Chapter 29: Another Defeat at Wulipu
Bang!
A powerful palm slammed hard against the wooden door of the Zhang family’s house.
Everyone was startled, turning around in a panic.
It was the villagers from Zhangjia Tun!
“I could hear dogs barking all the way from my home in this yard! I was wondering—who still has extra grain to feed dogs these days? Hurry up and call everyone over to see this!”
“Unexpectedly, it’s those from Wulipu… How can people make dog sounds?”
The aunts who had helped scold Wang Jie last time spoke the loudest!
The other villagers were equally outspoken:
“Who just said Wulipu has us covered? How can Wulipu cover us? Do they cover us with smoke from your mother’s grave?”
“A few nights ago, wolves from the mountains came into the village to eat people. Did your Wulipu militia squad even fart in response?”
“If it weren’t for Yangzi and Dongzi charging ahead and killing the wolves, you’d all be kneeling here crying for your ancestors along with my grandson!”
“No wonder Wulipu folks have thick skin. Wang Jie came to extort, and your militia squad just came to blackmail—two rats from the same hole!”
The courtyard of the Zhang family was nearly bursting with the crowd pouring in.
The people from Wulipu, now completely surrounded, showed signs of panic.
They all looked toward Qian Weiguo, waiting for his decision.
“Squad leader, what do we do now…”
“All these villagers are big and burly. If we fight head-on, we’ll definitely lose…”
The once arrogant group had now tucked their tails and lowered their voices by half.
Even when accused of being stinking rats, they had no choice but to endure it!
To be honest, whenever the villagers from their village fought those from Zhangjia Tun, they always lost—without exception.
It was as if some invisible force suppressed them.
In the past, when numbers were even and both sides were armed, that was one thing.
But today, only six of them came!
There was no chance of victory!
“Squad leader, let's not fight head-on…”
Qian Weiguo gritted his teeth fiercely and spat out through clenched teeth, “Even if we wanted to leave now, do you think we can get out?”
---
The few men from Wulipu turned pale.
Zhang Yang noticed their fear and waved to the villagers who had come to support, signaling for calm.
“Everyone, don’t rush. Listen to me for a moment.”
The noisy crowd gradually quieted.
Zhang Yang glanced at Qian Weiguo. “The Wulipu militia squad didn’t actually come here to cause trouble today.”
The Wulipu men exchanged glances.
They weren’t here to cause trouble?
They themselves didn’t even know that?
Qian Weiguo forced a stiff, fake smile to agree with Zhang Yang’s words.
Yet, the villagers from Zhangjia Tun remained unfriendly.
“If they’re not here to cause trouble, then what? Are they here to ask if we’re doing well?”
“In the dead of winter with nothing to do, just dropping by for a visit?”
“I clearly heard someone say we stole their pigs!”
As voices rose again, sleeves rolled up and fists clenched.
Zhang Yang called out again, “You’ve all misunderstood! They didn’t accuse us of stealing! They sincerely came to ask how to hunt wild boars.”
The villagers stared at the Wulipu men, scrutinizing them back and forth. “Really here to ask?”
Those few felt as if their faces were being scraped off.
They looked meekly at Qian Weiguo.
He ground his teeth and snarled, “Yes, yes, we’re here to ask.”
Other villagers retorted, “If you’re coming to ask, you should at least show some respect. Why come empty-handed with a whole group?”
Zhang Yang quickly replied, “Maybe they were too excited and didn’t believe it themselves, so they rushed over without bringing gifts... It’s okay! Next time, bring your visiting gifts. Our people in Zhangjia Tun aren’t petty or stingy, right?”
The villagers nodded, “That’s true! We can’t be like some villages, stingy and nasty, hoping others suffer just because they can’t get ahead!”
The Wulipu men’s faces turned from pale to green.
Zhang Yang looked at Qian Weiguo again. “If anyone should be asking for advice, it’s me learning from you elders. Our team is full of rookies; this time catching wild boars was pure luck!”
Though his tone was mild, the underlying message was clear:
There’s no experience here worth sharing!
Qian Weiguo’s molars nearly cracked from the force of his bite.
“Since that’s the case, we’ll be going back now.”
---
Qian Weiguo found an excuse and quickly led his militia squad away from Zhangjia Tun.
Once out of the village, they started cursing one another.
“They’re just a crowd bullying the few!”
“If it happened somewhere else today, I wouldn’t swallow this anger! I’d fight them properly and show them my fists!”
“That bastard Zhang Yang! Putting on airs! A clueless brat thinking a feather is a command baton! Just a militia squad leader…”
Qian Weiguo stomped hard on a nearby haystack. “Shut up!”
They couldn’t win by fighting, couldn’t win by cursing, and in the end, they were slapped in the face with a smile by that brat Zhang Yang…
He was the most furious!
Especially since Zhang’s run-down place smelled of meat from the firewood shed…
Qian Weiguo thought his men were useless, and the Wang family even more so!
He threw up his hands and strode ahead, the others nervously following.
“Captain, don’t get too angry! Next time, we’ll bring weapons and settle this once and for all!”
Qian Weiguo slammed on the brakes sharply. “Settle what?! Erase that thought right now!”
Previously, when the two villages had a quarrel that escalated to a fight, Wulipu gained no benefit.
He had just gone to the battalion commander to complain early, and since more people from Wulipu were injured, it seemed like they were the ones bullied.
As a result, they were fined three rifles but their squad wasn’t disbanded.
But the battalion commander had warned:
If a similar incident happened again, all parties would be punished equally!
“Damn it…” Qian Weiguo spat.
His rifle hadn’t even killed many big game yet!
If it got confiscated due to a fight, he’d be left with nothing!
How could he then expect the young men from the Wang family to support him?
“No way! Tonight, we have to patrol the mountains! No matter what, we have to bring something back!”
Qian Weiguo stared at his team with eyes like a wolf’s.
“The honor of Wulipu hangs on the gun you carry!”