Nicole's message filled me with anxiety, but the car continued to move intermittently on the highway, and I had no idea when the traffic would finally clear. I looked out the window while dialing Cao Xue's number.
Actually, at that time, I was only about 40 kilometers away from Dali Old Town. If it weren't for such a serious traffic jam, I would have arrived at my destination long ago.
Cao Xue did not answer the phone.
My worries increased even more.
Fortunately, Nicole was clever enough to catch up with Cao Xue, and then she took the initiative to call me and give the phone to Cao Xue, which is how I was able to get through to Cao Xue.
I remained calm and said to Cao Xue, "Dude, Nicole said some people are causing trouble at the bar. It's not a big deal... Can we calm down?"
Cao Xue retorted furiously, “Calm down my ass… Do you even know who that son of a bitch beat up?… It was my brother’s younger brother. My brother followed me through thick and thin, and now he’s in jail. He left this younger brother to me, and I arranged for him to work at a bar so he could live a peaceful life and not follow in our footsteps. He’s only been working for two days and he’s already been beaten up. This is a slap in the face for me, Cao Xue!!… Michael, I’m telling you this now, if I don’t chop off that son of a bitch’s fingers, I, Cao Xue, will change my name to Cao Ruan.”
I went along with him and said, "This whole thing makes me so angry! ... Forget about chopping off his finger, just break that bastard's arm instead... Since he's going to have to pay money and go to jail anyway, might as well go for the worst."
Cao Xue was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"To give you courage."
"Don't provoke me, believe me or not, I'll really break that son of a bitch's arm?"
"I believe... If this happened to me, I wouldn't be able to stand it either... But can we please not act so impulsively..."
Cao Xue interrupted me: "I'm fucking angry, stop talking..."
“If you’re really angry, I’ll help you get revenge and make sure you save face…” After a short pause, I said in a low voice, “In Dali, I, Mi Gao, don’t have many friends, but I definitely consider you, Cao Xue, one of my own. Don’t get yourself involved. I don’t want to lose you as a friend… I’m telling you the truth.”
My words silenced Cao Xue for a moment, and his irritable mood finally cooled down a bit. He asked me, "How will you help me save face?"
"I'll be in the ancient city in about an hour. Let's talk when we meet..."
After I finished speaking, I called out to Nicole on the phone again, and Nicole replied, "I'm here... go ahead."
"Go to the supermarket and buy two packs of good cigarettes to share with the brothers... Find a nice bar, treat the brothers to a couple of drinks, and let them rest for a while... Put all the expenses on my tab."
"I understand...I understand."
I then said to Cao Xue, "Dude, take the guys out for a few drinks first, can you wait for me a bit?"
I could hear Cao Xue gritting his teeth on the phone. He finally said, "Fine... I'll fucking endure it for another hour."
"Yeah, bro, I definitely won't let your brother's younger brother suffer this loss for nothing."
...
After ending the call with Cao Xue, a weight was finally lifted from my heart. I looked up and saw that although the car was still moving slowly, the traffic was generally smoother. Unlike before, it wasn't stopping and starting, and it was able to maintain a steady speed forward...
The car finally arrived at the accident scene. One of the vehicles involved had already been towed away by a tow truck, while half of the trailer and cab of another large truck were still hanging on the edge of the cliff, a shocking sight. It was unknown whether the driver had safely escaped from the cab suspended in mid-air.
The driver remained silent and didn't glance at the wrecked car again, probably thinking of his sister and brother-in-law. For him, it was indeed a painful and bloody memory, and for us bystanders, it was enough to serve as a lesson in life... It seems that sometimes, just being able to live safely is good enough. As for material and spiritual enjoyment, they are extra gifts from life. If you can get them, cherish them; if you can't, don't worry, because life is inherently lonely and tiring.
...
After passing the accident section, the driver sped up, and after about half an hour, we finally arrived at the toll station in Xiaguan. The driver was a nice middle-aged man who knew I had urgent business to attend to, so he gave me an extra ride. I finally got off at the south gate of the ancient city.
Without even catching my breath, I immediately ran into the ancient city and met Cao Xue and his gang of brothers who were going to chop off people's fingers with him at a bar near Renmin Road.
Not wanting to make the atmosphere too tense, I smiled and said to Cao Xue, "How is the wine here?"
Cao Xue glanced at me and replied, "Get to the point... If you can do it, then do it; if you can't, don't try to be a hero. I, Cao Xue, am capable of handling my own affairs."
"You're being too polite. This isn't just your problem. I have to take some responsibility... no, all of it, because I started this whole mess with these bars."
After I finished speaking, I turned around and looked at it, then said to one of Cao Xue's henchmen, "Give me the weapon."
He was somewhat puzzled and asked, "What guy?"
I made a throat-slitting gesture, and he understood. He then took out the machete hidden at his waist and handed it to me. I weighed it in my hand; it was quite heavy. If I were to actually cut someone, it would surely chop off their skin and bones.
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