, not taking him seriously at all; he's simply outrageous!
A surge of anger welled up inside him.
Who cares about brotherhood or techniques anymore?
He suddenly leaned forward, grabbed Lu Zhongping's tuft of black hair sticking up on his forehead with his left hand, and raised his right hand high.
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Three resounding slaps landed hard on Lu Zhongping's face.
Each blow sent the man with the buzz cut in the middle of the road jerking to the side, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
He gritted his teeth, his cheeks bulging like stones, and each slap was harder and more vicious than the last.
It is said that you shouldn't insult someone by pointing out their shortcomings, and you shouldn't hit someone in the face.
This slap wasn't just to his face, it was to his dignity.
How could Lu Zhongping tolerate this?
In an instant, his eyes turned completely red, widening as if they were about to burst.
He dodged awkwardly while roaring in retaliation, his right hand suddenly swinging out with a whooshing sound.
A sharp slap landed on Lu Zhong's face, leaving five stinging finger marks.
You slap me, I kick you; you kick my groin, I pull your hair.
The two were like madmen, neither willing to back down an inch.
Fists and kicks clashed, dust flew, and the muddy ground in the yard was riddled with holes.
Clipped grass and clods of earth flew everywhere, even overturning the clothes drying in the corner of the yard.
"Ouch! Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me!"
Li Fangfang finally came to her senses, stamping her feet in frustration, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Good heavens! It's all that jinx Shen Cuifen's fault! Ever since she came into the family, there hasn't been a single day of peace! Now even our own brothers are fighting like this!"
She wiped away her tears and mumbled to herself, her expression one of despair.
"Stop it! Have you no conscience? Stop it now!"
She was so anxious that she kept slapping her thigh, turning her trouser leg red from the slapping.
He paced around the two men, trying to stop one and pull the other, but he dared not rush into the midst of their fists and kicks, for fear of being accidentally injured.
But the two men completely ignored her, their eyes bloodshot with rage, their faces contorted, and veins bulging on their foreheads.
"You beast!"
"You're the beast! I'm going to beat you to death today!"
Zhang Erzhu, with a rusty hoe slung over his shoulder, was swaying as he prepared to go to the field to turn the soil.
He could see dust billowing in the Lu family's courtyard from afar, as if cattle were running wild inside.
"Oh dear! Auntie, has your cow run away?"
His voice was as loud as if he were banging a gong.
Upon hearing this, Li Fangfang was so angry that she jumped up and turned around, glaring at Zhang Erzhu with her eyes wide open.
"What nonsense! Are you blind? That's Zhonghe and Zhongping fighting! They're brothers fighting tooth and nail, and you still have the nerve to make sarcastic remarks!"
Her eyes darted around, and she immediately changed to a soft tone, her voice even sounding like she was about to cry.
"Uncle, hurry, hurry, come and break up the fight! I'm going crazy with worry! My old bones and arms can't possibly rush in! If this keeps up, someone's going to get killed!"
Upon hearing "a fight has broken out," Zhang Erzhu immediately perked up, quickened his pace, and jogged over, leaning his hoe against the ground as he ran.
"Oh my goodness, what happened to these two brothers? Their clothes are torn, and their faces are swollen!"
He shook his head and sighed as he spoke.
But his expression showed no sign of anxiety; he was clearly extremely excited.
"Even if it's a dispute over inheritance, does it have to come to this with fists and kicks? Wouldn't that just make us a laughingstock in front of outsiders?"
He rushed over and saw the two of them wrestling and struggling, so he simply leaned his hoe against the edge of the field, crossed his arms, and watched with great interest.
The sunlight slanted across the ridge of the field, casting the shadow of half of his profile.
Zhang Erzhu narrowed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
The hoe rested against the ridge of the field, its surface gleaming slightly.
"Erzhu, you're still laughing! Quickly help me separate them!"
Li Fangfang was so anxious that she kept stamping her feet.
She stood to one side, stomping her feet on the ground in turn, kicking up dust in all directions.
Zhang Erzhu pursed his lips, muttering to himself.
He's not my biological son, why would I bother?
In my mind, it was like flipping through a small ledger, calculating each item one by one.
What does this have to do with me?
If I go in to break up the fight, and I get injured, who will take care of me?
Who will compensate me for lost wages?
Besides, the affairs of the Lu family have always been a tangled mess, impossible to unravel.
It would be strange if he could still laugh now!
He had a smile on his face.
But that smile was just a superficial gesture; deep down, he knew the truth.
This fight was no simple matter.
But the more this is the case, the less he can get involved.
"I wouldn't dare get involved! Last time I helped you take Jianguo home, he didn't appreciate it at all, but instead cursed me for being blind!"
He spoke slowly.
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