Chapter 23: A Bunch of Rascals

In no time, the middle-aged man placed the barbecue he had grilled for us and two bottles of beer on the table, using a bottle opener to pop the caps off.

After filling two glasses with beer, I handed one to Su Xue and raised the other, saying:

“Come, let’s toast to our reunion after ten years!”

“Cheers!”

Su Xue clinked her glass with mine and downed her drink in one go.

Seeing how readily she drank, I also drained my glass in one swift motion.

After refilling both glasses, I picked up a skewer and took a bite. Finding the flavor quite good, I said to Su Xue:

“Xue’er, weren’t you hungry? Eat up!”

“Mhm, okay!” Su Xue picked up a skewer and began chewing, remarking, “This barbecue tastes great. The owner must be making good money, right?”

“Are you thinking of something?” I asked with a smile.

Instead of answering directly, Su Xue inquired, “If I can’t make it in Shibantian Village, do you think I could earn money selling barbecue in your city?”

“Of course,” I nodded. “With your looks, if you set up a stall in Jiangcheng City, plenty of people would come to support you and enjoy your barbecue…”

“Really?” Su Xue’s face lit up with delight.

“Absolutely!” I affirmed emphatically.

“If that’s truly the case, it would be wonderful,” Su Xue said with a charming smile. “Then I could both earn money in the city and see you often. But…”

“But what?” I asked, puzzled.

“Hehe,” Su Xue grinned, then handed me two skewers of grilled kidney, saying mischievously, “You have to eat this first!”

“Why?”

“Because after eating this, you’ll maintain your youthful vigor forever always sharp as a blade, haha!”

Su Xue burst into laughter, her body shaking with mirth.

From the moment he first saw us, a bearded man at the neighboring table had been coveting Su Xue’s beauty. Unable to contain himself upon seeing us laughing and chatting happily, he finally made his move.

Holding a glass of beer, he stood up from his stool, approached Su Xue, and said, “Beautiful, you seem to be having a great laugh!”

Su Xue glanced up at the bearded man. Noting his burly build, shifty eyes, and overall untrustworthy appearance, she retorted irritably:

“None of your business!”

“Beautiful, you’re so pretty, but your words are quite harsh,” the bearded man raised his glass and said, “Come, let me toast you first, and then we can get to know each other!”

“Not interested!” Su Xue replied with clear disdain.

“Dammit, refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!” The bearded man, having been thoroughly snubbed, quickly grew furious with humiliation.

His face darkening, he flung his glass to the ground and reached out to grab Su Xue’s face.

Su Xue turned her head aside, narrowly avoiding the bearded man’s groping hand, then swiftly stood up from her stool and snapped:

“What do you think you’re doing? Get lost!”

Though his hand had missed its mark, the bearded man didn’t seem angered. Instead, he turned to the companions he was eating barbecue with and said:

“This chick is wild and spicy, I like her!”

Someone shouted loudly, “Brother Huzi, looks like you’re going to have some luck with the ladies tonight!”

“Yeah,” another chimed in, “Brother Huzi, you better put in some real effort tonight! We’re all waiting to drink at your wedding feast!”

When the middle-aged man saw Dahuzi causing trouble at our table, he rushed over and tried to calm the situation, saying, “Brother, let’s talk this out properly. Please don’t resort to violence!”

Dahuzi glared at him fiercely and roared angrily, “What the hell are you? Just a barbecue vendor? How dare you meddle in my business?”

The middle-aged man stood his ground and replied, “I don’t want to interfere in anyone’s affairs, but if someone causes trouble at my barbecue stall and disrupts my business, I have to step in!”

“Go to hell!” Dahuzi cursed angrily and shoved the middle-aged man away.

The middle-aged man stumbled backward, lost his footing, and fell hard onto the ground.

Logically speaking, I should have stepped in to help Su Xue when Dahuzi first came over to hit on her. But to see how she would react and to build up her courage, I remained seated on the stool without moving.

Unexpectedly, Dahuzi completely disregarded me, ignored my presence entirely. Not only did he harass Su Xue, but he also laid hands on the barbecue stall owner.

This made me incredibly furious and utterly intolerable.

So, I shot up from the stool and yelled fiercely at Dahuzi, “Hey, punk, who the hell said you could cause trouble here?”

Dahuzi looked at me with a dark expression and said, “Gigolo, so you finally stood up to defend your woman, huh? Let’s see how you plan to do that for her.”

I replied coldly, “It’s simple. First, I’ll knock you down like the frog at the bottom of a well that you are. Then, I’ll make you kneel before her and beg for mercy.”

Dahuzi glanced at me disdainfully and sneered, “With that pathetic look of yours, you think you can take me down? You’re a damn joke, haha!”

“Damn you, go to hell!” I didn’t want to waste any more words on this guy. I grabbed a beer bottle from the table and smashed it down on Dahuzi’s head.

Thud!

A dull sound echoed.

The beer bottle shattered instantly, fragments flying everywhere.

Dahuzi was immediately left with a bleeding head. Beer mixed with blood streamed down his face, soaking his clothes.

The guy hadn’t expected me to strike so quickly and was completely stunned by the blow.

It took him a while to recover. Clutching his bleeding head with one hand, he pointed at me with the other and roared angrily:

“Who are you? How dare you hit me?”

“Who the hell cares who I am? So what if I hit you?” I stared at him coldly and said, “I’m hitting you precisely to teach a lesson to an arrogant fool like you who doesn’t know their place!”

As I spoke, I lifted my foot and kicked him hard in the abdomen.

Dahuzi took the blow to his stomach and was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily onto the table where he and his friends had been eating. The table couldn’t bear the impact and broke apart with a loud crack.

Dahuzi fell to the ground along with the food and dishes from the table.

His companions quickly helped him up from the floor.

Dahuzi gritted his teeth against the waves of pain shooting through his head and abdomen, shouting to his companions, “Brothers, this punk dares to cause trouble here! Charge with me and beat him to death!”

Upon receiving the order, several comrades swarmed toward me all at once.

However, these thugs were merely a bunch of local ruffians from this small county town. While they might be effective against ordinary civilians, how could they possibly stand a chance against someone like me, a former special forces soldier?

With minimal effort, I swiftly knocked them all to the ground with a few punches and kicks. They writhed in pain, unable to get back up.

Step by step, I approached Dahuzi, who was staring at me in stunned disbelief, already scared out of his wits. With a faint smile, I said:

“I told you earlier I’m going to knock you down and make you kneel before my friend to beg for mercy. Do you believe me now?”

“I believe you, I believe you…” Dahuzi nodded repeatedly.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit late to believe me now?” I looked at him with a mocking expression. “Let me put it this way: are you going to kneel down on your own, or do you need my help?”

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