In the suburban woods, fallen leaves swirled, and dry branches littered the ground. Qin Yanzhou stood with a few of his underlings, while Tao Xiaohong hid behind him in fear.
Qin Yanzhou looked down coldly at Li Minghui across from him.
“I warned you this morning not to harass Tao Xiaohong again, and in the blink of an eye, you went and sent people to her house to propose marriage.”
“And you even dared to spread rumors everywhere that Tao Xiaohong is already your woman.”
Qin Yanzhou despised scoundrels like Li Minghui the most.
Tao Xiaohong was his good brother’s younger sister. That brother had died saving him, so he had a duty to take care of his family.
Li Minghui had been pestering Tao Xiaohong like a filthy thug. Qin Yanzhou had taught him a lesson several times, but instead of backing off, Li Minghui only became worse.
Li Minghui sneered. “Tao Xiaohong is my woman. I’ve already had—”
“Shut up!” Qin Yanzhou roared.
He turned to Tao Xiaohong. “Xiaohong, did this bastard bully you?”
Tao Xiaohong sobbed so hard she couldn’t speak.
“He… he… I… wuwu… my reputation is ruined… I don’t want to live anymore…”
Qin Yanzhou’s anger surged. He threw a punch straight into Li Minghui’s face.
Li Minghui spat out a mouthful of blood, along with a molar.
“Damn it, Qin Yanzhou, I’ll cripple you!”
The two quickly tangled into a fight, their underlings cheering from the sidelines.
“Brother Hui, beat him! Beat him to death!”
“Brother Zhou, go!”
Qin Yanzhou and Li Minghui had never gotten along since childhood. Though they were sworn enemies, they had always competed in secret and never clashed head-on—until now.
Because of Tao Xiaohong, they fought with red eyes.
Qin Yanzhou soon gained the upper hand, almost pressing Li Minghui down as he beat him.
Seeing this, Li Minghui’s men rushed forward to help.
One of them grabbed Qin Yanzhou from behind. Li Minghui picked up a branch and viciously thrust it toward Qin Yanzhou’s eye.
“Brother Zhou, watch out!”
The others shouted in panic.
Qin Yanzhou was restrained and couldn’t move.
“Stop!”
Just as Qin Shanhai and the others arrived, they saw the scene.
At the critical moment, Qin Shanhai picked up a stone and threw it with precision.
The tip of the branch was only millimeters away from piercing Qin Yanzhou’s eye. Li Minghui’s hand jerked in pain, and the branch merely grazed Qin Yanzhou’s cheekbone, leaving a faint cut.
With a burst of strength, Qin Yanzhou flipped the man holding him over his shoulder, then kicked Li Minghui in the stomach, sending him flying a meter away.
“I’ll kill you!”
Qin Shanhai rushed forward and grabbed his son. “Do you want to cause a death?!”
Qin Yanzhou curled his lip. “He started it—being a hooligan and bullying a woman!”
“If he’s a hooligan, the police will deal with him. Get your ass home!”
“And you all!” Qin Shanhai turned to the others. The factory director’s authority silenced everyone.
“Fighting like this—do you all want to be arrested and sent to labor reform?!”
They all lowered their heads silently.
…
Xie Yulan and Mianbao waited anxiously in the courtyard. When they saw the old man and his son return, Xie Yulan immediately grabbed Qin Yanzhou by the ear.
“Ow, ow, that hurts! Mom, go easy!”
“You still dare say it hurts? If it weren’t for Mianbao, you’d be blind by now!”
Qin Yanzhou frowned. “What does that little radish have to do with anything?”
“Mianbao told you not to go out, but you insisted. If she hadn’t cried and shouted for us to find you, would your father have made it in time to save you?!”
Xie Yulan wished she could stuff this troublesome son back into her belly.
He caused trouble all day long. Even if he didn’t lose an eye, sooner or later he’d end up in labor reform.
Qin Yanzhou looked at Mianbao oddly. The little girl’s eyes were red and swollen—she had clearly cried a lot.
He clicked his tongue.
