Xiao Pang waited for me at the entrance. Seeing me pulling Wang Xin out, he breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed down the steps and said, "The female devil is waiting for you down there."
I looked down and saw Zhou Yingying standing there, with her four subordinates by her side.
I didn't know why they all brought four people, not three or five. Was it a rule of the streets?
The female devil, with her arms crossed and head tilted, looked at me as if she had me cornered. I let go of Wang Xin's hand and told her, "You and Xiao Pang go ahead first, I'll go over."
Wang Xin nervously grabbed my hand again and whispered, "Don't, let's go back!"
I said, "Do you think we can still go back? Da Laizi doesn't dare to come out for now. Once he does and knows the female devil hasn't let us go, if they join forces, we'll be at an even bigger disadvantage. Be good, wait for me at home, I'll come after I handle this."
The female devil was a bit confused that Da Laizi didn't come out. Logically, even if I found Wang Xin, he should have followed. Why was there no sign of him behind?
She didn't know that Da Laizi's subordinates were already scared out of their wits by me, and Da Laizi himself was no match for me. He didn't know the female devil's situation and dared not come out rashly.
Fortunately, mobile phones weren't common back then. If they could make calls and send messages, I would probably be the one at a disadvantage now.
I watched Xiao Pang lead Wang Xin away. They didn't make things difficult for them. Only then did I walk down the steps, step by step, towards the female devil.
The female devil looked at me with a cold smile. When I got close, I slapped her across the face: "You're the one who hit Wang Xin, right? Although I said I don't hit women, since you hit her, I have to return this slap for her."
After speaking, I turned and left, completely ignoring the stunned group.
Since the female devil debuted, no one had ever dared to slap her so brazenly, especially in front of her subordinates. For a moment, no one reacted.
I had only taken two steps when the female devil suddenly grabbed my collar from behind, forcing me to stop. I turned to look at her. She said fiercely, "Kid, you're quite ruthless. You hit Da Laizi and now you want to establish your authority with me. It seems like if I don't teach you a lesson, you'll really think you're something. Sisters, grab your weapons and deal with this son of a bitch!"
Several women drew a finger-thick rope from their waists and surrounded me, brandishing them.
I couldn't get entangled with them here. If Da Laizi reacted in the cinema and came out to join forces, I would be in trouble. I had to find a way to leave.
But the female devil's subordinates wouldn't let me off easily. They menacingly swung their ropes towards me.
Don't underestimate the power of a rope; it's as effective as a belt. A hit could leave your skin torn and flesh exposed.
I glanced behind me with my peripheral vision. If I ran now, they would catch up in two or three steps. With the length of the ropes, I would be within their striking range, so running wasn't wise. Besides, I had already managed to escape them once. I figured they wouldn't give me another chance this time.
Since I couldn't run, I might as well fight. I stopped retreating, locked onto the one in the middle, and lunged forward. Before she could swing her rope, I grabbed it and yanked her towards me, pulling her into my arms and using her body as a shield. Seeing that I had grabbed one of their companions, the other girls hesitated to attack. I snatched the rope from the girl and pushed her forcefully towards the female devil.
Seeing their companion freed from me, they immediately swung their ropes at me. I had been expecting their attack and swung the rope in my hand in a wide arc to protect myself, then quickly retreated, crossed the road, and ran to the other side.
As soon as I crossed, a heavy truck came and blocked the way, separating them from me on the road. I took the opportunity to escape that cursed place.
Damn it, fighting a group of girls, no matter how skilled I was, I couldn't bring myself to hit them.
Panting, I ran back to the entrance of the residential complex. I saw Wang Xin and Xiao Pang standing at the entrance, looking very anxious.
Wang Xin anxiously asked, "Did they do anything to you?"
I said, "What can a few girls do to me? I can't really hit them, so I had to run."
I told Xiao Pang to go back first. Xiao Pang was a good kid, and his family would worry if he was late.
I took Wang Xin's hand and said, "It's alright. We don't look for trouble, but we're not afraid of it either. You saw today, Da Laizi is much more honest after I dealt with him. Next, I'm going to confront this female devil and clear up my father's business."
Wang Xin nodded and said, "Auntie probably isn't back yet. Why don't you come to my place for dinner? And the money for the glass from that day, it's only a week, where will you find the money? I'll lend you my money first."
I knew Wang Xin's money was saved through hard work and frugality, and even if she had some, it wouldn't be much. So I told her, "By the weekend, if I still don't have the money, I'll ask you for it. But I am really hungry. Let's go to your place for dinner."
Before my family had trouble, I often went to her house for meals. After the incident, I hadn't been there, afraid of being looked down upon.
Wang Xin's home was like mine, both old houses of fifty to sixty square meters, about twenty years old, products of the seventies. Two rooms with no living room, just a kitchen and a bathroom.
Fortunately, since they only had one child, the adults had one room and the child had another, so at least there was personal space.
Her family lived on the fourth floor. As we walked to the door, Wang Xin was still holding my hand, perhaps scared by the day's events.
I cleared my throat, and she seemed to realize something, quickly letting go. Her face turned red, as shy as a child.
I smiled at her. This girl was growing up.
We grew up together, in the same class from elementary school to junior high. We only separated in high school, she in class one and I in class two.
Class one was for top students; I wasn't qualified and had to be in the same class as people like Da Laizi.
Wang Xin's mother was busy in the kitchen. She wasn't surprised to see me enter and told us that dinner would be ready soon and to wash our hands and wait.
Everything was as usual, no different from being back at my own home.
Wang Xin's father worked at the dock, which was far from home. He returned very late every day, so Wang's mother always saved his meal for him and didn't wait for him.
Wang's mother brought the dishes to the table: two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, and a bowl of seaweed soup. Although it was a home-cooked meal, my family hadn't cooked like this in a long time.
It was good if my family's kitchen had enough food to eat, let alone hope for meat and vegetable dishes. We didn't even have pickles.
I picked up my chopsticks with a hint of bitterness. It had been so long since the incident, and this was the first time I had eaten a proper meal.
Wang's mother put braised pork into my bowl, urging me to eat more. She said Wang Xin didn't eat fatty meat, and she herself only ate vegetables.
I knew they were deliberately letting me eat more, afraid I would feel awkward, so I said they were eating vegetarian.