"This shop sells children's toys. I'll pick something out for Huabao," Jiang Qingqing said, handing the newly purchased items to Zhang Liunian. Seeing the toy store ahead, she walked in without a second thought.
Zhang Liunian, holding the items, was about to follow when he heard the thud of a heavy object falling, followed by the arrogant voices of several unfamiliar men.
"Running? Keep running! Where else do you think you can go?"
"Brothers, go get him."
Zhang Liunian looked up and saw three burly men beating a disheveled, barefoot man with bare arms.
Zhang Liunian observed for a moment without intervening. However, when the barefoot man lifted his face, Zhang Liunian froze. Wasn't this the barefoot man from the South City teahouse?
Last time, when he had Du Ziteng inquire about his wife's whereabouts, the man not only provided the information but also asked for no payment.
If South City hadn't been sealed off afterward, and he hadn't already reached the provincial capital, he would have definitely sought out the barefoot man to understand why he had helped him like that.
He didn't believe in help without reason; all favors had a cause.
Although he didn't know why the barefoot man had refused payment, seeing him being bullied now, he naturally had to step forward to help and then find out why he was helped.
With this thought, Zhang Liunian turned, handed the items to Zhang Qian, and said, "Xiao Qian, keep an eye on Qingqing. I'll be right back." He then hurried towards the commotion.
"Brother Liunian, you?" Zhang Qian took the items and was about to ask where he was going. Seeing that he was only heading towards the scene of trouble, he shook his head and entered the shop.
Meanwhile, the commotion ahead was quite lively. Three strong men were engaged in a one-sided beating of the barefoot man on the ground, cursing as they struck.
"Still dare to run? If you run again, we'll sell your daughter!"
"You don't even know to repay your debts, just spending it all on your daughter. You're asking for death."
"Debts must be repaid, it's only natural."
Zhang Liunian arrived just as he heard this, and his heart faltered. Debt?
Could a place like the South City teahouse be short of money? That was impossible.
Wait, who did the South City teahouse actually belong to? He seemed to have never figured that out. Although the barefoot man was the leader there, it was unknown if he was the boss.
But no matter who the barefoot man was, he owed him a debt of gratitude for helping him find Qingqing last time.
Now that the other party was in trouble, he couldn't just stand by.
"Stop!" Zhang Liunian shouted, pushing aside the trio and successfully blocking the barefoot man.
The barefoot man, curled up with his head protected, heard the familiar voice and slowly moved his hands away. He saw Zhang Liunian appear before him.
His expression was somewhat excited, and he wanted to speak, but then he seemed to remember something and closed his mouth.
"What kind of thing are you, acting like a hero in front of us three brothers? I think you're tired of living!" The leader of the trio pointed at Zhang Liunian's nose and yelled.
Zhang Liunian reached out and pressed his hand down. "With me here, you can't lay a finger on him."
Hearing Zhang Liunian's words, the trio burst into laughter.
"Pfft! Arrogant fool. Do you know who we are? We are from the Tiger Dragon Gang. If you know what's good for you, get out of here immediately."
"If you don't want to be memorialized next year, get lost promptly."
"Scram, scram. We'll let you off this time for your poor judgment, but next time we'll take your dog life."
As the trio spoke, they pushed Zhang Liunian aside.
As soon as Zhang Liunian was pushed aside, he returned to his original position, watching them with a blank expression, completely unfazed by the name they had revealed.
The trio quickly realized he was a tough nut to crack. After exchanging glances, they dropped their mocking expressions.
"Are you going to let him go?" the leader of the trio asked Zhang Liunian one last time. His answer was still a refusal.
"No," Zhang Liunian replied decisively.
"Truly a calf that fears no tiger. Brothers, let's go!" Seeing that he was determined to oppose them, the leader of the trio rolled up his sleeves and threw a punch at Zhang Liunian's face.
Zhang Liunian, of course, could not stand there and take the blow. Seeing the fist coming closer, he dodged and countered with a side kick, sending the leader of the trio flying to the side and falling to the ground unsteadily.
"You're asking for death!"
The other two members of the trio, seeing their leader kicked away by Zhang Liunian, shouted and charged forward.
Zhang Liunian didn't hold back either. He stepped forward to meet them, fist against fist, with a 'bang!' sound. The opponent cried out in pain, clutching his hand and hopping. A long leg met another long leg, and the opponent was still clutching his leg in agony.
As the leader of the trio got up, he saw his brothers defeated by Zhang Liunian in just two or three moves. His heart sank; this was a hard bone to chew.
However, their mission today was to collect debts and get the money. They couldn't retreat because of this meddler.
"You damned son of a bitch, meddling with your grandpa's business. Take this punch!" The leader of the trio charged forward, swinging his iron fist.
Zhang Liunian met him with a straight punch, fist against fist. Zhang Liunian was calm and composed, while the other man's forehead was bulging with veins. Naturally, Zhang Liunian was the former.
"Damn it, why is your fist so hard?" The leader of the trio cried out in pain, clutching his fist. Zhang Liunian retracted his fist and delivered a kick, successfully rejoining him with his brothers.
"Uncle, are you alright!" After dealing with the three scoundrels, Zhang Liunian turned to the barefoot man.
The latter was about to wave his hand when he suddenly saw something. He tugged at Zhang Liunian, looking in a certain direction, his mouth agape for a long time without speaking.
As Zhang Liunian was puzzled, Zhang Qian's shout came from not far away, "Put down my sister-in-law!"
*Boom!*
Hearing this, Zhang Liunian's body trembled. He then shot out like an arrow towards where Jiang Qingqing was.
The barefoot man saw this and followed suit.
"Brother Liunian, they carried sister-in-law away!" Zhang Qian was initially pursuing a group of people, but halfway through, he noticed someone beside him. Turning his head, he saw Zhang Liunian and immediately pointed forward to explain the situation.
"I know," Zhang Liunian said with a grim expression, accelerating forward, and finally catching up to them in a secluded spot.
"Put her down." Zhang Liunian stood before these people and reached out to reclaim his wife, but they just laughed.
At that moment, Zhang Liunian heard Zhang Qian's voice, "Brother Liunian... Ah!"
Zhang Liunian suddenly turned his head and saw Zhang Qian falling downwards. He tried to grab him but grasped at empty air.
"Xiao Qian?" Zhang Liunian arrived above a large pit and saw that Zhang Qian had only fallen in but was not injured. He immediately extended his hand downwards, "Quick, I'll pull you up."
Zhang Qian, who had just fallen into the pit, heard this. Ignoring his aching leg, he stood up and reached for Zhang Liunian's hand, but the pit was too deep. Their hands fumbled for a long time without connecting.
"Brother Liunian, be careful!" Zhang Qian shouted as a saber suddenly appeared behind Zhang Liunian.