The group surrounded Zhang Laosi and beat him up, venting their frustration from the cold they had endured that day on him with punches and kicks.
Zhang Laosi was beaten badly for two days in a row, and he lay in the snow without even the strength to struggle.
The men were all hot from the fight, so they gave him a warning and left.
Zhang Laosi lay on the ground for a while, and as he was about to get up, a little boy came to his side.
The little boy thought that Zhang Laosi had fainted here because he was too cold or too hungry, and wanted to go over to see if the person on the ground needed help, so that he wouldn't freeze to death. When he got closer, he saw...
The man lying on the ground had a bruised and swollen face, clearly having been beaten up, and by someone he knew, Zhang Laosi.
This person is lazy and gluttonous. Because he has no parents, he is often bullied and he likes to steal the food that his grandmother leaves for him when she is not at home.
He initially told his grandmother that when she went to argue with him, he not only refused but also verbally abused her and even tried to hit her.
Later, in order not to cause trouble for his grandmother, he dared not tell her.
Old Zhang, his eyes half-open, saw that the person who came was Zhao Hui. Thinking of how he was almost able to succeed yesterday, it was all because of his grandmother's loose tongue. "Well, you bastard, you dare to come here? I'll beat you to death."
Zhao Hui, who was initially a little scared and stood there, started running without hesitation after hearing what he said.
It seemed that Zhang Laosi had found an outlet for all his anger, even though he had just been lying on the ground like a corpse.
He got up and chased after Zhao Hui, yelling, "You little brat, you dare to run? You better stop right there or next time, you'll be in trouble!"
Zhao Hui wasn't stupid; he decided to avoid this situation for now.
Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Zhang Laosi knew that this little rascal was most worried about his grandmother, so he said, "If you keep running, I'll go and talk to your grandmother and see if she can run as fast as you with her thin arms and old legs."
Zhao Hui indeed slowed down, not daring to stop completely, nor daring to run away, for fear that Zhang Laosi would go to his grandmother.
He hesitated for a few steps, then looked back and saw that Zhang Laosi was catching up, so he hurriedly ran faster.
Who would want to be beaten by him? Zhang Laosi followed behind him, limping along.
When he looked back, he didn't stop; he knew these roads very well.
Unexpectedly, he seemed to bump into someone, "Ouch..." and fell backward.
Seeing him fall, Jiang Wei quickly knelt down and helped him up, asking, "Are you alright?"
Zhao Hui glanced behind him; Zhang Laosi was still chasing him and was about to catch up.
He shook his head. "I'm fine." He rolled over, got up from the ground, and tried to run away.
"You little brat, you're running away? I'm going straight to your grandma now," Zhang Laosi said, panting.
Seeing that Zhao Hui had stopped running, she stood in front of him, hands on her hips, panting heavily.
After resting for a while, he went up to him and said, "You little brat, try to run away! I'll teach you a lesson today."
Jiang Wei gave Lian Sang a look, and Lian Sang understood and emerged from the alley.
Only then did Zhang Laosi notice Jiang Wei and Lian Sang standing in the alley.
He mustered his courage and shouted, "What do you want to do? What does it have to do with you if I arrest my own child? Get out of here."
Jiang Wei didn't answer him. She remembered this person; she had stopped him from stirring up trouble several times.
He was the one who stirred things up yesterday, and he mistakenly led others to try to steal grain and charcoal.
"Who is he to you?" Jiang Wei asked Zhao Hui gently. "Don't be afraid, your sister will stand up for you."
Zhao Hui was still a little worried. How could his two older sisters possibly beat Zhang Laosi?
He's strong and healthy, while his sisters have delicate skin. What if they get hurt because of him?
Zhao Hui was determined not to be a burden to his two older sisters. "Sisters, you go first!"
Jiang Wei noticed his hesitation. "Lian Sang, take out your whip and show it to him."
Before Zhang Laosi could even see clearly, Lian Sang had already swung the whip in a circle in the air with a crisp sound.
Seeing this, Zhang Laosi turned and ran in a panic. He didn't want to be beaten again after just being beaten.
After Zhang Laosi left, Zhao Hui visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still worried that Zhang Laosi would go to his grandmother.
“You know him, don’t you? Tell your sister.” Jiang Wei coaxed patiently.
Zhao Hui nodded. "Yes, he's a notorious local thug who often bullies orphans, widows, the elderly, and the disabled."
"Sisters, you should go home quickly. I need to go home too, otherwise Grandma will worry about me." Zhao Hui was worried and wanted to go home as soon as possible to check on things. If Zhang Laosi really went to find his grandma, he could help him out.
Jiang Wei noticed a hint of unease in his expression and wanted to see what the child was worried about.
"Can I come to your house for a visit, sister?" Jiang Wei asked.
"Go to my house?" Zhao Hui was puzzled as to why such a beautiful woman would go to his house.
Jiang Wei explained that she had gotten lost and wanted to find a place to warm herself by a fire because she was too cold.
Seeing that there was no one around, and that no one wanted to go out in this cold weather, Zhao Hui figured that they must really be lost if he ran into them here.
They didn't seem like bad people. This older sister spoke very gently, unlike the people around here who speak in a rough and gruff voice.
"Okay, then follow me to my house." Zhao Hui led the way.
Grandma Hua sat by the charcoal fire with Granny Yang, who had come to her house, and they chatted. Grandma Hua kept glancing towards the door to see if her grandson had come home.
Granny Yang comforted her, saying, "Your son is a smart boy, he'll be back soon, so you don't need to worry too much."
She looked out at the light through the paper window and thought, "I heard that all the shops outside have raised their prices. I wonder if this female owner will follow suit."
Granny Yang was worried about how things would turn out if the weather continued to get this cold. Her poor daughter-in-law's health had deteriorated due to years of hard work, and she was reluctant to spend money on medical treatment when she was sick. She also had two children to raise, one around ten years old and the other twelve, who could help them with some chores.
If things continue like this, she fears her poor son won't be able to endure it, and then what will happen to her and her two children?
Seeing her like this, Granny Hua took her hand and said, "No, this female owner ate wontons at my shop last time. She is a kind-hearted person. I have been curious about what kind of person she would open a shop here since this shop opened. I didn't expect it to be her."
I've been observing her, wondering why she opened her shop here, and I've never understood it. But I don't think she's the type to arbitrarily raise prices.
"That's true... but I'm just scared." Granny Yang was in a dilemma because she hadn't been able to do any work these past few days, and she had very little money left.
Her poor daughter-in-law was coughing terribly; if only she could get some medicine for her.
Seeing that she looked worried, Granny Hua said, "Do you not have any money left to live on? I have some here. I'll give you some to use first."
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