Just a coincidence, surely.
Xie Yulan twisted his ear harder. Qin Yanzhou let out a pig-like scream.
“Ah—Mom, you’re going to rip my ear off!”
“Serves you right. You never listen.”
The Qin household became chaotic, while neighbors sat at their doorways cracking sunflower seeds.
“What trouble did that little tyrant from Director Qin’s family cause this time?”
“Probably stirred up something at the billiards hall again.”
Mianbao quietly walked over and closed the courtyard gate. Watching Qin Yanzhou get a double beating, she let out a deep sigh of relief.
The little one scratched her head—it felt itchy.
Her head seemed broken. From time to time, she saw strange images.
But that didn’t seem like a bad thing.
At the dinner table, Mianbao sneaked several glances at Qin Yanzhou’s swollen, pig-like face. Her bright black eyes were full of laughter.
Qin Yanzhou glared at her.
“Laugh again and I’ll smack your butt.”
Mianbao shrank her neck and lowered her head.
Qin Shanhai gave his son a solid smack on the head.
“You still dare bully Mianbao!”
Qin Yanzhou winced in pain, snorted, and picked up a piece of pork, dropping it into Mianbao’s bowl.
Mianbao looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.
“Skin and bones like that—eat more these three days. Once you’ve fattened up, go back to your real father. I don’t have time to raise someone else’s kid.”
In response, Qin Shanhai’s iron-like fist came down on him again.
…
Qin Yanzhou stayed home to recover for two days. Years of fighting had given him a strong physique, and his injuries healed quickly. His handsome face had mostly recovered.
Today was Mianbao’s third day at the Qin household. Early in the morning, Xie Yulan took her out to visit neighbors.
Qin Yanzhou went out shortly after as well.
By evening, Xie Yulan had prepared dinner. Qin Shanhai had to stay at the factory to oversee production and wouldn’t be back.
As the dishes were set on the table, Qin Yanzhou returned, his face dark and sour.
Mianbao, who had been sitting on a bench swinging her legs, suddenly jumped down and hid in the room.
The door opened slightly, and a small fluffy head peeked out cautiously.
Today was the day Uncle said he would send her away. He didn’t like her—he would definitely send her away, right?
Thinking of this, Mianbao felt very down.
She didn’t want to leave Grandpa and Grandma.
Xie Yulan came out with the last dish and didn’t see Mianbao.
“Where’s Mianbao?”
“Bang!” Qin Yanzhou slammed the table angrily.
Xie Yulan jumped, glaring at him. “Are you trying to scare your mother to death?!”
Qin Yanzhou gritted his teeth. “I’ll kill that bastard Li Minghui sooner or later.”
“Wasn’t Li Minghui already taken to the police station?”
That only made Qin Yanzhou angrier.
“They said there wasn’t enough evidence. His family brought him back. Now they’ve even sent a matchmaker to the Tao family, trying to force Xiaohong to marry him.”
The Tao family, like theirs, had lost a child. Worse, their son had died saving Qin Yanzhou.
Xie Yulan frowned, worried about how to resolve this.
Qin Yanzhou picked up his bowl, about to eat, when he met a pair of watery eyes.
He pointed casually. “The little radish is over there.”
Mianbao immediately withdrew her head when she saw him looking.
Xie Yulan smacked her son on the forehead.
“It’s all your fault—coming home with that sour face. You must have scared Mianbao.”
She hurried over to comfort her.
“Mianbao, be good. Grandma’s here. Don’t be afraid.”
Qin Yanzhou stepped past his mother, pushed the door open, and lifted Mianbao out, placing her roughly onto a stool.
“Eat!”
“Be gentle! Don’t hurt her!” Xie Yulan scolded.
Qin Yanzhou snorted and started eating. Just as he reached for food, Xie Yulan snatched the eggs away from in front of him.
“You’re only allowed to eat plain rice tonight!”
Qin Yanzhou: …
At that moment, his underling Guangzi rushed in anxiously.
“Brother Zhou, hurry to the Tao family—Xiaohong tried to kill herself!”