Hearing the sound of the courtyard gate closing, Wang Dabao slowly opened his eyes.
It wasn't that he wanted to pretend to be unconscious; he simply had no choice but to do so after seeing that it was Zhao Da Maozi's wife who was helping him home.
After gulping down several mouthfuls of cold water from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Wang Dabao finally felt a bit more clear-headed.
Recalling what Zhao Da Maozi's wife said, good heavens, does marrying your cousin give me the right to raise my arms and shout that I'm on the throne?!
That night, Wang Dabao didn't dare go back to the island farm to rest. He was really afraid that someone would come over early the next morning, and he wouldn't be able to explain why he wasn't home.
Sure enough, the next morning, while Wang Dabao was still in bed, he heard a noise coming from the courtyard gate.
Wang Tian brought Wang Dabao a bowl of millet porridge and leftover meat and vegetables from last night.
"Da Bao, get up and eat it while it's hot."
"Holy crap..."
After Wang Tiangao came in and put down the food, he was about to pull back Wang Dabao's blanket when he saw the large black star next to the pillow. He was so shocked that he stammered, "I... I mean, Dabao, where did you get this pistol?!"
It's not that he's never seen a gun before; he handled a Type 54 pistol when he was in the army, and yesterday he was patrolling with Uncle Li and others, carrying the brigade's hunting rifles.
He was simply surprised that Wang Dabao carried a gun with him.
"Why can't I have a gun?!"
Wang Dabao, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, threw off the covers and started getting dressed. "I forgot to tell you, I also serve as the deputy director of the police station. Do you think I can carry a gun?"
Wang Tiangao nodded repeatedly beside him.
After breakfast, Wang Dabao went to Wang Tiangao's house to see Third Master Wang Tiemin before heading back.
He originally planned to go for a stroll in the nearby mountains, since he had a good bow in his hand and he was itching to try it out.
After yesterday's series of introductions from his aunts and uncles, Wang Dabao decided to slip away first and talk about hunting and testing his bow next time he came back.
When Wang Dabao entered Wang Tiangao's yard and saw the motorcycle, he was dumbfounded.
The sidecar was piled high with items. Upon closer inspection, there were green beans, potatoes, and other vegetables, as well as eggs and a live hen.
Hearing the commotion, Third Master Wang Tiemin came out.
"Are you full? If not, there's still some hot food in the pot."
"Third Master is full."
Wang Dabao took out a cigarette and lit it for Wang Tiemin, then looked at the things on the motorcycle sidecar and smiled bitterly, "Third Master, I have plenty of these in the city, why are you giving me so many!"
“This wasn’t given to you by myself; it was brought over by the villagers.”
Wang Tiemin chuckled and said, "Take it if you want; it's just a small token of our appreciation from the villagers."
Wang Dabao felt bitter. The villagers themselves were reluctant to eat these things, but they gave them to him. Perhaps they saw that he had spent too much money on rice, flour, and meat yesterday and were afraid that he would be short of money in the coming days.
"Work hard outside, so you won't need to buy anything when you come back. Save your money and don't spend it recklessly."
Wang Tiemin began to lecture, "You can't become extravagant just because you've come to the city. These vegetables were all grown by the villagers themselves. Just take them with you."
Wang Tiemin didn't say much. He had watched Wang Dabao grow up since he was a child and knew that the boy had his own plans.
After saying goodbye to Wang Tiemin and his son Wang Tiangao, Wang Dabao rode his motorcycle away from Wangjialou Village.
When he got bored on the road, he let the two puppies out again, and the whole way there was singing and barking, making it a very joyful journey.
It was noon by the time Wang Dabao returned the motorcycle to the steel mill and rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house.
Pushing his bicycle through the courtyard gate, he was already prepared for the scene of meeting Yan Bugui after turning through the hanging flower gate.
Yan Bugui did indeed meet them, but Sha Zhu, Liu Haizhong, Xu Damao, and Yan Jiecheng were also present.
When Wang Dabao saw these people huddled together, he immediately stopped in his tracks. When did Xu Damao and Shazhu start chatting together? It was truly like a butterfly flying out of a sparrow's nest, extremely strange and unusual.
Could it be that the winds in this compound changed just because I was gone for a day?!
Wang Dabao pushed his bicycle back two steps, deciding to listen to what these people were talking about.
"Xu Damao, I swear, all I told Banggeng was that I was going to pee on your bed. Who knew that little bastard would steal your money?" Shazhu said, his arm in his pocket, his face bruised and looking terrible. The only thing that hadn't changed was his stubbornness.
"Silly Zhu, don't try that on me. Who's going to believe your swearing?"
Xu Damao stood next to Yan Bugui with his arms crossed. "You dare say it wasn't your idea to break into my house and cause damage? That brat Banggeng was smashing bowls inside and even broke the bed. Couldn't you hear anything outside?"
"Ultimately, you are the root cause of the theft, so it's not unfair for you to pay those fees. And you still have the nerve to argue with Jia Dongxu."
"Alright, everyone, say less."
Yan Bugui stepped in to smooth things over, "Shazhu, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but Banggeng is still a child. You and he teamed up to deal with Da Mao, and now that things have come to a head, they've pushed all the blame onto you. What can you do?"
"Can you say that what Jia Dongxu said is unreasonable?"
"The whole thing started because you instigated Banggeng to pick the lock and sneak into Da Mao's house. Just like Da Mao said, Banggeng was smashing things. Why didn't you go in and stop him while you were keeping watch outside?"
Yan Bugui thrashed about with both hands, constantly berating Shazhu: "What does this prove? It proves that you approve of Banggeng's behavior, that you are accomplices, do you know that?"
Liu Haizhong agreed with Yan Bugui's words.
"Old Yan's use of the word 'accomplice' is very good. You, Sha Zhu, still bear a lot of responsibility. But what do you do? You're trying to absolve yourself of all responsibility. You even got upset when Old Yi said a few words to you."
"Pah!" Sha Zhu tilted his head and spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground.
Yan Bugui's face turned green immediately; this was right in front of his house.
"Is it just a matter of saying a few words? He's a big shot in the neighborhood. Just because Jia Dongxu is his apprentice, he's blatantly taking sides like this?!"
Thinking of the scene where Yi Zhonghai had taken sides, Sha Zhu trembled with anger. He looked at Yan Bugui with heavy breaths and said, "Uncle, although I, Sha Zhu, have been a bit of a scoundrel in the courtyard, I have never cheated or swindled anyone. I came here to borrow some money from you to pay back the debt I owe Yi Zhonghai."
Yan Bugui's complexion was already bad, and now it looked even worse.
“Zhu Zi, you know that Jie Kuang needs to go to the hospital for check-ups frequently, and I really can’t afford it.”
After Yan Bugui finished speaking, he lowered his head and sighed, seemingly feeling very guilty for not being able to help Sha Zhu.
Sha Zhu nodded, glancing at Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong.
He had a grudge against both of them, and there was no way he would lend them money without even asking.
"Okay, then I'll head back first." Sha Zhu's eyelids drooped, and he turned to walk towards the central courtyard.
At this moment, Wang Dabao pushed his bicycle out.
"I just heard someone asking to borrow money?"
"Is that you, Sha Zhu? How much do you want to borrow?"
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